Step2Study

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

222 free questions with answers and explanations.

Practice test
  1. 51.A DevOps team is running hundreds of containers across multiple physical hosts and needs a system to automatically schedule, scale, and restart failed containers across the entire cluster. Which type of tool provides this functionality?Virtualization and Cloud Computing
  2. 52.A technician is troubleshooting a client's workstation that experiences intermittent network connectivity. The user reports that sometimes they can access network resources, but other times they cannot, and their IP address occasionally changes. The technician checks the workstation's IP configuration and sees it is set to obtain an IP address automatically. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  3. 53.A user reports that their mobile phone's touchscreen is completely unresponsive, but the device still powers on, receives calls, and plays audio. The display shows images normally. Which component is MOST likely faulty?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  4. 54.A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on but displays no video output. The power LED on the monitor is amber/orange, indicating no signal. The system does not emit any beep codes. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?Hardware
  5. 55.A technician is designing a subnet that must support at least 50 host devices while wasting as few IP addresses as possible. Which of the following subnet masks should the technician use?Networking
  6. 56.A client notices that their inkjet printer is producing pages with streaks and missing colors, even after replacing the ink cartridges. The technician suspects a clog. Which of the following maintenance tasks should the technician perform FIRST to address this issue?Hardware
  7. 57.A technician is building a custom desktop PC. The motherboard specifies support for a maximum of 64GB of DDR4 RAM across four DIMM slots. If the technician wants to install the maximum supported RAM, which of the following configurations would be appropriate?Hardware
  8. 58.A user updates a contact's phone number on their Android tablet, and shortly afterward the same update appears automatically on their Android smartphone without any manual action. Which technology enables this behavior?Mobile Devices
  9. 59.A technician is running new drops from a wiring closet to several offices and terminates the cables into keystone jacks using a punch-down tool. Before connecting the jacks to end-user devices, the technician wants to verify continuity, correct pinout, and check for shorts or split pairs on each cable run. Which tool provides the most comprehensive test for this purpose?Networking
  10. 60.A user edits a contact's phone number on a laptop while offline. Before the laptop reconnects to the network, the user also edits the same contact's email address on a smartphone, and that change syncs to the cloud immediately. When the laptop finally reconnects and syncs, the user notices the phone number change is gone, though the email update is present. Which sync behavior best explains this outcome?Mobile Devices
  11. 61.A technician is upgrading a desktop computer's RAM. The existing RAM is DDR4-2400. The client wants to ensure the new RAM is compatible and provides the best possible performance without replacing the motherboard. Which of the following RAM specifications should the technician prioritize?Hardware
  12. 62.A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that fails to boot. Upon inspection, the technician notices that the system's power LED flickers, and the CPU fan briefly spins before stopping. No display output is observed. What is the most likely cause of this issue?Hardware
  13. 63.A systems administrator is building a dedicated virtualization host and wants the hypervisor to run directly on the server hardware, without relying on a general-purpose host operating system, in order to maximize performance and reduce attack surface. Which hypervisor type should be installed?Virtualization and Cloud Computing
  14. 64.A technician enables two-factor authentication (2FA) for a company's MDM enrollment portal after several unauthorized enrollment attempts. Which security benefit does this change MOST directly provide?Mobile Devices
  15. 65.A desktop PC powers on, fans spin, and lights illuminate, but the system emits a continuous series of beeps and displays nothing on the monitor. The technician reseats the video card with no change. What should be tested next?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  16. 66.A user reports that toner images appear correctly on the page but smear and flake off when touched. Which step of the laser printing process is most likely malfunctioning?Hardware
  17. 67.A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on but displays no video output. The technician has already verified the monitor and video cable are working. Upon opening the case, the technician observes that the CPU fan is spinning, and some case fans are also active, but there are no POST beeps. Which of the following components is the MOST likely cause of the lack of video output?Hardware
  18. 68.A user reports that their laser printer is producing pages with faint, repeating images of previous prints. The ghosted images appear consistently at intervals down the page. Which component is MOST likely failing?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  19. 69.A client reports that their laser printer is producing pages with a faint, repeating image of a previous printout. This 'ghosting' effect appears uniformly across the entire page. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  20. 70.A technician is provisioning a new virtualization host with 64GB of physical RAM. The hypervisor itself reserves 4GB for its own operations, and the plan is to deploy six VMs, each requiring 8GB of dedicated RAM. Does the host have enough RAM to meet these requirements without overcommitting memory?Virtualization and Cloud Computing
  21. 71.A technician is deploying new workstations for a graphic design team. These workstations will handle large image and video files, requiring fast storage and transfer speeds. Which of the following storage interfaces offers the highest bandwidth suitable for this demanding workload?Hardware
  22. 72.A laptop screen appears very dim and hard to read, but images are barely visible when a flashlight is shined directly at the screen. Connecting an external monitor via HDMI produces a bright, normal image. Which component is the MOST likely cause of the laptop's dim display?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  23. 73.A technician is setting up a new gaming PC. The client wants to connect a high-refresh-rate 4K monitor (3840x2160 pixels at 144Hz) that supports HDR. Which of the following display interfaces would be MOST suitable to meet these requirements?Hardware
  24. 74.A virtualization administrator configures three new VM virtual disks on a single host that has 1TB (1000GB) of physical storage installed. Each VM is assigned a 500GB virtual disk, and the administrator confirms only 300GB of actual data currently exists across all three VMs combined. Which storage technology allows this configuration to exist safely, and what must the administrator actively monitor going forward?Virtualization and Cloud Computing
