Sample CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1101 Practice Questions
Q: Which connector type is most commonly used to connect a laptop to an external monitor using a digital signal?
A: HDMI — HDMI is the most common digital video connector used on laptops and monitors. VGA is an older analog standard. Serial and Molex connectors are not used for video output.
Q: What is the first step in the CompTIA troubleshooting methodology?
A: Identify the problem — The CompTIA troubleshooting methodology starts with identifying the problem, which includes gathering information from the user, identifying symptoms, and questioning users about recent changes.
Q: Which Windows tool is used to view and manage running processes, CPU usage, and memory consumption?
A: Task Manager — Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) displays running processes, CPU, memory, disk, and network usage. Device Manager manages hardware, Disk Management handles storage volumes, and Registry Editor modifies the Windows registry.
Q: What is the primary purpose of an ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) wrist strap?
A: To prevent static electricity from damaging sensitive electronic components — An ESD wrist strap safely discharges static electricity from the technician's body to a grounded surface, preventing electrostatic discharge from damaging sensitive electronic components like CPUs, RAM, and circuit boards.
Q: Which type of cloud service provides virtual machines, storage, and networking resources on demand?
A: IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) — IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) provides virtualized computing resources including virtual machines, storage, and networking on demand. Examples include AWS EC2 and Microsoft Azure VMs. SaaS provides applications, PaaS provides development platforms.
Q: What type of device uses an LCD or OLED touchscreen and is designed primarily for web browsing, media consumption, and light productivity?
A: Tablet — Tablets are mobile devices with touchscreens designed for web browsing, media, and light productivity tasks. They typically run mobile operating systems like iOS or Android.
Q: A user's smartphone screen is cracked and unresponsive to touch. Which component needs to be replaced?
A: Digitizer (touch screen assembly) — The digitizer is the component that converts touch input into digital signals. When a screen is cracked and unresponsive to touch, the digitizer assembly (often fused with the LCD) needs replacement.
Q: Which wireless standard operates exclusively on the 5 GHz frequency band and offers speeds up to 1.3 Gbps?
A: 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) — 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) operates exclusively on the 5 GHz band and supports speeds up to 1.3 Gbps (and higher with MIMO). 802.11b and 802.11g operate on 2.4 GHz only, while 802.11n supports both bands.
Q: What is the maximum cable length for a standard Cat 5e/Cat 6 Ethernet cable run?
A: 100 meters — The maximum length for a standard Cat 5e or Cat 6 Ethernet cable run is 100 meters (328 feet). Beyond this distance, signal degradation becomes too significant for reliable communication.
Q: A technician needs to connect two switches directly without using a crossover cable. Which feature on modern switches makes this possible?
A: Auto-MDI/MDI-X — Auto-MDI/MDI-X allows modern switches to automatically detect the cable type and adjust the pin configuration, eliminating the need for crossover cables when connecting two switches directly.