Professor Messer COMP TIA A+ Core 1 Practice Exam A Study Guide

Which of the following technologies performs BEST when reading a

text-based document in direct sunlight?

❍ A. Tablet

❍ B. Smart phone

❍ C. e-Reader

❍ D. Augmented reality glasses

The Answer: C. e-Reader

The electronic ink or electronic paper used on e-Readers allows their screens to be viewed easily in bright light.

The printer in the accounting department has stopped all printing

processes. The print queue shows that there are seven jobs in the queue that are waiting to be printed. Which of the following would be the BEST next troubleshooting step?

❍ A. Send a test job to the printer and move it to the top of the queue

❍ B. Restart the printer's spooler

❍ C. Install an updated version of the printer driver

❍ D. Delete everything in the queue and resend the print jobs

The Answer: B. Restart the printer's spooler

The print spooler is the software responsible for storing print jobs and sending them to the printer. If the printer spooler has failed or has stopped, then none of the print jobs will be sent to the printer.

A system administrator has connected an external USB drive to a computer to transfer some documents. When booting the computer, the system tries to boot from the external drive and gives an error message.

Which of the following would be the BEST way to prevent the USB drive

from booting?

❍ A. Modify the BIOS to boot from the internal hard drive

❍ B. Modify the boot order in Windows Disk Management

❍ C. Rebuild the MBR on the external hard drive

❍ D. Disable the external drive in Device Manager

The Answer: A. Modify the BIOS to boot from the internal hard drive

The boot order is managed in the system BIOS, and one way to avoid the

computer from attempting to boot from an external storage device is to

move the internal drive to have a higher boot priority.

A computer has been configured with an SSD, a high-end video adapter, and the maximum amount of RAM. Which of the following would be the

MOST likely use for this computer?

❍ A. Thin client

❍ B. Network attached storage device

❍ C. CAD/CAM workstation

❍ D. VDI client

The Answer: C. CAD/CAM workstation

The graphical designs created by a CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing) computer requires high-speed

SSD (Solid State Drive) storage, high-end video, and as much RAM as possible.

A network connection in a conference room was installed years ago, and there's no documentation for the cable run. Connecting a device to the cable results in a successful Ethernet connection, so the other end of the cable should terminate somewhere in the wiring closet. Which of these tools would be the best choice to find the other end of the network

connection?

❍ A. Cable tester

❍ B. Tone generator

❍ C. Multimeter

❍ D. Crimper

The Answer: B. Tone generator

A tone generator is used to produce an analog tone on the cable, and an

inductive probe is used to "listen" for the tone on the other end of the

cable.

A client's laptop has recently had its internal mini-PCIe wireless adapter card replaced. Although Device Manager shows the card working properly, the wireless card management software shows very low signal strength. The wireless card keeps dropping its wireless connection and will not maintain a consistent network link. What is the most likely reason for this problem?

❍ A. The mini-PCIe card isn't compatible with the laptop

❍ B. The wireless adapter antenna cable isn't connected

❍ C. The operating system doesn't support the wireless card

❍ D. The wireless card is administratively powered off

The Answer: B. The wireless adapter antenna cable isn't connected

The antenna cable connectors are very small, and it's easy to leave them disconnected after working inside of a laptop. A missing antenna cable will cause the wireless signal strength to be very low, and often there's not enough signal strength to reliably send or receive data.

A user has powered on their computer and received the message

"Operating system not found." A check of the system shows that the hard drive cables are properly connected. Which of the following would be the NEXT best troubleshooting step?

❍ A. Boot to Safe Mode

❍ B. Replace the boot drive

❍ C. Restore from a known good backup

❍ D. Check for removable drives

The Answer: D. Check for removable drives

If a USB (Universal Serial Bus) storage device is connected to a computer and the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is checking USB devices

before the primary storage drive, the "Operating system not found" error could appear with some USB devices. To avoid this error, the boot order in

the BIOS can be changed, or the USB device can be disconnected during

the boot process and reconnected after the operating system has started.

A user is having an issue with a smartphone not recognizing their

location on a map. All other Internet and phone features are working

properly. Which of the following would be the MOST likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. GPS is disabled

❍ B. The battery is low

❍ C. Wi-Fi is enabled

❍ D. Storage space is low

The Answer: A. GPS is disabled The GPS (Global Positioning System) option on a smartphone provides

precise location services for apps and utilities. The map feature on the

smartphone uses the GPS to help determine the location, speed, and direction of the user.

A client's laptop sounds like it is booting normally, but nothing appears on the LCD display. After closer inspection, you notice the output is visible but it's too faint to clearly see anything. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. Video card

❍ B. Inverter

❍ C. Video driver

❍ D. Power adapter

The Answer: B. Inverter

The inverter powers the CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) backlight, allowing you to easily view the pixels

on the display. Most newer laptops will use LED (Light Emitting Diode) backlights that use the existing DC (Direct Current) power and don't require an inverter.

A graphics designer is experiencing increasing delays when accessing files on her hard drive. The user maintains a daily backup of all data on the drive. Which of these would be the BEST next troubleshooting step for this issue?

❍ A. Reinstall Windows

❍ B. Perform a hard drive diagnostic

❍ C. Restore from the daily backup

❍ D. Boot to Safe Mode

The Answer: B. Perform a hard drive diagnostic

Before making any changes, it would be useful to gather more information about this problem. A hardware diagnostic would determine if the hard

drive itself is working properly. If the hard drive is operating normally, the

troubleshooting process can then shift to the operating system and software.

Which of the following would be MOST likely found on a DVD-ROM?

❍ A. Document archive

❍ B. Operating system boot files

❍ C. RAID parity files

❍ D. BIOS configurations

The Answer: A. Document archive

The DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc - Read Only Memory) format

has the advantage of a relatively large storage area and the ability to

write once and never worry about an accidental deletion. The storage of

documents and other files is a common use of DVD-ROM optical discs.

When a user starts their computer, the screen remains blank and the

computer beeps twice. Which of these would be the MOST likely cause

of this issue?

❍ A. The boot device is not connected

❍ B. The memory is faulty

❍ C. The operating system has become corrupted

❍ D. The PC is infected with malware

The Answer: B. The memory is faulty

The POST (Power On Self Test) is the initial hardware check that occurs during the startup process. If a major hardware component is faulty, the computer will beep and a message will be displayed on the screen. If the

issue is related to a critical component, the computer will not be able to display a message on the screen and instead will beep a certain number of

times as a code to specify the error.

A firewall is configured to block email transfers from a remote server.

Which of the following ports is the firewall blocking?

❍ A. 443

❍ B. 22

❍ C. 23

❍ D. 25

The Answer: D. 25

Port 25 is used by SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) to send email messages from devices and transfer those messages between SMTP email servers.

