CompTIA A+ Practice Test

Use active listening to focus on what the user is saying and express empathy as to why they are frustrated and upset. Both of these techniques help to de-escalate the issue. Answer B is incorrect because the user is already agitated and interrupting them will make them more frustrated and feel unheard. Answer C is not correct because telling a user to calm down invalidates their emotions and creates defensiveness. Answer D is incorrect because jumping to technical questions invalidates the user's current emotional state and contributes to the feeling of not being understood.

Politely ask the user for clarification and explain to the user that you want to make sure that you understand the conversation due to differences in culture. Answer A is incorrect because the user is waiting for help, not for you to do research on a phrase. It can make the user feel that you're not fully engaged. Answer B is incorrect because it is unprofessional. Sarcasm and jokes could be seen as offensive. Finally, ignoring the phrase may seem minor, but it could contain crucial information about the problem.

AUP stands for Acceptable Use Policy. This policy defines appropriate use of and interaction with the organization's resources and technology by employees. Streaming of personal videos and downloading personal files during work hours is a violation of the AUP. NDA stands for Non-Disclosure Agreement, which is a legal contract that prevents the disclosure of sensitive company information. SLA stands for Service Level Agreement which specifies the level of service expected from the provider. DRP stands for Disaster Recovery Plan which is a documented set of procedures to protect a business in case of disaster.

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) is a set of security standards to ensure that all companies that process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. It is used to protect cardholder information from fraud. HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act which safeguards patients' confidential health data. GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and is a data protection and privacy law enacted by the European Union which covers all personal data. It is not the industry specific mandated security standard for security payment card data. AUP stands for Acceptable Use Policy. This policy defines appropriate use of and interaction with the organization's resources and technology by employees.

The answer is to use a sandbox, which is an isolated environment for testing software. The isolated space is a safe testing area, preventing potentially harmful software from affecting the production system. Using a virtual machine is a possibility, but isn't as precise as "Sandbox" which is an isolated environment that minimizes the risk to the production system. Cloud computing is a delivery model, not a best practice for isolating and minimizing the risk from a software update to the production system. RDP stands for remote desktop environment which is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft to connect to another computer over a network connection. It's not a best practice for testing software updates in an isolated environment.

Event Viewer contains system logs, which will show entries related to the crash and will include error codes that can point to hardware, software, or drivers that caused the Blue Screen of Death. Device manager is incorrect as it is used to manage hardware devices and their drivers. Device manager does not provide a log of crash events or specific error codes. Disk manager is a utility for managing disk drives and has no relevance to diagnosing the cause of a BSOD. System information provides a snapshot of the systems configuration and is not designed to be the primary diagnostic tool for BSOD.

Install a new power supply unit (PSU). Newer graphics cards have higher power demands than older cards. If the existing PSU does not have enough wattage, the system will shut down to protect components when the graphics card tries to draw more power than what is available. Adding more RAM without diagnosing the problem first is an unnecessary expense. Running chkdsk to check the hard drive for errors is an unnecessary step. Hard drives do not typically cause unexpected shutdowns that are directly linked to a recent graphics card update. Removing the newly installed graphics card would be a good second step, but should be done after you install a new power supply unit.

In a domain environment where users move between different computers and experience an unusually long login time, the most likely cause of the error "slow profile load" is a large or corrupted roaming user profile. The message "slow profile load" is specific to users in a domain environment. A virus may slow down a computer, but is unlikely to be the main cause of a slow profile load. Running chkdsk will check for errors on the hard drive. A failing hard drive on one computer will cause slow performance, but the problem is occurring on different computers. Not having enough memory would cause general slowness, but would not usually cause a message as specific as "slow profile load." The error message refers to the profile itself and adding more memory would not be a fix for this specific error.

Time drift is the cause. Windows uses Kerberos as an authentication protocol, which has a strict time adherence. If the user's computer's clock drifts too far out of synch with the clock on the domain controller, Kerberos authentication will fail which will lead to login issues. Insufficient network bandwidth could cause slow network performance, dropped connections, or delays in accessing resources but it would not directly cause authentication failed messages. Although a misconfigured domain controller could cause authentication failures, the problem would likely affect many users and not just one user. APIPA (automatic private IP addressing) is a Windows feature that assigns an address in the 169.254.0.0/16 range when it cannot obtain an IP address from a DHCP server. If the user was getting an APIPA address, they would not get an authentication failed message. Also, the question specifically states that the technician checked the time and noticed it was off. The technician's observation about the time directly rules out APIPA as the cause of the error message.

