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CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) practice questions

222 free questions with answers and explanations.

Practice test
  1. 1.A company is migrating physical servers to the cloud but wants full control over operating systems, middleware, and application configurations. The provider should only be responsible for the physical hardware, virtualization layer, storage, and networking. Which cloud service model best fits this requirement?Virtualization and Cloud Computing
  2. 2.A technician is troubleshooting a network printer that is accessible from some workstations but not others. The technician has confirmed that all workstations are on the same subnet and can ping the printer's IP address. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  3. 3.A home user's laptop can reach devices on the local network but cannot access any websites on the internet. The IP configuration shows a valid IP address, subnet mask, and DNS server, but the 'Default Gateway' field is blank. What is the MOST likely reason the user cannot browse the internet?Networking
  4. 4.A technician is terminating a newly run Ethernet cable at a wall jack and must crimp the correct connector onto the end for a standard wired network drop. Which connector should the technician use?Networking
  5. 5.A technician is assigned the IPv6 network 2001:db8:acad:1::/64 and needs to further divide it into 16 equal-sized subnets for different departments. What subnet prefix length should the technician use for each subnet?Networking
  6. 6.A technician is deploying a Wi-Fi 6 access point in an office and wants to take advantage of the standard's ability to operate in a less congested frequency band with more available channels compared to legacy Wi-Fi. Which frequency band should the technician primarily configure?Networking
  7. 7.A technician needs to run a new network cable through a drop ceiling in an office building where local fire code requires that any cable routed through air handling spaces be rated to not emit toxic fumes when burned. Which cable type should the technician select?Networking
  8. 8.A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that experiences intermittent system freezes and blue screen errors, especially during graphically intensive tasks. The CPU temperature monitoring software shows spikes up to 95°C (203°F). What is the MOST likely cause of these symptoms?Hardware
  9. 9.A competitive gamer wants a new laptop display that offers the fastest pixel response time and highest refresh rate, and is willing to accept less accurate colors and narrower viewing angles as a trade-off. Which display technology should the technician recommend?Mobile Devices
  10. 10.A technician is configuring an email server so that outgoing mail can be relayed correctly. Which of the following TCP ports is used by default for sending email between mail servers?Networking
  11. 11.A user reports that their laptop is running extremely slowly, and applications frequently crash. The technician opens Task Manager and observes that the disk utilization is consistently at 100%, even when no major applications are running. The system has 8GB of RAM. What is the MOST likely cause of this performance issue?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  12. 12.A user reports that their smartphone is no longer able to connect to any Wi-Fi networks. The Wi-Fi toggle in the settings menu is grayed out and cannot be enabled. Other wireless functions, such as Bluetooth and cellular data, are working correctly. What is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  13. 13.A user reports that their laptop battery drains significantly faster than usual, even when the laptop is idle or in sleep mode. The laptop is only a year old, and the battery health report indicates 'Good' capacity. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  14. 14.A technician upgrades a desktop's CPU to a newer generation processor that physically fits the existing LGA1700 socket. After installation, the system fails to POST. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?Hardware
  15. 15.A technician cannot determine which of dozens of unlabeled cables in a wiring closet corresponds to a specific wall jack in an office. Which of the following tools should the technician use to identify the correct cable?Networking
  16. 16.An online retailer expects a massive spike in web traffic during a holiday sales event. The company wants its cloud environment to automatically add compute resources during the surge and automatically release them once traffic returns to normal, minimizing cost. Which cloud characteristic enables this behavior?Virtualization and Cloud Computing
  17. 17.A client reports that their inkjet printer is producing pages with streaks and missing colors, even after replacing the ink cartridges. What is the most likely cause of this issue?Hardware
  18. 18.A retailer normally runs its inventory application on a private cloud. During periods of unusually high demand, the application automatically shifts excess workload to a public cloud provider to maintain performance, then shifts the workload back once demand subsides. Which term describes this technique?Virtualization and Cloud Computing
  19. 19.A server uses a RAID 1 mirror consisting of two drives. One drive fails completely and is removed for replacement. Which statement accurately describes the current state of the array?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  20. 20.What is the maximum theoretical data transfer rate supported by the SATA III interface?Hardware
  21. 21.A technician is installing a new graphics card into a desktop computer. The graphics card requires external power, and the PSU has a spare 8-pin connector. Which of the following power connectors from the PSU is designed to provide auxiliary power to high-performance graphics cards?Hardware
  22. 22.A security auditor discovers that a SOHO router has a feature enabled that allows new wireless devices to join the network by pressing a physical button instead of entering the WPA2 passphrase. The auditor recommends disabling this feature because it is vulnerable to a PIN brute-force attack. Which feature should be disabled?Networking
  23. 23.A technician is running a cable television line from a wall outlet to a cable modem to establish internet service. Which cable type is designed for this connection?Networking
