Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that has a solid link light on its NIC and on the switch port, but the workstation fails to obtain an IP address via DHCP. The technician manually assigns a static IP and can ping other devices, but experiences slow transfers and packet loss. Checking the switch's port statistics reveals a high number of CRC errors and runts. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
A duplex mismatch between the NIC and the switch port.
Duplex mismatch is a common cause of CRC errors and runts. The switch sees corrupted frames, leading to poor performance and connection issues. The link lights remain on because carrier is detected.
B
Distractor review
The cable is too long (exceeds 100 meters).
Excessive cable length typically causes link negotiation failures or intermittent connectivity, not a high rate of CRC errors and runts while the link is solid.
C
Distractor review
The switch port is in a different VLAN.
VLAN mismatch would prevent DHCP offers from reaching the workstation, but it would not cause CRC errors or runts. The switch statistics would not show those errors.
D
Distractor review
The workstation's NIC driver is corrupted.
A corrupted driver might cause generic symptoms but would not specifically produce CRC errors and runts on the switch port statistics. Those errors point to a physical or configuration issue at layer 1/2.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: an active trunk can still block the VLAN you need
A trunk being up does not prove every VLAN is crossing it. Check allowed VLAN lists, native VLAN mismatch, VLAN existence and access-port assignment.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
VLAN questions usually combine access-port and trunking clues. The key is to identify whether the issue is local to one switchport, caused by the trunk, or caused by the VLAN not existing where it needs to exist.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
- Trunk ports carry multiple VLANs between switches.
- Allowed VLAN lists decide which VLANs can cross a trunk.
- Native VLAN mismatch can create confusing symptoms.
TExam Day Tips
- Use show vlan brief to verify access VLANs.
- Use show interfaces trunk to verify trunk state and allowed VLANs.
- Do not treat every same-VLAN issue as a routing problem.
Related practice questions
Related 220-1101 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
CompTIA A+ hardware practice questions
Practise 220-1101 questions linked to CompTIA A+ hardware.
CompTIA A+ mobile devices practice questions
Practise 220-1101 questions linked to CompTIA A+ mobile devices.
CompTIA A+ networking practice questions
Practise 220-1101 questions linked to CompTIA A+ networking.
CompTIA A+ operating systems practice questions
Practise 220-1101 questions linked to CompTIA A+ operating systems.
CompTIA A+ security practice questions
Practise 220-1101 questions linked to CompTIA A+ security.
CompTIA A+ software troubleshooting questions
Practise 220-1101 questions linked to CompTIA A+ software troubleshooting questions.
CompTIA A+ operational procedures questions
Practise 220-1101 questions linked to CompTIA A+ operational procedures questions.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A user reports intermittent network connectivity on a desktop computer. The technician observes that the Ethernet link light on the NIC turns off for a few seconds and then turns back on. The cable passes a wiremap test, the switch port is verified good with another device, and the NIC driver is updated. The issue occurs more frequently when the computer's case fan runs at high speed. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
Question 2
A workstation is unable to connect to the internet. The technician runs the 'ipconfig' command and sees the IPv4 address is 169.254.15.200 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. The workstation can ping other devices on the local subnet but cannot ping the default gateway or any external addresses. Which TWO actions should the technician take to resolve this issue? (Select two.)
Question 3
A workstation is connected to a managed switch. It obtains a valid IP address (192.168.10.50) from the DHCP server, but it cannot ping the default gateway (192.168.10.1). The link light on both the workstation NIC and the switch port are solid green. Other workstations on the same switch CAN ping the default gateway successfully. The technician accesses the switch management interface and finds that the workstation's port is configured as an access port on VLAN 10. The default gateway is located on VLAN 20. An inter-VLAN router is configured but not explicitly allowing VLAN 10 access to VLAN 20. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the problem?
Question 4
A company develops a web application that relies on a custom library available only for a specific Linux distribution. They want to deploy the application in the cloud with minimal administrative overhead, but they need full control over the software stack, including the ability to install the custom library and configure the web server. Which cloud service model BEST meets these requirements?
Question 5
A company has a legacy virtual machine running on a deprecated hypervisor (Hyper-V). They want to migrate this VM to a new hypervisor (VMware vSphere) hosted in a private cloud while preserving the VM's configuration, installed applications, and data. The migration must be performed with minimal downtime. Which of the following methods is MOST appropriate?
Question 6
A company hosts a critical database on a virtual machine in a public cloud. The database requires persistent storage that must be retained even if the VM is terminated. The storage must also be accessible from multiple VMs simultaneously for a future high-availability configuration. Which type of cloud storage BEST meets these requirements?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 220-1101 question test?
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: A duplex mismatch between the NIC and the switch port. — CRC errors and runts on a switch port are classic symptoms of a duplex mismatch. This occurs when one side is configured for full-duplex and the other for half-duplex. The mismatch causes collisions and frame corruption because the half-duplex side may transmit while the full-duplex side is sending, leading to collisions. This explains the packet loss, slow transfers, and inability to obtain a DHCP lease due to lost broadcast traffic. The solid link light indicates layer 1 is up, but layer 2 has errors.
What should I do if I get this 220-1101 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
Discussion
Loading comments…
Sign in to join the discussion.