CompTIA 220-1201 Practice Test

Explanation:

A toner probe sends a tone signal through the cable, allowing a technician to trace its path and find the other end in patch panels or cable bundles. It’s the primary tool for identifying and tracking cables in complex environments.

❌ Why the Others Are Wrong

A. Crimper
Used for attaching connectors, not tracking cables.

B. Punchdown tool
Used for seating wires into punchdown blocks—not tracing cables.

C. Cable stripper
Removes insulation from cables but doesn’t trace where cables run.

Explanation:

A 5,400 rpm SATA hard drive offers high storage capacity at low cost. While slower than SSDs, it’s ideal for bulk data storage where speed isn’t critical—like photos, media libraries, or backups.

❌ Why the Others Are Wrong

A. 750GB NVMe M.2 SSD
Much faster, but more expensive and lower capacity for the price.

B. 2×1TB PCIe SSD in RAID 1
RAID adds redundancy and cost, unnecessary if speed isn’t a priority.

D. 4TB SAS 15,000 rpm HDD
Enterprise-grade drive, very expensive and overkill for basic desktop storage.

Explanation:

Older motherboards use a 20-pin connector. Modern PSUs have 24-pin connectors. A 20-pin to 24-pin adapter allows the newer PSU to connect to the older motherboard without needing new hardware. It’s the simplest, cost-effective solution.

❌ Why the Others Are Wrong

A. Adjust input voltage
Changes regional power compatibility but doesn’t solve connector differences.

B. Install modular PSU
Would still face the connector issue without an adapter.

C. Rebuild failed PSU
Risky, time-consuming, and not cost-effective for consumer repairs.

Explanation:

An SSD (Solid State Drive) offers faster read/write speeds and can replace a full or slow hard drive. It resolves storage space errors and significantly improves application load times compared to traditional HDDs.

❌ Why the Others Are Wrong

B. USB
External storage isn’t practical for primary app installations.

C. HDD
Adds storage but doesn’t improve speed as effectively as an SSD.

D. RAM
Helps multitasking but won’t solve storage errors or disk speed issues.

Explanation:

A firewall examines network traffic and enforces rules to block or allow connections. It protects networks from unauthorized access and cyber threats. Firewalls can be hardware or software and work at various OSI layers.

❌ Why the Others Are Wrong

A. Switch
Connects network devices but doesn’t filter traffic for security.

B. Access point
Provides wireless connectivity, not traffic filtering.

D. Hub
Broadcasts traffic to all ports. No security or filtering capabilities.

Explanation:

Fiber optic internet delivers extremely high-speed connections with symmetrical upload and download rates, often reaching gigabit speeds or higher. Unlike copper lines, fiber transmits data using light pulses, providing low latency, high reliability, and excellent scalability for businesses or heavy home users who require fast uploads for cloud services or large file transfers.

❌ Why the Others Are Wrong

A. DSL
DSL runs over traditional telephone lines, offering significantly lower speeds compared to fiber. It’s often asymmetrical, with slower upload speeds than download speeds. While it’s suitable for basic internet use, it can’t handle high-bandwidth applications like video conferencing or cloud backups as efficiently as fiber connections can.

B. Cellular
Cellular internet, even with modern 5G technology, can be fast but often comes with data caps, higher latency, and fluctuating speeds due to signal strength and congestion. It’s usually asymmetrical and less reliable for consistently high speeds compared to fiber, making it unsuitable for critical high-bandwidth applications.

D. Satellite
Satellite internet provides connectivity in rural areas but suffers from high latency because signals travel long distances to and from space. Speeds are lower and asymmetrical, with much slower upload rates. It’s also vulnerable to weather disruptions and typically has data limits, making it unsuitable for demanding symmetrical high-speed needs.

Explanation:

A crimper is used to attach RJ45 connectors to Ethernet cables by firmly pressing metal pins into the wires, ensuring proper electrical contact. If a pin isn’t terminated correctly, a crimper lets the technician reattach a new connector or reseat the existing one to restore reliable connectivity. This is essential for repairing network cables.

