Practice for the CompTIA A+ Core 2 exam with 16 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: An employee was recently moved from the Human Resources department into the Sales department. Which of the following sho. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- An employee was recently moved from the Human Resources department into the Sales department. Which of the fo…
- Which of the following is a significant limitation of FAT32 compared to modern file systems like NTFS or exFA…
- A network administrator receives a call asking for assistance with connecting to the network. The person on t…
- Which of the following password policies defines the number of previous passwords that cannot be reused when…
- Jack has asked you for a recommendation on which word processing software they should install. There are four…
- A school district is using iPads that are running an older version of iPadOS, which has recently reached End-…
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. An employee was recently moved from the Human Resources department into the Sales department. Which of the following should you check to ensure they no longer have access to the employee data stored in the Human Resource department share d…
Answer: B. Security Groups
Security groups are used to efficiently manage permissions for network resources like shared drives. Removing the user from the Human Resources security group ensures their access is revoked immediately, whereas Group Policy applies broader system configurations rather than direct share permissions.
Q2. Which of the following is a significant limitation of FAT32 compared to modern file systems like NTFS or exFAT?
Answer: B. It cannot store individual files larger than 4GB
The FAT32 file system has a strict maximum individual file size limit of 4GB, preventing storage of large videos. NTFS and exFAT support much larger files. FAT32 is widely compatible across different operating systems and external drives.
Q3. A network administrator receives a call asking for assistance with connecting to the network. The person on the phone asks for the IP address, subnet mask, and VLAN required to access the network. What type of attack might this be?
Answer: C. Social engineering
This is classic social engineering because the attacker manipulates the administrator to reveal network details. Spoofing and VLAN hopping are technical network attacks. The human element of being tricked over the phone is the clear giveaway.
Q4. Which of the following password policies defines the number of previous passwords that cannot be reused when resetting a user's password?
Answer: B. Password history
Password history remembers previous passwords to prevent immediate reuse during resets. Expiration merely forces changes periodically. Complexity rules require character types, and length defines the total character count.
Q5. Jack has asked you for a recommendation on which word processing software they should install. There are four different software packages they are considering, and each uses a different licensing type. Jack states he wants to get a copy of…
Answer: D. Personal
A personal license is designed for individual private use, making it the best fit for home and family needs. Business and enterprise licenses are intended for corporate environments, while open-source does not apply to proprietary Microsoft software.
Q6. A school district is using iPads that are running an older version of iPadOS, which has recently reached End-of-Life (EOL). What is the MOST significant risk of continuing to use these devices?
Answer: B. Increased vulnerability to security threats
End-of-Life operating systems no longer receive security patches, making them highly vulnerable to exploitation. While compatibility issues might occur, the lack of security updates poses the most critical risk to the network and user data.
Q7. Which command is used on a Linux system to test if your computer can reach diontraining.com?
Answer: D. ping
The ping command tests reachability by sending ICMP echo requests to a target host. For the exam, associate ping with basic connectivity troubleshooting, whereas dig is used specifically for DNS lookups.
Q8. The paparazzi have found copies of pictures of a celebrity's new baby online. The celebrity states they were never publicly released but were uploaded to their cloud provider's automated photo backup. Which of the following threats was the…
Answer: A. Leaked personal files
Files exposed from a cloud backup without authorization are classified as leaked personal files. The scenario specifies data was not intentionally shared publicly, ruling out unauthorized camera access or device pairing.
Q9. You are working as a military defense contractor and have been asked to dispose of 5 laptop hard drives used in systems that processed classified information. Which of the following physical data destruction and disposal methods is MOST ap…
Answer: A. Degaussing of the HDDs
Degaussing uses a powerful electromagnet to destroy the magnetic domains on the platters, making data recovery impossible and the drive unusable. Standard formatting leaves data intact, while Secure Erase is a software method that cannot guarantee destruction for classified drives.
Q10. A network administrator needs to allow employees to upload files to a remote server securely. What port must be allowed through the firewall?
Answer: C. 22
Port 22 is correct because secure file transfers using SFTP or SCP rely on SSH, which operates over this port. Port 21 is used by standard FTP and sends data in cleartext, making it insecure for sensitive uploads.
Q11. Your Android device's battery is advertised to last 12 hours, but it drains almost completely within 90 minutes. What should you do FIRST to try and solve this problem?
Answer: C. Check which apps are using the most battery life
Checking battery usage in settings is the correct first step to identify any rogue apps or malware drastically draining power. Dimming the display or rebooting might provide temporary relief, but isolating the software cause resolves the underlying issue.
Q12. A user's computer is experiencing repeated BSODs and calls the service desk. The call is routed to Tier 2 support, and the Tier 2 technician is scheduled for a break in about 2 minutes when the call comes in. Which of the following actions…
Answer: D. Ask another Tier 2 technician to answer the call since it will take too long to solve
Delegating the call to another available technician ensures the customer receives prompt support without interrupting scheduled breaks. Avoid putting customers on extended holds or dismissing them, as maintaining continuity and proper communication are key exam objectives.
Q13. Your company is concerned about the possibility of power fluctuations that may occur and cause a small dip in the input power to their server room for an extended period of time. What condition is this known as?
Answer: C. Under-voltage event
An under-voltage event, commonly known as a brownout, occurs when power dips for an extended period. To avoid confusing this with a surge, associate the word dip with under-voltage, and protect equipment using a UPS or line conditioner.
Q14. A newly issued laptop displays 'IP address conflict with another system on the network.' What should you do to resolve this?
Answer: A. Configure the laptop's network connection to use DHCP instead of a static IP
Configuring the laptop to use DHCP lets the network automatically assign a valid, non-conflicting IP address. Picking another static IP might just recreate the conflict if another device is statically mapped to that same address.
Q15. An IT administrator needs to upgrade several computers running an operating system that has reached its End-of-Life (EOL). Which of the following should be the FIRST step before performing the upgrade?
Answer: B. Back up critical files and settings
The correct answer works because backing up critical files and settings ensures you can recover data if the upgrade fails. A practical exam cue is to always look for data preservation as the first step in any major system change.
Q16. What is a valid security certificate?
Answer: C. A digital document confirming the website's identity and secure connection.
A valid security certificate confirms a website's identity and establishes an encrypted connection for secure communication. Browser plug-ins or privacy settings do not verify identity or provide the cryptographic validation required.
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