  25. 75.A technician is troubleshooting a server that intermittently fails to boot, sometimes displaying memory-related errors. The server uses DDR4 RAM. The technician suspects a memory issue. Which of the following tools should the technician use FIRST to diagnose potential problems with the RAM modules?Hardware
  26. 76.A technician is troubleshooting a network printer that is reachable via its IP address (ping works) from all workstations on the network, but no workstation can print to it. When users attempt to print, the print jobs get stuck in the print queue or disappear without an error message. What is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  27. 77.A technician is installing a new patch panel in a wiring closet and must terminate the individual copper conductors into the IDC (insulation displacement connector) slots according to the correct wiring standard. Which of the following tools should the technician use to seat and trim the wires in a single action?Networking
  28. 78.A user complains that their smartphone's touchscreen registers taps in the wrong location, is unresponsive in certain areas, and sometimes activates apps without being touched. The technician has already restarted the phone and updated the OS with no improvement. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  29. 79.A technician is installing a new CPU on a motherboard that uses a Land Grid Array (LGA) socket. What is the MOST critical step to ensure proper installation and prevent damage?Hardware
  30. 80.A technician is installing a new 2.5-inch Solid State Drive (SSD) into a desktop computer. The SSD uses a standard SATA interface. Which of the following power connectors is REQUIRED to power this SSD?Hardware
  31. 81.A network technician uses a cable certifier on a newly installed Cat6 patch cable and finds that pins 3 and 6 show a split-pair wiring fault, even though the cable passes a basic continuity test. Which network symptom is MOST likely to result from this specific fault?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  32. 82.A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on, but consistently displays a 'No Boot Device Found' error message. The technician has verified that the hard drive is detected in the BIOS/UEFI settings and has the correct boot order configured. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  33. 83.A technician connects a laptop to a USB-C docking station. The laptop requires 65W to charge normally, but the dock's USB-C Power Delivery port only supports pass-through charging up to 60W. What is the most likely result when the laptop is docked, powered on, and actively being used?Mobile Devices
  34. 84.A technician troubleshoots a workstation on a switch that intermittently drops packets and shows excessive collisions in the network adapter's statistics, even though the cable and NIC test as healthy. Which condition is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  35. 85.A technician is troubleshooting a client's workstation that experiences intermittent network connectivity. The client reports that the connection often drops and reconnects, and sometimes they lose access to network resources for short periods. The technician suspects a DHCP lease expiration issue. Which of the following commands would BEST help diagnose this specific problem on a Windows machine?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  36. 86.A hypervisor administrator needs to move a running production VM from one physical host to another for scheduled hardware maintenance without causing any noticeable downtime or interruption to end users. Which capability enables this?Virtualization and Cloud Computing
  37. 87.Before applying a risky patch to a production VM, an administrator wants to capture the VM's exact current state so it can be quickly reverted to that exact point if the patch causes problems. Which action should the administrator perform?Virtualization and Cloud Computing
  38. 88.A company wants to upgrade its wireless network security to protect against offline dictionary attacks and provide stronger encryption than previous standards. Which of the following should the technician implement?Networking
  39. 89.A technician is troubleshooting a network printer that is reachable via its IP address (ping is successful) but no workstation can print to it. The printer's web interface is also inaccessible. The printer displays a 'Ready' status on its control panel. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  40. 90.A user pairs a smartphone with a Bluetooth speaker to stream music wirelessly. Which Bluetooth profile is responsible for transmitting high-quality stereo audio to the speaker?Mobile Devices
  41. 91.A technician is replacing a cracked laptop screen and notices two thin coaxial cables running from the display bezel down to the motherboard area. What is the PRIMARY function of these cables?Mobile Devices
  42. 92.A user reports that their laser printer is producing pages with vertical black lines or streaks on every printout. The lines are consistent in position and appear on all pages. Which of the following components is the most likely cause of this issue?Hardware
  43. 93.A technician suspects a NIC on a desktop is faulty because the computer cannot connect to the network. To isolate whether the issue is with the NIC hardware itself, the technician plugs a small connector into the Ethernet port that redirects transmit signals back into the receive pins. Which tool is being used?Networking
  44. 94.A help desk technician needs to remotely access the graphical desktop of a user's Windows workstation to troubleshoot a software issue. Which TCP port must be open on the workstation's firewall to allow this type of remote connection?Networking
  45. 95.A technician is comparing two laptop accessories: one connects via a single proprietary port and provides full video, network, and multiple USB expansion, while the other simply duplicates the laptop's native ports through a single cable. Which accessory offers the full expansion capability?Mobile Devices
  46. 96.A technician is comparing memory modules for a new workstation build. Which of the following is true of DDR5 RAM compared to DDR4 RAM?Hardware
  47. 97.A user wants to quickly pay for a purchase by tapping their smartphone against a payment terminal. Which wireless technology enables this short-range contactless transaction?Mobile Devices
  48. 98.A technician needs to connect an old analog telephone to a wall jack in an office. Which of the following connector types should the technician use?Networking
  49. 99.A user reports that their desktop computer's internet connection is extremely slow, but locally they can access other devices on the network at normal speeds. When they try to browse websites, pages load very slowly or time out. Pinging local IP addresses works fine, but pinging external websites by domain name fails. Pinging external websites by IP address works. What is the MOST likely cause?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
  50. 100.A desktop PC powers on with fans spinning and case lights active, but there are no POST beeps and no video output to the monitor. The technician has already verified the monitor and cable work on another machine. Which step should the technician perform NEXT?Hardware and Network Troubleshooting