hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is troubleshooting an issue where a…
A technician is troubleshooting an issue where a user's computer can access the internet but cannot connect to a network printer by its IP address. The printer is on the same subnet and is powered on. Pinging the printer's IP from the computer fails. Which network service is most likely causing the problem?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA A+ often tests the misconception that a failed ping to a local IP must be a Layer 3 routing or DNS issue, when in fact the problem is often a missing or incorrect ARP entry at Layer 2.
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
✓
ARP
Since the computer can access the internet but cannot ping the printer on the same subnet, the issue is at Layer 2 (Data Link) rather than Layer 3 (Network). ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is responsible for resolving a known IP address to a MAC address on the local subnet. If the ARP cache is corrupted, missing, or the printer fails to respond to ARP requests, the computer cannot build the correct Ethernet frame to reach the printer, causing the ping to fail even though the printer is powered on and on the same subnet.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
DNS
Why it's wrong here
DNS (Domain Name System) is responsible for translating human-readable hostnames into numerical IP addresses. If the technician is attempting to connect to the printer directly using its IP address, the DNS resolution process is entirely bypassed. Therefore, a problem with DNS would not prevent communication when the destination IP address is already known and explicitly used for the connection attempt.
- ✗
DHCP
Why it's wrong here
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) automatically assigns IP addresses, subnet masks, default gateways, and other network configuration parameters to devices. Since the computer already possesses a valid IP address and can successfully access external resources like the internet, its DHCP client is functioning correctly. The issue is not related to obtaining network configuration, but rather to communicating with a specific local device.
- ✓
ARP
Why this is correct
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is a critical protocol used to map an IP address to its corresponding MAC (Media Access Control) address within the same local network segment. When a computer needs to send data to a device on its local network, it first uses ARP to discover the destination's MAC address. If ARP fails to resolve the printer's IP address to its MAC address, the computer cannot construct the necessary Ethernet frame headers, preventing any Layer 2 communication, including a ping.
- ✗
NAT
Why it's wrong here
NAT (Network Address Translation) modifies IP address information in packet headers as they traverse a router, primarily to allow multiple devices on a private network to share a single public IP address for internet access. Since the printer and the technician's computer are located on the same local subnet, their communication does not need to traverse a router that performs NAT. Therefore, NAT is irrelevant to this specific local connectivity problem.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Network Configuration: IP, DNS, DHCP
Key term
IP address
An IP address is a unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.
Key term
Frame
A frame is a unit of data at the Data Link layer of networking, containing header, payload, and trailer information for local network delivery.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1201 exam.