A+ Certification Core Questions
(Taken from 1998 Exam.)
Test your metal and see if you're a hardware Geek!
Print this page and answer; then go to the "Answer Button" at the end of this page!
Ah, Ah, Ah...don't cheat!!!
A more advanced test will follow in the feature.
It will include qestions, such as; What's a Slot 1 CPU or a Socket 370?
Do you know what service Protocol 802.11g/n is used for?
What's the difference between 802.11b and 802.11a?
What's the name of the new Ram used with Pentium 4 PC's?

Basic Computer Service Concepts
Section 1

 1. What is the resistance rating of a resistor with the markings Red, Brown, Yellow, Gold?

     A. 2,100 ohms 5%
     B. 21,000 ohms 5%
     C. 210,000 ohms 5%
     D. 2,100,000 ohms 5%

 2. If there are mo ESD straps available, one can be fashioned from copper wire and duct tape.

     A. True
     B. False

 3. When measuring resistance, the component can bve measured while still installed on the circuit board.

     A. True
     B. False

 4. Convert the following Binary number to Decimal: 10110101

     A. 10110101
     B. 181
     C. 192
     D. None of the above

 5. Convert this Hexadecimal number to its Binary equivalent: A73F

     A. 1010011100111111
     B. 1010
     C. 1010001010010101
     D. 0100001001001100
     E. 10101011

 6. ESD stands for:

     A. Every Single Day
     B. Electric System Degradation
     C. Elecosilison Diode
     D. Electrostatic Discharge

 7. When connecting an ESD strap to an extension cord, you must connect it to:

     A. The "hot" pin
     B. The "negative" pin
     C. The "ground" pin
     D. All of the above

 8. The following components are found in today's Microcomputers. (circle all that apply):

     A. Vacuum tubes
     B. Resistors
     C. Transistors
     D. Dilithium crystals
     E. Capicitors

 9. Convert the following Decimal number to Binary: 219

     A. 11011011
     B. 11101101
     C. 11111111
     D. 00101001
     E. None of the above

10. How many Bits are represented by a single Hexadecimal digit?

     A. 1
     B. 2
     C. 4
     D. 8

11. This type of IC package has two rows of pins, one on each side of the package.

     A. QSOP
     B. DIP
     C. SIP
     D. PGA
     E. ZIF

12. This type of IC package is usually surface mounted and use for VLSI applications.

     A. QSOP
     B. DIP
     C. SIP
     D. PGA
     E. ZIF

13. The best method of preventing ESD damge is:

     A. Anti-static mats
     B. Anti-static spray
     C. Anti-static wrist strap
     D. Anti-static thinking

14. This type of screw was chosen because of its relative immunity to head damage and for its "high-tech" look.

     A. Phillips-head
     B. Flathead
     C. Normal
     D. Torx

15. How many Volts does it take to damage a CMOS-based IC?

     A. 1
     B. 100
     C. 1,000
     D. 10,000

16. What is the Least Significant Bit (LSB) of the number 10100010?

     A. 0
     B. 1

17. ICs are best removed with needle-nose pliers.

     A. True
     B. False

18. What is the maximum resistance of a resistor with the following markings of Red, Brown, Red?

     A. 2100 ohms
     B. 2020 ohms
     C. 2520 ohms
     D. 420 ohms

19. A male DB-25 port is most likely a:

     A. Parallel port
     B. Serial port
     C. Joystick/game port
     D. Network port

20. Which of the following components can be used to configure an adapter card? (circle all that apply):

     A. Software
     B. Male DB-25 port
     C. Jumpers
     D. Transistors
     E. None of the above

21. Does pure water conduct electricity?

     A. Yes
     B. No

22. Which port(s) are used for Serial ports? (choose all that apply)

     A. RJ-11
     B. DB-9
     C. Centronics 36
     D. DB-25
     E. None of the above
 
 

PC Architecture
Section 2

 1. Which computer component contains all of the circuitry necessary for all components or devices to communicate with each other?

     A. System board
     B. Adapter card
     C. Hard Drive
     D. Expansion bus

 2. Clock speeds are measured in _________________.

     A. Ohms
     B. Volts
     C. Megaherts
     D. Milliseconds

 3. A monitor was originally called a CRT.

     A. True
     B. False

 4. Which of the following is the most important input device?

     A. Mouse
     B. Digitized tablet
     C. Keyboard
     D. Printer

 5. Access time refers to  what?

     A. Revolutions per unit of time
     B. Difference between the time data is requested and received
     C. Latency
     D. The time it takes to create an Access database

 6. What is the maximum amount of data that can be stored on a 5 1/4" floppy disk?

     A. 360 KB
     B. 1.2 MB
     C. 320 KB
     D. 720 KB

 7. The system board is also called _______________.

     A. A fiberglass board
     B. A planar board
     C. A bus system
     D. An IBM system board XR125

 8. The ________________ is used to store frequently accessed data and instructions.

     A. Hard Drive
     B. RAM
     C. Internal Cache Memory
     D. ROM

 9. The processor was introduced with 1.2 million transistors and 32-Bit internal and external data path.

     A. 386SX
     B. 486DX
     C. 486DX2
     D. Pentium

10. This processor had a math coprocessor disabled.

     A. 286
     B. 486SX
     C. 486DX
     D. 387SX

11. What are the four (4) voltages produced by a common PC power supply?

     --

12. Which power device would be the best attached to your computer if you were having power problems?

     A. Surge protector
     B. UPS
     C. Line conditioner
     D. SPS

13. If you wanted to connect a LapLink cable (a parallel data transfer cable) so that you could upload and download files
      from a computer, which type of parallel port(s) does your computer need to have?  (circle all that apply)

