easyMultiple Choice
FC0-U71 A user is unable to open a .docx file Practice Question
A user is unable to open a .docx file. The user has the correct application installed. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse file corruption with environmental issues like disk space or network connectivity, but the question specifies the user has the correct application, so the problem must be with the file itself, not the system or network.
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 file is corrupted.
The .docx file is a compressed XML-based format used by Microsoft Word. Even with the correct application installed, if the file's internal structure is damaged (e.g., due to incomplete download, bad sectors, or software crash), the application cannot parse it and will fail to open. File corruption is the most direct cause of an application being unable to open a specific file when the application itself is functional.
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 hard drive is full.
Why it's wrong here
A full hard drive does not stop an installed application from opening an existing local .docx; it only prevents saving or writing new data. It is tempting because disk exhaustion causes many failures, and would be correct if the user could open the file but not save edits to it.
- ✗
The operating system is outdated.
Why it's wrong here
An outdated OS does not prevent a correctly installed application from opening a .docx, since file association and permissions govern that. It is tempting because OS updates do fix some compatibility faults, and would be the answer if the application itself refused to launch or required a newer platform version.
- ✗
The network is down.
Why it's wrong here
A .docx stored locally opens without network access, so an outage cannot block it; only cloud-stored or shared copies would fail. It is tempting because network faults commonly cause access failures, and would be correct if the document resided on a network share or cloud repository.
- ✓
The file is corrupted.
Why this is correct
With the correct application already installed, a corrupted .docx is the most likely cause: damaged file structure or content prevents Word from parsing and opening it, typically producing a repair or unreadable-content error rather than a missing-application prompt.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This FC0-U71 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 FC0-U71 exam.