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220-1201 Practice Question: That they cannot access any websites, but they…
A user reports that they cannot access any websites, but they can ping the IP address of a public DNS server (8.8.8.8). What is the most likely misconfigured network service?
⚠ Common exam trap
The 220-1201 exam often tests the distinction between IP connectivity (Layer 3) and name resolution (Application Layer), tricking candidates into thinking a DHCP or NAT issue is at fault when the ping test clearly rules out those layers.
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
✓
DNS
The user can ping 8.8.8.8, confirming that IP connectivity and routing are working, but cannot access websites by name. This indicates that the system cannot resolve domain names to IP addresses, which is the function of DNS. A misconfigured DNS server address (e.g., pointing to a non-existent or unreachable DNS server) would cause this exact symptom.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
DHCP
Why it's wrong here
If DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) were failing, the client would likely not obtain a valid IP address, subnet mask, or default gateway from the network. This fundamental lack of network configuration would prevent any successful network communication, including the ability to ping external IP addresses. Since the user can successfully ping external IPs, DHCP is functioning correctly, providing the necessary network parameters for basic connectivity.
- ✓
DNS
Why this is correct
DNS (Domain Name System) is a critical service responsible for translating human-readable domain names, such as 'google.com', into numerical IP addresses that computers use to locate resources on the internet. If DNS resolution fails, web browsers cannot determine the correct IP address for a website, leading to errors like 'cannot access any websites,' even if the underlying network connection is functional and direct IP-based pings succeed. This symptom precisely matches a DNS failure.
- ✗
NAT
Why it's wrong here
Network Address Translation (NAT) is a process typically performed by a router, allowing multiple devices on a private network to share a single public IP address when communicating with the internet. If NAT were failing or misconfigured, outbound connections from the private network to external IP addresses would not be successfully translated and routed. Consequently, the user would be unable to ping any external IP addresses, which contradicts the reported symptom.
- ✗
Proxy
Why it's wrong here
A proxy server acts as an intermediary, forwarding requests from clients to other servers, often used for security, caching, or content filtering. While a misconfigured or failing proxy server could certainly prevent access to websites, the ability to successfully ping external IP addresses indicates that basic network connectivity to the internet is present. A proxy issue would typically manifest as connection refused or timeout errors, but the specific symptom of successful IP pings strongly suggests a name resolution problem rather than a general connection blockage by a proxy.
Visual reference
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Mobile Device Connectivity
Key term
Fully Qualified Domain Name
A Fully Qualified Domain Name is the complete and unambiguous website or server name that includes the host, domain, and top-level domain, leaving no room for guesswork.
Key term
Ping
Ping is a network utility used to test whether a remote computer or device is reachable across an IP network and to measure the round-trip time of data packets.
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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.