     A. Standard
     B. Bi-directional
     C. EPP
     D. ECP
 
 

PC Memory Architecture
Section 3

 1. RAM is short for ________________.

     A. Readily Accessible Memory
     B. Recently Affected Memory
     C. Random Access Memory
     D. Read and Modify

 2. When you turn off a computer, the imformation on ROM is erased?

     A. True
     B. False

 3. When you turn off a computer, the imformation in RAM is erased?

     A. True
     B. False

 4. Which of the following types of memory are erasable?  (circle all that apply)

     A. RAM
     B. SRAM
     C. ROM
     D. PROM
     E. EPROM
     F. EEPROM

 5. DRAM uses banks of transistors to store patterns of ones and zeros?

     A. True
     B. False

 6. Which switch will cause MEM.EXE to give the most detailed informaiton about the current memory configuration?

     A. /a
     B. /b
     C. /c
     D. /d

 7. This type of ROM memory chip has a small window that allows the chip to be erased with a special ultrviolet light.

     A. PROM
     B. EPROM
     C. EEPROM
     D. APROM

 8. This type of ROM memory chip is erasable using software tools, and is most commonly used for BIOS chips.

     A. PROM
     B. ROM
     C. EPROM
     D. EEPROM

 9. This area of memory is used for running most DOS programs, loading device drivers, and loading TSRs.

     A. Conventional memory
     B. Extensive memory
     C. Extended memory
     D. Expanded memory

10. Which of these processors was the first to access more than 1MB of RAM?

     A. 8088
     B. 8086
     C. 80286
     D. 80386
     E. 80486

11. Which processor(s) can access as much as 4GB of RAM?  (circle all that apply)

     A. 8088
     B. 8086
     C. 80286
     D. 80386
     E. 80486
     F. Pentium

12. If you are transmitting the 8-Bit Binary number of 11010010 and are using even parity, the parity Bit would be ___________.

     A. 1
     B. 0
     C. None
     D. A

13. Modem communications most often use the following type of error-checking routine.

     A. Parity
     B. Error correction
     C. Addition
     D. Checksumming

14. A memory chip has markings of 45256-40. The last 2 digits after the dash means an access time of ________.

     A. 4 ms
     B. 4 ns
     C. 40 ms
     D. 40 ns
     E. 400 ns

15. Which of the following indicate(s) a hard memory error?  (circle all that apply)

     A. 201 BIOS Error
     B. 301 BIOS Error
     C. 1 long beep, 3 short beeps
     D. 2 long beeps, 2 short beeps
     E. Parity Error

16. RAMBOOST is the IBM PC-DOS functional equivalent to MS-DOS MEMMAKER.

     A. True
     B. False

17. The first thing you can do to increase the available conventional memory is:

     A. Load all device drives into UMB
     B. Add DOS=HIGH to your CONFIG.SYS
     C. Remove DOS
     D. Rearrange the loading order of the drivers

18. If you don't need expanded memory, you can free-up 64KB of reserved memory that can be used for UMB by putting the following
      parameter after C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE in the CONFIG.SYS to disable expanded memory and remove the page frame.

     A. NOEXT
     B. NOEXP
     C. NOPAGE
     D. NOEMS

19. Memory optimization programs are not always the best way of optimizing memory.

     A. True
     B. False

20. Which driver must be loaded in the CONFIG.SYS to give DSO access to extended memory?

     A. C:\DOS\EXTMEM.SYS
     B. C:\DOS\UPPMEM.SYS
     C. C:\DOS\MEMORY.SYS
     D. C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE
     E. C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS

21. LIM memory is another name for which type of memory?

     A. Conventional memory
     B. Extended memory
     C. Expanded memory
     D. CMOS memory

22. Which command(s) displays the list of all programs in memory and stops the display after each page, waiting for user input?
      (circle all that apply)

     A. MEM /C /P
     B. MEM /C | MORE
     C. MEM /PC /USER
     D. MEM /D /P
     E. MEM /C

23. What is the Hexadecimal range for conventional memory?

     A. A0000 to 7FFFF
     B. 00000 to A0000
     C. 00000 to 9FFFF
     D. 00000 to A0000
 
 

Disk System Architecture
Section 4

 1. When installing a second ST-506 drive to a cable without a twist in it, the drive select jumper should be set to __________.

