mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1102 Practice Question: That their MacBook Pro running macOS Big Sur will…
A user reports that their MacBook Pro running macOS Big Sur will not boot past the Apple logo. You suspect a corrupted system file. You need to boot into a special mode to run Disk Utility's First Aid on the startup volume. Which key combination should you hold during startup?
⚠ Common exam trap
The CompTIA A+ exam often tests the distinction between recovery modes (Command+R) and other startup key combinations (like Option for Startup Manager or Shift for Safe Mode), expecting candidates to confuse the purpose of each key combination.
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
✓
Hold Command (⌘) + R.
Holding Command (⌘) + R during startup boots macOS into the built-in macOS Recovery system, which includes Disk Utility. From there, you can run First Aid on the startup volume to repair a corrupted system file. This is the standard recovery mode for Intel-based Macs running macOS Big Sur.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Hold the Option (⌥) key.
Why it's wrong here
Holding the Option (⌥) key during startup invokes the Startup Manager, a utility that allows the user to select a bootable volume from a list of available drives. While useful for choosing an alternative operating system or external boot device, it does not provide direct access to macOS Recovery tools like Disk Utility. Therefore, it is not the correct method for diagnosing and repairing a non-booting system due to potential disk corruption.
- ✓
Hold Command (⌘) + R.
Why this is correct
Holding Command (⌘) + R during startup boots the MacBook Pro into macOS Recovery mode, which loads a minimal macOS environment from a dedicated recovery partition. This environment provides essential utilities, including Disk Utility, which is crucial for diagnosing and repairing file system errors or disk corruption using its First Aid feature. This is the appropriate first step for troubleshooting a system that hangs at the Apple logo due to potential disk issues.
- ✗
Hold the Shift key.
Why it's wrong here
Shift boots into Safe Mode, which loads only essential extensions and checks the startup disk. However, if the system hangs at the Apple logo, Safe Mode may not be accessible. Recovery mode is the appropriate choice.
- ✗
Hold Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + P + R.
Why it's wrong here
The key combination Command (⌘) + Option (⌥) + P + R is specifically used to reset the Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory (NVRAM) or Parameter RAM (PRAM) on Intel-based Macs. NVRAM stores various system settings such as sound volume, display resolution, and startup disk selection. While resetting NVRAM can resolve certain hardware-related startup anomalies, it does not provide access to diagnostic or repair tools like Disk Utility, which are necessary for addressing underlying disk corruption preventing the system from booting.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows Command Line Tools
Key term
macOS
macOS is the operating system that powers Apple's Mac computers, providing a graphical interface, system management, and security features for users and IT professionals.
Key term
Recovery
Recovery is the process of restoring systems, data, and operations after a security incident, failure, or disaster to return to normal functioning.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1202 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 220-1202 exam.