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. Aka peripheral component interconnect.






2. The protocol used to allow client computers to pick up e-mail from mail servers. The current version is POP3.






3. Aka digital subscriber line.






4. A part of the NTFS file system used to store a transaction-based database - with all file accesses treated as transactions - and if a transaction is not complete - NTFS will roll back to the last successful transaction.






5. A depressed area on an optical disc that is alternated with raised areas to be interpreted as data.






6. Aka virtual circuit.






7. A cell phone with Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) functions built in.






8. A digital video interface that has several modes - including one that offers downward compatibility with analog displays. It requires a special connector - which comes in several variations to support the DVI modes.






9. Aka thermal compound.






10. Client software for browsing and accessing the content on the World Wide Web. Examples include Internet Explorer and Firefox.






11. The use of two or more video adapters (hence the term "GPU") to drive a single display for the purpose of increasing performance.






12. A system by which the computer BIOS and operating system recognizes a device and the operating system automatically installs and configures a device driver.






13. A drive that can write either to CD-R discs or to specially designed CD-RW discs. In the case of the CD-RW discs - the drive can write more than once to the same portion of disc - overwriting old data.






14. A file operation in which the file or folder remains in the source location - and a duplicate is created in the target (destination) location.






15. A mark on a building created by a war driver to specify where a hotspot exists. People "in the know" look for these marks to identify hotspots for their use.






16. Threats that are not truly malicious code - but can have indirect negative effects - such as decreasing performance or using up bandwidth. Grayware includes spyware - adware - spam - and spim.






17. Aka motherboard.






18. The portion of the chipset that controls communications between the CPU and system RAM.






19. A long-handled tool with a magnet on one end - used to pick up small objects containing iron.






20. A version of Windows XP that includes Windows Media Center - which supports advanced multimedia functions.






21. Aka systray.






22. A square snap coupling for fiber-optic cable - about 2.5 mm wide - used for cable-to-cable connections or to connect cables to network devices. It latches with a push-pull action similar to audio and video jacks.






23. An area on the top left of the Windows XP Start menu containing shortcuts to Windows Update and programs for browsing the Internet and using e-mail.






24. Aka error-correcting code.






25. Aka Secure Digital (SD) Card.






26. A new level of an operating system with major changes to the core components.






27. Aka input/output.






28. A program installed and activated on a computer without the user's knowledge or permission. At the least - the intent is mischief - but most often the intent is to cause damage.






29. A service of the operating system on a laptop that detects when a card has been inserted.






30. The generic term for a pointing stick.






31. Radio frequency interference. Radio signals that occur in proximity to equipment that is sensitive to these types of signals.






32. Memory that can only be read and that contains program code. ROM is also called firmware.






33. A special substance - also called thermal paste or heat sink compound - that increases the heat conductivity between a fan or heat sink and a chip.






34. A device found in laptops that monitors and regulates power usage. The features vary by manufacturer - but typically - they provide short-circuit protection - give "low battery" warnings - and can be configured to shut down the computer automatically






35. Aka low-voltage differential (LVD).






36. In Windows 2000 and Windows XP - an Advanced Options menu choice that starts Windows normally - except that video mode is changed to the lowest resolution - using the currently installed video driver. This option does not switch to the basic Windows






37. The use of a biometric for authentication.






38. A method of memory error-checking that is more sophisticated than parity checking. Like parity checking - it adds an extra bit per byte. In addition - software in the system memory controller uses an algorithm to both detect and correct errors.






39. Circuitry in a PC on an adapter card - or directly on the motherboard - that controls the output from the PC to the display device.






40. Aka Domain Name Service.






41. Aka MSCONFIG.






42. A server containing source files for installing software onto client computers. The shared folder containing these files is a software distribution point.






43. The practice - mostly among gamers - of modifying a computer case.






44. A joke program that produces strange behavior - such as screen distortions - erratic cursor behavior - or strange icons to appear on the screen.






45. A user interface that takes advantage of the video system's graphics capabilities for manipulated graphic elements that represent objects and tasks.






46. A wireless network standard that uses the 2.4 GHz band at a speed of up to 54 Mbps. It is downward-compatible with 802.11b.






47. A video mode that most often consists of a combination of 640






48. A type of KVM switch that controls computers over a distance that is a function of the cabling and protocols it uses. The two types of switches are local remote KVM switch and KVM over IP.






49. Aka New Low-profile eXtended.






50. A protocol used with WPA wireless encryption that was broken by hackers.