FileVault is macOS's built-in full-disk encryption feature. It encrypts all of the data on the Mac's startup disk. It will encrypt the entire volume, including the operating system, data, and unused space. BitLocker is Microsoft's full disk encryption feature and is exclusive to Windows operating systems. Keychain is a password management system for macOS. Boot Camp is a macOS utility that allows users to install and run Microsoft Windows on an Intel-based Mac computer.

Enabling a pop-up blocker will address the issue of unwanted ads and new pop-up windows appearing. Clearing the browser cache and cookies is not the direct solution for an increase in pop-up windows and unwanted ads. Disabling JavaScript will prevent interactive elements, such as animations from working; in short, it will cause more problems than it solves. Disabling third-party cookies will help reduce targeted advertisements. However, it's not the direct mechanism for preventing pop-ups and unwanted advertisements.

The backlight inverter is responsible for powering the display's backlight, and if it fails, the screen will be very dim. Answer B is incorrect because if the LCD panel was failing you would see different symptoms such as no image at all even with a flashlight, distorted or colored images and dead pixels or lines. Answer C is incorrect as a faulty display cable would cause things such as no image, flickering, or discolored images. Finally, if the graphics card was failing you would get no image or a "no signal" message on an external monitor or system crashes.

MDM, mobile device management, is a security software used to manage and secure mobile devices that are used to access corporate resources. DLP (Data Loss Prevention) focuses on sensitive data leaving a company. It does not provide the centralized management and policy enforcement for the devices. MAM (Mobile Application Management) focuses on managing and securing corporate apps on mobile devices. It does not offer device level management and policy enforcement. VPN (Virtual Private Network) is used to create a secure, encrypted connection over a public network such as the internet. It does not centrally manage the devices themselves or offer device level policies.

UDP - User Datagram Protocol. Because of its connectionless nature, there is no guarantee of delivery and ordering of packets. HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is incorrect as this protocol is used for requesting and delivering web pages and content. HTTP typically runs over TCP. ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) is a network layer protocol for sending error messages and operational information. It is primarily used for network diagnostic and control messages. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a connection-oriented, reliable protocol and guarantees delivery of packets, ensures they arrive in order, and performs retransmission if packets are lost.

Ending the process in Task Manager will immediately free up the CPU and memory resources that the application was monopolizing and bring the computer's performance back to normal. Reinstalling the operating system is a time consuming step and is a last resort, not the immediate action for an application issue. Running a virus scan is not the immediate step to take after you identified a specific application as the resource hog. Uninstalling the application would take longer than ending the process.

Jailbroken refers to the process of removing restrictions on the iOS operating system to gain elevated privileges to do things such as installing unauthorized applications, modifying security settings, and bypassing security restrictions. Rooted is the equivalent of Jailbreaking to Android devices and gives the user root control over the operating system. It is incorrect because the question is about an iPhone. Sideloaded is incorrect because it is a method of installing apps from an untrusted source and is not the act of compromising the devices security. Unlocked is incorrect because this term refers to a phone that is not restricted to any one cellular carrier. It has nothing to do with bypassing the security features of a company's MDM policies.

The user is experiencing a DHCP server issue. The IP address of 169.254.12.20 is called an APIPA address and is self-assigned when a client cannot obtain an IP address from a DHCP server. A DNS (Domain Name System) server issue deals with name resolution not IP addresses. Firewall issues would block some or all network traffic but does not cause a computer to obtain an APIPA address. A switch issue would prevent network connectivity and wouldn't typically cause a computer to obtain an APIPA address.

Installing a new NIC in an available expansion slot will bypass the failed NIC on the motherboard and restore network connectivity. The problem states the integrated network adapter on the motherboard has failed. This is hardware failure of the adapter itself, not the cable. Updating the drivers will not bring back a failed piece of hardware to live. Connecting a USB Wi-Fi adapter will work, but the question is looking for an equivalent replacement for the integrated wired NIC that failed and is a more appropriate solution for a desktop computer.

