CompTIA A+ Exam 220-1101

Question 1

Which of the following is not considered a system component that can be found inside a computer?

CPU
RAM
PCIe graphics adapter
Motherboard

Answer 1

PCIe graphics adapter

System components are essential for the basic functionality of a computer system.

Question 2

Which of the following is a physical memory format installed directly in today’s desktop computer systems?

DIMM
HDD
SSD
eMMC

Answer 2

DIMM

Except for DIMMs, all options represent some form of secondary storage.

Question 3

Which of the following are components that can commonly be found on a motherboard? (Choose all that apply.)

Headers
Fan Connectors
Gyroscope
Scanner
HDD

Answer 3

Headers and Fan Connectors

Motherboards commonly have headers for lights and buttons and for powering cooling fans.
Gyroscopes are most commonly found in mobile devices.
Scanners are external devices.
Although there might be one or more types of HDD interfaces built into the motherboard, the HDD itself is not.

Question 4

You are buying optical discs and need to ensure they have large capacity. What suffix indicates that the capacity of an optical disc is roughly twice that of its standard counterpart?

DL
R
RW
RE

Answer 4

DL

DL stands for double or dual layer. With DVDs, the capacity almost doubles, but with Blu‐ray discs, it actually does. R means recordable, and RW and RE are used to designate rewritable or re‐recordable.

Question 5

You are replacing a power supply with a new one. What is the primary characteristic you should look for to ensure all internal components can be supported?

Amperage rating
20‐pin to 24‐pin motherboard adapter
Wattage rating
Voltage rating

Answer 5

Wattage rating

Wattage is the unit of output for power supplies. Make sure that the power supply has enough wattage to support all components.

Question 6

A user has asked you to install a RAID array. Except in the case of RAID 0, which do all types of RAID offer? (Choose two.)

Faster read speeds
Faster write speeds
Redundancy
Fault tolerance
Ability to restore automatically from tape after a drive failure

Answer 6

Redundancy and Fault tolerance

Except for RAID 0, all implementations of RAID offer a way to recover from the failure of at least one drive, which is an example of fault tolerance, through the implementation of some mechanism that stores redundant information for that purpose. Some RAID types offer faster read and/or write performance. RAID 1, for instance, does not guarantee either.

Question 7

Which of the following types of connectors would you expect to see on the end of a serial cable?

DB‐9

RS‐232

Molex

VGA

Answer 7

DB‐9

Serial cables use a DB‐9 connector. Some people will call them an RS‐232 connector, but RS‐232 is the transmission standard used by serial cables. Molex are power connectors. VGA is a video connector.

Question 8

Which of the following video connectors has an analog variety and a digital variety?

VGA

HDMI

DisplayPort

DVI

Answer 8

DVI

DVI comes in both analog (DVI‐A) and digital (DVI‐D) varieties. VGA is always analog; HDMI and DisplayPort are always digital.

Question 9

Which of the following connectors will you not find on the end of a USB cable? (Choose two.)

Lightning

USB‐C

Molex

DB‐9

eSATA

Answer 9

Molex and DB‐9

USB cables are multipurpose cables that connect many types of peripherals. Connectors include USB‐C, Lightning, and eSATA. Molex connectors provide power to PATA hard drives and optical drives. A DB‐9 connector is found on the end of a serial cable.

Question 10

A technician is preparing to perform inkjet printer maintenance. Which of the following should they consider?

Replace toner, apply maintenance kit, calibrate, clean.

Replace paper, clean heating element, remove debris.

Replace ribbon, replace print head, replace paper.

Clean heads, replace cartridges, calibrate, clear jams.

Answer 10

Clean heads, replace cartridges, calibrate, clear jams.

Inkjet printer maintenance includes: clean heads, replace cartridges, calibrate, clear jams. Laser printer maintenance includes: replace toner, apply maintenance kit, calibrate, clean. Thermal printer maintenance includes: replace paper, clean heating element, remove debris. Impact printer maintenance includes: replace ribbon, replace printhead, replace paper.

Question 11

What is the function of the laser in a laser printer?

It heats up the toner so that it adheres to the page.

It charges the paper so that it will attract toner.

It creates an image of the page on the drum.

It cleans the drum before a page is printed.

Answer 11

It creates an image of the page on the drum.

The laser creates an image on the photosensitive drum that is then transferred to the paper by the transfer corona. The fuser heats up the toner so that it adheres to the page. The transfer corona charges the page, and the eraser lamp cleans the drum before a page is printed. A rubber blade is also used to remove toner physically from the drum.

