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220-1201 Practice Question: That their external monitor connected via HDMI…
A user reports that their external monitor connected via HDMI shows a blurry image and the text is hard to read. They have tried a different HDMI cable and the issue persists. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse a low refresh rate with resolution-related blur, but refresh rate affects motion smoothness, not static image sharpness, while resolution mismatch directly causes the described symptom.
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 resolution is set below the monitor's native resolution.
When an external monitor displays a blurry image with hard-to-read text, the most likely cause is that the display resolution is set below the monitor's native resolution. Each LCD monitor has a fixed native resolution (e.g., 1920x1080), and running at any other resolution forces the monitor to scale the image, which introduces blurriness and loss of sharpness. Since the user already tried a different HDMI cable, the cable is not the issue, and a low refresh rate typically causes flickering or motion artifacts, not static blur.
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 HDMI cable is defective.
Why it's wrong here
A defective HDMI cable typically results in a complete loss of signal, intermittent display flickering, or severe visual artifacts like "snow" or color distortion, rather than merely blurry text. Since the user has already attempted using a different cable without resolving the blurriness, the cable itself is highly improbable as the root cause of the specific issue described. This troubleshooting step effectively eliminates the cable as the primary suspect.
- ✗
The monitor's refresh rate is set too low.
Why it's wrong here
A monitor's refresh rate dictates how many times per second the image on the screen is redrawn. A refresh rate set too low primarily manifests as noticeable screen flickering, eye strain, or significant motion blur during fast-moving content, making it difficult to track objects. It does not, however, cause static text to appear uniformly blurry or pixelated across the display when the image itself is otherwise stable.
- ✓
The display resolution is set below the monitor's native resolution.
Why this is correct
When a monitor receives a display signal at a resolution lower than its native (physical) pixel count, it must digitally scale the image to fill the entire screen. This scaling process involves interpolating pixels, which inevitably introduces blurriness, especially noticeable with fine details like text, as the original sharp pixel-to-pixel mapping is lost. Setting the display to its native resolution ensures a perfect 1:1 pixel correspondence, resulting in the sharpest possible image.
- ✗
The graphics driver is corrupted.
Why it's wrong here
A corrupted or outdated graphics driver typically leads to more severe display anomalies than mere blurry text. These issues can include complete failure to display an image, frequent system crashes (BSODs), graphical artifacts such as distorted colors or geometric patterns, or incorrect resolution detection. While a driver issue could indirectly affect resolution options, the primary symptom of corruption is usually more catastrophic than simple text blurriness.
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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.