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. An installation of Windows that is not automated - where the user is required to pay attention throughout the entire process to provide information and to respond to messages. Also called a manual installation.






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






3. Aka double-data rate (DDR) SDRAM.






4. 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.






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






6. In a laser printer - a wire that stretches across the printer's drum - not touching it - but positioned very close to the drum's surface so it can pass high voltage to the drum.






7. A table on each file and folder in the NTFS file system that contains one or more access control entries.






8. An Intel specification for the PC 32-bit architecture defining CPUs - motherboards - and other components.






9. 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.






10. The act of discovering the cause of a problem and correcting it.






11. A wide area network (WAN) connection that allows a large amount of data to be transmitted. Broadband WANs includes cellular - ISDN - DSL - cable - T-carrier - satellite - and fiber.






12. Aka secure socket layer.






13. 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.






14. Aka Fast Ethernet.






15. Aka super video graphics array.






16. An external bus that connects into the PC's PCI bus. With USB - you can theoretically connect up to 127 devices to your computer.






17. Aka Video Electronics Standards Organization.






18. 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.






19. The third version of the IEEE 1394 standard; it is a departure from the old standards in that it uses Category 5e twisted pair cable with RJ-45 connectors - combining Ethernet and FireWire.






20. A type of KVM switch that is controlled through a mechanical switch on the box.






21. The protocol used by DHCP servers and clients. A DHCP server allocates IP addresses within the scope of addresses configured on the server by an administrator. DHCP clients request IP addresses and other IP configuration settings from DHCP Servers.






22. Aka read-only memory.






23. In reference to IDE PATA drives - the master drive on the second channel.






24. A technology developed in the 1980s for storing data. Variations of this format are in use today.






25. Aka MSCONFIG.






26. Aka internal cache memory.






27. 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.






28. Aka serial ATA.






29. A type of riser card that connects directly into a motherboard and adds no additional functionality of its own - but extends the expansion bus and allows expansion cards to be added in a different physical orientation.






30. Digital versatile disc (DVD) discs that can be written to - but data cannot be overwritten. This standard is newer than DVD-R. This term also refers to the drives that can write to these discs.






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






32. A screen device for video output. Also called a monitor.






33. Aka process priority level.






34. A communication service provided over a telecommunications network or computer network. A VC logically resembles a circuit while passing over a complex routed or switched network - such as the phone company's frame relay network.






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






36. An action - such as the CTRL-ALT-DELETE key combination or the insertion of a smart card - that clears memory of certain types of viruses before a user logs on.






37. A wireless network standard that uses the 5 GHz band.






38. A device that takes video output and projects it onto a screen for viewing by a larger audience.






39. A type of power supply that converts AC power to voltages needed for a device. AC adapters are generally used for portable PC systems and other devices.






40. Aka asynchronous transfer mode.






41. In Microsoft Windows - NTFS permissions are used to specify and control which users and groups can access certain files and folders and what each user or group can do with them.






42. A slide switch on the exterior of a PC power supply used to switch between two input voltages.






43. Aka hacker.






44. A power supply that converts between alternating current and direct current.






45. Digital versatile disc (DVD) discs that can be rewritten to - and data can also be overwritten. This standard is newer than DVD-RW. This term also refers to the drives that can write to these discs.






46. Aka demilitarized zone.






47. A program downloaded to a computer without the user's consent. The user unwittingly initiates the download by some simple act - such as browsing to a Website or opening an e-mail message written in HTML. Or a user may initiate a drive-by download by






48. A VESA standard for graphics adapters with a maximum graphics resolution of 1024






49. The generic term for a pointing stick.






50. In networking - this is a set of rules for using network hardware and software. In most discussions about networks - this term is assigned to certain network software components.