Question 12

What is the component called that stores the material that ends up printed to the page in a laser printer?

A. Toner cartridge

B. Ink cartridge

C. Laser module

D. Laser cartridge

Answer 12

Toner cartridge

Laser printers use toner, which they melt to the page in the image of the text and graphics being printed. A toner cartridge holds the fine toner dust until it is used in the printing process.

Question 13

When used with network scanning services, what does SMB allow for?

Scan to the cloud

Scan to email

Scan to a network folder

Scan to secured print

Answer 13

Scan to a network folder

The Server Message Block (SMB) protocol allows for the saving of scanned documents to a network folder.

Question 14

Which network connectivity device stops broadcasts from being sent to computers on a different network segment?

Hub

Switch

Router

Firewall

Answer 14

Router

A router does not pass along broadcasts to computers on other segments. Hubs and switches send broadcasts along because they do not segment traffic at the logical network address level.

Question 15

Which of the following cable types is made with a plastic coating that does not produce toxic fumes when it burns?

Plenum

Fiber

Coaxial

UTP

Answer 15

Plenum

The plenum is an air space within buildings used to circulate breathable air for occupants of a building. Fiber, coaxial, and UTP cables are normally enclosed with a PVC plastic coating, which produces toxic fumes if burned. For air ventilation spaces, plenum grade cable is required. All cable types have plenum‐rated versions.

Question 16

Which of the following are standards used by coaxial cable? (Choose two.)

RG‐6

RG‐59

RJ‐11

RJ‐45

Answer 16

RG‐6 and RG‐59

RG‐6 and RG‐59 are coaxial cable standards. RJ‐11 and RJ‐45 are connectors used with twisted pair cabling.

Question 17

On which port does FTP run by default?

21

25

53

80

Answer 17

21

FTP operates on ports 20 and 21. Port 25 is used by SMTP, port 53 is DNS, and port 80 is HTTP.

Question 18

Which of the following protocols can be used by a client to access email on a server?

DNS

FTP

SMTP

IMAP

Answer 18

IMAP

The IMAP and POP3 protocols can be used to retrieve email from mail servers. DNS is used to resolve hostnames to IP addresses. FTP is for file transfers, and SMTP is used to send email.

Question 19

Which of the following protocols provide secure network transmissions? (Choose two.)

SMTP

SNMP

SSH

HTTPS

Answer 19

SSH and HTTPS

Secure Shell (SSH) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) are both secure transport protocols. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) are not inherently secure.

Question 20

Which of the following is a company that provides direct access to the Internet for home and business computer users?

ASP

ISP

DNS

DNP

Answer 20

ISP

An Internet service provider (ISP) provides direct access to the Internet. ASP is a programming language. DNS resolves host names to IP addresses. DNP is not a computer networking acronym.

Question 21

What is maximum range for a Bluetooth Class 2 device?

100 meters

10 meters

1 meter

0.5 meters

Answer 21

10 meters

A Bluetooth class 2 device (which includes headsets, keyboards, and mice) is 10 meters. Class 1 devices can transmit up to 100 meters, Class 3 one meter, and Class 4 half a meter.

Question 22

Which of the following 802.11 technologies can communicate in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies? (Choose two.)

802.11ax

802.11ac

802.11n

802.11g

Answer 22

802.11ax and 802.11n

802.11ax (Wi‐Fi 6) and 802.11n were designed to communicate at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. 802.11ac runs at 5 GHz, and 802.11g runs at 2.4 GHz.

Question 23

One of your network users was recently caught at work browsing pornographic websites. Which of the following servers could be installed to prohibit this activity?

Web

Security

Proxy

DNS

Answer 23

Proxy

A proxy server can be configured to block access to websites containing potentially objectionable material. Web servers host websites. There is no specific security server, although there are authentication servers that provide security. A DNS server resolves hostnames to IP addresses.

Question 24

Google Docs is an example of what type of cloud service?

SaaS

IaaS

PaaS

GaaS

Answer 24

SaaS

Google Docs is software, so it is an example of software as a service (SaaS). IaaS is infrastructure as a service. PaaS is platform as a service. GaaS is not a test objective and is not currently a cloud service type.

Question 25

Which type of software is required to run client‐side virtualization on your home network? Terminal emulation Process replication Hyperthreading Hypervisor

Answer 25

**Hypervisor** The hypervisor is the key piece of software needed for virtualization. Terminal emulation, process replication, and hyperthreading are not related to client‐side virtualization.

