Question 640 of 750

Windows Administrative Tools →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

How to Review User Activity Timeline on Windows 10

This 220-1202 practice question tests your understanding of windows administrative tools. 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 security incident has occurred: an employee's workstation was used to access unauthorized websites. The manager wants to review recent web browsing history and application usage. Which administrative tool can provide a comprehensive timeline of user activity on the Windows 10 system?

A
Performance Monitor to create a trace of user actions.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Performance Monitor tracks system performance, not user activity like web browsing.
B
Task Scheduler to view past task executions.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Task Scheduler shows only scheduled tasks, not general user activity.
C
Event Viewer to examine Security and Application logs for user activity.
Correct. Event Viewer logs security events (logons) and application events, which can help reconstruct user activity.
D
Local Users and Groups to check user group memberships.
Why wrong: Incorrect. This tool manages user accounts and groups, not activity logs.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Quick Answer

The answer is Event Viewer, as it is the administrative tool that provides a comprehensive timeline of user activity on a Windows 10 system by logging security and application events. Event Viewer captures critical data such as user logons, logoffs, and application starts within the Security and Application logs, making it the go-to utility for reconstructing a sequence of actions during an incident. On the CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between system-level monitoring tools and browser-specific history; a common trap is assuming Task Manager or Resource Monitor can track past activity, but they only show real-time data. Remember that while Event Viewer excels at system events, it does not log detailed web browsing history—that requires separate browser logs or third-party tools. A helpful memory tip: think of Event Viewer as the “security camera” for Windows logs, capturing who did what and when, but not what they clicked on the web.

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

✓

Event Viewer to examine Security and Application logs for user activity.

Event Viewer is the correct administrative tool because it consolidates Security logs (e.g., event ID 4624 for logons, 4648 for explicit logon attempts) and Application logs that record user activity such as web browsing and application launches. By filtering these logs, a manager can reconstruct a timeline of user actions on the Windows 10 system, including unauthorized website access.

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.

✗
Performance Monitor to create a trace of user actions.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Performance Monitor tracks system performance, not user activity like web browsing.
✗
Task Scheduler to view past task executions.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Task Scheduler shows only scheduled tasks, not general user activity.
✓
Event Viewer to examine Security and Application logs for user activity.
Why this is correct
Correct. Event Viewer logs security events (logons) and application events, which can help reconstruct user activity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Local Users and Groups to check user group memberships.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. This tool manages user accounts and groups, not activity logs.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

CompTIA often tests the misconception that Performance Monitor can trace user actions because of its name, but it is strictly a performance data collector, not an activity logger.

Trap categories for this question

Command / output trap
Incorrect. Task Scheduler shows only scheduled tasks, not general user activity.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Event Viewer's Security log captures detailed audit events such as logon/logoff (event IDs 4624, 4634), process creation (event ID 4688), and object access, which can be correlated with Application logs from browsers and other software. In a real-world scenario, enabling advanced audit policies (e.g., via Group Policy or auditpol.exe) allows tracking of specific user actions like file access or web browsing, but by default, only basic logon events are recorded, so the manager may need to verify that appropriate auditing is enabled.

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 practitioner preparing for the 220-1202 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this 220-1202 question test?

Windows Administrative Tools — This question tests Windows Administrative Tools — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Event Viewer to examine Security and Application logs for user activity. — Event Viewer is the correct administrative tool because it consolidates Security logs (e.g., event ID 4624 for logons, 4648 for explicit logon attempts) and Application logs that record user activity such as web browsing and application launches. By filtering these logs, a manager can reconstruct a timeline of user actions on the Windows 10 system, including unauthorized website access.

What should I do if I get this 220-1202 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

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on 220-1202

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 security incident occurred where an unauthorized user gained access to a workstation. The security team needs to review detailed logs of all user logon attempts, including successful and failed logins, for the past 48 hours. Which administrative tool and specific log should you access to provide this information?

hard

A.Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System
✓ B.Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Security
C.Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager
D.Computer Management > System Tools > Shared Folders > Sessions

Why B: Event Viewer's Windows Logs > Security log records all security-related events, including logon attempts (success and failure). This is the standard location for auditing user activity. Other logs like System or Application do not focus on authentication events.

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