A+ V14 Switch and Port Troubleshooting Quiz

1. A switch port is configured for 802.1X authentication and devices cannot connect. What is the likely issue?

Port is in shutdown mode

Device is not 802.1X-capable or credentials are incorrect

Cable is damaged

Switch firmware is outdated

2. What is the correct first step when troubleshooting a completely unresponsive switch?

Check power supply, verify power connection, and confirm LEDs light up

Replace the switch

Call the vendor

Update the firmware

3. When a switch exhibits intermittent connectivity issues on random ports, what hardware component is likely degrading?

Backplane or internal fabric

The wall outlet

User's keyboard

The router's antenna

4. A switch port supports PoE but is not delivering power to a connected device. What should you check first?

PoE is enabled on the port and power budget is available

Replace the device immediately

Unplug the switch

Check the device's color

5. Which of these indicates a switch has recovered from a power failure correctly?

All LEDs are off

System LED is green, ports come online, and configuration is preserved

Only some ports light up

Switch requires manual reset

6. A switch port negotiates to 100 Mbps instead of 1 Gbps. What is the most common cause?

Cable quality issue or incorrect speed configuration

The device is broken

Network is too busy

Malware infection

7. What should you verify after replacing a failed switch module in a modular switch?

Check module LED indicators and verify all ports are online

Assume it works and move on

Only check one port

Reboot the entire network

8. A switch is dropping frames on a specific port. Which hardware issue is most probable?

Port memory buffer exhaustion or corrupted ASIC

User is typing too fast

Cable color is wrong

Monitor resolution is low

9. When testing a switch port with a loopback adapter, what result indicates the port is functioning?

LED turns off

LED flashes and link is established

Switch reboots

Port is disabled

10. What does STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) do when it detects a loop in the network?

Automatically fixes the loop

Blocks redundant ports to prevent broadcast storms

Reboots the switch

Deletes the loop configuration

11. A network switch port is not passing traffic. Which diagnostic tool should you use first to check physical connectivity?

Ping

Tracert

Cable tester or loopback tester

Netstat

12. Which command allows you to view switch port status and VLAN assignment on Cisco devices?

Show running-config

Show interface status

Show vlan brief

Show mac-address-table

13. How should you troubleshoot a switch with a failing power supply?

Replace the power supply and monitor for stability

Ignore it if some ports still work

Reboot the switch

Update firmware

14. A duplex mismatch between a switch port and connected device causes which symptom?

Complete loss of connectivity

High collision rates and intermittent data loss

Physical port damage

Switch reboot

15. What is the correct procedure when a switch port fails port security checks?

Automatically re-enable the port

Investigate the violation and manually re-enable or reconfigure security

Replace the switch

Ignore the error

16. A switch is experiencing packet loss on several ports. Which hardware component should you inspect?

The backplane and internal bus

Only the cable

The monitor

The router

17. You notice multiple ports on a switch are down simultaneously. What is the most likely cause?

Individual port failures

Power supply failure or overheating

User error

Time of day

18. Which condition would cause a switch port to go into an error-disabled state?

Normal operation

BPDU guard violation or port security violation

High bandwidth usage

Scheduled maintenance

19. A switch port shows a green LED but still cannot pass data. What should you check next?

VLAN configuration and port assignment

Replace the entire switch

Reboot the switch immediately

Check if the cable is plugged in

20. What does an amber or orange LED on a switch port typically indicate?