220-1101: CompTIA A+ Certification Exam: Core 1

Question #: 1
Topic #: 1
SIMULATION –
Laura, a customer, has instructed you to configure her home office wireless access point.
She plans to use the wireless network for finances and has requested that the network be setup with the highest encryption possible.
Additionally, Laura knows that her neighbors have wireless networks and wants to ensure that her network is not being interfered with by the other networks.
She requests that the default settings be changed to the following.

Wireless Name: HomeWiFi –

Shared Key: CompTIA –

Router Password: Secure$1 –
Finally, Laura wants to ensure that only her laptop and SmartPhone can connect to the network.
Laptop: IP Address 192.168.1.100
Hardware Address: 00:0A:BF:03:C4:54
SmartPhone: IP Address 192.168.1.101
Hardware Address: 09:2C:D0:22:3F:11

INSTRUCTIONS –
Configure Laura’s wireless network using the network adapter window.
If at any time you would like to bring back the initial state of the simulation, please click the Reset All button.

Question #: 2
Topic #: 1
DRAG DROP –
An office manager reports that a printer is experiencing performance issues. Printouts are smudging when they are handled, and, recently, whenever the manager tries to print oversized documents, the paper jams before anything is printed on it.

INSTRUCTIONS –
Using the available printer parts, replace only the faulty components on the office printer to resolve the stated issues.
If at any time you would like to bring back the initial state of the simulation, please click the Reset All button.
Select and Place:

Question #: 3
Topic #: 1
DRAG DROP –
A small ISP has hired a new technician. Joe, the new technician, is being trained to configure customers’ home networks. The training instructor gives the technician a starter kit with cables, cable ends, and other network equipment and asks him to build a working network.
The computer should be connected to have Internet connectivity and the phone should be connected to have a dial tone.

INSTRUCTIONS –
Use the appropriate cables, cable ends, tools and equipment to configure the network and connect all components accordingly.
There are 2 steps and the simulation starts on step 1.
If at any time you would like to bring back the initial state of the simulation, please click the Reset All button.
Select and Place:

Question #: 4
Topic #: 1
A technician is tasked with installing additional RAM in a desktop computer. Which of the following types of RAM is MOST likely to be used?

A. SODIMM
B. DDR3
C. ECC
D. VRAM

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 5
Topic #: 1
Vertical streaks are appearing on the output of a laser printer. Which of the following items is the MOST likely cause?

A. Roller
B. Drum
C. Transfer belt
D. Ribbon

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 6
Topic #: 1
A user is trying to play a DVD on a projector. The user can hear the audio; however, the projector is showing an error message that states:
HDMI Blocked due to Copy Protection
Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the error?

A. The HDMI cannot carry the signal from the DVD to the projector.
B. The user needs to switch from HDMI to a cable standard such as DisplayPort.
C. The projector does not support the necessary HDCP protocol.
D. The user needs to enable cony-protected sources in the projector’s settings.

Selected Answer: C

Question #: 7
Topic #: 1
While implementing a non-carrier-grade wireless backhaul, a technician notices the current channel selection is extremely polluted with various RF signals. Upon performing a spectral analysis, the technician discovers a channel containing almost no RF pollution. Unfortunately, the technician is unable to select that channel.
Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for this issue?

A. The channel is reserved for licensed band use.
B. The channel selection is defective; contact the manufacturer.
C. The channel must be unlocked by the vendor.
D. The device requires a firmware update to unlock the channel.

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 8
Topic #: 1
A user submitted a support ticket that states all of the printouts from a laser printer appear to have double images imposed on them. A review of past printer support tickets shows that a maintenance kit has not been installed in more than a year. Which of the following printer consumables is MOST likely causing the issue?

A. Separation pad
B. Transfer roller
C. Ink cartridge
D. Fuser

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 9
Topic #: 1
A technician is configuring a workstation to be used as a VM host. After installing the necessary software, the technician is unable to create any VMs. Which of the following actions should be performed?

A. Disable the BIOS password.
B. Enable TPM.
C. Enable multithreading.
D. Enable Fast Startup.

Selected Answer: C

Question #: 10
Topic #: 1
A user’s computer is not receiving a network connection. The technician confirms that the connection seems to be down and looks for the user’s port on the patch panel. The port and patch panel are not labeled. Which of the following network tools should the technician use to identify the port?