A technician is connecting a laptop to an LCD projector in a conference

room. The display on the laptop works properly, but the projector image is constantly flickering and pixelating. The technician has modified the resolution and refresh rates, but the projector image continues to flicker.

Which of the following would be the BEST next troubleshooting step?

❍ A. Replace the video cable

❍ B. Disable the laptop display

❍ C. Replace the projector bulb

❍ D. Power cycle the projector

The Answer: A. Replace the video cable

A display issue associated with flickering and poor video quality would

commonly point to the connection between the video adapter and the display device. In the case of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) projector, there's sometimes a very long (and very worn) cable that can cause signal

issues to show on the projected image.

The stylus on a Windows tablet will no longer interact with the user

interface. Which of these would be the MOST likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. Digitizer

❍ B. Backlight

❍ C. Antennas

❍ D. Inverter

The Answer: A. Digitizer The digitizer is the component in a touch screen that converts the analog input from a fingerprint or stylus into a digital input that can be understood by the computer. If the digitizer is having an issue, then problems will occur with any direct screen input.

A user in the accounting department needs to output a form on the laser

printer that prints on both sides of the page. Which of the following

options should be configured in the accounting software?

❍ A. Collate

❍ B. Orientation

❍ C. Duplex

❍ D. Resolution

The Answer: C. Duplex

The duplex setting prints the output on both sides of the page, and a printer that supports duplexing will flip the page over without any manual

intervention from the user.

A user needs to connect their laptop to the wired Ethernet network, but the laptop does not have an integrated Ethernet interface. Which of the following would allow the laptop to connect to an Ethernet network?

(Pick TWO)

❍ A. Docking station

❍ B. VGA interface

❍ C. USB to Ethernet adapter

❍ D. DisplayPort to HDMI cable

❍ E. DVI to HDMI adapter

❍ F. Bluetooth

The Answer: A. Docking station

C. USB to Ethernet adapter

There are a few ways to create a wired Ethernet connection on a laptop computer. Using a docking station is a common solution that provides many different interfaces, and often includes the ability to install a full-size PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) adapter. A USB (Universal Serial Bus) to Ethernet adapter is a simpler solution that only provides an Ethernet interface, but it's much more portable than a docking station.

A server administrator has received an alert showing that one drive in a

RAID 1 array has failed. Which of the following would be the best way

to resolve this alert?

❍ A. Replace the bad drive and resync the array

❍ B. Replace all drives in the array and resync the array

❍ C. Replace the bad drive and restore from backup

❍ D. Convert the array to RAID 0 and replace the drive

❍ E. Replace all drives in the array and restore from backup

The Answer: A. Replace the bad drive and resync the array

A RAID 1 (Redundant Array of Independent Disks, level 1) array is a

mirrored array, which means that all of the information on one physical

drive is also copied and maintained on a separate drive. If one drive fails,

then the drive with the redundant data continues to be available. To

repair the array, the bad drive needs to be replaced and the data from the

redundant drive is synchronized to the new drive.

A system administrator is building a server for a data center in another

country. The server will manage a print queue and provide a local storage partition for temporary file transfers. Which of the following power supply specifications will be the MOST important for this server?

❍ A. Voltage input options

❍ B. Number of PCIe connectors

❍ C. Modular cabling

❍ D. Fan noise rating

The Answer: A. Voltage input options

Connecting to the power source in a different country is an important consideration when selecting a power supply. If the voltage specifications

are incorrect, the server may not operate at all or components in the server may be damaged. Many servers use auto-switching power supplies are compatible with the power systems in other countries.

Which of the following ports are used for file transfers? (Select TWO)

❍ A. 21

❍ B. 110

❍ C. 25

❍ D. 23

❍ E. 20

❍ F. 53

The Answer: A. 21 and E. 20

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard method of transferring files across different operating systems. FTP uses TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) port 21 for control messages and port 20 to transfer data.

Which of these technologies do not require a backlight to provide a

viewable display?

❍ A. LCD

❍ B. IPS

❍ C. OLED

❍ D. LED

The Answer: C. OLED

An OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display emits light when a current is provided to an organic compound, so a backlight would not be

necessary with an OLED display.

A system administrator has tripped over an Ethernet cable and the cable's RJ45 connector has broken. Which of the following should be used to

resolve this issue?

❍ A. Punch-down tool

❍ B. Tone generator and probe

❍ C. Cable tester

❍ D. Crimper

The Answer: D. Crimper

A crimper is used to attach a modular connector to a cable. In this example, a new connector can be reattached to the cable using an RJ45

(Registered Jack type 45) crimper.

A network administrator is troubleshooting a network outage, and she believes that the issue is related to a bad switch. The old switch is replaced with a newer model and the cabling is moved to the new switch. Which of the following should be the NEXT troubleshooting steps? (Choose TWO)

❍ A. Test the theory

❍ B. Verify full system functionality

❍ C. Establish a plan of action

❍ D. Identify the problem

❍ E. Document the findings

The Answers: B. Verify full system functionality, and

E. Document the findings

Once the theory has been tested, a plan of action has been determined, and the plan has been implemented, it's important to verify that full system functionality has been restored. After all of this work, it's useful to document the problem, the proposed solutions, and the ultimate fix. This problem might occur again, and it would be useful to have some historical documentation on how to address the issue.

A gaming enthusiast is building her own computer to provide the best

performance with 3D action games. Which of these would be the most

important components of a gaming PC? (Choose TWO)

❍ A. RAID array

❍ B. Small form factor

❍ C. High-end GPU

❍ D. Built-in tuner

❍ E. SSD

❍ F. Network-connected printer

The Answers: C. High-end GPU, and E. SSD

The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is an important consideration when

building a gaming computer. Many computer games also read extensively

from storage, so the speed of an SSD (Solid State Drive) will provide the

fastest possible data access.

What type of device connects multiple computers to the network, but

becomes less efficient as network traffic increases?

❍ A. Switch

❍ B. Hub

❍ C. Repeater

❍ D. Router

The Answer: B. Hub

A hub operates as a multi-port repeater, where incoming traffic is repeated

to every other port in the hub. If more than one device attempts to do this at the same time, these conflicting signals are called a collision. Each time

a collision occurs, the sending devices have to stop transmitting, wait a random amount of time, and try sending traffic again. If many devices are sending large amounts of data, the overall network efficiency will decrease

as the number of collisions increase.

In which of the following would a Lightning cable MOST likely be used?

❍ A. Connect a server to a display monitor

❍ B. Increase the available memory of a device

❍ C. Remotely control a mobile device

❍ D. Charge a mobile device

The Answer: D. Charge a mobile device

The Lightning interface is a proprietary interface used exclusively on mobile devices from Apple. The Lightning interface is a common connection for data transfers and power charging for most Apple mobile devices.

