mediumMultiple Choice
220-1201 Intermittent network drops Practice Question
A user reports intermittent network drops. You suspect the issue might be with the network interface card (NIC) itself. You need to test the NIC's ability to send and receive data without connecting it to the network. Which tool should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between testing the NIC itself (loopback plug) versus testing the cable (cable tester), leading candidates to confuse a cable tester as a valid NIC diagnostic tool.
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
✓
Loopback plug
A loopback plug (or loopback adapter) is the correct tool because it connects the transmit (TX) and receive (RX) pins of the NIC, allowing it to send data to itself. This tests the NIC's ability to transmit and receive frames without requiring a network connection, isolating the NIC as the potential fault point.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cable tester
Why it's wrong here
A cable tester verifies copper or fibre link integrity, continuity and pinout on the physical medium; it cannot exercise the NIC's transmit and receive circuitry in isolation. It is tempting because cabling faults also cause intermittent drops, and a tester would be the right tool when the suspected fault lies in the patch lead or wall port rather than the adapter.
- ✗
Toner probe
Why it's wrong here
A toner probe traces and identifies a specific cable within a bundle by injecting a tone; it generates no traffic and cannot confirm the NIC transmits or receives. It is tempting because locating an unlabelled run is a common cabling task, and the probe would be correct when you need to find which port a cable terminates at.
- ✓
Loopback plug
Why this is correct
A loopback plug terminates transmit pins back into receive pins, so the NIC's own send and receive circuitry is exercised without any network connection. Successful loopback confirms the adapter functions, isolating the fault to cabling or switch infrastructure rather than the card.
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Multimeter
Why it's wrong here
A multimeter measures voltage, current and resistance on copper cabling; it cannot exercise the NIC's transmit and receive paths. It is tempting because it is a standard hardware diagnostic tool, yet loopback testing, which routes traffic back through the NIC without a network connection, is what verifies send and receive capability.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Troubleshoot: Network Connectivity
Key term
Network Interface Card
A Network Interface Card (NIC) is a hardware component that allows a computer or device to connect to a network and communicate with other devices.
Key term
Interface
An interface is a point of connection or interaction between two systems, devices, or software components that allows them to exchange information or signals.
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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.