Practice for the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) exam with 16 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: A company is looking to migrate its on-premises servers to a cloud-based platform. They want a solution that provides vi. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- A company is looking to migrate its on-premises servers to a cloud-based platform. They want a solution that…
- A server administrator is setting up a high-performance storage system for a data-intensive application. Whic…
- You want to upgrade the storage in your laptop to improve its performance. Which type of storage device shoul…
- Your company has multiple branch offices located in different cities, and you need to connect them to ensure…
- You are responsible for email security and want to prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks. What technolo…
- A company is focused on enhancing the security of their data on laptops. Which hardware feature should they e…
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. A company is looking to migrate its on-premises servers to a cloud-based platform. They want a solution that provides virtualized computing resources on-demand. Which cloud service model should they choose?
Answer: A. IaaS
Infrastructure as a Service provides on-demand virtualized computing resources, making it the direct cloud equivalent of migrating physical on-premises servers. The other options represent authentication, networking, or storage technologies rather than cloud models.
Q2. A server administrator is setting up a high-performance storage system for a data-intensive application. Which storage interface should they consider for connecting the storage drives?
Answer: A. SAS
Serial Attached SCSI is a high-performance drive interface designed for enterprise servers and data-intensive applications. A SAN is a network architecture rather than a direct drive interface, making SAS the specific hardware answer.
Q3. You want to upgrade the storage in your laptop to improve its performance. Which type of storage device should you consider, known for its speed and reliability?
Answer: B. SSD
A solid-state drive provides the speed and reliability required to noticeably improve laptop performance over older mechanical drives. SCSI is typically used in servers, and SRAM is used for temporary CPU caching rather than persistent storage.
Q4. Your company has multiple branch offices located in different cities, and you need to connect them to ensure seamless communication and data sharing. What type of network should you implement for this purpose?
Answer: C. WAN
A Wide Area Network connects multiple local networks across different cities or large geographical areas. A MAN covers a single metropolitan area, which is too small for linking distant branch offices across multiple cities.
Q5. You are responsible for email security and want to prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks. What technology allows you to specify which servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain?
Answer: A. SPF
The Sender Policy Framework uses DNS records to specify exactly which mail servers are authorized to send email for a domain, preventing spoofing. SSL secures web traffic but does not verify authorized sending servers.
Q6. A company is focused on enhancing the security of their data on laptops. Which hardware feature should they ensure is present and enabled for advanced security encryption?
Answer: B. TPM
A Trusted Platform Module provides hardware-based cryptographic key storage, enabling advanced encryption features like Windows BitLocker. While a Hardware Security Module is also cryptographic, CompTIA expects TPM for laptop disk encryption.
Q7. A company requires an IP address that is accessible from the internet for its web server. What type of IPv4 address should they obtain?
Answer: B. Public address
A public IP address is globally routable on the internet, making it mandatory for an externally accessible web server. Private addresses are restricted to internal local networks and cannot be reached directly from the outside.
Q8. An IT technician is setting up a wired local area network (LAN) in an office. Which type of connector is typically used for connecting Ethernet cables to computers and network switches?
Answer: B. RJ45
RJ45 connectors are the standard for Ethernet cables in wired local area networks. For the exam, remember that RJ11 is for telephone lines, while RJ45 handles network data with eight pins.
Q9. A technician is upgrading the RAM in a laptop. Which type of memory module is typically used in laptops due to its smaller size?
Answer: C. SODIMM
SODIMM modules are specifically designed for laptops due to their compact form factor. Desktop RAM uses standard DIMMs, while DDR3 and DDR4 represent memory generations rather than physical laptop sizes.
Q10. A user needs to replace a hard drive in a standard desktop PC. Which hard drive form factor is typically used in desktop computers?
Answer: B. 3.5-inch
The 3.5-inch form factor is the standard size for mechanical hard drives in desktop computers. The 2.5-inch size is typically reserved for laptops, while M.2 drives are solid state.
Q11. A video blogger uses a digital camera for recording and needs a storage medium that is compact and can be directly inserted into the camera. What type of removable storage should they use?
Answer: B. Memory card
Memory cards like SD models provide the compact removable storage needed for digital cameras. Flash drives require a USB port, which cameras generally lack, making cards the right choice.
Q12. A large corporation wants to implement a cloud infrastructure that is solely dedicated to their organization's use, providing enhanced control and security. Which cloud model should they adopt?
Answer: B. Private cloud
A private cloud dedicates infrastructure entirely to one organization, providing strict security and control. Public clouds share resources among multiple tenants, while hybrid models mix public and private elements.
Q13. A user wants to increase their desktop computer's RAM. What must be ensured for the new RAM to be compatible?
Answer: C. The type and speed of the RAM
The correct answer works because the memory type, such as DDR4, and its speed, measured in megatransfers or megahertz, must be supported by the motherboard. Exam cue: Always verify the motherboard documentation for the qualified vendor list before buying or installing memory upgrades.
Q14. A graphic designer wants to use an external device to draw illustrations directly into their design software. Which accessory should they use?
Answer: B. Drawing pad
A drawing pad, also known as a digitizer or graphics tablet, provides a stylus and a flat surface for precision drawing directly into design software. External hard drives and monitors do not provide input capabilities for illustration work.
Q15. A user is attempting to connect a mobile device to a wireless speaker via Bluetooth. The device is not appearing in the list of available Bluetooth devices. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: A. The wireless speaker is not in pairing mode
A Bluetooth device must be placed into pairing mode to become discoverable by other devices. If the mobile device is searching but the speaker is not discoverable, it will not appear in the list of available nearby devices.
Q16. A user wants to share their smartphone's internet connection with their laptop. Which feature should they enable on their smartphone?
Answer: B. Mobile hotspot
Enabling the mobile hotspot feature allows the smartphone to share its cellular internet connection wirelessly over Wi-Fi with other devices. Bluetooth tethering is also valid but supports fewer devices and provides slower speeds than a Wi-Fi hotspot.
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