A network administrator would like to enable DHCP on a laptop, but he would like the same IP address to be assigned to the laptop each time it starts. Which of the following would provide this functionality?

❍ A. Create an IP reservation on the DHCP server

❍ B. Administratively configure the laptop's MAC address

❍ C. Use APIPA addressing

❍ D. Assign the laptop to a static IP VLAN

The Answer: A. Create an IP reservation on the DHCP server

A DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server will

automatically assign IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to devices on the network from an available pool. This means that the IP address for a device may change over time based on the IP addresses that are currently available in the pool. To force the same IP address assignment each time, the network administrator can create an IP reservation in the DHCP server that will associate a specific IP address to the MAC (Media Access Control) address of the laptop.

A user is complaining about slow network performance from their

workstation. A network technician checks the data closet and finds

that the wires are not properly seated in the 110 block. Which of the

following should the technician use to correct this issue?

❍ A. Crimper

❍ B. Multimeter

❍ C. Punch-down tool

❍ D. Cable tester

The Answer: C. Punch-down tool

A punch-down tool is used to firmly "punch" a wire into a wiring block, such as a 110 block. These blocks are usually located in a wiring closet or on the back of a patch panel.

A user has just connected to a new wireless network, but they cannot view any Internet web sites. Their network configuration shows the IP address as 169.254.228.109, the subnet mask is 255.255.0.0, and they have not been assigned a default gateway. Which of these is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. The subnet mask is not correct

❍ B. The Internet provider is experiencing a temporary outage

❍ C. The DHCP server is down

❍ D. The wireless adapter is not working properly

The Answer: C. The DHCP server is down

If a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server is not

responding, then the local workstation will configure itself with an

APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) address. The usable APIPA addresses are in the range between 169.254.1.0 through 169.254.254.255.

An APIPA address is a link-local address, so network communication is

limited to the local IP subnet.

A help desk technician needs to use different Windows versions to

study for an industry certification exam. The technician currently uses

a Windows desktop computer with 4 GB of RAM and a 750 GB free

on the hard drive. Which of the following would be the BEST way to

perform this task? (Choose TWO)

❍ A. Install a KVM

❍ B. Install an additional hard drive

❍ C. Create a Windows Recovery Environment boot drive

❍ D. Upgrade the system RAM

❍ E. Install Windows guest VMs

The Answer: D. Upgrade the system RAM, and

E. Install Windows guest VMs The easiest way to use multiple operating systems on a single machine is to run them as virtual machines. Although there's plenty of storage space for multiple virtual machines, the 4 GB (Gigabytes) of RAM

(Random Access Memory) on the host computer is too small to support multiple Windows operating systems at the same time. Once the memory

upgrade is complete, it's a relatively easy process to install the guest virtual

machines on the existing hard drive.

While configuring a new workstation in the lab, one of the engineers

recommends using 255.255.255.0. What part of the configuration is this

associated with?

❍ A. Default gateway

❍ B. Subnet mask

❍ C. DNS server

❍ D. IP address

The Answer: B. Subnet mask

Subnet masks are used by the local device to determine what subnet

it's connected to. Subnet masks are a series of binary ones that are used to "mask" the subnet address from the host address. Instead of

representing this mask in binary, it's almost always shown in decimal form.

Common decimal representations of subnet mask start with 255, such as

255.255.255.0.

Which of the following BEST describes a Bluetooth network?

❍ A. PAN

❍ B. WAN

❍ C. LAN

❍ D. MAN

The Answer: A. PAN

A PAN (Personal Area Network) is designed for a small area and usually an individual person. Bluetooth devices such as headsets, speakers, and automobile connections are considered PANs.

Sam, a user in the accounting department, is migrating from Android to iOS. She would like all of her emails, contact lists, and calendar events to be moved to her new phone. Which of the following would be the BEST way to accomplish this task?

❍ A. Use a Windows-based migration tool

❍ B. Save the Android phone data as a CSV file

❍ C. Connect the new phone to the corporate Exchange server

❍ D. Use a USB-to-Lightning cable

The Answer: C. Connect the new phone to the corporate Exchange

server

Microsoft Exchange manages email, calendar events, and contact information in a single database. Using this central database, Exchange can synchronize all of this information to both iOS and Android smartphones.

The internal Bluetooth adapter of a laptop has failed, and the user would like to get a repair estimate. Which of the following would be the BEST way to determine an accurate price of an exact replacement?

❍ A. Research online forums

❍ B. Determine the purchase price of a USB to Bluetooth adapter

❍ C. Disassemble the laptop case and document the process

❍ D. View the Bluetooth information in Network settings

The Answer: C. Disassemble the laptop case and document the process

Although the operating system driver can sometimes provide details about

what's inside, they often can hide details about the specific hardware. The

only way to know the exact make and model of the Bluetooth adapter is a physical examination. Some laptops are easier to open than others, so

it's useful to document the process used to gain access to the Bluetooth hardware.

A server administrator has been asked to configure the storage

requirements for a new database server. The database owner requires the fastest performance, and redundancy if a single drive fails. The storage array should support 8 TB or larger of available space. Which of the following options would be the BEST choice?

❍ A. RAID 10 with 5,400 RPM, 8 TB drives

❍ B. RAID 5 with 10,000 RPM, 5 TB drives

❍ C. RAID 1 with 7,200 RPM, 8 TB drives

❍ D. RAID 0 with 15,000 RPM, 5 TB drives

The Answer: B. RAID 5 with 10,000 RPM, 5 TB drives

The question is focused on three requirements; performance, drive space, and redundancy. This option provides the highest number of RPMs (Revolutions Per Minute), the RAID 5 (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) redundancy, and enough storage to support more than 8 TB

(terabytes) of drive space.

A user would like to access email from their Windows 10 laptop using a

smartphone's Internet connection. Which of these technologies needs to be enabled on the laptop?

❍ A. LTE

❍ B. Bluetooth

❍ C. NFC

❍ D. IR

The Answer: B. Bluetooth

Bluetooth can be used to tether the laptop to the smartphone, and the smartphone can then be used to allow access to resources on the Internet.

A user has connected their laptop to an LCD projector, but video isn't

displaying through the projector. What laptop key is often combined with the "CRT/LCD" key to control the video output?

❍ A. Fn

❍ B. Alt

❍ C. Windows

❍ D. Ctrl

The Answer: A. Fn

The laptop function key (Fn) is usually combined with another laptop key to control features such as volume, wireless adapter functionality,

and video output. This allows the laptop manufacturers to add additional functionality to the laptop keyboard without adding any physical keys or

switches.