A. Network tap
B. Punchdown tool
C. Toner probe
D. Crimper

Selected Answer: C

Question #: 11
Topic #: 1
A user, who is attempting to give a presentation via a projector in a conference room, reports that the projector has video but no audio. Which of the following will
MOST likely resolve the issue?

A. Changing the input on the projector to VGA
B. Changing the output on the PC to DVI
C. Modifying the projector’s refresh rate
D. Utilizing an HDMI connection

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 12
Topic #: 1
A customer reports that a computer is never able to reach more than a 100Mbps transfer data rate, even when using a Gigabit LAN card. While troubleshooting, the technician notices the network cable needs to be replaced. Which of the following cable categories is limiting the transfer speed?

A. Cat 5
B. Cat 5e
C. Cat 6
D. Cat 6a

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 13
Topic #: 1
While using a popular videoconferencing program, the user selects a webcam, but the software is unable to open the webcam. The webcam was working the previous day. Which of the following should be done to address this issue?

A. Close other video software and retry.
B. Adjust the conference software to a compatible resolution.
C. Switch the video from the webcam to ג€conferenceג€ mode.
D. Reseat or replace the webcam.

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 14
Topic #: 1
A user failed to gain access to a building’s entrance after security measures at the entrance were upgraded last week. The company implemented the 13.56MHz frequency short band, and users can now utilize their mobile devices to authenticate. Which of the following has to be enabled for the mobile device to authenticate?

A. Bluetooth
B. Biometrics
C. NFC
D. PIN

Selected Answer: C

Question #: 15
Topic #: 1
Which of the following standards supports MIMO technology?

A. 802.11a
B. 802.11b
C. 802.11g
D. 802.11n

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 16
Topic #: 1
A technician powers on a PC and its monitor and sees the following error message:

No input signal detected –
The display lights on the computer are on. Which of the following is a possible solution?

A. Changing the BIOS settings
B. Changing the connector setting on the monitor
C. Checking the power plug on the monitor
D. Checking the power plug on the PC

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 17
Topic #: 1
Which of the following components enables the input on a mobile device’s touch screen?

A. OLED
B. Digitizer
C. Inverter
D. CMOS sensor

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 18
Topic #: 1
A technician unboxed a new computer, plugged it in to a UPS, and connected the requested peripherals. The computer lights and fans turn on, but the technician hears three loud, consecutive beeps during boot. Which of the following actions will remediate the issue?

A. Replacing the power supply
B. Replacing the UPS
C. Changing the CMOS battery
D. Reseating the RAM

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 19
Topic #: 1
An IT manager discovered that hundreds of pages of printed materials are being recycled each day because the materials are left on the printer tray instead of being picked up by users. Which of the following would BEST prevent this waste?

A. Send friendly reminders to not print unnecessarily.
B. Enable duplex printing to reduce paper utilization.
C. Bill each department for the excess material cost.
D. Require a code or badge before releasing a print job.

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 20
Topic #: 1
An online retailer wants to save money and is considering migrating to the public cloud so capacity can be added during the peak shopping season and automatically removed when the peak is over. Which of the following BEST describes this aspect of cloud computing?

A. Rapid elasticity
B. Metered utilization
C. Shared resources
D. High availability

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 21
Topic #: 1
A technician is receiving reports that the entire office sporadically loses network connectivity throughout the day. The technician determines the root cause to be
EMI. Which of the following cable mediums would be the MOST cost effective without sacrificing system performance?

A. Coaxial
B. Shielded Cat 6
C. Plenum Cat 5e
D. Multimode fiber

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 22
Topic #: 1
An organization maintains various record types, including health and criminal justice records. Which of the following cloud environments is the organization MOST likely to use to limit the attack surface?

A. Public
B. Hybrid
C. Community
D. Private

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 23
Topic #: 1
Which of the following describes metered utilization of cloud resources?

A. Resources provisioned instantly
B. Payments made only for resources that are used
C. Resources pooled to increase computing power
D. Implementation of rapid elasticity

Selected Answer: Β

Question #: 24
Topic #: 1
A user on a SOHO network is unable to watch online videos, even at 240 pixels. The technician runs ipconfig from the user’s computer and records the following:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix .: lan
Link-local IPV6 Address………: fe80::1585:7fb2:b05f:7102%12
IPv4 Address………………..: 192.168.1.131
Subnet Mask…………………: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway……………..: 192.168.1.1
The technician then connects a test laptop to the router via the user’s Cat 5 cable and records the following information:

Download: 85 mbps –

Upload: 22 mbps –

Ping: 28 ms –
Which of the following is MOST likely causing the user’s issue?