     A. Drive 0
     B. Drive 1
     C. Drive 2
     D. Drive 3

 2. What are the most common sizes for a floppy drives?  (circle all that apply)

     A. 3 1/4"
     B. 3 1/2"
     C. 4 1/4"
     D. 5 1/2"

 3. How many devices can SCSI-1 support (including the controller)?

     A. 8
     B. 7
     C. 1
     D. 9

 4. Which kind of device is connected to the last connection on a Compaq Deskpro?

     A. Drive A:
     B. Drive B:
     C. Drive C:
     D. Tape drive

 5. The device that converts signals from an IDE drive into signals the CPU can understand is called a ____________.

     A. Controller
     B. Host bus adapted
     C. Bus
     D. Paddle board

 6. Which implementation of SCSI has the transfer-rate of 20 MB/sec?

     A. Fast SCSI-2
     B. Fast-Wide SCSI-2
     C. SCSI-3
     D. Ultra SCSI

 7. Suppose you have an internal SCSI hard drive and two external devices; a scanner and a CD-ROM drive.
     The scanner is the last device on the chain.  Which device(s) should be terminated?  (circle all that apply)

     A. Hard drive
     B. Scanner
     C. CD-ROM drive
     D. Host bus adapter

 8. Th process known as ___________ converts Binary information into patterns of magnetic flux on a hard disk's surface.

     A. Fluxing
     B. Warping
     C. Encoding
     D. Decoding

 9. What is the name for the areas that a typical hard drive is divided into like wedges in a pie?

     A. Tracks
     B. Sectors
     C. Clusters
     D. Spindles

10. How do you low-level format an IDE drive?

     A. Enter DEBUG.EXE program and enter g=c800:5 at the "-" prompt
     B. Run LOWLEVEL.COM
     C. Execute FORMAT.COM
     D. You don't; it's done at the factory!

11. How do you low-level format an ST-506/ESDI drive?

     A. Enter DEBUG.EXE program and enter g=c800:5 at the "-" prompt
     B. Run LOWLEVEL.COM
     C. Execute FORMAT.COM
     D. You don't; it's done at the factory!

12. How do you low-level format a SCSI drive?

     A. Enter DEBUG.EXE program and enter g=c800:5 at the "-" prompt
     B. Run LOWLEVEL.COM
     C. Execute FORMAT.COM
     D. You don't; it's done at the factory!

13. Which of the following must be done when installing SCSI devices?  (circle all that apply)

     A. Terminate the first and last device's in the chain
     B. Set unique SCSI ID numbers
     C. Connect the first device to the connector before the twist
     D. Set every device on the same SCSI channel to the same SCSI ID number

14. "Low-leveling" a disk drive means _________________________________.

     A. Installing the drive in the bottom of the computer
     B. Getting a disk drive ready for the installtion of an operating system
     C. Organizing the disk into sectors and tracks
     D. Organizing the disk into clusters and FATs

15. You have just replaced the floppy drive in a PC.  Upon turning the computer on, you discover you can't boot to the floppy
      drive.  The drive light turns on during power-up and stays lit until you turn the computer off.  What should you do to solve
      this problem?  (circle all that apply)

     A. Change the drive type in the CMOS setup
     B. Reverse the floppy drive cable
     C. Remove the terminating resistor on the floppy drive
     D. Move the floppy drive to the end of the floppy cable
 
 

PC BUS Architectures
Section 5

 1. PCMCIA expansion cards need the following software in order to operate.  (circle all that apply)

     A. Cardmember Services
     B. PC Card Services
     C. Modem Services
     D. Socket Services

 2. ISA is an acronym for ______________________________.

     A. InSide Architecture
     B. Industry Standard Architecture
     C. Industry Simple Architecture
     D. Internal System Architecture

 3. EISA has a bus width of ______ Bits.

     A. 32
     B. 16
     C. 64
     D. 8

 4. PCI has a bus width of _______ Bits.

     A. 32
     B. 16
     C. 64
     D. 8

 5. ISA has a bus width of _______ Bits.

     A. 32
     B. 16
     C. 64
     D. 8

 6. MCA has a bus width of _______ Bits.  (circle all that apply)

     A. 32
     B. 16
     C. 64
     D. 8

 7. Which of the following buses require a software configuration program to configure their settings?  (circle all that apply)

     A. 8-Bit bus
     B. ISA
     C. EISA
     D. MCA
     E. PCI
     F. PCMCIA

 8. Which of the following buses require the use of jumpers and DIP switches to configure their setting?  (circle all that apply)

     A. 8-Bit bus
     B. ISA
     C. EISA
     D. MCA
     E. PCI
     F. PCMCIA

 9. Which bus signal line allows a device to request the processor's attention?

     A. I/O address lines
     B. DMA address lines
     C. Clock address lines
     D. Interrupt Request (IRQ) address lines

10. Which bus signal line allows a device to send darta directly to a computer's memory, bypassing the CPU?

     A. I/O address lines
     B. DMA address lines
     C. Clock address lines
     D. Interrupt Request (IRQ) address lines

11. Which bus signal line allows the CPU to send requests to the devices to send data?

     A. I/O address lines
     B. DMA address lines
     C. Clock address lines
     D. Interrupt Request (IRQ) address lines

12. What is the maximum clock speed that an ISA Turbo-bus can run reliably?

     A. 8 Mhz
     B. 10 Mhz
     C. 16 Mhz
     D. 33 Mhz

13. How many DMA channels are available in an 8-Bit system?

     A. 1
     B. 4
     C. 8
     D. 16

14. You have just installed a sound card in a PC and it is not functioning correctly. (It produces no sound and it hangs
      the computer when it tries.)  After checking the settings, you find that it is set to IRQ 7, DMA 1, I/O Port 300.
      You suspect an IRQ conflict exists, so you check the other devices in the system.  The system is using an ISA bus.
      Which devices is it conflicting with?  (Assume the computer is using default settings for all devices)