A member of the management team is developing a product based on

wearable technology. Which of the following would BEST describe this

product type?

❍ A. Virtual reality

❍ B. e-Reader

❍ C. Smart watch

❍ D. Smart phone

The Answer: C. Smart watch

Wearable technologies are devices that can be worn all day as an extension of a phone and body. Common wearable technologies would be smart

watches and fitness monitors.

A system administrator is using a maintenance kit on a network-

connected laser printer. Which of the following should be the LAST step when performing this maintenance?

❍ A. Examine the feed rollers

❍ B. Wait until the fuser unit cools down and replace it

❍ C. Reset the page counter

❍ D. Replace the power cord

The Answer: C. Reset the page counter

The page counter is a helpful metric to determine how much the printer

is used, which in turn determines when the next maintenance should be

scheduled. After performing the current maintenance cycle and verifying

the printer's operation, the page counter should be reset so that the next

maintenance time-frame can be properly estimated.

An application developer needs to test an application across all of the operating systems used by the company. Each operating system will be tested individually in a lab environment. The company would like to minimize any additional hardware purchases for this project. Which of the following would be the BEST way to test this application?

❍ A. Purchase a system that is configured just above the hardware

requirements for the highest-end operating system. Create separate

VMs for each operating system.

❍ B. Purchase individual test computers that match the hardware

requirements for each OS. Install different operating systems on

each test computer.

❍ C. Designate existing user workstations to be used as testing systems.

Run all application tests during non-working hours.

❍ D. Purchase a system that matches the minimum hardware

requirements for the highest-end operating system. Create a system image for each operating system and reimage the computer between tests.

The Answer: A. Purchase a system that is configured just above the hardware requirements for the highest-end operating system. Create separate VMs for each operating system. Creating virtual machines for these tests would be a great way to minimize hardware costs, and the machine used for the testing should be able to properly virtualize the testing OS while the host OS is running. Purchasing a system that is slightly more powerful than the highest-level operating system configuration should cover any technical requirements.

Which wireless standard operates in the 5 GHz band and provides over

5 Gbit/sec of throughput?

❍ A. 802.11n

❍ B. 802.11g

❍ C. 802.11ac

❍ D. 802.11a

The Answer: C. 802.11ac

802.11ac operates in the 5 GHz band and can provide almost 7 gigabits

per second of total throughput.

A user in the manufacturing department reports that every page printed from the central networked laser printer has a single black line that extends from the top of the page to the very bottom. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. The fuser is damaged

❍ B. The printer is out of memory

❍ C. The photosensitive drum is damaged

❍ D. The toner is low

The Answer: C. The photosensitive drum is damaged

A scratched photosensitive drum would cause a line to appear down the

printed page as the toner sticks to the scratched part of the drum. Some

printers allow individual drums to be replaced, and others require the

entire toner cartridge with drum to be replaced. Once the scratched drum

is replaced, the black line will no longer appear on the printer output.

Which mobile device connection is commonly used for making payments at a store checkout?

❍ A. NFC

❍ B. Infrared

❍ C. Cellular

❍ D. Bluetooth

The Answer: A. NFC

NFC (Near Field Communication) is designed to transfer small amounts of data wirelessly over a limited area. It's common to use a smart phone or smart watch with a credit card terminal to pay for goods or services.

A company is planning to use a cloud-based file storage service to store, share, and synchronize files across all company devices. Which of the following would be the MOST important resource requirement for

this service?

❍ A. Local storage capacity

❍ B. Internet bandwidth

❍ C. CPU utilization

❍ D. System memory

The Answer: B. Internet bandwidth

Cloud-based services work almost exclusively over the network, and file synchronization services will require additional bandwidth to process constant updates and changes over the network.

When printing a document on a laser printer, a user finds that all of the text on the page smears when touched. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. Fuser is damaged

❍ B. Toner cartridge is low

❍ C. Photosensitive drum has been scratched

❍ D. Incorrect printer driver is installed

❍ E. Printer cleaning process is not working

The Answer: A. Fuser is damaged

The fuser permanently melts the toner to the paper using heat and

pressure. If the fuser is not working, the toner will easily smear when

touched.

A manager's computer is able to connect to Internet sites while in

conference rooms or in the building courtyard. When the laptop is brought back to the manager's desk and placed into the docking station, the Internet access is unavailable but all other features are working. Which of the following should be the FIRST troubleshooting task for this issue?

❍ A. Replace the docking station power supply

❍ B. Upgrade the laptop BIOS

❍ C. Replace the docking station

❍ D. Check the docking station network cable

The Answer: D. Check the docking station network cable

The Internet access on the laptop appears to be working properly on the wireless network, but the docking station connection would use a wired Ethernet connection. If everything else is working properly, then the issue would most likely be associated with the Ethernet interface in the docking

station.

A company is developing an internal application that will run on

smartphones and tablets. What should the application use to simplify the

authentication process?

❍ A. Strong passwords

❍ B. SSO

❍ C. VPN

❍ D. SSL

The Answer: B. SSO

SSO (Single Sign-on) is a method of centralizing authentication to a

common database. This allows the users to authenticate once with a single username and password, and those credentials will be used across all services.

One of the software developers in your company would like to install six virtual machines on their desktop for application testing. Each VM would run a different operating system, but only one VM would be running at any particular time. Which of the following components would be the MOST important for this configuration? (Choose TWO)

❍ A. Video adapter RAM

❍ B. Hard drive space

❍ C. Gigabit NIC

❍ D. System RAM

❍ E. Enhanced audio

The Answers: B. Hard drive space and D. System RAM

Six virtual machines will require enough hard drive space to install all six operating systems, so it will be important to have enough free storage space. Running more than one operating system at a time on a computer also requires additional memory, so having enough system RAM is also an important consideration.

What is the minimum category of unshielded copper cable that would

run a 10 gigabit per second Ethernet link with a fifteen meter distance?

❍ A. Category 5

❍ B. Category 6

❍ C. Category 5e

❍ D. Category 6A

The Answer: B. Category 6

The physical characteristics of networking cables are separated into

categories. A category 6 cable can support a ten gigabit per second

10GBASE-T network to a distance of thirty-seven to fifty-five meters.

An engineer has manually configured IP addresses for a small office that uses a cable modem for Internet connectivity. However, none of the devices configured with a manual IP address are able to browse Internet websites. All devices are connected to the cable modem with twisted-pair Ethernet cables. This is the configuration of one device:

IP address: 192.168.1.7

Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

Default gateway: 192.168.1.1

DNS: 192.168.1.7

The engineer can successfully ping the local IP address and the

default gateway address. Which of the following should be the NEXT

troubleshooting step?

