Practice for the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) exam with 17 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: A large enterprise requires a dedicated network to support high-speed, high-volume data storage and retrieval among its . Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- A large enterprise requires a dedicated network to support high-speed, high-volume data storage and retrieval…
- A network administrator notices that IP addresses are frequently changing for devices on the network, causing…
- A company's critical server needs to have a consistent IP address so that other devices can reliably connect…
- An industrial facility uses a system to monitor and control its machinery and industrial processes remotely…
- A laptop user wants to upgrade their Wi-Fi card to improve internet connectivity. What should be verified bef…
- After updating the graphics driver, a user notices that their screen resolution is incorrect and cannot be ad…
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. A large enterprise requires a dedicated network to support high-speed, high-volume data storage and retrieval among its various data storage devices. Which type of network should they use?
Answer: D. SAN
A Storage Area Network provides a specialized, high-speed infrastructure dedicated exclusively to block-level data storage and retrieval. A standard LAN handles general network traffic, whereas a SAN completely isolates massive storage traffic to maximize disk performance.
Q2. A network administrator notices that IP addresses are frequently changing for devices on the network, causing connectivity issues. What DHCP configuration should they adjust to make IP addresses more stable for network devices?
Answer: B. Increase the DHCP lease time
Increasing the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol lease time ensures client devices retain their assigned IP addresses much longer, preventing frequent network drops. Alternatively, administrators could configure static reservations, but simply reducing lease durations worsens the problem.
Q3. A company's critical server needs to have a consistent IP address so that other devices can reliably connect to it. What type of IP address assignment should be used for this server?
Answer: A. Static
Assigning a static IP address permanently fixes the server's network configuration, guaranteeing that clients can reliably connect at any time. Dynamic addressing risks unexpected IP changes during lease renewals, while APIPA only indicates a complete DHCP failure.
Q4. An industrial facility uses a system to monitor and control its machinery and industrial processes remotely. Which type of legacy/embedded system are they most likely using?
Answer: C. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems specifically manage large-scale industrial machinery and physical plant processes from a central remote location. While Internet of Things devices handle individual smart objects, they completely lack the robust architecture required for factory automation.
Q5. A laptop user wants to upgrade their Wi-Fi card to improve internet connectivity. What should be verified before performing this upgrade?
Answer: B. The type of existing Wi-Fi card and compatibility with the laptop
Verifying the existing Wi-Fi card form factor and interface compatibility ensures the new module fits and functions correctly in the laptop. Always confirm physical slot type and antenna connections before purchasing replacement wireless components for mobile devices.
Q6. After updating the graphics driver, a user notices that their screen resolution is incorrect and cannot be adjusted. What is the first action the technician should take?
Answer: B. Roll back the driver update
Rolling back the driver update immediately addresses the newly introduced issue. When problems appear immediately after changing software or drivers, always undo that specific change before attempting more invasive procedures like reinstalling the operating system.
Q7. A company is planning to deploy security cameras in a remote location where electrical power sources are limited. What technology should they consider to power the cameras over the network connection?
Answer: A. PoE
Power over Ethernet delivers electrical current alongside data over standard network cabling. This makes it ideal for deploying security cameras in areas lacking traditional power outlets, eliminating the need for separate electrical wiring.
Q8. A user is browsing a website and notices a padlock icon in the address bar. What does the presence of this padlock icon indicate?
Answer: C. The website is using HTTPS
The padlock icon indicates the website uses HTTPS, meaning traffic between the browser and server is encrypted. This only guarantees a secure connection, not that the site itself is safe from malware or malicious activity.
Q9. Which technology allows peripherals like sound cards and graphics cards to directly access and exchange data with system memory for improved performance?
Answer: B. DMA
Direct Memory Access allows peripherals to read from and write to system memory without routing data through the CPU. This drastically improves overall system performance by freeing the processor for other tasks.
Q10. What satellite-based navigation system provides accurate location information and is commonly used in navigation devices and smartphones?
Answer: B. GPS
The Global Positioning System uses satellites to provide accurate location data for navigation. Remember that location services rely heavily on GPS chips, distinguishing this hardware feature from cellular technologies like GSM.
Q11. In a home Wi-Fi network, users experience high latency when playing online games or streaming video. What could be contributing to this high latency?
Answer: B. There is interference from other household appliances
Interference from household appliances operating on the two point four gigahertz band disrupts wireless signals and causes latency. A weak signal also causes latency, but interference is the classic exam cue when mentioning appliances, making this the intended answer.
Q12. A user's monitor screen is flashing on and off at irregular intervals. What is a likely cause of this issue?
Answer: C. The power supply to the monitor is unstable
An unstable power supply or loose power cable frequently causes a monitor to flash on and off at random intervals. A wrong refresh rate can also cause flickering, but random power cycling strongly points to an electrical or backlight failure.
Q13. A computer's USB ports are not functioning. All other components seem to work correctly. What should the technician check first?
Answer: B. The motherboard's USB connectors
Checking the physical USB connectors on the motherboard is the best first step because it follows the principle of investigating physical connections first. If the front panel headers are loose, the ports will not receive data or power.
Q14. A graphic designer needs to connect multiple high-resolution monitors to their workstation. Which TWO of the following video ports would best support this setup?
Answer: B,D. HDMI || DisplayPort
DisplayPort is the industry standard for multi-monitor setups on workstations, and HDMI easily supports high resolution. However, USB-C carrying display data is also a major modern standard, creating slight ambiguity with the options.
Q15. A technician is upgrading a computer that was manufactured in 2012. The motherboard specifications indicate compatibility with 240-pin memory modules. The technician needs to select the appropriate type of RAM for this system. Which of the…
Answer: C. DDR3
DDR3 is the correct choice because it uses a 240-pin configuration and aligns with the manufacturing date. Note that while desktop DDR2 also uses 240 pins, its key notch is placed differently, making it physically incompatible with a DDR3 slot.
Q16. A user wants to regularly back up important documents and photos on their computer. Which solution would provide automatic and scheduled backups?
Answer: B. Cloud backup service
A cloud backup service provides the requested automation and scheduling features for continuous data protection. The other options require manual file copying, which relies on user intervention and lacks guaranteed scheduling for regular backups.
Q17. A user needs a portable storage solution to transfer large video files between different computers. Which of the following is the best option?
Answer: C. USB flash drive
A USB flash drive is the best option because it offers high capacity, physical portability, and fast file transfers between computers. Cloud storage requires internet access, while optical media and floppy disks are slow and lack modern storage capacities.
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