     A. A network card
     B. COM1
     C. LPT1
     D. COM2

15. If you change the sound card in question #14 from IRQ 7 to IRQ 10, will a conflict still exist?

     A. Yes
     B. No
 
 

Peripheral Devices
Section 6

 1. "Debouncing" refers to:

     A. Stopping a mouse ball from bouncing
     B. Cleaing up keyboard signals and preventing multiple characters from a single keypress
     C. Keeping the keyboard keyswitches from bouncing up and down
     D. Making sure that service customers' checks don't bounce

 2. COM1 shares IRQ with which other COM port?

     A. COM1
     B. COM2
     C. COM3
     D. COM4

 3. Which IRQ does COM1 share a COM port in question #2?

     A. 4
     B. 2
     C. 3
     D. 10

 4. What are the two major types of mice in use today?  (circle all that apply)

     A. Capacitive
     B. Resistive
     C. Optical
     D. Opto-mechnical

 5. You find a cable in a box of old computer parts.  It has a DB-25F connector on both ends.
     What kind of cable is it most likely to be?

     A. Printer cable
     B. Modem cable
     C. Null-modem cable
     D. VGA cable

 6. Which type of computer communication uses a separate timing signal to dictate transmission times?

     A. Synchronous
     B. Asynchronous
     C. Standard
     D. Modem

 7. Whare are the two major types of keyboards in use today?  (circle all that apply)

     A. Standard
     B. Keyswitched
     C. Capacitive
     D. Resistive

 8. If a display adapter is a VGA adapter in the standard configuration, which one of the following
     would be the default resolution/color choice?

     A. 640 X 480 with 256 colors
     B. 640 X 480 with 16 colors
     C. 640 X 480 with 65,535 colors
     D. 1024 X 768 with 256 colors

 9. Which of the following monitors has the hightest resolution?

     A. VGA 640 X 480
     B. CGA 320 X 200
     C. SVGA 800 X 768
     D. XGA 1024 X 768

10. Which types of mouse interface technology use an interrupt (other than the ones a PC is normally using)?
      ( circle all that apply)

     A. Bus
     B. PS/2
     C. Serial
     D. Microsoft

11. Which type of signal degrades the most over longer distances?

     A. Serial
     B. Analog
     C. Digital
     D. Parallel

12. What is the maximum length of a standard Parallel printer cable?

     A. 6 feet
     B. 10 feet
     C. 25 feet
     D. 50 feet

13. Which type of scanner gives the best quiality and hightest resolution?

     A. Flatbed
     B. Handheld
     C. Photo

14. Which of the following types of output devices puts computer data on paper?

     A. Modems
     B. Monitors
     C. LCDs
     D. Printers

15. Which type of output device has the highest resolution (and therefore the best quality)?

     A. Impact printers
     B. Sprayed-ink printers
     C. EP printers
     D. Modens
 
 

Installation and Upgrades
Section 7

 1. Which of the following are important to consider when installing new expansion cards?  (circle all that apply)

     A. ESD effects
     B. Capacity of the hard drive
     C. Position of expansion cards
     D. Removing the cover

 2. All case covers use three screws to hold them in.

     A. True
     B. False

 3. During which disassembly step do you want to take notes?

     A. Removing the case
     B. Removing the expansion cards
     C. Removing the power supply
     D. Removing the disk drive
     E. Removing the motherboard
     F. All of the above

 4. You have just installed a new floppy drive.  Upon powering up the computer, you discover that the floppy drive
      isn't working properly.  The floppy drive light remains on as long as the computer is powered up.  What should
      you check first?

     A. Floppy drive is in the wrong position on the floppy cable
     B. Floppy cable is installed upside down
     C. Floppy drive is defective
     D. Floppy cable is defective

 5. What is the first step in installing a new device?

     A. Disassembling the computer
     B. Installing software
     C. Removing the case
     D. Reading the instructions

 6. Which of the following can be used to determine the available resources on a computer before an upgrade or
     installation?  (circle all that apply)

     A. MSD
     B. A visual examination of the computer
     C. MCA
     D. All of the above

 7. At this time, "Legacy" could correctly be used to refer to which types of expansion cards?

     A. 8-Bit
     B. ISA
     C. MCA
     D. All of the above

 8. A computer work area should contain which of the following?  (circle all that apply)

     A. An oscilloscope
     B. Assorted tools
     C. Software
     D. Anti-static wrist strap

 9. The power supply motherboard connectors cannot be "pushed" vertically onto the motherboard receptical.

     A. True
     B. False

10. What is the simplest method of testing a component?

     A. Software diagnostics
     B. Hardware diagnostics
     C. Placing a multimeter across the power junction
     D. Observing the component and seeing if it operates properperly

11. Plug-n-Play cards don't work.

     A. True
     B. False

12. Anti-static bags should be used to store components when they are removed from a PC during service/disassenbly?

     A. True
     B. False

13. Before you install a new device in a functioning computer, you should:

     A. Disassemble the computer
     B. Determine the computer's available resources
     C. Install DOS
     D. Install MSD

14. Removal of the motherboard is always required when disassembling a compute.

     A. True
     B. False

15. Which of the following is NOT a prerequisite to disassembling a computer?

     A. Disconnecting the power supply
     B. Shutting donw the computer
     C. Disconnecting the monitor and keyboard cables
     D. Disassembling the power supply
 
 

How Printers Work
Section 8





 1. The step in the EP printer process that uses a laser discharge selected areas of the photosensitive drum,
     thus forming an image on the drum.