❍ A. Check for duplicate IP addresses

❍ B. Replace the Ethernet cable

❍ C. Check the DNS configuration

❍ D. Replace the cable modem

The Answer: C. Check the DNS configuration

One of the most noticeable of the IP (Internet Protocol) configuration

settings was that the DNS (Domain Name Service) server IP address

was configured to be the same as the local device. Since DNS servers are

commonly separate (and often remote) devices, it would be unusual to

see a DNS configured with the same IP address of the local device. The

next step should be to confirm the DNS settings with the local network

administrator.

A user in a SOHO office needs to connect a laptop to the DSL router. Which of the following cables should be used for this connection?

❍ A. Ethernet

❍ B. Lightning

❍ C. Coaxial

❍ D. USB-C

The Answer: A. Ethernet

A SOHO (Small Office Home Office) with a DSL (Digital Subscriber Link) modem will commonly connect to the modem using an Ethernet cable connection.

A user in the accounting department has turned on their computer and

received the message "Date and Time not set." Which of the following

would be the MOST likely reason for this message?

❍ A. The motherboard battery has discharged

❍ B. Windows update has rebooted the computer

❍ C. Daylight Saving Time occurred during the weekend

❍ D. The BIOS was just upgraded

The Answer: A. The motherboard battery has discharged

The battery on a motherboard is used to maintain the date and time configuration when the computer is not connected to a power source. If

the battery has discharged, the computer will not be able to maintain the

proper time and an error message will appear during startup.

A technician has just replaced a broken touch screen on a laptop used for trade shows. However, the touch functionality is no longer working on the display. Which of the following would be the MOST likely reason for this issue? (Select TWO)

❍ A. The digitizer is not calibrated

❍ B. The replacement screen is not a touch screen

❍ C. The BIOS needs to be updated

❍ D. The display resolution is incorrect

❍ E. The digitizer is not properly connected

❍ F. The wireless network is conflicting with the digitizer

The Answers: B. The replacement screen is not a touch screen, and

E. The digitizer is not properly connected

When replacing a touch screen display, it's important to make sure the

replacement is also a touch screen unit. The two look almost identical, so it

would be a common mistake to accidentally install the wrong hardware.

After installation, a separate connection is often required to enable the

digitizer. If the display panel is the correct hardware, then it's important to

check that all of the cables are connected, especially the cables specific to

the digitizer features.

A system administrator created a series of VMs that will use a portion of a server's available physical memory. Which of the following describes this cloud computing characteristic?

❍ A. Resource pooling

❍ B. Rapid elasticity

❍ C. Metered

❍ D. On-demand

The Answer: A. Resource pooling

Resource pooling places all of the computing resources in one place, and

then distributes from the pool when needed. A VM (Virtual Machine)

manager using a portion of available physical memory is taking advantage

of resource pooling.

A group of wireless laptops in a conference room are reporting

intermittent connectivity issues. The wired computers in the room are not

experiencing any network problems. A check of the laptops shows that

the IP addresses and configurations appear to be correct. Which of the

following would be the best NEXT troubleshooting step?

❍ A. Verify the wireless signal strength

❍ B. Check the ARP table on the default gateway

❍ C. Confirm the operation of the DHCP server

❍ D. Perform a wire map on the network drops

The Answer: A. Verify the wireless signal strength

Since the wired devices are working properly, the troubleshooting process should focus on the wireless network. The connectivity is also intermittent,

which means that the network is operating normally during certain

periods. This would move the focus from the network configuration to an

availability issue.

A server administrator has been asked to troubleshoot a system that

has been slowing down over time. While examining the computer, the

administrator can hear a series of clicks from the inside of the case.

Which of the following should be the FIRST step to address this issue?

❍ A. Replace the motherboard

❍ B. Power the system off and back on

❍ C. Replace the hard drive

❍ D. Perform a full backup of the server

❍ E. Replace the power supply

The Answer: D. Perform a full backup of the server

A clicking noise indicates some type of hardware issue with the computer, so the first step would be to confirm that a recent backup is available for

all of the data on this system. If the computer fails completely, at least the data will be secure.

When pressing the power button on a desktop computer, the power

indicator lights up but the computer does not display any message on the screen. The voltage at the wall outlet has been checked with a multimeter and it appears to be normal. The motherboard power connector voltage was checked, and the 12 volt pin was showing 6 volts. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. The components that use 12 volt power are faulty

❍ B. The power supply is faulty

❍ C. The wall outlet voltage does not match the power supply

❍ D. The motherboard is faulty

The Answer: B. The power supply is faulty

If the 12 volt line from the power supply to the motherboard is showing 6 volts, it's likely a problem with the power supply itself. A power supply

replacement should be the next troubleshooting step for this system.

A manager in the marketing department is printing many copies of a twenty page document. The manager would like to print all twenty pages of the document before the next copy begins printing. What setting

should the manager configure in the output settings?

❍ A. Duplex

❍ B. Collate

❍ C. Quality

❍ D. Orientation

The Answer: B. Collate

The printing of multiple copies in their proper order is called collating the output. If the output was not collated, all of the page one copies would print, then all of the page 2, etc.

A remote user is visiting their corporate office. They are trying to connect their laptop to the office wireless network, but the network name does not appear in the list of available wireless networks. Which of the following would be the most likely reason for this issue?

❍ A. There is interference with the wireless signal

❍ B. The laptop has been assigned an APIPA address

❍ C. The user does not have permission to use the wireless network

❍ D. SSID broadcasts have been disabled

The Answer: D. SSID broadcasts have been disabled

The name of the wireless network, or SSID (Service Set Identifier) is normally broadcast to all nearby devices. If the SSID broadcasts are administratively disabled, the network name will not appear in the drop- down list of available wireless networks.

A manager is able to receive email messages on their tablet, but they're

having problems configuring the tablet to send email messages. Which of

the following should be the FIRST troubleshooting step?

❍ A. Check the SMTP settings

❍ B. Check the IP address configuration

❍ C. Send a test message using web-based email

❍ D. Check the IMAP settings

The Answer: A. Check the SMTP settings

If you're sending an email message from an email client, you're commonly using SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). There are three SMTP configuration settings that are important; the SMTP server name or IP address, the SMTP username, and the SMTP password.

A user is reporting that a shared laser printer in the marketing

department is not printing from one particular application. The front

panel of the printer shows that the printer is online and ready to receive

print jobs. Other users in the department are able to successfully

print to the printer. Which of the following would be the BEST next

troubleshooting step?

❍ A. Power cycle the printer

❍ B. Restart the print spooler

❍ C. Perform a test print from the printer console

❍ D. Verify the network printer name in the application

The Answer: D. Verify the network printer name in the application

We know that the printer is working normally because other people are

able to print successfully. This also means that the spooling process is

working and that the print server is successfully queuing the print jobs.

