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 primary partition that is marked for use by the system during startup. Windows operating systems can only be booted from an active partition.






2. In a CPU - special memory that resides within the CPU's core and is used to temporarily store instructions and data in order to increase the processing speed. Also called L1 cache.






3. A CPU containing two CPU cores.






4. Sony-Philips digital interface format






5. Aka electromagnetic pulse.






6. In computer networking - a network located between a private network and the Internet with a firewall on both sides. A DMZ contains servers offering services to users on the Internet and inside the protected private network.






7. Aka point-to-point protocol.






8. 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






9. The minimum disk space that a file can use - allocated in the file system.






10. A type of solid-state storage that is commonly used in a variety of devices - such as digital cameras - which often use CompactFlash.






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






12. The traditional wired telephone network.






13. An interface standard for use with DVD players - digital television (DTV) players - set-top cable or satellite service boxes - and other devices. It combines audio and video signals into an uncompressed signal and has a bandwidth of up to 5 GB/second






14. Aka SCSI host adapter.






15. A power-usage level.






16. A group of tests - stored in the BIOS and performed as a PC boots up - to check for the presence and function of system components.






17. A data encryption technology used for securing data transmitted over the Internet.






18. The box that houses the main computer system.






19. A portion of system memory used by a video adapter built into a motherboard.






20. A unit of measurement of actual delivered power - calculated by the formula watts = volts






21. A set of standards for imaging devices - such as scanners and cameras - that is used in drivers and other software for these devices.






22. Aka Sony/Philips Digital Interface.






23. A hardware device or a program that monitors and records a user's every keystroke - usually without the user's knowledge.






24. Aka pointing stick.






25. A grouping of wires built into a PC that - based on certain protocols - transfers data - control signals - and power to printed circuit boards (adapter cards) that are plugged into connectors in the expansion bus. Technicians often use the termsexpan






26. A technology for transferring serial data at high speeds. Also known as low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS).






27. The use by the operating system of a portion of hard disk as memory.






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






29. A protocol that allows two devices to connect - authenticate - and negotiate what protocols they will use (almost always TCP/IP).






30. A specialized chip that controls DMA channels.






31. An obsolete video standard introduced with IBM PS/2 computers in the late 1980s. VGA had a maximum resolution of 720






32. The specific requirements for the level of CPU - amount of memory - and size of the hard disk for the computer on which an operating system can be installed.






33. The practice of applying a digital signature to device driver code.






34. A technology used by hard drives to speed up data transfers by using DMA channels.






35. In Windows XP - this replaces the Emergency Repair process of Windows NT and Windows 2000. ASR is available from the Windows Backup program (NTBACKUP.EXE).






36. Aka pin grid array.






37. Aka lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery.






38. The component that provides power for all components on the motherboard and internal to the PC case. Also called a power supply unit (PSU).






39. One or more chips designed to work closely with the CPU. Two parts of this chipset are the Northbridge and the Southbridge.






40. The Internet service that manages access to Internet domain names and the naming system it uses for computers and resources connected to the Internet or in a private network.






41. Aka KVM switch.






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






43. 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






44. Aka complementary metal-oxide semiconductor.






45. A protocol used by e-mail clients for communicating with e-mail servers. This protocol is replacing the POP protocol. IMAP allows users to connect to e-mail servers and not only retrieve e-mail - which removes the messages from the server - as they c






46. A software fix for a single problem.






47. A PCMCIA card standard that comes in two interfaces: PCIe and USB 2.0.






48. Aka Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.






49. Aka motherboard.






50. A component of a CPU that is responsible for all logical and mathematical operations in the system.