Practice for the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) exam with 21 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: An organization wants to migrate their email server from an on-premise solution to a vendor-hosted web-based solution li. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- An organization wants to migrate their email server from an on-premise solution to a vendor-hosted web-based…
- A technician is configuring a mobile device for corporate use. Which mobile device management (MDM) feature e…
- A customer wants to build a home server that would allow their family to stream locally stored video files on…
- Tamera's iPad only had 21% battery remaining at the end of the day, so she connected her iPad to the lightnin…
- Which of the following is the virtualization technology supported by most modern Intel processors?
- Which of the following servers would best be classified as an AAA server?
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. An organization wants to migrate their email server from an on-premise solution to a vendor-hosted web-based solution like Google Workspace. Which of the following types of cloud models best describes this proposed solution?
Answer: D. SaaS
Software as a Service delivers fully managed applications over the web, typically accessed through a browser. Hosted email platforms like Google Workspace fit this model, whereas IaaS provides virtualized infrastructure and PaaS provides development environments.
Q2. A technician is configuring a mobile device for corporate use. Which mobile device management (MDM) feature ensures only approved corporate apps can be installed on the device?
Answer: C. Policy enforcement
Mobile Device Management solutions use policy enforcement to restrict user actions and enforce security baselines. By configuring application allowlists or blocklists, administrators can prevent the installation of unapproved software on corporate devices.
Q3. A customer wants to build a home server that would allow their family to stream locally stored video files on a home network. The home server should also have fault tolerance to ensure the server's data is not inadvertently lost in the eve…
Answer: A,E. RAID || Gigabit NIC
A RAID array provides fault tolerance to ensure data is not lost during a hard drive failure. A Gigabit NIC provides the necessary bandwidth for smooth video streaming across multiple devices on a home network.
Q4. Tamera's iPad only had 21% battery remaining at the end of the day, so she connected her iPad to the lightning cable and wall adapter last night before going to bed. In the morning, she tried to turn on the iPad, but it appeared to be comp…
Answer: D. Defective lightning cable
When multiple devices fail to charge using the same cable and power adapter, the issue lies with the charging accessories rather than the individual device batteries or ports. The shared lightning cable is the most likely culprit.
Q5. Which of the following is the virtualization technology supported by most modern Intel processors?
Answer: D. VT
Intel processors use Virtualization Technology, commonly abbreviated as VT, to support running virtual machines. AMD-V is the equivalent virtualization extension used by AMD processors.
Q6. Which of the following servers would best be classified as an AAA server?
Answer: D. RADIUS server
A RADIUS server is a common implementation of an AAA server, handling authentication, authorization, and accounting. DHCP and DNS servers manage network configuration and name resolution, not user authentication.
Q7. A smartphone downloads at 24 Mbps normally but only 256 Kbps when used as a hotspot. What is MOST likely the problem?
Answer: D. The smartphone's data connection is being throttled
Smartphone hotspots often experience throttled data speeds once a user exceeds their monthly high-speed data cap. Defective hardware or overheating would typically cause a complete failure rather than just reduced speeds.
Q8. Which version of USB can operate at speeds of up to 5 Gbps?
Answer: B. USB 3
USB 3.0 operates at speeds up to 5 Gbps, categorizing it as SuperSpeed USB. Older versions like USB 2.0 only reach 480 Mbps, while USB 1.1 is limited to 12 Mbps, making them incorrect for this transfer rate.
Q9. You are troubleshooting a memory issue on a customer's laptop and have determined that the memory module needs to be replaced. You walk into the storage room to select a memory module to use as a replacement. Which of the following choices…
Answer: B. SODIMM
Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Modules, or SODIMMs, are the standard form factor for laptop memory upgrades. Desktop memory uses standard DIMMs, while ECC and single-channel describe specific server features or bus configurations rather than physical size.
Q10. If you are troubleshooting a S.M.A.R.T error on a customer's PC, which of the following devices would you be troubleshooting?
Answer: D. Hard drive
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology, or SMART, monitors storage drives to predict and warn of impending failures. Memory, processors, and power supplies do not generate SMART errors, allowing you to quickly eliminate those components.
Q11. You are troubleshooting a computer, and your supervisor believes that the issue is with the workstation's RAM. Which of the following symptoms did your supervisor likely observe?