Given the other options, it's most likely that the user is directing the print

job to a different printer.

A network administrator is connecting four company locations that reside in different countries. Which of the following would BEST describe this configuration?

❍ A. LAN

❍ B. PAN

❍ C. MAN

❍ D. WAN

The Answer: D. WAN

A WAN (Wide Area Network) connects LANs across a long geographical distance. Once the link extends past the local city area, the connection would be considered a WAN link.

A new SOHO remote site includes the installation of IoT lights,

thermostats, and cameras. Which of the following would be the BEST

way to protect the rest of the network against IoT hacking?

❍ A. Use WPA2 encryption

❍ B. Configure SSID suppression on the wireless network

❍ C. Connect the IoT devices to a DMZ

❍ D. Configure static IP addressing

The Answer: C. Connect the IoT devices to a DMZ

One of the concerns around IoT (Internet of Things) is that a single exploit of an IoT device can potentially put the entire network at risk. To avoid this issue, it's useful to put IoT devices into their own protected network, such as a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This means that if an IoT device was exploited, the attacker would not have any access to the more important devices and services on the rest of the network.

A system administrator has configured a VM for dual processors, 16 GB of RAM, and 120 GB of disk space. Which of the following is required to start this VM?

❍ A. Shared network address

❍ B. Hypervisor

❍ C. Virtual switch

❍ D. Video display

The Answer: B. Hypervisor

A hypervisor, or virtual machine manager, is the software that manages the

virtual platform and guest operating systems.

A site manager has found that her smartphone has a short battery life

when used at work, and the battery life is normal when working from

home. The work location has limited mobile service reception, but most

office services are provided over the local 802.11 Wi-Fi network. The site

manager does not enable Bluetooth on her smartphone. Which of the

following would be the BEST way to extend the battery life of her mobile

device?

❍ A. Disable 802.11 Wi-Fi

❍ B. Disable the cellular radio at work

❍ C. Replace the battery

❍ D. Enable Bluetooth on the mobile device

The Answer: B. Disable the cellular radio at work

When a mobile provider's network isn't available, a phone will constantly try to reconnect to a cellular network. This reconnection process constantly uses the radio, and subsequently more of the battery is used in the process. To conserve battery life, it would be useful to disable the cellular network connection when outside of a coverage area.

A desktop computer has just abruptly shut off, and pressing the power button doesn't restart the system. There are no fans spinning, no lights are on, and no messages appear on the display. Which of these would be the MOST likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. The BIOS is configured with a startup password

❍ B. The LCD display backlight has failed

❍ C. The power supply is faulty

❍ D. The master boot record is corrupted

❍ E. The boot sector is missing

The Answer: C. The power supply is faulty

A faulty power supply could cause a loss of power across all computer systems, and the lack of fans, lights, and output on the display would be

the most likely cause given the available options.

What kind of device is commonly used to filter traffic based on a

predefined set of rules?

❍ A. PoE switch

❍ B. Repeater

❍ C. DSL modem

❍ D. Firewall

The Answer: D. Firewall

A firewall is designed to evaluate inbound traffic, compare that traffic to predefined security policies, and then allow or block that traffic from

passing through the firewall. Firewalls are common security appliances

between an organization's internal network and the Internet.

Which of these connection types use coax to provide Internet data, voice, and video over the same wire?

❍ A. DSL

❍ B. Cable

❍ C. ISDN

❍ D. Dialup

The Answer: B. Cable

Cable television brought cable into everyone's home, and now they include voice and Internet services on the same coax cable.

A desktop administrator has been asked to troubleshoot a laptop

computer that beeps during the power on process while the laptop

screen remains dark. Which of the following would be the best NEXT

troubleshooting step?

❍ A. Implement a solution

❍ B. Document findings

❍ C. Establish a theory

❍ D. Evaluate results

The Answer: C. Establish a theory

Once an issue has been identified, it's important to consider all of the possible reasons the problem may have occurred. It's useful to list all possible causes, even those that might not be obvious.

A manager is complaining of short battery life on their laptop when traveling. Which of the following should be disabled to provide the BEST battery conservation?

❍ A. Internal speakers

❍ B. Webcam

❍ C. Smart card interface

❍ D. Bluetooth

❍ E. Touchpad

The Answer: D. Bluetooth

Bluetooth, and any radio-based communication, constantly uses some of the power, and those systems can quickly deplete the battery. If you're not going to be using wireless devices, then it's useful to place the device in airplane mode or disable Bluetooth, 802.11, and cellular radios.

A company is deploying cloud-hosted virtual desktops for training room classes. The VMs have already been configured in the cloud. Which of the following is required to access these VMs using thin clients in the

training room?

❍ A. High-end video cards

❍ B. Separate Internet connection

❍ C. Mouse, keyboard, and monitor

❍ D. Category 6A cabling

The Answer: C. Mouse, keyboard, and monitor

Cloud-hosted virtual desktops are a type of VDI (Virtual Desktop

Infrastructure). Access to the desktop is provided over a remote access-

style client, and access can be provided from almost any operating system using a low-bandwidth network connection. The client device is usually a

thin-client that has a minimum set of resources, a mouse, keyboard, and a

monitor.

A technician has connected a laptop to an LCD display. The LCD display

is presenting the correct information, but all of the content appears to be compressed vertically. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for this issue?

❍ A. The LCD display is faulty

❍ B. The laptop display adapter is incompatible with the LCD display

❍ C. The laptop resolution is incorrect

❍ D. The LCD display cable is faulty

The Answer: C. The laptop resolution is incorrect

An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) has an optimal resolution that is based

on the physical dimensions of the display. If the resolution settings in the operating system don't match the physical display, then the information on

the screen may appear blurry or skewed. Configuring the correct resolution

in the operating system will commonly resolve this issue.

An engineering firm is upgrading their storage array to include additional drive space for documents and designs. The primary goal is to provide high performance and uptime, even if two drives were to fail. Which of the following would be the BEST choice for this firm?

❍ A. RAID 1

❍ B. RAID 5

❍ C. RAID 0

❍ D. RAID 10

The Answer: D. RAID 10

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a method of

combining storage drives together to add speed and/or redundancy. A RAID 10 array is a nested RAID configuration that creates a mirrored set

of RAID 0 drives. As long as only one drive fails in each RAID 0 mirror, the redundancy will remain valid and the user's data will continue to be

available.

A network administrator is installing a wireless access point in a new

conference room. Which of these settings would provide the BEST

security for this installation?