A. Incorrect IP address
B. Faulty NIC
C. Misconfigured default gateway
D. Bad network cable

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 25
Topic #: 1
A colleague has a laptop that has been working as expected for several years, but the laptop now has a small bulge in the bottom casing and overheats occasionally while plugged in to a wall outlet. The MOST likely component that needs to be replaced is the:

A. power adapter.
B. battery.
C. system fan.
D. hard drive.

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 26
Topic #: 1
A company just bought a printer capable of automatically printing on both sides of the paper. After installation, however, the technician can only print on both sides of the paper manually. Which of the following should the technician do to fix the issue?

A. Install the most recent firmware upgrade available for the printer.
B. Contact the vendor for a hardware replacement.
C. Reinstall the printer software and drivers, and then restart the printer.
D. Read the installation manual and configure duplex settings.

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 27
Topic #: 1
A small office has a wireless network with several access points for roaming laptop use. Users occasionally report that the wireless connection drops or becomes very slow. Users have confirmed that this issue only happens when connected to the office wireless network. Which of the following would MOST likely be the cause?

A. Hidden SSID
B. Device interference
C. Ethernet port flapping
D. High ISP latency

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 28
Topic #: 1
Which of the following cloud models maintains access, even when a local internet outage occurs?

A. Private
B. SaaS
C. Community
D. Public

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 29
Topic #: 1
A user is researching hard drives to upgrade a PC and has decided to purchase a NVMe drive. Which of the following should the user confirm are available on the
PC before making the purchase? (Choose two.)

A. SATA
B. M.2
C. PCIe.
D. SAS
E. SCSI
F. DRAM

Selected Answer: BC

Question #: 30
Topic #: 1
A laptop has been returned for a screen repair. The owner insists the screen is broken, but occasionally a faded image is able to be seen in very bright settings on the desktop. Which of the following steps should the repair technician take FIRST?

A. Replace the graphics card.
B. Replace the screen, as the customer insists.
C. Recommend the usage of an external display instead.
D. Ensure the backlight is functioning as expected.

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 31
Topic #: 1
A laptop PC user is reporting issues with the hard drive. A filesystem check shows that all files are accessible and the filesystem is clean. After the check, the PC still issues a hard drive error message. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the error?

A. S.M.A.R.T failure
B. IOPS failure
C. DIMM failure
D. RAID failure

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 32
Topic #: 1
A user reboots a machine. On rebooting, the user hears one beep, and then an error message is displayed. Which of the following are MOST likely causing this issue? (Choose two.)

A. RAM module
B. Graphics card
C. CPU
D. Boot order
E. USB flash drive
F. Power supply

Selected Answer: DE

Question #: 33
Topic #: 1
A salesperson is using a weather application on a mobile device. The application appears to be draining the device’s battery very quickly. Which of the following is the BEST action for the salesperson to take in order to view weather forecasts while travelling?

A. Enable the GPS service to ensure accurate location detection.
B. Manually enter office locations in the weather application.
C. Configure less frequent location checks using cellular location services.
D. Use the offices’ Wi-Fi IP addresses as the geolocation mechanism.

Selected Answer: C

Question #: 34
Topic #: 1
A technician replaced a motherboard on a server, and now the 64-bit hypervisor is not loading correctly. Which of the following needs to be enabled for the hypervisor to run?

A. Hardware prefetcher
B. Hyperthreading
C. vPro
D. VT-d

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 35
Topic #: 1
A user’s mobile phone gets really hot to the touch and does not retain a charge. The user also reports that the phone is very slow, especially while charging.
Which of the following is MOST likely causing these symptoms?

A. Broken charging port
B. Digitizer failure
C. CPU overheating
D. Defective battery

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 36
Topic #: 1
A Microsoft Windows user is preparing to work in another country and needs to comply with corporate policy for data protection when copying files to portable media. Which of the following solutions would MOST likely satisfy this requirement?

A. A USB 3.1 flash drive with BitLocker to Go installed
B. An SD memory card with NTFS
C. An xD memory card with ext3
D. A portable hard drive with FAT32

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 37
Topic #: 1
Which of the following network devices is used to separate broadcast domains?