RAID 5 stripes data across multiple disks, along with distributing parity information among all of the drives. RAID 5 allows for improved read performance due to data striping and provides fault tolerance. The system can continue to operate if one drive fails. RAID 1 is mirroring and is not cost effective for larger arrays as you lose 50% of your drive capacity. RAID 1 is striping and this RAID level provides no data redundancy. RAID 10 (RAID 1 + 0 - Striped Mirrors) is not cost effective as you lose at least 50% of your total drive capacity for redundancy. This makes it less cost effective. RAID 0 is striping and does not provide any data redundancy. The answer is incorrect because it does not provide redundancy.

ECC - Error Correcting Code RAM because it can detect and correct single-bit memory errors, thus ensuring data integrity. Answers B, C, and D are incorrect because they are not error correcting code memory.

Hybrid cloud because it meets both criteria of allowing sensitive data to be stored on site while utilizing the cloud for less sensitive applications. Community cloud is incorrect as it's a collaborative cloud environment shared by several organizations. The doctor's office wants full control, and this type of cloud environment does not give full control as the data is shared with organizations. Private cloud is not correct as it does not allow the doctor's office to use a public cloud for its less sensitive applications. Public cloud is incorrect because it does not give the doctor's office full control over confidential patient records which is a HIPAA requirement.

Virtualization in the BIOS/UEFI settings must be enabled in the firmware settings. A firewall is used to control network traffic, but it would not prevent a virtual machine from launching. Installing antivirus software is designed to protect a computer from malware and it's not a requirement for a virtual machine to launch. Improperly installed network drivers would not prevent a virtual machine from launching.

ChromeOS is the most suitable choice because of the lower upfront costs, reduced licensing fees, and lower total cost of ownership. Ease of management and the primary focus on web-based applications also make this an effective solution for the school district. Kali Linux is designed for penetration testing and digital forensics. It not intended for educational use. Windows 11 Education is tailored for education institutions, but has licensing fees associated with it, which could be significant for a large urban school district. macOS is Apple's proprietary operating system, primary found on MacBooks which have a higher cost than Chromebooks.

Android has a wide variety of hardware options that offer significant customization. iOS is Apple's proprietary operating system and only runs on Apple devices. The variety of manufacturers is non-existent and the range of hardware options is more limited compared to Android. ChromeOS is mainly designed for laptops and desktop like form-factors, not smartphones. Microsoft Mobile OS is discontinued and no longer supported.

Linux is an open-source operating system that allows access to the source code, no licensing fees, and the freedom to redistribute and customize. Answers A, B, and D are all proprietary operating systems that do not allow access to the source code.

An access control vestibule will allow only one person at a time through the entrance. It has two sets of interlocking doors. The first door must close and lock behind a person before the second door will open. Security cameras are used to record events and are a deterrent, but do not prevent tailgating. Security guards provide a human element of deterrence and intervention. They can reduce tailgating but are prone to human error, distraction and can be overwhelmed during peak times. Motion Detectors are primarily used for detection and are not an effective primary access control method.

DNS - Domain name system is the issue because users can access websites by the IP address but not the domain name. This indicates that the issue is with the name resolution process. A DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server automatically assigns an IP address, subnet masks, default gateways, and a DNS server addresses to client devices on a network. If the DHCP server was down this would prevent clients from getting an IP address and the issue is about name resolution, not initial IP acquisition. Web Server is incorrect. The problem lies elsewhere in the process of getting to that web server. The primary role of a Domain server is authentication and managing network resources. The issue here is name resolution.

Ransomware is the correct answer, as the user's files are inaccessible, and they are demanding payment. A worm is a method of delivery. The question is asking about the effect on user's files and the demand of payment. The term virus is a broad term and viruses don't demand payment for data. A rootkit does not typically encrypt data and demand payment.

Changing the default username and password is the best defense against someone taking control of the entire wireless network. Configuring MAC filtering is incorrect because MAC filtering doesn't protect the router itself. MAC filtering is used to allow devices to connect by their MAC address. Disabling the SSID broadcast does not protect the router itself. It is used to make the network less visible and knowing the SSID doesn't grant access. Updating the router's firmware is crucial for router security. But, it is secondary to knowing the default credentials. If an attacker knows the default username and password, they could theoretically gain access to the router before the firmware is updated and potentially install malicious firmware or change router settings.