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 digital subscriber line.






2. A network name used to identify a wireless network. Consisting of up to 32 characters - the SSID travels with the messages on the wireless network. All of the wireless devices on a WLAN must use the same SSID in order to communicate.






3. A service implemented on Windows Servers that hides the complexity of the network from end users in that it makes files that are distributed across multiple servers appear as if they are in one place.






4. A protocol that transfers e-mail messages between mail servers. Clients also use this protocol to send e-mail to mail servers.






5. Aka KVM switch.






6. A special modifier key on a laptop keyboard that when pressed together with certain alphanumeric keys - changes the output of the pressed key. It is often called the function key.






7. A chip that retains system settings such as the time - keyboard settings - and boot sequence.






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






9. In an IP configuration - the address of the local router that acts as a gateway from the local network to other IP networks.






10. A CPU power-saving mode that allows a CPU to reduce its speed without losing its place so it does not stop working altogether. SMM also allows the CPU to trigger power saving in other components.






11. A diagram showing the purpose of each wire in a connector.






12. A file attribute assigned to a file by the operating system to identify it as a system file.






13. A generic reference to a PC's serial communications port - in which the x represents the port number.






14. Aka secure socket layer.






15. A network connection over long distances - traditionally using phone lines or satellite communications.






16. 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.






17. An automated software installation that does not require a person be present to respond to prompts for information.






18. A motherboard form factor introduced in 2003 by Intel as the successor to ATX.






19. A VESA standard for power management in display devices.






20. A password that locks your hard drive and is often stored in a TPM chip.






21. Aka Internet Control Message Protocol.






22. A non-routable network protocol suite for use only in small networks.






23. Unsolicited messages sent over an instant messaging service - such as Windows Messenger.






24. A type of switched network used by phone companies.






25. An assigned address or range of addresses on a system's address bus that - together with an interrupt request line (IRQ) - allows a device to be recognized by the processor.






26. [1] On computer circuit boards - a very tiny slide that indicates two states.. [2] In a network - a network device - much like a hub - except that a switch takes an incoming signal and sends it to only the destination port - avoiding collisions and m






27. Laser discs sold at retail stores that contain music (audio CDs) or software (data CDs).






28. The oldest of the Wi-Fi encryption standards. It uses 64- or 128-bit encryption that is easily broken. It does not encrypt the actual data in a packet - and it does not perform user authentication on a packet.






29. In an operating system GUI - a tiny graphic representing an application - folder - disk - menu item - or other entity.






30. A parallel port mode in which the signals can be transmitted in both directions between the PC and parallel devices connected to the computer.






31. A power supply that detects the incoming voltage and switches to accept either 120 or 240 VAC.






32. A type of thermal printer in which a heated print head burns dots into the surface of heat-sensitive paper.






33. The digital versatile disc (DVD) encoding format used for data storage.






34. 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






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. Aka distributed denial of service attack.






37. A file attribute set by the OS when a file is created or modified. Backup software often removes this attribute when backing up a file in order to mark it as a backed-up file.






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






39. Aka digital linear tape.






40. 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.






41. A device used to scan smart cards.






42. The original version of the IEEE 1394 standard that supports speeds up to 400 Mbps.






43. Aka expansion bus.






44. The generic term for a pointing stick.






45. 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






46. A version of Windows Vista that includes Windows Media Center - which supports advanced multimedia functions.






47. The amount of data that can travel over a network at a given time.






48. The proportion between an image's width and height. Traditional CRT monitors have an aspect ratio of 4:3. Widescreen displays have an aspect ratio of 16:9.






49. An optical disc created and read by a mechanism using a laser.






50. Aka demilitarized zone.