  24. 24.A user reports that their mobile phone's battery percentage drops suddenly from 30% to 5% and then shuts down, even though the phone was working normally moments before. This behavior is consistent and repeatable. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  25. 25.A small business wants to configure a RAID 10 array using four 2TB drives to maximize both redundancy and performance. How much usable storage capacity will the array provide?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  26. 26.A client's laser printer produces printouts with a repeating dark smudge that appears at regular intervals down the entire length of every page. What is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  27. 27.A technician is setting up a new workstation and needs to connect a monitor that supports 4K resolution at 60Hz. Which of the following video interfaces provides the necessary bandwidth for this requirement?Hardware
  28. 28.A technician is configuring static IP addresses for devices on an internal office LAN that should never be routable on the public internet. Which of the following address ranges should the technician use?Networking
  29. 29.A user reports that when they print a document, the laser printer produces pages with ghosting, where a faint image of a previous print appears repeatedly down the page. The technician has already replaced the toner cartridge. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  30. 30.A technician is configuring a firewall rule to allow secure web traffic to an internal server. Which port should be opened?Networking
  31. 31.A technician needs to configure a DNS record so that email sent to a company's domain is correctly routed to the organization's mail server. Which type of DNS record should be configured?Networking
  32. 32.A user reports that their laptop's integrated webcam displays a completely black image when activated, but the camera application launches without error. The laptop's operating system and drivers are confirmed to be up-to-date. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  33. 33.A user reports that a website loads correctly when typing 'https://company.com' but fails with a connection error when typing 'http://company.com'. Which port is likely being blocked by the firewall?Networking
  34. 34.A company allows employees to use their personal smartphones for corporate email and apps under a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy. The MDM administrator wants to keep corporate data completely isolated from the employee's personal apps and files on the same device. Which MDM feature accomplishes this?Mobile Devices
  35. 35.A technician is deploying an 802.11ac wireless access point in a conference room where many laptops and mobile devices connect simultaneously. Which feature allows the access point to transmit data streams to multiple compatible client devices at the same time instead of one at a time?Networking
  36. 36.A user reports that their desktop computer occasionally freezes and displays a 'STOP' error followed by a blue screen, then restarts. This behavior is sporadic and does not always occur when performing the same task. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  37. 37.A client is building a new gaming PC. They want to connect a high-refresh-rate 4K monitor. Which video interface is BEST suited to support both 4K resolution and refresh rates of 120Hz or higher?Hardware
  38. 38.A technician is setting up a new Wi-Fi access point (AP) in an office with multiple existing APs. After installation, users connected to the new AP report very slow speeds and frequent disconnections, while users on older APs are unaffected. The technician suspects Wi-Fi interference. Which of the following is the MOST effective first step to diagnose and resolve this issue?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  39. 39.A user calls the help desk stating their laptop "just stopped working." The technician needs to gather more information before attempting any fixes. Which action best reflects the FIRST step of the CompTIA troubleshooting methodology?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  40. 40.A technician troubleshoots a workstation that cannot access any network resources or the internet. Running ipconfig reveals an IP address of 169.254.34.12. The network cable is confirmed to be connected and the switch port shows link activity. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  41. 41.A technician configures a workstation to boot from a USB installation drive, but the system continually boots directly into the existing Windows installation instead, even after changing the boot order in the BIOS/UEFI setup. The USB drive was verified to be bootable on another machine. Which setting is MOST likely preventing the USB boot?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  42. 42.A user's email client is configured to download and remove messages from the mail server onto a single device, while a colleague's client is configured to leave copies of messages on the server so multiple devices stay synchronized. Which two protocols and their default ports correspond to these two mail retrieval behaviors, respectively?Networking
  43. 43.A technician needs to upgrade the memory in a laptop. Which type of memory module is most commonly used in laptops instead of the full-size DIMMs found in desktops?Mobile Devices
  44. 44.A technician wants to remotely administer a Linux server's command-line interface over an encrypted connection. Which of the following ports should the technician ensure is open on the firewall?Networking
  45. 45.A technician is evaluating memory modules for a new server build that requires enhanced data integrity. Which type of RAM is specifically designed to detect and correct common memory errors, making it ideal for critical server applications?Hardware
  46. 46.A technician is examining an LCD monitor and notices a single pixel that is always black, regardless of what is displayed on screen. Which term correctly describes this defect?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  47. 47.A mail administrator wants to reduce spam by allowing receiving mail servers to verify that an incoming email's source IP address matches the domain it claims to be from using a reverse lookup. Which DNS record type enables this reverse lookup?Networking
  48. 48.A technician notices that a laptop's battery has become visibly swollen, causing the trackpad to bulge upward. Which of the following is the SAFEST immediate action to take?Mobile Devices
  49. 49.A graphic designer wants to use a pressure-sensitive input device to draw directly on a laptop's touchscreen for more precise control than a finger provides. Which accessory should the technician recommend?Mobile Devices
  50. 50.A technician needs to replace the battery in a modern ultrabook. The battery is glued to the chassis rather than secured with screws. What is the PRIMARY safety concern the technician must address during removal?Mobile Devices