Practice for the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) exam with 20 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: A user reports that their mobile device's battery drains unusually fast, even after a full charge. You are tasked with d. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- A user reports that their mobile device's battery drains unusually fast, even after a full charge. You are ta…
- Which of the following is a connection-oriented protocol that utilizes TCP?
- A company smartphone is stolen and is still communicating with the MDM system. Which of the following should…
- You are building a new gaming workstation and have just finished installing the motherboard and the processor…
- A customer complains that they smell a foul odor coming from their computer. It does not smell like something…
- You have been asked to configure a SOHO network. The client wants to build a server so that users can connect…
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 reports that their mobile device's battery drains unusually fast, even after a full charge. You are tasked with diagnosing the issue. Which of the following steps should you perform first?
Answer: A. Check for battery health information in the device settings
Troubleshooting theory requires checking battery health in the device settings before replacing hardware or changing configurations. This diagnostic step distinguishes physical battery degradation from software-related power drain issues.
Q2. Which of the following is a connection-oriented protocol that utilizes TCP?
Answer: A. HTTPS
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a connection-oriented protocol that relies on the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to guarantee packet delivery. TFTP, DHCP, and SNMP rely on the connectionless User Datagram Protocol (UDP).
Q3. A company smartphone is stolen and is still communicating with the MDM system. Which of the following should the technician do next to ensure the device's data remains confidential?
Answer: B. Perform a remote wipe of the device
A remote wipe erases corporate data from a lost or stolen device to maintain confidentiality. Resetting the password is a risk if the attacker cracks it, and remote encryption must be enabled before the device is lost.
Q4. You are building a new gaming workstation and have just finished installing the motherboard and the processor. You are about to install two memory modules and notice 4 DIMM sockets on the motherboard labeled 0, 1, 2, and 3. Two of these ar…
Answer: B. Consult the motherboard's manual
Technicians must consult the motherboard manual to determine the correct slots for enabling single or dual channel memory configurations. Color coding is not standardized across manufacturers, so guessing the installation pattern could result in suboptimal performance.
Q5. A customer complains that they smell a foul odor coming from their computer. It does not smell like something is burning, but it definitely smells bad. If you open the PC case and look inside, which of the following would you expect to see?
Answer: C. Distended capacitors
Failing capacitors often bulge and leak electrolytic fluid, which produces a noticeable foul odor. Unseated components or broken LEDs will not emit a smell, making distended capacitors the only logical visual indicator.
Q6. You have been asked to configure a SOHO network. The client wants to build a server so that users can connect and play a game together over the internet. When configuring the firewall, where should you place the server?
Answer: C. In the screened subnet
A screened subnet isolates public facing servers from the internal local network to provide security through layered filtering. Placing the server on the internal LAN exposes client devices to direct internet attacks.
Q7. After installing a high-end PCIe x16 graphics card into a corporate workstation, the computer makes odd noises but displays a no signal message. Which of the following is MOST likely the issue?
Answer: C. The workstation's power supply isn't powerful enough to support the card
High end graphics cards require significant wattage, which exceeds the capacity of standard corporate power supplies. The system fails to boot properly because the power supply cannot sustain the new hardware.
Q8. A client attempts to power on their computer, but it keeps booting to the incorrect hard drive. Which of the following actions should you perform to fix this problem?
Answer: B. Reconfigure the boot order within the BIOS/UEFI
The BIOS or UEFI firmware controls the boot order sequence before the operating system loads. Adjusting this setting ensures the system selects the correct drive initially, overriding any secondary drive preferences.
Q9. You are investigating a network connectivity issue affecting two workstations. When you check the network ports, you observe that the switch interfaces are continually going up and down. Which of the following is the most likely cause of t…
Answer: C. Duplicate MAC address
Duplicate MAC addresses force a switch to constantly update its MAC address table as the physical location appears to jump between two ports. This rapid table update process creates port flapping and connectivity loss.
Q10. What is the primary advantage of using biometric authentication compared to traditional password-based methods?
