easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A customer reports that their laptop screen…
A customer reports that their laptop screen flickers intermittently, especially when they adjust the lid angle. The image is clear when the screen is at a specific angle but flickers or goes black at others. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The CompTIA A+ exam often tests the distinction between physical connection issues (like a loose cable) and component failures (like a dead pixel or inverter), tempting candidates to choose a more dramatic-sounding failure when the symptom clearly points to a mechanical cause.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The display cable is loose or damaged
The intermittent flickering that correlates with lid angle changes is a classic symptom of a loose or damaged display cable (e.g., LVDS or eDP ribbon cable). As the lid moves, the cable flexes, causing intermittent contact and signal loss, which results in flickering or a black screen at certain angles.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The LCD panel has a dead pixel
Why it's wrong here
A dead pixel is a permanent hardware defect where a sub-pixel or entire pixel fails to illuminate or remains stuck on a specific color. This results in a static, non-changing dot on the screen, which would not flicker intermittently. Furthermore, a dead pixel's appearance is not influenced by physical manipulation of the laptop lid, distinguishing it from a connection issue.
- ✓
The display cable is loose or damaged
Why this is correct
The display cable, typically an eDP or LVDS cable, routes through the laptop's hinge mechanism, connecting the LCD panel to the motherboard. Repeated stress from opening and closing the lid can cause this cable to become loose, frayed, or damaged over time. This intermittent contact or signal disruption manifests as flickering, color distortion, or even a temporary loss of display, particularly when the lid's position changes, directly indicating a physical connection issue.
- ✗
The video card driver is outdated
Why it's wrong here
An outdated or corrupted video card driver primarily affects the software interface between the operating system and the graphics hardware. Such software-related issues typically result in persistent display anomalies like incorrect resolutions, graphical artifacts, or system crashes that are generally independent of physical laptop movement. Intermittent flickering tied directly to lid manipulation strongly suggests a hardware connection problem rather than a software driver fault.
- ✗
The inverter is failing
Why it's wrong here
The inverter is a high-voltage power supply component exclusively found in older laptops that utilize Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) backlighting. Its sole function is to convert DC power into the high-voltage AC required to illuminate the CCFL tube. Modern laptops overwhelmingly employ LED backlighting, which operates on low-voltage DC and does not require an inverter, making this component irrelevant for contemporary display flickering issues.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Laptop Hardware and Components
Key term
Image
An image is a complete snapshot of a system's operating system, applications, and settings, used to deploy or restore computing environments quickly.
Key term
Laptop
A portable personal computer that integrates a display, keyboard, touchpad, battery, and internal components into a single clamshell device for mobile computing.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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