A. Switch
B. Wireless access point
C. Router
D. Hub

Selected Answer: C

Question #: 38
Topic #: 1
A user submits a help desk ticket regarding a smartphone that will no longer accept its charging cable. The assigned technician notices the phone does not have a protective case, and the user constantly transports the phone in a pocket. The technician attempts to use a secondary charger, but the cable falls out of the phone. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

A. The phone requires a firmware update to address charging issues.
B. The charge port contains foreign objects, such as lint.
C. The phone’s battery has swelled, preventing the utilization of the charge port.
D. The phone has experienced water damage, thus the battery is not charging.

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 39
Topic #: 1
A network administrator was notified that laptop users are unable to access or ping any network resources on the corporate network. Which of the following should the network administrator check FIRST?

A. DHCP
B. AAA
C. DNS
D. ARP

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 40
Topic #: 1
A user in a medical office contacts a technician regarding a printer that is used to print A4-sized labels. After the labels are printed, they mistakenly contain white space in the middle of the page. Which of the following would MOST likely be the cause?

A. Contaminated fuser
B. Worn rollers
C. A misfeed
D. Page orientation

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 41
Topic #: 1
Upon booting a workstation, a technician hears a distinct clicking sound after power is applied to the motherboard. Which of the following would MOST likely be the cause?

A. RAID
B. SSD
C. S.M.A.R.T
D. HDD

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 42
Topic #: 1
A technician identified an issue on a workstation, obtained details from the user, and made a backup of the system. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

A. Determine the next steps to resolve the issue and document it.
B. Design a plan of action to resolve the issue and implement the solution.
C. Document the findings, actions, and outcomes.
D. Establish a theory of probable cause, researching internally or externally as needed.

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 43
Topic #: 1
An organization has some computers running macOS and some computers running Windows. The computers running macOS also need to run a piece of software that is only available on Windows. Which of the following BEST describes the solution for running Windows software on a computer running macOS?

A. Operating system spoofing
B. Remote software provisioning
C. Indirect software implementation
D. Cross-platform virtualization

Selected Answer: D

Question #: 44
Topic #: 1
A field technician has been dispatched to a site with an internet outage. Upon arriving, the technician discovers that the POTS lines are not working as well. Which of the following technologies is the site MOST likely using?

A. Fiber
B. Cable
C. DSL
D. Satellite

Selected Answer: C

Question #: 45
Topic #: 1
An online retailer would like to add capacity to support increased sales. Additional servers have been installed. Which of the following should be used to ensure each new server is being properly utilized?

A. Virtualization
B. Clustering
C. Load balancer
D. Round-robin DNS

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 46
Topic #: 1
A user contacts the help desk in reference to a failing thumbprint scanner. The user states the scanner was functioning correctly yesterday. Which of the following troubleshooting steps should be performed FIRST after the ticket has been filed?

A. Inquire about possible changes.
B. File a damage report.
C. Requisition a new scanner.
D. Attempt to clean the scanner.

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 47
Topic #: 1
A company wants to use client-side virtualization for application testing. Which of the following configurations would BEST support this goal?

A. CPU 2.5GHz – 4 cores 16GB DDR4 RAM 1TB SSD
B. CPU 3.2GHz – 1 core 16GB DDR4 RAM 4TB SSD
C. CPU 2.5GHz – 2 cores 16GB DDR4 RAM 4x 1TB HDD RAID 5
D. CPU 3.2GHz – 4 cores 8GB DDR4 RAM 500GB HDD

Selected Answer: A

Question #: 48
Topic #: 1
A user submitted a ticket to report an issue with a new printer that is no longer accepting new print jobs. The technician verifies the printer is on and notices the printer LCD screen has the following error message:
Paper Jam, Jam in Fuser.
Which of the following is the MOST efficient next step the technician should complete?

A. Apply a maintenance kit to the printer.
B. Check the printer paper path to locate any obstructions.
C. Turn the printer on and off to see if the error clears.
D. Replace the fuser.

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 49
Topic #: 1
Which of the following is a valid use for PaaS?

A. Off-site backups
B. An application development environment
C. A virtual server installation and configuration model
D. A web application for asset management

Selected Answer: B

Question #: 50
Topic #: 1
A company has a dot matrix printer that uses carbon paper. The company reports that the first page is printing too light, although the following pages are still legible. Which of the following MOST likely needs to be fixed?

A. The print drum is worn and loose, causing the printing to be light in places.
B. The ribbon is low on ink or missing and must be replaced to get proper output.
C. The heating element has failed, and a new one needs to be installed for proper transfer.
D. The wrong type of filament is loaded, preventing it from sticking correctly.
E. The fuser assembly is not calibrated properly, causing it to impact the paper too hard.

Selected Answer: B