Answer: B. It is more resistant to brute force attacks
Biometric authentication relies on unique physiological traits, making it highly resistant to brute force attacks compared to traditional passwords. Options like cheaper implementation or better encryption are incorrect because biometrics focuses on identity verification, not cost savings or data encryption.
Q11. A customer is complaining that their printer has begun to fade. The laser printer is about 11 months old and hasn't had any maintenance during that time. It has printed over 3,000 pages in the 11 month period. Which of the following is MOS…
Answer: A. Replace the toner cartridge
Fading print quality after several thousand pages usually indicates low toner, requiring a cartridge replacement. Maintenance parts like drums and corona wires typically last much longer before needing service. Adjusting the paper tray height would cause paper jams, not fading print.
Q12. Eduardo's laptop shuts down intermittently, faster during processor-intensive tasks. No unusual odors are present. What is MOST likely the cause?
Answer: A. The laptop has inadequate airflow and is overheating
Intermittent shutdowns during processor-intensive tasks point directly to inadequate airflow and overheating. Processors generate significant heat under load and will force a shutdown to prevent hardware damage. Motherboard failures or loose batteries cause random power loss regardless of system load.
Q13. Dion Training utilizes a strong authentication model for all of its internal services. If an employee needs to access one of the company's internal applications, they use their username, a password, and a one-time code texted to their smar…
Answer: D. MFA
Using a password alongside a one-time code texted to a smartphone represents multifactor authentication. This requires two distinct verification factors, combining something you know with something you have. Single sign-on manages multiple sessions, while FaceID and TouchID are strictly biometric.
Q14. You're configuring a printer for a 4-computer network with no available switch ports or servers. All computers are in a single workgroup. Which method would BEST allow all computers to print?
Answer: D. Configure it as a shared printer connected to one of the four workstations
Connecting the printer to a workstation and sharing it over the workgroup is the best method when no switch ports exist. This allows the host computer to act as a print server. Bluetooth lacks multi-user support, and cloud printing requires internet infrastructure.
Q15. Which of the following ports is used by the NetBIOS protocol to share files and printers on Windows networks?
Answer: C. 139
NetBIOS over TCP/IP uses port 139 for session services to support legacy Windows file and printer sharing. Port 443 is HTTPS, port 21 is FTP, and port 110 is POP3 email.
Q16. A company is implementing biometric authentication for a secure access system. They want a method that analyzes physical traits visible from a distance to avoid the need for close-up interaction. Which biometric technology should they use?
Answer: C. Facial recognition
Facial recognition analyzes physical traits from a distance, making it the best fit for contactless authentication systems. Fingerprint and hand geometry require direct physical contact, while retina scanning demands strict close alignment.
Q17. A customer reports their smartphone feels warm and the battery appears swollen and bulging. What is the BEST advice to provide?
Answer: C. "Do not use the smartphone and bring it to our service center immediately so that we can replace the battery for you."
A swollen lithium-ion battery is a safety hazard and requires immediate professional replacement. Continuing to use the device risks fire or leakage, making replacement the only safe option.
Q18. Which of the following devices is used to provide power to a wireless access point?
Answer: B. POE injector
A Power over Ethernet injector delivers electrical power over a network cable to devices like access points. Repeaters, hubs, and modems handle data or signal extension but do not provide inline power.
Q19. A multifunction laser printer recently had a paper jam. An employee pulled the paper out of the rollers to clear the jam. Unfortunately, the device still has a paper jam error displayed on the screen and will not print. Which of the follow…
Answer: B. Verify the paper path and its sensors are not blocked
Always verify the paper path and sensors are clear after a jam. Torn paper fragments often block sensors, triggering the error. Replacing toner, updating drivers, or replacing rollers does not address physical debris.
Q20. An organization is running its database server on an IaaS platform. The IT administrator notices that the server frequently experiences downtime during peak hours due to heavy resource usage. What is the most effective solution to resolve…
Answer: A. Use auto-scaling to add resources when demand rises
Cloud auto-scaling automatically provisions additional resources to handle peak demand. Manually restarting the server or migrating to SaaS does not address the underlying resource bottleneck.
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