Practice for the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) exam with 18 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: An IT professional is terminating Ethernet cables for a structured cabling system. They need to ensure the cables are wi. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- An IT professional is terminating Ethernet cables for a structured cabling system. They need to ensure the ca…
- An office is trying to reduce its paper usage. Which configuration setting should be enabled on their printer…
- A thermal printer is producing faded prints. Which maintenance task is most likely to correct this issue?
- A technician needs to change the primary device from which the computer boots. Which BIOS/UEFI setting allows…
- A network administrator is configuring a DHCP server and needs to define a range of IP addresses that the ser…
- You are configuring file sharing between computers in a Windows-based network. What protocol is used for shar…
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. An IT professional is terminating Ethernet cables for a structured cabling system. They need to ensure the cables are wired correctly to function on the network. Which standards should they refer to for the proper pinout configurations?
Answer: B. T568A and T568B
T568A and T568B provide the standard pinout configurations for terminating twisted-pair Ethernet cables. For the exam, remember that cable categories like Cat 6 define speed, while UTP and STP refer to shielding rather than wire arrangement.
Q2. An office is trying to reduce its paper usage. Which configuration setting should be enabled on their printers to support this initiative?
Answer: B. Duplex (double-sided) printing
Enabling duplex printing forces the printer to use both sides of the paper, immediately reducing paper consumption. While draft mode or monochrome printing saves ink, neither setting actually limits the total volume of paper pulled through the machine.
Q3. A thermal printer is producing faded prints. Which maintenance task is most likely to correct this issue?
Answer: C. Replace the thermal paper and clean the heating element
Faded output on a direct thermal printer usually points to bad thermal paper or a dirty heating element preventing proper heat transfer. Toner and ribbon options are distractors because direct thermal printers do not use ink, toner, or ribbons.
Q4. A technician needs to change the primary device from which the computer boots. Which BIOS/UEFI setting allows them to modify this?
Answer: C. Boot options
Boot options within the BIOS or UEFI interface allow a technician to define the sequence of devices the system attempts to read during startup. Secure Boot validates driver signatures but does not manage the actual hardware boot priority.
Q5. A network administrator is configuring a DHCP server and needs to define a range of IP addresses that the server can assign to devices. What is this range of IP addresses known as in DHCP terminology?
Answer: D. DHCP scope
A DHCP scope defines the exact pool of IP addresses that a server can dynamically lease to client devices. A reservation ties a specific address to a MAC address, rather than defining the overall available pool.
Q6. You are configuring file sharing between computers in a Windows-based network. What protocol is used for sharing files, printers, and other resources in Windows environments?
Answer: A. SMB
Server Message Block is the standard protocol used for sharing files and printers in Windows environments. For the exam, associate SMTP with email, SNMP with network management, and SSH with secure remote access.
Q7. After printing, the toner on the paper smudges easily. What component of the printer is most likely causing this issue?
Answer: A. The fuser assembly
The fuser assembly uses heat and pressure to permanently bond toner to the paper. If your prints smudge easily, the fuser is not reaching the required temperature to melt the toner properly into the page.
Q8. A computer with a solid-state drive (SSD) begins to have extended read/write times. What could be a potential cause of this issue?
Answer: A. The SSD is nearly full and needs more free space
Solid state drives require a portion of free blocks to manage data efficiently, and performance degrades heavily when nearly full. Never defragment an SSD, as it causes unnecessary wear and provides no speed benefits.
Q9. A user reports that their computer is not turning on. After confirming that the power cable is connected, what should the technician do next according to best practice methodology?
Answer: B. Check if the power outlet is functioning
Checking the power outlet is the correct next step because CompTIA emphasizes verifying physical connections and external power sources before internal hardware. Replacing the power supply is premature. Always establish a known good power source before moving to internal computer components or escalating the ticket.
Q10. A gaming PC is experiencing overheating issues. Which TWO actions could help reduce the temperature effectively?
Answer: A,C. Installing additional case fans || Applying new thermal paste to the CPU
Installing additional case fans improves overall airflow, and applying new thermal paste ensures proper heat transfer away from the processor. Upgrading the graphics card or adding memory will not reduce system temperatures. The exam cue here is to separate thermal management techniques from general hardware upgrades.
Q11. A company needs to manage a fleet of smartphones used by its employees. Which TWO features should they look for in a mobile device management (MDM) solution?
Answer: A,C. Remote wipe capabilities || Encryption management
Remote wipe capabilities and encryption management are correct because these features allow IT administrators to secure corporate data on lost devices. Built-in GPS is a device feature, not a management platform function. Always focus on data protection rather than hardware tracking capabilities when evaluating MDM features.
Q12. A company needs to protect sensitive data stored on their laptops in case of theft or loss. Which security measure is most effective for this purpose?
Answer: C. Full disk encryption
Full disk encryption protects data at rest if a laptop is stolen, making the drive unreadable without the key. Remember that login passwords or biometrics can easily be bypassed by removing the drive, unlike encryption.
Q13. A user is setting up an email client and needs to enter the server settings for sending emails. Which protocol is typically used for this purpose?
Answer: B. SMTP
SMTP is the standard protocol used to send outgoing email from a client to a server. Associate IMAP and POP3 with receiving email, while FTP handles file transfers and HTTP handles web traffic.
Q14. A user wants to install an operating system on a new computer without an optical drive. What is a common method to accomplish this?
Answer: B. Use a USB flash drive with the OS installation files
Using a USB flash drive with installation files is the standard modern method for installing an OS without an optical drive. Network installations are also valid but more complex, while floppy disks lack the required capacity.
Q15. A company needs to remotely wipe data from an employee's lost smartphone. Which technology allows them to do this?
Answer: A. MDM software
Mobile Device Management software allows administrators to secure and remotely wipe lost or stolen smartphones. For the exam, associate MDM with enterprise mobile security tasks like wiping, locking, and enforcing policies.
Q16. A user wants to connect their smartphone to a speaker system wirelessly to play music. Which wireless technology should they use?
Answer: B. Bluetooth
Bluetooth is the standard wireless technology for streaming audio from a smartphone to a speaker. Ethernet requires a cable, NFC works only at very close range for quick pairing, and Wi-Fi usually connects to a network rather than direct audio streaming.
Q17. A user needs a storage device for their computer that offers fast data transfer speeds for large video files. Which type of storage device is most suitable for this need?
Answer: B. SSD
An SSD provides significantly faster read and write speeds compared to mechanical drives. For the exam, always choose SSDs when the scenario requires fast data transfer speeds or quick access to large files like videos.
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