     A. Writing
     B. Exposing
     C. Developing
     D. Discharging

 2. The following is a list of the steps in the HP printer process.  Put them in the proper order they occur:
     __, __, __, __, __, __.

     A. Developing
     B. Writing
     C. Transfering
     D. Fusing
     E. Conditioning
     F. Cleaning

 3. It is better to refill ink cartridges than to buy new ones!

     A. True
     B. False

 4. Which voltage is used to transfer toner to the paper in an EP process laster printer?

     A. +600 VDC
     B. -600 VDC
     C. +6000 VDC
     D. -6000 VDC

 5. If the static-eliminator strip is absent (or broken) in either an EP process or HP LaserJet printer, what
     will happen?

     A. Noting. Both printers will continue to function normally
     B. Nothing will happen ni EP process printers, but HP LaserJet printers will flash a "-671 error".
     C. Paper jams may occur in both types of printers, because the paper may curl around the photosensitive drum

 6. Toner cartridges should be taken out and refilled with the correct toner when they run out of toner.

     A. True
     B. False

 7. Which of the following are possible interfaces for printers?

     A. Parallel
     B. Mouse port
     C. Serial
     D. Network

 8. Which laser printer component formats the print job for the type of printer being used?

     A. Corona assembly
     B. DC power supply
     C. Printer controller circuitry
     D. Formatter software

 9. Which of th efollowing are page description languages?  (circle all that apply)

     A. Page Description Lanuage (PDL)
     B. PostScript
     C. PageScript
     D. Printer Control Language (PCL)

10. The basis weight is the weight in pounds of 500 sheets of what size of paper?

     A. 8.5" X 11"
     B. 11" X 17"
     C. 17" X 22.5"
     D. 8.5" X 17"

11. PostScript is most often used on dot-matrix printers.

     A. True
     B. False

12. Which type(s) of printers can be used with multipart forms?

     A. Bubble-Jet
     B. EP process laser printers
     C. HP process laser printers
     D. Dos-matrix printers

13. LED page printers differ from EP process laser printers in which step?

     A. Exposing
     B. Charging
     C. Fusing
     D. Cleaning
     E. Developing
     F. Transfering

14. What part of both EP process and HP LaserJet process printers supplies the voltages for the charge and
      transfer corona assemblies?

     A. High-Voltage Power Supply (HVPS)
     B. DC Power Supply (DCPS)
     C. Controller circuitry
     D. Transfer corona

15. With HP LaserJet printers, the laser dischages the charged photosensitive drum to _______ VDC.

     A. +600
     B. 0
     C. -100
     D. -600

16. With EP process laser printers, the dischages the charged photosensitive drum to _______ VDC.

     A. +600
     B. 0
     C. -100
     D. -600
 
 

Networks
Section 9

  1. Which connectivity device transmits packets the fastest?

     A. Gateway
     B. Router
     C. Brouter
     D. Bridge

 2. This IEEE 802 standard uses a bus topology and coxial baseband cable, and is able to transmit at 10 Mbps.

     A. 802.4
     B. 802.3
     C. 802.2
     D. 802.1

 3. ___________________ is immune to electromagnetic or radio frequency interface.

     A. Broadband coaxial cabling
     B. Fiber-optic cabling
     C. Twisted-pair cabling
     D. CSMA/CD

 4. Printers, files e-mail, and groupware can all be categorized as ______________________.

     A. Office equipment
     B. Peer-to-peer networking
     C. Resources
     D. Protocols

 5. This OSI layer signals "all clear" by making sure the data frames are error-free.

     A. Application layer
     B. Session layer
     C. Transport layer
     D. Network layer

 6. This topology is the easiest to modify.

     A. Star
     B. Bus
     C. Ring
     D. Token

 7. This is the routable protocol used by Unix clients.

     A. TCP/IP
     B. NetBEUI
     C. IPX
     D. XNS

 8. The layer of th eOSI model whose most inportant role is to provide error checking is.

     A. Session layer
     B. Presentation layer
     C. Application layer
     D. Transport layer

 9. Which type of cabling has the easiest installation?

     A. Twisted-pair
     B. Coaxial
     C. Fiber-optic
     D. Wireless

10. This is the type of media access method used by NICs that listen to or "sense" the cable to check for traffic,
      and send only when they hear that no one else is transmitting.

     A. Token Passing
     B. CSMA/CD
     C. CSMA/CA
     D. Demand Priority

11. A physical star topology consists of serveral workstations that branch off of a central device called a ____________.