❍ A. WPA2 encryption

❍ B. SSID suppression

❍ C. Static IP addressing

❍ D. UPnP

❍ E. MAC filtering

The Answer: A. WPA2 encryption

Configuring WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access II) encryption would

prevent unauthorized users from accessing the wireless network and would encrypt the data sent over the wireless network.

A university library needs to purchase a new printer for an open study area. The primary requirement of this printer is to be as quiet as possible. Which of these printer types would be the best fit for this requirement?

❍ A. Dot-matrix

❍ B. Inkjet

❍ C. Laser

❍ D. Thermal

The Answer: D. Thermal

Of the available options, thermal printers are the quietest. The only moving parts in a thermal printer are the motors that push the paper through the printer, and those motors are small and run almost silently.

Which of the following would be the BEST choice for reading textbooks

in bright sunlight?

❍ A. Tablet

❍ B. Augmented reality

❍ C. Wearable technology

❍ D. e-Reader

The Answer: D. e-Reader

e-Readers are standalone book and magazine reading devices that are

often designed with electronic paper or electronic ink technology. The

electronic ink screens on the e-Readers are specifically designed for reading text-based content in bright sunlight.

A company has designed an application platform to scale up when the application use increases during the day, and scale back down at night. Which of the following BEST describes this characteristic of cloud computing?

❍ A. Resource pooling

❍ B. Measured service

❍ C. Hybrid

❍ D. Rapid elasticity

The Answer: D. Rapid elasticity

Scaling up and down as needed is a significant characteristic of cloud computing. This allows organizations to manage and pay for resources when busy, but save time and money when the resources are no longer needed.

A user's tablet has stopped responding to any type of finger input on the screen. The clock and other tablet functions appear to be working. Which of the following would be the BEST way to correct this issue?

❍ A. Replace the screen

❍ B. Reset the wireless network

❍ C. Connect to a power source

❍ D. Restart the tablet

The Answer: D. Restart the tablet

Before making any changes to hardware or software, it's useful to restart the tablet to see if a software glitch may have been the underlying issue.

A user would like to connect a tablet to their laptop computer using

802.11, but they are in a location without a wireless access point. Which of the following would be the BEST way to make this connection?

❍ A. Enable Bluetooth discovery on the tablet

❍ B. Configure infrastructure mode on both devices

❍ C. Create shared folders on the laptop computer

❍ D. Use ad hoc mode

The Answer: D. Use ad hoc mode

Ad hoc mode allows two devices to directly communicate over an 802.11 wireless link without using an access point.

A server administrator is upgrading the memory in a web server from

16 GB of non-ECC RAM to 64 GB of ECC RAM. After starting

the system with the new memory, the computer beeps and nothing is

displayed on the screen. Changing the number and location of new RAM modules results in the same beeping sounds and blank screen. After replacing the original 16 GB modules, the system starts normally. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for this issue?

❍ A. The new memory is not compatible with the motherboard

❍ B. The new memory is faulty

❍ C. The BIOS needs to be updated

❍ D. The system is overheating during the startup process

The Answer: A. The new memory is not compatible with the

motherboard ECC (Error Correcting Code) memory is designed to detect errors and correct them on the fly. Not all systems use ECC memory, and it's

important that the memory matches the motherboard requirements. If

non-ECC RAM (Random Access Memory) is replaced with ECC RAM

and the system fails to start, then the issue is most likely associated with the change from non-ECC to ECC RAM.

A workstation has been assigned an APIPA address. Which of the

following would be the MOST likely reason for this configuration?

❍ A. The workstation is not connected to the wireless network

❍ B. The DNS server is misconfigured

❍ C. The network is using public Internet addresses

❍ D. The DHCP server is down

The Answer: D. The DHCP server is down

APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) is an IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) link-local addressing scheme. If a device does not have a static

IP address and an address is not available from a DHCP server, the local device will assign itself an APIPA address so that communication to other APIPA devices on the same subnet will be available.

Which of the following is used to forward traffic based on a destination

MAC address?

❍ A. Unmanaged switch

❍ B. Repeater

❍ C. Router

❍ D. Firewall

The Answer: A. Unmanaged switch

Switches determine how traffic is forwarded based on the destination

MAC (Media Access Control) address in the frame. The qualification of managed or unmanaged is not important in this case, since both types

of switches make forwarding decisions the same way. The difference between a managed and unmanaged switch are based on other features not

associated with the forwarding process.

A system administrator made some BIOS changes to a desktop computer running Windows 10, and now this message appears when starting the computer: "This drive can only boot in UEFI mode." Which of the following would be the BEST next troubleshooting step?

❍ A. Modify the boot drive sequence

❍ B. Enable Secure Boot

❍ C. Remove the BIOS password

❍ D. Boot the system with the Windows setup media

The Answer: B. Enable Secure Boot

Secure Boot is part of the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) standard for a computer BIOS (Basic Input Output System). Secure Boot

ensures that the underlying operating system has not been modified by malware or any other process.

A user has spilled coffee on their laptop keyboard, and now the system will not start. The laptop contains a presentation for an upcoming conference. Which of the following would be the BEST way to gain access to this presentation?

❍ A. Boot the system with a drive image utility

❍ B. Connect an external monitor and boot from a USB drive

❍ C. Boot to the Windows Recovery Environment

❍ D. Remove the storage drive and place it into an external enclosure

The Answer: D. Remove the storage drive and place it into an

external enclosure

The current laptop will not boot due to the liquid damage, so the only option would be to remove the storage device from this laptop and use a different computer to access the required presentation files.

A technician is installing a DSL modem at a SOHO facility. Which of the following connectors would be used to connect the DSL modem to the Internet provider line?

❍ A. RS-232

❍ B. RJ11

❍ C. BNC

❍ D. F-connector

The Answer: B. RJ11

The RJ11 connector (Registered Jack 11) is the modular connector

commonly associated with analog POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) lines. Since DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) uses the existing telephone

lines, the DSL connection from an Internet Service Provider will also use

those same lines with RJ11 connectors. These connectors will be the same for both residential, large-scale commercial, and SOHO (Small Office /

Home Office) use.

Which of the following would be the BEST choice for capturing an image from a printed page and saving it on a computer?

❍ A. QR code reader

❍ B. Optical drive

❍ C. Flatbed scanner

❍ D. Webcam

The Answer: C. Flatbed scanner

A flatbed scanner is designed to capture images from paper and convert them into digital form.

A server administrator has four identical drives to install into a database server. Which of these RAID types would provide both redundancy and the most available storage space?

❍ A. RAID 5

❍ B. RAID 10

❍ C. RAID 0

❍ D. RAID 1

The Answer: A. RAID 5

With RAID 5, three drives would contain user data and the fourth drive would store parity information. This efficient use of space and the included redundancy make RAID 5 the best option.