Answer: B. Continuous reboot
Continuous reboots often point to system instability caused by faulty hardware like defective RAM modules. A burning smell indicates a bad power supply, distended capacitors emit a foul odor, and an incorrect system clock indicates a dead CMOS battery.
Q12. A workstation is having intermittent issues and continues to receive system errors or freeze. You believe that the problem is being caused by the workstation's motherboard not getting the proper amount of power to it, and you want to perfo…
Answer: B. Multimeter
A multimeter is used to measure voltage and confirm if the power supply is providing the correct electrical levels to the motherboard. A POST card diagnoses boot issues, while cable testers and loopback plugs are for network and port testing.
Q13. Dion Training has asked you to consult on the installation of their new file server. The current server consists of a RAID 5 array with three 1 TB 7200 RPM hard disk drives. Due to the increased reliance on the new file server, you have be…
Answer: C. RAID 10
RAID 10 combines disk striping and mirroring to provide both high performance and full redundancy, preventing unscheduled downtime. RAID 0 lacks redundancy, RAID 1 lacks striping, and RAID 5 does not offer the same performance boost as RAID 10.
Q14. What must you do before tethering a device to a mobile hotspot?
Answer: B. Enable the hotspot feature on the device that will provide the internet connection
Before tethering, you must enable the hotspot feature on the device providing the internet connection. This activates the necessary broadcast; disabling Wi-Fi or adding SIM cards is unnecessary, and modern devices have built-in tethering features.
Q15. A network technician responds to a customer reporting that a workstation continually loses the connection to the network. The user explains that it occurs randomly, and it happens several times throughout the day. Which step of the trouble…
Answer: D. Establish a theory of probable cause
After identifying the problem, the next step is establishing a theory of probable cause. You must theorize what is causing the intermittent connection before testing that theory, planning a fix, or verifying system functionality.
Q16. A technician receives a report that a VoIP phone is experiencing a "no network connectivity" error. The technician notices the Cat6a patch cable running from the back of the phone is routed behind the user's rolling chair. The cable appear…
Answer: B. Cross-talk
Physical damage to a copper network cable compromises its internal shielding and twisted pair geometry, leading to electromagnetic interference known as crosstalk. Collisions and bad crimps are logic or manufacturing faults, whereas the flattened cable points directly to physical signal degradation.
Q17. Timothy, a network technician, receives a phone call from an end-user who states their laptop cannot connect to the corporate wireless network. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST according to the troubleshooting methodol…
Answer: C. Identify the problem
The first step of the troubleshooting methodology is to identify the problem by gathering information and questioning the user. Establishing a plan or verifying functionality occurs later in the process after the actual issue is diagnosed.
Q18. Your boss is looking for a recommendation for a cloud solution that will only allow your company's employees to use the service while preventing anyone else from accessing it. What type of cloud model would you recommend to ensure the cont…
Answer: B. Private Cloud
A private cloud dedicates infrastructure to a single organization, providing the highest level of security and access control for internal users. Public, hybrid, and community clouds involve shared infrastructure or external hosting, which introduces more vulnerability.
Q19. A RAID 5 array with four drives has one failed disk. What action should you take to restore normal operations?
Answer: B. Replace failed disk and rebuild the array
To restore a degraded RAID 5 array, you must replace the failed disk and initiate a rebuild. Removing the failed disk without inserting a replacement leaves the array vulnerable, and system restores do not fix hardware faults.
Q20. A user is receiving a "No bootable device found" error on a computer that has multiple hard drives, an optical drive with a DVD in it, and a USB drive plugged in. Which of the following actions would MOST likely resolve this issue?
Answer: B. Go to the BIOS/UEFI settings and changing the boot order
A no bootable device error often occurs when the system attempts to read from a non-bootable disk before the primary drive. Checking the BIOS or UEFI settings to correct the boot order resolves this quickly without replacing hardware.
Q21. A customer reports their laptop cannot detect any wireless networks despite the Wi-Fi toggle being enabled. The wireless card appears in Device Manager with current drivers, but the laptop was recently dropped. What should you do next?
Answer: B. Reseat the wireless card in its slot
Physical impact suggests the wireless card may have become dislodged from its slot. Reseating the card verifies the hardware connection before replacing parts or changing software configurations.
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