     A. Repeater
     B. Brouter
     C. Router
     D. Hub

12. A ____________ links two or more conputers together to communicate and share resources.

     A. Server
     B. Resource
     C. Network
     D. Client

13. Ths access method asks the other workstations for permission to transmit before transmitting.

     A. CSMA/CD
     B. CSMA/CA
     C. Token Passing
     D. Demand Priority

14. Offers total resistance to any electromagnetic or radio frequency interface.

     A. Twisted-pair
     B. Coaxial cable
     C. Fiber-optic cabling
     D. Wireless

15. Uses a thin baseband coaxial cable, bus topology, transmitting at 10 Mbps, with a distance up to 185 meters.

     A. Token Ring
     B. Ethernet 10BaseT
     C. Ethernet 10Base5
     D. Ethernet 10Base2

16. This topology uses the least amount of cabling, but also covers the shortest amount of distance.

     A. Bus
     B. Star
     C. Mesh
     D. Hybrid

17. This layer describes how to the data gets transmitted over a physical medium.

     A. Session layer
     B. Data Link layer
     C. Physical layer
     D. Aplication layer

18. Wha is another name for IEEE 802.3?

     A. Logical Link Control
     B. Token Passing
     C. CSMA.CD LAN
     D. Token Ring LAN

19. This type of cabling looks similar to the cable used to connect cable television.

     A. Twisted-pair
     B. Coaxial
     C. Fiber-optic
     D. Wireless

20. These devices can switch and route packets across multiple networks and use routing tables to
      store network addresses to determine the best destination.

     A. Brouters
     B. Routers
     C. Gateways
     D. Bridges
 
 

Safety
Section 10

 1. When you receive a shock from walking across the carpet, how many volts are generated?

     A. 2,500
     B. 30,000
     C. 10
     D. 5

 2. ESD is caused by the discharge of static between you and sensitive computer components.

     A. True
     B. False

 3. To prevent ESD, humidity should be kept right around _____.

     A. 10%
     B. 20%
     C. 40%
     D. 50%

 4. It is a good idea to take a short break every 15 minutes.

     A. True
     B. False

 5. It is important not to leave your desk until the work is finished, no matter how long it takes!

     A. True
     B. False

 6. ESD stands for:

     A. Electrostationary Static Discharge
     B. Electromagnetic Static Discharge
     C. Electrostatic Discharge
     D. Electrically Sfe Discharge

 7. When a battery in a lpatop is bad, you should take it out and throw it away.

     A. True
     B. False

 8. RSI stands for:

     A. Radix Strain Injury
     B. Repeating Simple Injury
     C. Ready Set Injury
     D. Repetitive Strain Injury

 9. When working on PCs, it is a good idea to have the following available.  (circle all that apply)

     A. A blanket
     B. An ESD Strap
     C. A clean workspace
     D. All of the above

10. Which of the following items should be replaced rather than be serviced by a technician?

     A. Computer
     B. Hard drive
     C. Keyboard
     D. Power Supply

11. Which class of fire extinguisher can be used to put out an electrical fire (computer fire)?  (circle all that apply)

     A. A
     B. B
     C. C
     D. ABC (Multipurpose)

12. You should use an ESD strap when working on monitors, to prevent elctrocution.

     A. True
     B. False

13. It's always best to use recycled computer parts.

     A. True
     B. False

14. Which of the following is not a good way to reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs)?

     A. Proper posture when sitting at the computer
     B. Mounting your monitor in the desktop so you can see it when you look down
     C. Mounting your monitor at eye level
     D. Proper use of wrist rest

15. If improperly handled, CRT tubes can _____________.  (circle all that apply)

     A. Shrink
     B. Implode
     C. Shock
     D. Fall on your foot
 
 

Customer Service
Section 11

 1. You are at a customer's site to fix a paper jam in the customer's laser printer, when you realize that you forgot a replacement
      part.  You won't have time to return back to the office to pick up the part because you are due at another customer's site in
      30 minutes.  What should you do?

     A. Call the second customer and inform them of your possible late arrival and ask if they would like to reschedule (if necessary).
     B. Apologize profusely to the customer adn go back to the office to get the part.  Since the other customer has been a long-
          standing account, they don't mind waiting for you to finish this job correctly.
     C. Being on time is important with all customers.  Put the printer back together and come back tomorrow.  Hopefully, no one
          will need to use the printer until then.
     D. Call George, a service professional who works with one of your competitors.  This is obviously a solution you cannot provide
          for the customer.

 2. A customer arrives at your service window.  He is angry because the modem he just hd fixed by your company did not work
     when he brought it home and he had to drive 40 miles to bring it back to be fixed again.  How should you handle this?

     A. The dumb cluck obviously doesn't know how a modem works, so just explain it to home.
     B. Apologize.  Question him on what he is doing to set up his modem, then point out what mistakes he is making with his procedures.
     C. Apologize.  Ask him if he can explain in detail what the problem is.  If he is still angry, ask the customer what he would like you to
          do about it.
     D. Apologize.  Offer him a new modem, take him to lunch and give him a twenty-dollar bill for gas.

 3. One of your coworkers, Bill, is on a coffee break when you receive a telephone call from one of his customers.. You inform the
     customer that Bill is on a break and offer to ask him to return the call.  The customer states that this is not acceptable, and asks
     to speak with him immediately.  When you informed Bill of the telephone call, Bill states that he is on a break and refuses to take
     the call.  What should you do?

