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: After a laptop lost power unexpectedly, it displays at 800×600 resolution. The normal 1920×1080 option is unavailable in. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- After a laptop lost power unexpectedly, it displays at 800×600 resolution. The normal 1920×1080 option is una…
- Which of the following USB connectors is reversible and commonly found on most modern mobile devices?
- Which of the following is a public IP address?
- Which of the following virtualization concepts refers to a VM's ability to have memory allocated for its use?
- Which of the following types of data should you transmit over TCP?
- Using the image of the motherboard, which of the following correctly indicates the circled area?
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. After a laptop lost power unexpectedly, it displays at 800×600 resolution. The normal 1920×1080 option is unavailable in Display Settings. What is the cause?
Answer: D. Corrupted or missing display driver
When a system falls back to the basic Microsoft Display Adapter, it defaults to a low VGA resolution. This fallback indicates the primary graphics driver is corrupted or missing following the unexpected power loss.
Q2. Which of the following USB connectors is reversible and commonly found on most modern mobile devices?
Answer: C. USB-C
USB-C is a reversible connector used by modern mobile devices for data and power. MicroUSB and MiniUSB are older, non-reversible standards, while Type-A is typically found on host computers.
Q3. Which of the following is a public IP address?
Answer: B. 8.4.2.1
A public IP address must fall outside the ranges reserved for private networks. Addresses starting with 10 or 192.168 are private, while 169.254 is reserved for APIPA automatic addressing.
Q4. Which of the following virtualization concepts refers to a VM's ability to have memory allocated for its use?
Answer: A. Resource pooling
Resource pooling allows a hypervisor to dynamically allocate memory and processing power to virtual machines. Measured service refers to monitoring usage for billing, not the allocation itself.
Q5. Which of the following types of data should you transmit over TCP?
Answer: D. An order for a $50,000 stock purchase
TCP guarantees packet delivery and error checking, making it required for sensitive financial transactions. UDP is preferred for streaming audio and video where dropped packets are acceptable to maintain speed.
Q6. Using the image of the motherboard, which of the following correctly indicates the circled area?
Answer: B. PCIe x8
Peripheral component interconnect express slots are identified by their physical length and pin count. The circled area corresponds to the PCIe x8 slot, which is shorter than an x16 slot but longer than an x4 or x1 slot.
Q7. You have been asked to build a network-attached storage (NAS) device that will be used exclusively as a file server for the company's internal network. Which of the following are most important to install to BEST meet the company's needs?…
Answer: A,D. Gigabit NIC || RAID 5
A network attached storage device requires high throughput and data redundancy for reliable file serving. A gigabit network interface card provides the necessary bandwidth, while a redundant array of independent disks provides fault tolerance.
Q8. Which of the following modes of operation will allow a motherboard to create two independent 64-bit pathways to achieve 128-bits of data transfer per transaction from the memory to the CPU?
Answer: D. Dual-channel
Dual channel memory architecture uses two separate 64 bit data buses to double the data transfer rate between the memory controller and the RAM. Single, triple, and quad channel modes utilize different bus counts.
Q9. An auto mechanic needs to purchase a new printer for their shop. The printer will be used to create estimates and invoices for their customers. The printer must support the ability to create duplicate invoices using multiple sheets of pape…
Answer: B. Impact
Impact printers physically strike an ink ribbon against paper, making them the only option capable of creating carbon copies. Thermal, inkjet, and laser printers lack the physical striking mechanism required to transfer ink through carbon paper.
Q10. A small business is using a public cloud platform to host its customer database. The platform uses multitenancy to manage resources. What is the primary characteristic of multitenancy in a cloud environment?
Answer: D. It enables multiple customers to share the same physical resources securely
Multitenancy allows multiple cloud customers to securely share the same underlying physical resources. The hypervisor isolates their workloads, refuting the distractors that suggest dedicated hardware or complete hardware control.
Q11. Your laptop currently has a 128 GB SSD installed and is running out of internal storage space. You want to upgrade the workstation with more internal storage to store additional videos, photos, and backups, but you don't want to sacrifice…
Answer: D. 1 TB SSD
A solid-state drive provides the best combination of fast data access speeds and internal storage capacity. Network options like SAN and NAS are external, and traditional hard disk drives sacrifice speed for capacity.
Q12. You have just set up a Minecraft server on a spare computer within your network and want your friends to connect to it over the internet. What do you need to configure in your SOHO router to allow your friends to connect to the new Minecra…
Answer: A. Configure port forwarding
Port forwarding directs incoming internet traffic for a specific port to the internal server. Updating firmware, enabling DHCP, or changing wireless channels does not open network paths for external clients.
Q13. In the context of mobile device synchronization, which feature is typically used to reduce data usage for devices with limited mobile data plans?
Answer: B. Restricting synchronization to Wi-Fi connections only
Restricting synchronization to Wi-Fi connections only prevents mobile data overage charges. Disabling synchronization entirely is impractical, while prioritizing mobile data or using automatic sync increases data usage.
Q14. A company is transitioning to a cloud-based infrastructure and wants to implement a pay-as-you-go model for its IT services. Which cloud deployment model should they choose?
Answer: B. Public cloud
The public cloud model operates on a pay as you go basis, allowing organizations to scale resources without heavy upfront investments. Shared infrastructure reduces overall costs compared to private cloud environments.
Q15. Which of the following wiring standards should be used when installing ethernet cabling in an office or data center?
Answer: D. T-568B
The T568A and T568B standards define the pinouts for terminating twisted-pair Ethernet cables. RG-6 is used for cable television, RJ-11 for telephones, and RS-232 for legacy serial connections.
Q16. A company wants to replace old CRT displays with a screen type that produces less voltage and is more energy-efficient. Additionally, the new screen type selected should not contain a backlight. What type of display technology should they…
Answer: C. OLED
Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays are highly energy-efficient and do not require a backlight because each pixel generates its own light. Standard LCD and LED displays require a backlight, and plasma screens are not energy-efficient.
Q17. Which of the following types of connectors is found on a Thunderbolt 3 cable?
Answer: A. USB-C
Thunderbolt 3, 4, and 5 cables utilize the reversible USB-C connector type. Micro USB and Mini USB are older, smaller connectors for mobile devices, while USB Type B is typically used for larger peripherals like printers.
Q18. A user reports that the built-in webcam on their laptop is not functioning during video calls. You verify that the webcam is enabled in the BIOS, but the operating system does not detect it. What is the next troubleshooting step?
Answer: B. Check the physical connection of the webcam
Verifying internal physical connections is the logical next step when hardware is enabled in the BIOS but remains undetected by the operating system. Replacing the screen or installing third-party software skips basic hardware troubleshooting.
Q19. Which of the following terms describes a system that is no longer directly supported by its vendor?
Answer: A. Legacy system
A legacy system is hardware or software that is no longer supported by its vendor but remains in active use. These systems pose significant security risks because they no longer receive routine patches or updates.
Q20. Which of the following correctly identifies the fiber optic connector shown as Connector A? (This is a simulated PBQ. If you had this question on the real exam, you would be asked to drag and drop a label with the component's name on top o…
Answer: D. SC
An SC connector is a square push pull style fiber optic termination. The exam expects you to visually distinguish it from round ST connectors and smaller LC connectors.
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