A user has just restarted their smartphone after performing an OS update, and now they are experiencing slow performance with all of their apps. A hardware diagnostic reports no hardware issues. Which of the following

would be the MOST likely reason for this slowdown?

❍ A. The operating system is corrupted

❍ B. The battery is charging

❍ C. The WiFi signal strength is low

❍ D. The operating system is still updating

The Answer: D. The operating system is still updating

After restarting after an upgrade, it's common for additional housekeeping

and conversion functions to continue in the background. This process can sometimes cause the mobile device to slow down or appear sluggish,

but the issue is often resolved after the post-installation processes are complete.

Jack gets an error message when trying to receive email messages on his smartphone, but he is able to send email messages without a problem. The IMAP server name appears to be correct in the smartphone configuration. Which of the following would be the best NEXT troubleshooting step?

❍ A. Verify the SMTP server name

❍ B. Restart the smartphone

❍ C. Confirm the IMAP username and password

❍ D. Connect to a different wireless network

The Answer: C. Confirm the IMAP username and password

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is commonly used for retrieving emails from a central server. Most IMAP configurations require a valid IMAP server address and correct credentials for the mailbox, so

it's useful to check those configuration settings before any additional

troubleshooting.

What kind of IPv6 address starts with fe80: ?

❍ A. Link-local

❍ B. Broadcast

❍ C. Loopback

❍ D. Multicast

The Answer: A. Link-local

A link-local address is an address that can only communicate to other devices on the same subnet. In IPv6, all link-local addresses start with fe80:.

A user has reported that their tablet is not able to retrieve or send mail,

browse the Internet, or connect to video conferences. Apps on the device that do not require connectivity are working as expected. Which of these

would be the MOST likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. Battery is very low

❍ B. Airplane mode is enabled

❍ C. An invalid certificate is installed

❍ D. The tablet is overheated

The Answer: B. Airplane mode is enabled

Airplane mode will disable all network connectivity for a device. This would include the 802.11 network, cellular network, and Bluetooth

connections. All other device functions will continue to work normally.

A PC technician has been asked to replace the LCD display on a touch-

screen laptop computer. Which of the following would be the MOST

important component to test after this replacement?

❍ A. Digitizer

❍ B. Keyboard

❍ C. Audio controls

❍ D. System memory

The Answer: A. Digitizer

A digitizer is built into the LCD display, and it would be the most likely component to have a problem after the entire display has been replaced.

The computers in the shipping department are receiving the message "No connectivity" on their computers. The ipconfig output on one of the computers provides this information:

IPv4 Address: 192.168.1.22

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1

From this device, a technician is able to successfully ping 127.0.0.1 and

192.168.1.22. The technician can also ping other devices in the shipping

department, but cannot receive a ping response from servers in the data center or from the 192.168.1.1 address.

Which of these would be the MOST likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. The DHCP server is down

❍ B. The wireless network is experiencing interference

❍ C. The local router is down

❍ D. The Internet provider is experiencing an outage

The Answer: C. The local router is down

The default gateway is commonly the local router for the IP subnet. If the default gateway address of 192.168.1.1 is not responding to a ping, then the router may not be operational.

Jack is planning to travel overseas, and he wants to be sure his tablet computer will have enough power to make it through the long flight. The airline does not guarantee that power outlets will be available during the trip. Which of the following should Jack consider taking on this flight?

❍ A. Extra-long USB charging cord

❍ B. Universal travel adapter

❍ C. MicroSD cards

❍ D. External USB chargers

The Answer: D. External USB chargers

An external USB charger can be used to recharge a device without requiring a power outlet. If you're in an area with no charging options, an external USB charger can provide you with additional battery time.

A graphics designer is working on a computer that powers itself off after about an hour of work. The computer tends to power down when working on complex designs that require extensive CPU utilization. Which of the following would be the MOST likely reason for this issue?

❍ A. The case fans are blocked

❍ B. The hard drive is failing

❍ C. The graphics software is corrupted

❍ D. A device driver is outdated

The Answer: A. The case fans are blocked

Most motherboards are designed to power off automatically if the temperatures become excessive. If the case fans are blocked, the inside of the computer will not be able to efficiently cool the system. Eventually, the heat from the heavily-worked CPU will cause the system to power down.

Which of these services would be associated with a Windows file

transfer?

❍ A. LDAP

❍ B. SMB

❍ C. IMAP

❍ D. AFP

The Answer: B. SMB

SMB (Server Message Block) is the protocol used by Microsoft Windows for file sharing, printer sharing, and other Windows services. SMB commonly uses port 445 to provide direct SMB communication between Windows devices.

A server administrator is configuring a new system for virtualization.

Which of the following configurations would provide virtualization support on an Intel CPU?

❍ A. Install a 64-bit operating system

❍ B. Turn on HTT

❍ C. Allocate a larger amount of storage space to the

virtualization partition

❍ D. Enable VT in the firmware

The Answer: D. Enable VT in the firmware

Many Intel processors support VT, or Intel Virtualization Technology.

This CPU (Central Processing Unit) feature for virtualization provides

hardware support for hypervisors and can make the virtualization process much more efficient than running the virtual machines in a software-only

environment.

A user in the shipping department is printing a single page to your laser

printer, but the output includes the printed page with three or four pages stuck together underneath it. Which of these would be the most likely cause of this issue?

❍ A. Duplexer

❍ B. Transfer belt

❍ C. Fuser assembly

❍ D. Separation pad

❍ E. Imaging drum

The Answer: D. Separation pad

The separation pad ensures that the printer will pull a single page from the paper tray at a time. As the separation pad becomes worn, more than one page can be pulled through the laser printing process.

A company is using a cloud-based service that provides a hardware platform and no additional software. Which of these would BEST describe this purchase?

❍ A. SaaS

❍ B. Hybrid

❍ C. Metered

❍ D. IaaS

The Answer: D. IaaS

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) is a model that provides the computing platform, but no additional software. The user will usually configure the platform with the appropriate CPU, memory, and storage options, and the service provider is only responsible for the uptime and availability of the hardware platform. The user is generally responsible for all software administration.

While working at their desk, a laptop user would like to use a full-size

keyboard and external mouse. They would also like to connect to a

monitor and wired network without connecting and disconnecting cables each time they leave the desk. Which of these would be the BEST way to provide this functionality?

❍ A. Use separate desktop and laptop computers

❍ B. Install a docking station at the user's desk

❍ C. Use a wireless access point at the user's desk

❍ D. Install a USB hub for the laptop

The Answer: B. Install a docking station at the user's desk

A docking station provides the laptop with a single connection to video,

network, keyboard, mouse, and other peripheral connections on their desk.