     A. Tell the customer that he can reach Bill if he calls back in 20 minutes.
     B. Tell the customer that Bill is not available, but you would be happy to help him.
     C. Explain the situation to your manager or supervisor and ask them to take the call.
     D. Promise the customer that Bill will return his call shortly.

 4. Your manager informs you that you will be taking over the Johnson account.  You hear from the grapevine that the previous
      service professional had asked to be removed from the account.  How will you approach the customer the next time you
      are called to service the account?

     A. Before arriving at the customer's site, ask your coworkers to provide you with as much detail as they can about the cystomer.
          The more information you have, the better prepareed you will be.
     B. Ask your coworkers about what situations the service professional had been envolved with, and how those situations were
          resolved.  Keep in mind that your coworker's opinions of the account may not necessarily be the same as your own.
     C. Call the secretary and ask her about the corporate culture there.
     D. Take the customer to lunch and introduce yourself as their new service professional.  This is certain to impress them!

 5. You've just come back to the office after having a tough service call.  A sales representative at your company had promised
      the customer that the problem with their hard drive could be easily fixed, when in fact, you had to bring their hard drive back
      for repairs.  The customer has stated his anger by saying that your company made a false promise to get his business, and
      now it is too late to contact another service company.  What should you do?

     A. Apologize.  Keep the situation focused on the problem and its solution by telling the customer his options.
     B. Have a word with the sales representative's manager when you return.
     C. Inform your manager of this situation.
     D. All of the above.
     E. A and C only

 6. You are in the process of upgrading a software package on a customer's computer.  Some strange things seem to be happening,
      so you decide to run an anti-virus program and discover the client has had a virus on the computer.  You realize that you have
      an opportunity to provide excellent service by:

     A. Wiping out the virus and then finishing the upgrade.
     B. Selling the customer an anti-virus program.
     C. Informing the customer of the situation and letting them know that customer service is an opportunity to improve business
          relations through solutions.
     D. Offering to stay until you can determine a possible source of the virus so that it can be wiped out completely.
     E. Running the anti-virus program on another of the customer's computers.  Once you get a feel of how far the virus may
         have spread, install the anti-virus program on their machines and bill the customer later.  They will thank you for it!

 7. Customer service is an opportunity to improve business relations through solutions.  According to the material you just read,
     which of the following is not a solution that you would provide an opportunity to improve a business relation?

     A. Offering the services of your competition.
     B. Follow up with a customer.
     C. Fixing a problem without being told to do so.
     D. Saying thank you.

 8. You have just diagnosed a print quality problem on a printer as being a defective ink cartridge.  Upon further inspection,
      you notice that the ink cartridge has been refilled serveral times.  This customer has told you that they constantly refill
      ink cartridges to save money.  You know the refilled ink cartridges are causing this problem and will cause the owner
      to bring it back in a month for the same problem.  What do you tell the customer when they pick up their printer?

     A. "Stop using the refilled ink cartridges.  They're causing your problem."
     B. Explain to the customer that the money that they are saving on ink cartridges is being wasted on repeated service calls.
          Spending the extra couple of dollars on manufactured-brand cartridges will actually save them more money on service calls.
     C. Nothing.  It's money on the bank! They'll keep bringing it back for repairs.

 9. It's 3:30 PM  Your work day ends at 5:00 PM  your customer's business is open until 5:00 PM also.  Your repair will take
     at least 2 more hours (possibly more).  What should you do?

     A. Stay until 5:30 or so.  Get the job done.
     B. Inform the customer that the job will take you past your closing time.  Ask if they would like you to stay until the job is
          finished.  If not, ask if they would like you to reschedule for the next available time.
     C. Inform the customer that the job will take you past their closing time.  Ask if they would like you to stay until the job is
          finished.  If not, ask if they would like you to reschedule for the next available time.
     D. Leave at 5:00 PM.  They're closed and you shouldn't stay past closing.

10. You have just hung up from a customer support phone call in which you had to walk a user through, step-by-step, the
      installation of Windows 95.  You have spent two hours on the phone.  What should you do next?

     A. Call back two days later and ask how the computer is operating.
     B. Don't return the customer's messages.  They just want free help!!
     C. Inform your manager.
     D. Bill the customer for two hours of phone support.

11. A customer is asking the unreasonable.  They want your company to pay for a brand new computer even though the old
      one has only a small software problem.  The problem has been narrowed down to a piece of software that the owner
      installed.  They won't except anything less than a new computer.  What do you do?

     A. Give them a new computer.
     B. Fix the software problem and give the computer back.
     C. Explain that the software they installed is causing the problem and offer to fix the problem for free.
     D. Cut your lossee and give them their computer back.  Do your best, however, to satisfy their needs, within reason.

12. The customer is always right!

     A. True
     B. False
 
 

Troubleshooting Techniques
Section 12

 1. A customer complains that their hard disk is making lots of noise.  After examining the computer and hearing the noise for
     yourself, you notice that the high-pitched noise seems to be coming form the fan in the power supply.  Which component(s)
     should be repplaced?

     A. Hard drive
     B. Power supply
     C. motherboard
     D. Nothing.  This is a software problem

 2. When you try to turn the computer on, you notice that the computer won't activate.  The monitor is blank and the fan on the
     power supply is not active.  Turning the switch off and then on makes no difference.  What is the most likely casue of this problem?

