Practice for the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) exam with 20 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: Which of the following protocols operates over port 139 by default?. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- Which of the following protocols operates over port 139 by default?
- Which of the following is an APIPA or link-local address?
- Your firewall is blocking outbound email traffic that is attempting to be sent. Which port should you verify…
- Which of the following types of connectors are used to terminate a household telephone cable?
- A customer is upset that their laptop is too slow during the bootup process and when loading programs. The la…
- Dion Training just installed a new webserver within a screened subnet. You have been asked to open up the por…
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. Which of the following protocols operates over port 139 by default?
Answer: C. NetBIOS
NetBIOS operates over TCP port 139 by default to provide session management and name resolution on legacy networks. The other protocols use different ports, such as SMB on 445 and HTTPS on 443.
Q2. Which of the following is an APIPA or link-local address?
Answer: C. 169.254.64.23
The address 169.254.64.23 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing address, also known as a link-local address. Addresses in the 169.254 range are automatically assigned when a DHCP server is unavailable.
Q3. Your firewall is blocking outbound email traffic that is attempting to be sent. Which port should you verify is set to ALLOW in the firewall to ensure your emails are being sent?
Answer: C. 25
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol uses port 25 to send outbound email traffic between hosts. Port 143 is for IMAP, and port 22 is for SSH, making them incorrect for sending mail.
Q4. Which of the following types of connectors are used to terminate a household telephone cable?
Answer: B. RJ-11
An RJ-11 connector is the standard interface used to terminate household telephone cables. The exam uses RJ-45 for Ethernet, F-type for coaxial, and LC for fiber optic connections.
Q5. A customer is upset that their laptop is too slow during the bootup process and when loading programs. The laptop is configured with an Intel i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, a 500 GB HDD operating at 5400 RPM, and a dedicated GPU with 8 GB of…
Answer: A. 512 GB SSD
Upgrading from a mechanical hard drive to a solid-state drive provides the most dramatic improvement for boot times and application loading. The system already has ample memory and processing power, so replacing the slow storage medium resolves the bottleneck.
Q6. Dion Training just installed a new webserver within a screened subnet. You have been asked to open up the port for secure web browsing on the firewall. Which port should you set as open to allow users to access this new server?
Answer: C. 443
Secure web browsing relies on HTTPS, which encrypts traffic over port 443. Standard HTTP uses port 80 and lacks encryption, while file transfer protocols use entirely different ports.
Q7. Which of the following cloud deployment models is dedicated to a single organization and offers enhanced security and control?
Answer: D. Private cloud
A private cloud is dedicated entirely to a single organization, providing maximum security and operational control. Public and hybrid clouds involve shared infrastructure, which reduces the direct control an organization has over the hardware.
Q8. You have been asked to install a new wireless network for your company's new branch office. Your boss wants the network to be high-speed and is willing to buy new hardware and network adapters to ensure all the devices can communicate on t…
Answer: A. 802.11ac
The 802.11ac wireless standard provides the fastest data transfer speeds among the listed options. Older standards such as 802.11n, 802.11a, and 802.11g offer significantly lower theoretical maximum throughputs.
Q9. Your company wants cloud-based accounting to reduce costs. The Chief Information Officer supports moving to the cloud, but others are concerned about sharing financial data with other companies. What solution addresses both concerns?
Answer: C. SaaS in a private cloud
Software as a Service provides cloud-based accounting software while meeting the requirement to reduce costs. Choosing a private cloud deployment ensures dedicated resources and prevents data comingling, which addresses the security concerns.
Q10. A network technician needs to connect two switches. The technician needs a link between them that is capable of handling 10 Gbps of throughput. Which of the following media would BEST meet this requirement?
Answer: C. Fiber optic cable
Fiber optic cable is the best choice to handle 10 Gbps throughput between two switches. Cat 5e and Cat 3 cables are limited to 1 Gbps and 10 Mbps respectively, making them insufficient for this requirement.
Q11. What does VDI stand for?
Answer: C. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is the correct expansion for the abbreviation VDI. VDI centralizes desktop instances on a single server, allowing users to access them via thin clients while reducing operational expenses.
Q12. Which of the following terms describes a tool that indicates to a printer how pages are to be laid out and what the contents of a page are?
Answer: B. Printer control language
A printer control language is a page description language that dictates how pages are laid out and printed. The Internet Printing Protocol and Line Printer Daemon handle network job submission, not page layout.
Q13. A software developer wants to test a new application without risking damage to their main operating system or data. They decide to use a virtual machine (VM). Why is a VM in sandbox mode ideal for this purpose?
Answer: C. It isolates the application in a separate environment, preventing changes to the main system
A virtual machine in sandbox mode isolates the application in a separate environment, preventing changes to the main system. This containment protects the host operating system and data from potential damage during testing.
Q14. An employee's work device uses excessive data because their email app downloads large attachments. How would you optimize the device to reduce mobile data usage?
Answer: B. Configure the email app to download attachments only when connected to Wi-Fi
Configuring an email application to download large attachments only over Wi-Fi directly prevents unnecessary cellular data consumption. Disabling mobile data entirely or restricting synchronization times are too disruptive, while providing a separate device is an impractical and costly workaround.
Q15. Dion Training wants to create a DNS record to enter DKIM or SPF information into the domain name system to help prevent spam coming from their domain. Which type of DNS record should be created?
Answer: A. TXT
TXT (text) DNS records are used to store machine-readable data, including email authentication methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These records help prevent email spoofing, whereas SRV, PTR, and SOA records handle services, reverse lookups, and zone authority respectively.
Q16. Which of the following is an example of a valid IPv4 address?
Answer: C. 192.168.1.254
A valid IPv4 address uses 32 bits expressed in dotted decimal notation, with four octets separated by periods. The address 192.168.1.254 fits this format, while the other options represent a MAC address, an IPv6 loopback, and an improperly formatted address.
Q17. Why is selecting channels 1, 6, or 11 in the 2.4 GHz wireless band considered a best practice in crowded network environments?
Answer: C. These channels do not overlap, reducing interference
Channels 1, 6, and 11 are the only non-overlapping channels in the 2.4 GHz wireless band. Selecting these channels minimizes signal interference from neighboring networks, which is crucial for maintaining performance in crowded environments.
Q18. What type of connector can be inserted into the port in either direction without damaging the port?
Answer: A. USB Type C
USB Type-C connectors are rotationally symmetrical, meaning they can be inserted into a port in either direction without causing damage. Older connectors like Type-A, Type-B, and FireWire are not reversible and require a specific orientation.
Q19. You have been asked to set up the email on a corporate laptop. The employees of Dion Training are only allowed to receive their email on one device. The email should be removed from the server's mailbox whenever the client connects to the…
Answer: C. POP3
The POP3 protocol downloads emails to the local client and removes them from the server by default. IMAP synchronizes messages across multiple devices, while SMTP is strictly for sending mail, and HTTPS is used for secure web browsing.
Q20. A user receives a notification on their company-issued smartphone stating, "Access restricted: Your device is not compliant with corporate security policies." Upon review, you see that the device is missing a passcode. The company uses an…
Answer: B. Set a passcode on the smartphone to meet the security policy requirements
Mobile device management solutions enforce corporate security policies by checking device configurations. Setting a passcode on the smartphone directly meets the compliance requirement, whereas reinstalling the app, factory resetting, or disabling the policy are unnecessary or unauthorized actions.
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