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 company is implementing virtual machines to host sensitive data processing. What is a key consideration to ensure the . 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 implementing virtual machines to host sensitive data processing. What is a key consideration to…
- After updating their smartphone, a user finds that they can no longer connect to their cellular network. What…
- A user wants to increase the storage capacity of their laptop without opening the device. Which accessory wou…
- A customer is comparing two smartphones and notices that one has an AMOLED display while the other has an LCD…
- A desktop computer is randomly shutting down, and you've traced the issue to a faulty power supply. What is t…
- A company needs to ensure that only authorized personnel can use its multifunction printer for sensitive docu…
Answers and explanations
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Q1. A company is implementing virtual machines to host sensitive data processing. What is a key consideration to ensure the security of the data and operations within these virtual machines?
Answer: C. Meeting specific security requirements, such as data encryption and network isolation
Meeting specific security requirements like data encryption and network isolation ensures virtual machine safety. Rapid elasticity focuses on cloud scaling, not security, so focus on confidentiality and access control for sensitive VMs.
Q2. After updating their smartphone, a user finds that they can no longer connect to their cellular network. What is the first setting they should check?
Answer: B. Airplane mode
Checking Airplane mode is the first step because it instantly disables all cellular and wireless radios on a smartphone. Data roaming settings only matter if you are outside your primary coverage area, unlike a global airplane toggle.
Q3. A user wants to increase the storage capacity of their laptop without opening the device. Which accessory would best fulfill this requirement?
Answer: A. External hard drive
An external hard drive connects via USB to expand storage without opening the laptop case. While cloud storage also avoids hardware changes, it requires internet access and does not provide local storage capacity.
Q4. A customer is comparing two smartphones and notices that one has an AMOLED display while the other has an LCD display. What is a key difference between these two types of displays?
Answer: A. AMOLED displays have better battery efficiency
AMOLED displays achieve better battery efficiency because they individually light up pixels and do not require a backlight. Traditional LCD displays rely on a constant backlight, which uses more power regardless of the image displayed.
Q5. A desktop computer is randomly shutting down, and you've traced the issue to a faulty power supply. What is the key specification to match when selecting a replacement power supply?
Answer: A. Wattage rating
Matching the wattage rating ensures the replacement power supply can handle the computer components. While the number of connectors matters for plugging everything in, inadequate wattage will cause the system to crash under heavy loads.
Q6. A company needs to ensure that only authorized personnel can use its multifunction printer for sensitive documents. Which security feature should they implement?
Answer: B. User authentication
User authentication requires individuals to verify their identity before releasing a print job or accessing device features. Secured prints specifically prevents unauthorized viewing at the tray, but general access control across the entire device requires authentication.
Q7. A university campus wants to provide internet access to students and staff across its buildings and outdoor areas. Which type of network should they implement to enable wireless connectivity across the campus?
Answer: C. WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)
A Wireless Local Area Network provides the Wi-Fi connectivity needed to mobilize access across a campus. However, a Metropolitan Area Network could also be argued since the scale spans multiple buildings, introducing slight ambiguity.
Q8. A network's devices need to communicate with external networks, including the internet. Which type of IP address is necessary to facilitate this communication?
Answer: D. Gateway address
A gateway address provides the necessary exit point for local devices to send traffic toward external networks. While public addresses are ultimately required for internet routing, the gateway is the immediate local configuration requirement.
Q9. You are working with a relational database and need to retrieve specific information from it. Which query language should you use to interact with the database?
Answer: C. SQL
Structured Query Language, or SQL, is the standard programming language used to manage and retrieve data in relational databases. The other options are markup or transfer protocols, completely unrelated to database interaction.
Q10. A company needs a high-speed and centralized storage solution for its data-intensive applications. Which technology should they implement to meet this requirement?
Answer: A. SAN
A Storage Area Network, or SAN, provides high-speed, block-level storage ideal for data-intensive applications and centralized enterprise environments. POP3 is an email protocol, and PII refers to data privacy, completely unrelated to physical storage infrastructure.
Q11. A company wants to protect its network from cyber threats by actively blocking suspicious network traffic. Which technology should they implement?
Answer: A. IPS
An Intrusion Prevention System, or IPS, actively monitors network traffic and automatically blocks malicious packets. Standard IP handles addressing and routing, while HTML and HTTP are web protocols, lacking any active threat blocking capabilities.
Q12. You are upgrading a computer's CPU. The motherboard in the computer supports an 8th generation Intel Core processor. Which of the following CPUs would be compatible?
Answer: A. Intel Core i5-8600K
The Intel Core i5-8600K is an 8th generation processor, matching the required motherboard generation. Always verify the specific CPU socket type and chipset generation before purchasing or upgrading components on the exam.
Q13. A customer needs to upgrade the RAM in their laptop, which currently has DDR3 memory. Which of the following RAM types should they purchase?
Answer: B. DDR3
RAM is not cross-compatible, so a system with DDR3 memory requires identical DDR3 modules for upgrades. DDR4 and DDR2 sticks feature different physical notches and operate at different voltages, preventing them from fitting.
Q14. You work as an IT administrator in a large organization and need to manage user accounts and network printers centrally. What type of server role should you configure to achieve this in a Windows Server environment?
Answer: C. Active Directory Domain Controller
An Active Directory Domain Controller provides centralized user account and network resource management within a Windows Server environment. While a DHCP server assigns IP addresses automatically, it does not authenticate users or manage network printers.
Q15. An employee is setting up their corporate email on a new smartphone. Which MDM/MAM feature ensures that the email configuration aligns with the company's security policies?
Answer: C. Enforced encryption for email data
Mobile device management solutions enforce encryption to secure corporate data and meet company security policies. Remote wipe is a strong distractor, but it only protects data after a loss rather than aligning configuration beforehand.
Q16. A traveler wants to use their smartphone for navigation in a rental car. The car does not have Bluetooth, but it does have a USB port. What is the best way to ensure the smartphone connects correctly for navigation and charging?
Answer: A. Use a compatible USB cable
Using a compatible USB cable provides both power for charging and data connectivity for navigation. Wireless options like NFC or a charging pad cannot handle data transfer, and a Bluetooth speaker would not charge the phone.
Q17. A user is trying to connect a new printer to their computer. The printer does not have WiFi capabilities. Which of the following connection methods should they use?
Answer: C. USB
A USB cable provides a direct wired connection for a printer lacking wireless features. While Ethernet also works for wired networking, a direct USB connection is standard for a single local computer without extra hardware.
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