     A. The computer is unplugged
     B. The BIOS on the motherboard needs to be upgraded
     C. The monitor is malfunctioning
     D. Both the fan and power supply and the video card are bad
     E. The power supply is bad
     F. None of the above

 3. A laser printer is printing pages that are all black.  Replacing the toner cartridge has no effect.  What are some possible causes
     of this problem?  (circle all that apply)

     A. The high voltage power supply (HVPS) is bad
     B. The transfer corona assembly is damaged
     C. The main motor assembly is damaged
     D. The laser scanner assembly is damaged
     E. The EP cartridge is damaged
     F. The printer has bad feed rollers

 4. What part of an HP LaserJet printer is malfunctioning if you receive a "50 Service" error?

     A. Toner cartridge
     B. Laser scanner assembly
     C. Fuser
     D. AC Power supply

 5. A paper jam on a dot-matrix printer can be casued by:

     A. An obstructed paper path
     B. The wrong kind of paper
     C. A malfunctioning print head assembly
     D. The wrong ribbon is installed

 6. A customer complains that they can't get their computer to work.  When they turn it on, they get no video and a series of
     beeps.  The beeps are in the sequence of one long beep, then two short beeps.  You tell the customer to bring the machine
     in.  Upon further examination you are able to reproduce the problem.  What is your next step?

     A. Upgrade the PC's BIOS to the newest version
     B. Replace the motherboard
     C. Replace the video card
     D. Replace the RAM
     E. Upgrade the BEEP.COM file
     F. Boot "clean" to a bootable floppy disk

 7. An HP LaserJet III printer isn't printing at all.  The computer indicates that the "device on LPT1 isn't ready".  You perform
     a service self-test on the printer and it prints the page of verticle lines with no problems.  The front panel self-test doesn't
     work, however.  Which component do you suspect is giving you the problem?

     A. Fuser
     B. DC controller
     C. AC Power Supply
     D. Main motor
     E. Formatter
     F. Transfer corona

 8. A "201" error at the system startup means what?

     A. Bad floppy drive
     B. Bad system board
     C. Bad hard disk system
     D. Bad memory
     E. Bad keyboard

 9. Which windows error is caused by an application being "greedy" and taking memory away from other programs?

     A. General System Error
     B. General Protection Fault
     C. System Fault
     D. Memory Protection Fault

10. A customer complains tha the modem they are using is bad.  When they try to connect to another computer, it
      connects, but it transmits and receives garbage.  What do you do?

     A. Order a new modem for the customer
     B. Change the initialization string to AT&F
     C. Confirm that the data bits, parity, and stop bits are set the same on both ends
     D. Confirm that both computers are using the same modem and software

11. What two files are used by DOS to configure a computer?

     A. INI files
     B. AUTOEXEC.BAT
     C. CONFIG.BAT
     D. CONFIG.SYS

12. A computer experiencing random reboots and "phantom" problems that disappear after reboot.  What should you do?

     A. Tell the customer that it's normal for the computer to do that
     B. Replace the motherboard
     C. Boot "clean"
     D. Replace the power supply
     E. Open the cover and reseat all cards and chips

13. A bubble-jet printer produces output that is acceptable.  But after an ink cartridge replacement, the ink smears and
      generally looks "havier" than normal.  What is the problem?

     A. The ink cartridge is bad from the factory
     B. A refilled ink cartridge has been used
     C. The printer's controller circuitry is bad
     D. The paper is too thin
     E. None of the above

14. A company that hires you to do service for them has just purchased a new laser printer.  After two months and 3,000
      copies, "ghosts" of previous pages appear on the printout.  What action will resolve the problem?

     A. Replace the toner cartridge
     B. Replace the fuser
     C. Replace the transfer corona assembly
     D. Clean the transfer corona assembly
     E. None of the above

15. What is the largest cause of computer problems?

     A. hardware failure
     B. Software failure
     C. ESD
     D. Technician inexperience
     E. User error

16. A user is getting a "301 error" when they turn on the computer.  What is the possible cause?

     A. A virus on the boot sector of the hard disk
     B. User error
     C. Dust and dirt on the power supply
     D. A book lying on the keyboard during system start up

17. A user calls you and reports that their computer is giving them a General Protection Fault in the program XXXX.EXE.
      What are some possible causes?  (circle all that apply)

     A. The XXXX.EXE progrma is bad and should be be replaced or "patched" (i.e., you should find and apply a bug fix)
     B. There is not enough memory in the computer
     C. There is not enough hard disk space in the computer
     D. All of the above
     E. None of the above

18. An HP LaserJet starts printing blank pages after you cleaned all of the internal parts.  What is the most probable cause?

     A. you broke the transfer corona wire
     B. There is no toner in the toner cartridge
     C. The HVPS is not functioning
     D. The fuser is still dirty

19. What is the most probable cause of a defect that repeats itself on the page?

     A. Bad toner cartridge
     B. bad fuser roller
     C. Any dirty or scratched roller
     D. Dirty or broken corona wire
     E. None of the above  

Copyright © 2002-2008  Ted J. Mieske
All Rights Reserved.

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