Test your basic knowledge |

Comptia A + Certification

Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. A type of memory checking in which every eight-bit byte of data is accompanied by a ninth bit (the parity bit) - which is used to determine the presence of errors in the data. The two types of parity are odd and even.






2. A card that fits into the PC Card interface - including both PC Card and CardBus cards. This type measures 85.6 millimeters long by 54 millimeters wide and 3.3 millimeters thick.






3. A metal strip used to cover an empty slot in order to preserve the correct air flow and keep dust out.






4. A word used to describe memory that cannot work without a steady supply of power.






5. One of several groups that no user can create or modify. The membership of a special group is predefined - and it is available to you only when you assign permissions or rights. A few important special groups are Creator Owner - System - and Everyone






6. Also called mirroring - this RAID array type provides fault tolerance because all the data is written identically to the two drives in the mirrored set.






7. Aka complementary metal-oxide semiconductor.






8. A type of printer that uses a matrix of pins striking paper through an ink ribbon to create dots on the paper - forming alphanumeric characters and graphic images.






9. A memory error-checking method in which the parity bit is used to ensure that the total number of 1s in the data stream is odd.






10. Aka motherboard.






11. The sudden and uncontrolled movement of electricity from an object with a greater charge to one with a lesser charge. Also called static electricity.






12. A password that meets certain criteria in order to be difficult to crack. One definition of a strong password is one that contains at least eight characters - includes a combination of letters - numbers - and other symbols ( _ - - - $ - and so on) an






13. A specialized device for testing a power supply unit that comes with connectors compatible with the output connectors on a standard power supply.






14. The wireless nodes (including the WAP) communicating together in infrastructure mode.






15. A tool for migrating user data and settings from one Windows computer to a computer running Windows XP.






16. A Windows program that launches Internet Explorer and connects to the Windows Update Website.






17. The order in which the BIOS will search devices for an operating system to start.






18. A cooling fan located on a CPU.






19. Aka motherboard.






20. Personal System/2 - as in PS/2-style mice and keyboards and connectors. Also called mini-DIN connectors.






21. Aka analog modem.






22. A marriage of SCSI and Serial ATA - this uses a serial interface to a SCSI bus.






23. A modulator/demodulator device that allows computers to communicate with one another over existing phone lines.






24. Data storage technology with no moving mechanical parts that uses large-capacity - nonvolatile memory - commonly calledflash memory or solid-state drives.






25. On a Microsoft Windows network - a resource - such as a file folder or printer - that is available on the network.






26. A way to monitor security-related events.






27. Aka asynchronous transfer mode.






28. Aka Advanced Configuration and Power Interface.






29. A Windows Advanced Options menu choice that restores a group of registry keys containing system settings such as services and drivers. These are the last settings that worked - and you have only a narrow window of opportunity to use Last Known Good






30. In the domain name system - a first-level domain - which is a suffix added to a registered domain name and separated from the domain name with a "dot" (.). Among the TLDs are .com - .gov - .edu - .org - .mil - .net - .biz - many two-lettered country






31. An interface standard developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) - it is used for both internal and external hard drives and optical drives as well as devices such as printers - modems - scanners - and many other peripherals.






32. In the Windows GUI - a horizontal bar normally positioned across the bottom of the desktop containing a Start button - the Quick Launch toolbar - buttons for running programs - and at the far right - the notification area. Sometimes called the Start






33. An arrangement of pins on a processor in which the pins are offset in a way that allows for a higher pin density than PGA.






34. A file or folder name that breaks the 8.3 file-naming convention used in the FAT file system. This term continues to be used on newer file systems.






35. At first - a terminal was not much more than a display - a keyboard - and the minimal circuitry for connecting to the mainframe. Now - a terminal can be a computer running Windows or other operating system - plus terminal client emulation software th






36. A RAID array in which every time data is written to disk - a portion (block) is written to each disk in turn - creating a "stripe" of data across the member disks. RAID 0 uses the total disk space in the array for storage - without protecting the dat






37. A registry key that exists within another key.






38. The successor to the Mini PCI. It has a 64-bit data bus and is half the size of a Mini PCI Card.






39. Aka network interface card.






40. A power supply standard that has both the 20-pin connector for the motherboard and a 4-pin 12 V connector.






41. A wireless network standard that defines speeds of up to 600 Mbps. It is downward-compatible with 802.11a - 802.11b - and 802.11g.






42. A plastic card - often the size of a credit card - that contains a microchip. The microchip can store information and perform functions - depending on the type of smart card. Some smart cards only store data - whereas others may have a variety of fun






43. Aka SCSI host adapter.






44. The process of using an oscillating magnetic field to reduce and randomize the magnetic field that builds up on the shadow mask of a CRT monitor.






45. Cable that consists of pairs of wires twisted around each other. The twists help to boost each wire's signals and make them less susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI).






46. A cooling fan mounted directly on the case - as opposed to a power supply fan - which is inside the power supply.






47. An underlying protocol that supports Microsoft Remote Desktop.






48. A fraudulent method of obtaining personal and financial information through the use of pop-ups or e-mail messages that purport to be from a legitimate organization - such as a bank - credit card company - or retailer.






49. Aka Fast Ethernet.






50. The act of moving through a neighborhood in a vehicle or on foot - using either a laptop equipped with Wi-Fi wireless network capability or a simple Wi-Fi sensor available for a few dollars from many sources. War drivers are searching for open hotspo