Question 26

You are installing a new display for a laptop. Which LCD component is responsible for providing brightness? Backlight Inverter Screen Digitizer

Answer 26

**Backlight** The backlight provides light to the LCD screen. The inverter provides power to the backlight, and the screen displays the picture. Digitizers take physical input (such as touch) and turn it into electronic data.

Question 27

Your laptop has 4 GB of installed memory and uses shared video memory. If the video card is using 512 MB, how much is left for the rest of the system? 4 GB 3.5 GB 512 MB Cannot determine

Answer 27

**3.5 GB** If the laptop is using shared video memory, then the system memory is shared with the video card. If the video card is using 512 MB (half a gigabyte), then there is 3.5 GB left for the system.

Question 28

On a typical laptop, which of the following components runs through the hinge from the base of the laptop up into the display unit? Webcam connector Speaker wires Microphone connector Wi‐Fi antenna

Answer 28

**Wi‐Fi antenna** In most laptops, the Wi‐Fi antenna runs from the base of the unit through the hinge and into the display. The webcam and microphone are generally part of the display unit only. Speakers are most often in the base of the laptop, not the display.

Question 29

Which of the following is used to remotely manage and delete corporate applications and associated data on mobile devices? Location services Synchronization MAM MDM

Answer 29

**MAM** Mobile application management (MAM) is a service that allows administrators to control corporate software on mobile devices, including updating and wiping apps. Mobile device management (MDM) controls which devices are on the network and can wipe entire devices. Location services does not manage software. Synchronization can back up apps and data but does not help with updates or deleting apps.

Question 30

What term refers to copying data between a mobile device and a computer system to mirror such things as contacts, programs, pictures, and music? Calibration Remote wipe Pairing Synchronization

Answer 30

**Synchronization** Synchronizing a mobile device with a computer system allows you to mirror personal data between the devices, regardless of which one contains the most current data. Calibration refers to matching the device’s and user’s perceptions of where the user is touching the screen. Remote wipes allow you to remove personal data from a lost or stolen device. Pairing is what must be done in Bluetooth for two Bluetooth devices to connect and communicate.

Question 31

You want to send emails from your smartphone using a secure connection. Which port will enable that? 25 110 143 587

Answer 31

**587** Port 587 is used by SMTP (an email sending protocol) secured with TLS. Ports 25 (SMTP), 110 (POP), and 143 (IMAP) are not secure.

Question 32

A user calls to report that their laptop is not booting up. What is the first step you should take? Quarantine the system. Identify the problem. Establish a theory of probable cause. Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem.

Answer 32

**Identify the problem.** In the best practice methodology to resolve problems, the first step is to identify the problem. Quarantining the system is not necessary. Establishing a theory of probable cause is the second step, and establishing a plan of action is the fourth step.

Question 33

You are troubleshooting a network issue. What feature do switches most likely have to help troubleshoot connectivity issues? Port toggles Beep codes Indicator lights Log entries

Answer 33

**Indicator lights** Switches and other connectivity devices have indicator lights to help indicate when things are working normally and when something isn’t working right. There are no port toggles and switches don’t use beep codes. A switch might make a log entry into an event logger, but this is less likely than it having indicator lights.

Question 34

Your laser printer has recently starting printing vertical white lines on documents it prints. What is the most likely cause of the problem? The print driver is faulty. The fuser is not heating properly. There is toner on the transfer corona wire. There is a scratch on the EP drum.

Answer 34

**There is toner on the transfer corona wire.** White streaks on printouts are most likely caused by toner on the transfer corona wire. Vertical black lines are caused by a scratch or a groove in the EP drum. If the fuser was not heating properly, toner would not bond to the paper and you would have smearing. Faulty print drivers will cause garbage to print or there will be no printing at all.

Question 35

A desktop computer has recently started exhibiting slow performance, particularly when opening and saving files to the hard drive. What should you try first? Replace the hard drive. Remove old files and applications to free up disk space. Delete and reinstall the OS. Defragment the hard drive.

Answer 35

**Remove old files and applications to free up disk space.** Hard drive performance can slow down if the drive gets short on space, particularly under 10 percent free space. Try removing old files and applications to free up disk space first. If that doesn’t resolve it, then defragment. If neither of those work, it could indicate a failing hard drive.

Question 36

A network cable has not been working properly. Another technician suggests testing the cable. Which tool should be used that may be capable of doing this? Loopback plug Network tap Cable tester Toner probe

Answer 36

**Cable tester** Cable testers are for verifying that a cable works properly. Network taps create copies of network traffic for analysis. A loopback plug is for testing the ability of a network adapter to send and receive. A toner probe is used to trace a cable from one location to another.