❌ Why the Others Are Wrong

A. Toner probe
A toner probe helps locate cables by sending an audible tone through the wire, allowing technicians to trace where cables terminate. However, it does not physically repair or terminate cables. While excellent for identifying cables in large installations, it cannot fix a poorly terminated RJ45 connector.

B. Cable tester
A cable tester verifies continuity and proper wiring of Ethernet cables, showing if wires are miswired, broken, or open. It’s crucial for diagnostics but doesn’t physically repair or crimp connections. After identifying a bad termination with a tester, you’d still need a crimper to fix the problem.

C. Punchdown tool
A punchdown tool is designed for inserting wires into punchdown blocks on patch panels or keystone jacks, not for attaching RJ45 plugs. It pushes wires into slots and cuts off the excess. It cannot crimp modular connectors onto cables, so it’s not suitable for repairing RJ45 terminations.

Explanation:

An MX (Mail Exchange) record in DNS tells the internet which mail servers handle email for a domain. It lists server names and priority values to ensure email delivery even if one server fails. Without an MX record, emails sent to a domain would have no destination and would fail to be delivered.

❌ Why the Others Are Wrong

A. CNAME
A CNAME record maps one domain name to another. For example, you might create “mail.example.com” as a CNAME to “server123.hostingcompany.com.” However, it does not define where emails should be delivered; that’s the role of an MX record. CNAMEs are for aliasing hostnames, not email routing.

B. SRV
An SRV (Service) record is used to define the location of specific services, like SIP servers or domain controllers for Active Directory. It includes details like port numbers and priority. While helpful for various services, it’s not used to direct email, which relies specifically on MX records for routing.

D. SOA
The SOA (Start of Authority) record indicates which server holds the authoritative information for a DNS zone. It contains administrative details, such as the domain’s serial number, refresh rate, and contact information. It’s essential for DNS operation but has nothing to do with email delivery paths or mail servers.

Explanation:

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) allows IT to deploy standardized virtual machines to users. Rather than configuring each physical PC individually, admins create a single desktop image and deploy it to multiple users. This saves significant time, ensures consistency, simplifies patching, and allows easy scaling or resetting of desktops as needed.

❌ Why the Others Are Wrong

A. Authentication is not required on a domain.
VDI environments still require domain authentication to control user access and maintain security. Users log in with their credentials as they would on a traditional PC. VDI doesn’t eliminate the need for user authentication—in fact, secure authentication is critical in virtual environments to protect shared resources.

B. Licensing costs are minimized.
VDI often increases licensing costs because you pay for virtualization software, desktop OS licenses, and additional infrastructure. Although operational costs may decrease long-term, upfront licensing and hardware expenses are typically higher than using physical desktops, making this statement incorrect.

D. A virus is automatically contained locally.
While VDI can isolate virtual machines to prevent spread, viruses can still propagate through shared network resources if not properly managed. Simply using VDI does not guarantee that malware remains contained. Security best practices must still be enforced to prevent cross-contamination between virtual sessions.

Explanation:

An LC (Lucent Connector) is a small-form-factor fiber optic connector widely used in modern networking. It provides a secure connection for optical cables, supporting both single-mode and multi-mode fibers. LC connectors are preferred because of their compact size, high performance, and suitability for dense patch panel installations, reducing space usage in data centers.

❌ Why the Others Are Wrong

A. RJ45
RJ45 is a connector used for Ethernet cables carrying electrical signals over twisted-pair copper. It’s the standard connector for network cables like Cat5e, Cat6, and higher, but it’s not used with fiber optic cables, which require optical connectors for transmitting light-based signals.

C. USB-C
USB-C is a versatile connector used for data transfer, video, and charging across various devices, like laptops and smartphones. Although USB-C supports high-speed data, it’s not used for fiber optic networking. Optical cables rely on connectors like LC, SC, ST, or MTRJ for proper light signal transmission.

D. Lightning
Lightning is Apple’s proprietary connector for iPhones and iPads, used for charging and data transfer. It has no function in networking cables or fiber optic infrastructure. Unlike LC, it is purely an electrical connector designed for consumer electronics, not telecommunications or network cabling.