easyMultiple Choice
220-1201 Practice Question: A user complains that they cannot access a…
A user complains that they cannot access a website by its domain name, but they can access it by typing the IP address directly. The user's computer is configured to obtain DNS automatically. What is the most likely issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse a DNS server problem with a browser cache issue or an IP address change, but the key clue is that direct IP access works while domain name access does not.
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 DNS server is not responding or is misconfigured.
The user can access the website by IP address but not by domain name, which indicates that DNS resolution is failing. Since the computer is configured to obtain DNS automatically, the most likely cause is that the DNS server assigned by DHCP is not responding or is misconfigured, preventing the translation of the domain name to an IP address.
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 user's computer has a static IP address that conflicts with another device.
Why it's wrong here
An IP address conflict would disrupt connectivity to the IP address too, not selectively break name resolution. It is tempting because conflicts cause intermittent network faults, but the stem shows IP access working, so addressing is functional; DNS resolution is the failing layer.
- ✓
The DNS server is not responding or is misconfigured.
Why this is correct
Name resolution fails while direct IP connectivity succeeds, proving the network path and default gateway work. Since the client obtains DNS automatically, the fault lies with the DHCP-supplied DNS server address or the server itself, so it cannot resolve the domain name to an IP.
- ✗
The user's browser cache is corrupted.
Why it's wrong here
A corrupted browser cache would not prevent domain-name resolution while direct IP access succeeds, since DNS lookup occurs before HTTP caching. It is tempting because cached pages often cause stale or broken content, but that scenario still requires successful name resolution.
- ✗
The website's IP address has changed.
Why it's wrong here
A changed website IP would break direct IP access unless the user typed the new address, and DNS would simply return the updated record. It is tempting because stale DNS records cause name failures, but the stem confirms IP access succeeds, so the address is current.
Visual reference
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Proxy Server Configuration
Key term
DHCP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automatically assigns IP addresses and network settings to devices on a network, so they can communicate without manual configuration.
Key term
DNS
DNS is the system that translates human-friendly domain names like example.com into machine-readable IP addresses so computers can find each other on a network.
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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.