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 user has connected their smartphone to a car's infotainment system using a USB cable, but the phone is not charging. W. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
Prefer hands-on? Take this round as an interactive practice test — answer every question, get instant feedback, and see your score: Start the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) practice test →
What you will practice
- A user has connected their smartphone to a car's infotainment system using a USB cable, but the phone is not…
- A customer is interested in a tablet for graphic design work. They want a display that shows colors accuratel…
- A client needs to replace the toner cartridge in their laser printer. What should be the primary consideratio…
- A growing business requires a scalable and flexible desktop virtualization solution without the need for main…
- A user's computer is low on physical memory, and they want to temporarily increase the available memory by us…
- A laptop is overheating frequently. While planning to upgrade the cooling system, what is an important factor…
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. A user has connected their smartphone to a car's infotainment system using a USB cable, but the phone is not charging. What should be checked first?
Answer: B. The USB cable
Checking the USB cable first is the best step because faulty cables are the most common cause of connection and charging failures. While internal ports and battery health can fail, cables endure physical stress and should be inspected first.
Q2. A customer is interested in a tablet for graphic design work. They want a display that shows colors accurately. Which display characteristic should they prioritize?
Answer: C. Wide color gamut
A wide color gamut allows the display to reproduce a broader range of colors accurately, which is crucial for graphic design. High resolution improves sharpness, but it does not inherently guarantee color accuracy for professional work.
Q3. A client needs to replace the toner cartridge in their laser printer. What should be the primary consideration when selecting a new toner cartridge?
Answer: B. The brand and model compatibility of the toner cartridge
Matching the brand and model compatibility ensures the toner cartridge physically fits and operates correctly within the printer. Physical size and color are dictated by compatibility, and the cartridge itself does not dictate print speed.
Q4. A growing business requires a scalable and flexible desktop virtualization solution without the need for maintaining physical servers. What should they consider implementing?
Answer: B. VDI in the cloud
Cloud-hosted Virtual Desktop Infrastructure shifts server maintenance to a provider while offering scalable virtual desktops. A public cloud provides general infrastructure, but specifying cloud VDI directly answers the need for desktop virtualization without on-premises hardware.
Q5. A user's computer is low on physical memory, and they want to temporarily increase the available memory by using a portion of the hard drive. Which type of RAM allows for this?
Answer: D. Virtual RAM
Virtual memory uses allocated hard drive space to compensate for low physical RAM, acting as a temporary buffer. While physical memory types like SODIMM or DDR4 dictate hardware capacity, virtual RAM is an operating system feature used for memory management.
Q6. A laptop is overheating frequently. While planning to upgrade the cooling system, what is an important factor to consider?
Answer: B. The type and size of the cooling fan
The type and size of the cooling fan are crucial when upgrading laptop cooling systems to ensure physical fit and proper airflow. Screen size, case color, and USB ports have no impact on thermal dissipation or hardware compatibility.
Q7. A company wants to set up a centralized location on its network where employees can store, share, and access files. What type of server should they set up?
Answer: C. Fileshare server
A file server provides a centralized network location for users to store, share, and access files. Remember the core server roles: DNS translates names, DHCP assigns IP addresses, and mail servers handle email routing.
Q8. A customer wishes to use their smartphone to make contactless payments at stores. Which technology should their smartphone support?
Answer: B. NFC
NFC enables smartphones to make contactless payments by communicating over very short distances. While Bluetooth and Wi-Fi handle larger data transfers, they lack the close-range convenience required for mobile tap-to-pay transactions.
Q9. A homeowner is using a wireless router that operates in the 2.4GHz band and provides speeds up to 54 Mbps. This router is most likely using which IEEE 802.11 standard?
Answer: C. 802.11g
The 802.11g standard operates exclusively in the 2.4 GHz band and provides maximum theoretical speeds of 54 Mbps. For the exam, associate 802.11a with 5 GHz, and remember that 802.11b maxes out at only 11 Mbps.
Q10. A printer has multiple documents pending in the print queue and is not processing any further print jobs. What is a common solution to this problem?
Answer: B. Cancel all documents in the print queue and restart the print job
Clearing the print queue removes stuck documents that block subsequent jobs from processing. Restarting the spooler or printer allows fresh jobs to flow normally. Upgrading memory is a distractor that addresses slow printing, not a completely stalled queue.
Q11. You are tasked with monitoring and managing network devices in your organization. Which protocol should you use to perform network management functions such as device configuration and monitoring?
Answer: B. SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol, or SNMP, is specifically designed to collect data and manage network devices like routers and switches. SMB is for file sharing, while SFTP handles secure file transfers, making them incorrect for device management.
Q12. A company needs to implement a centralized authentication and authorization system for remote users connecting to the corporate network. Which technology should they use for this purpose?
Answer: B. RADIUS
Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service, or RADIUS, provides centralized authentication, authorization, and accounting for remote network clients. HTTP manages web traffic, while OLED and LED refer to display technologies rather than network security protocols.
Q13. Which technology allows hardware devices like hard drives and network cards to transfer data directly to and from memory without CPU intervention?
Answer: B. DMA
Direct Memory Access, or DMA, enables peripherals to read from or write to memory directly, bypassing the CPU to speed up data transfers. BIOS handles system startup, and DNS deals with network naming, neither of which manages memory pathways.
Q14. A graphic designer finds that the colors displayed on their wireless monitor do not match their expectations. What should be checked first?
Answer: A. The monitor's color calibration settings
Incorrect colors on a monitor are almost always a display calibration issue, making the calibration settings the best initial check. Wireless signal strength impacts video stuttering or dropping, but it does not alter the color reproduction of the panel.
Q15. A projector suddenly stops displaying any image during a presentation, but the power is still on. What is the most likely cause of this problem?
Answer: B. The projector's bulb has burned out
A burned out bulb is a very common reason for a projector to lose its image while power remains on. However, thermal shutdown triggers the same symptom, so always verify whether the device feels unusually hot or if fans are running.
Q16. A computer is experiencing frequent shutdowns and overheating. After checking the cooling system, what should the technician inspect next?
Answer: B. The CPU
If the cooling system is verified as working, the technician should inspect the CPU for thermal issues like dried thermal paste. This question is slightly ambiguous because a failing power supply can also cause unexpected shutdowns. However, since the prompt explicitly mentions overheating, the CPU and its heat dissipation are the strongest focal points.
Q17. A user turns on their laptop, but the screen remains black while the power light is on. What is a probable cause of this issue?
Answer: B. There is a problem with the screen or graphics card
A black screen with the power light illuminated typically indicates a hardware issue with the display assembly or the graphics card. The system is receiving power and likely booting, meaning a depleted battery or crashed hard drive would not generally prevent early power indicators or initial startup components from activating.
More CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) drills and other practice exams are on @CertPunch. New rounds drop every few days at certpunch.com.