- A
Add more motion detectors near the racks.
Why wrong: Motion detectors help detect people, not water, so they do not address the environmental risk described.
- B
Use badge readers on the server room door.
Why wrong: Badge readers control access to the room, but they will not alert staff to a leaking pipe or pooled water.
- C
Install smoke detectors only.
Why wrong: Smoke detection is important for fire safety, but it does not provide early warning for water accumulation.
- D
Install leak-detection sensors or a moisture detection cable tied to alerts.
Leak-detection sensors placed under the floor can detect water as soon as it appears, which is exactly what facilities wants here. Early warning lets staff respond before equipment is damaged or a larger outage occurs. For a room below a chilled-water pipe, environmental monitoring is more effective than access control or motion detection because the hazard is liquid intrusion rather than unauthorized entry.
Quick Answer
The correct choice is to install leak-detection sensors or a moisture detection cable tied to alerts. This control provides the earliest possible warning of water accumulation under raised flooring by continuously monitoring for moisture and triggering an immediate alert, which is critical when a chilled-water pipe sits directly above sensitive IT equipment. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of environmental controls within physical security—specifically, how to mitigate risks like water damage that can cause costly downtime. A common trap is confusing this with humidity monitoring or drainage systems, but those address air moisture or removal, not early detection. Remember the memory tip: “If it’s wet, get a net”—meaning a detection net (sensor cable) catches water before it catches fire to your servers.
SY0-701 Security Operations Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A server room uses raised flooring and sits below a chilled-water pipe. Facilities wants the earliest warning if water starts accumulating under the floor tiles. Which control should be added?
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
Install leak-detection sensors or a moisture detection cable tied to alerts.
Option D is correct because leak-detection sensors or moisture-detection cables are specifically designed to detect water accumulation under raised floors, providing the earliest possible warning. These sensors trigger alerts when moisture is present, allowing facilities to respond before water damages equipment or causes downtime. This directly addresses the risk of a chilled-water pipe leak in a server room environment.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Add more motion detectors near the racks.
Why it's wrong here
Motion detectors help detect people, not water, so they do not address the environmental risk described.
- ✗
Use badge readers on the server room door.
Why it's wrong here
Badge readers control access to the room, but they will not alert staff to a leaking pipe or pooled water.
- ✗
Install smoke detectors only.
Why it's wrong here
Smoke detection is important for fire safety, but it does not provide early warning for water accumulation.
- ✓
Install leak-detection sensors or a moisture detection cable tied to alerts.
Why this is correct
Leak-detection sensors placed under the floor can detect water as soon as it appears, which is exactly what facilities wants here. Early warning lets staff respond before equipment is damaged or a larger outage occurs. For a room below a chilled-water pipe, environmental monitoring is more effective than access control or motion detection because the hazard is liquid intrusion rather than unauthorized entry.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse environmental monitoring controls (like leak detection) with physical security controls (like motion detectors or badge readers), or assume smoke detectors are sufficient for all hazard detection, when they are specific to fire only.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Leak-detection systems often use a sensing cable with two conductors that detect a change in resistance or capacitance when moisture bridges them, triggering an alarm at a central monitoring panel. In real-world scenarios, a slow drip from a chilled-water pipe can accumulate under raised flooring for hours before becoming visible, making early detection critical to prevent short circuits or corrosion in server equipment. These systems can be integrated with building management systems (BMS) to automatically shut off water valves or send alerts via SNMP.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Install leak-detection sensors or a moisture detection cable tied to alerts. — Option D is correct because leak-detection sensors or moisture-detection cables are specifically designed to detect water accumulation under raised floors, providing the earliest possible warning. These sensors trigger alerts when moisture is present, allowing facilities to respond before water damages equipment or causes downtime. This directly addresses the risk of a chilled-water pipe leak in a server room environment.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SY0-701
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A server room sits below a chilled-water line, and occasional condensation is forming on the pipe during humid afternoons. Facilities wants the earliest warning before water reaches equipment and a way to get an alert even if no one is onsite. Which two controls should be implemented? Select two.
hard- ✓ A.Install a networked water-leak detection cable beneath the raised floor near the chilled-water line.
- ✓ B.Add monitored environmental alerts that notify the NOC or building management system when the sensor trips.
- C.Replace standard doors with mantraps to prevent tailgating at the room entrance.
- D.Increase firewall logging on the server VLAN to spot moisture-related outages.
- E.Use temperature-only sensors because condensation always raises heat first.
Why A: A networked water-leak detection cable is the correct choice because it provides continuous, real-time monitoring for moisture along the length of the cable. When condensation drips onto the cable, it completes a circuit between two conductors, triggering an immediate alert. This gives the earliest possible warning before water reaches server equipment, even in an unattended facility.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 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 SY0-701 exam.
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