PBQ Quiz: Can You Handle CompTIA's Toughest Questions?

1. You need to assign static IP addresses to servers. Which configuration method ensures the address doesn't change after reboot?

DHCP reservation

Manual static IP configuration

APIPA assignment

Link-local addressing

2. You discover unauthorized access to a server. Which action should you take first in an incident response scenario?

Immediately shut down the server

Isolate the system from the network

Delete suspicious files

Restart all services

3. In a disaster recovery PBQ, what is the Recovery Time Objective (RTO)?

The maximum amount of data loss acceptable

The maximum time allowed to restore a system

The cost of recovery infrastructure

The backup frequency required

4. When troubleshooting authentication failures, which Active Directory tool would you use to reset a user's password securely?

Active Directory Users and Computers

Group Policy Editor

Event Viewer

Device Manager

5. A PBQ asks you to configure a VPN. Which of the following is a key benefit of VPN technology?

Increases network speed

Encrypts traffic and masks IP address

Eliminates the need for firewalls

Reduces hardware costs

6. Which protocol is used for secure email transmission and encryption?

SMTP with TLS

POP3 unencrypted

IMAP without SSL

HTTP for mail

7. In a virtualization PBQ, you must allocate resources to a VM. What is the primary trade-off when assigning more CPU cores?

Improved performance but higher host resource consumption

No impact on host performance

Reduced network latency

Automatic backup improvements

8. Which command would you use to view all network connections and their associated processes on a Linux system?

Netstat

Ipconfig

Systemctl

Chmod

9. A PBQ scenario requires you to implement least privilege access. What does this principle mean?

Grant users all permissions by default

Grant users only the minimum permissions needed for their role

Deny all access to sensitive data

Allow administrators full system access always

10. In troubleshooting a print server issue, which log file would most likely contain printer error messages?

Application Event Log

Security Event Log

System Event Log

Setup Event Log

11. Which CompTIA certification focuses primarily on hardware, networking, and operating systems fundamentals?

CompTIA A+

CompTIA Security+

CompTIA Network+

CompTIA Cloud+

12. What is the primary purpose of a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in network security?

Store all company backups

Isolate public-facing services from internal networks

Increase network bandwidth

Replace the need for firewalls

13. In a PBQ, you're tasked with identifying a malware infection. Which tool would help you view currently running processes?

Task Manager

Device Manager

Services console

Event Viewer

14. You must configure a firewall rule to block all incoming traffic except HTTPS. Which port should you allow?

80

443

22

3389

15. Which of the following best describes RAID 1?

Striping with distributed parity

Mirroring of data across two drives

Striping without redundancy

Single drive with parity

16. A PBQ requires you to troubleshoot a failed backup. Which of the following is NOT typically checked during backup troubleshooting?

Backup job logs

Storage device connectivity

User's screen resolution

Available disk space

17. In Active Directory, what is the primary function of Group Policy Objects (GPOs)?

Manage user and computer configurations across the network

Backup user data automatically

Monitor network traffic

Encrypt all network communications

18. You need to implement encryption for data in transit. Which protocol would be most appropriate for secure web communication?

HTTP

HTTPS (TLS/SSL)

SMTP

DNS

19. A user reports slow network performance. You suspect a DNS issue. Which command would you use to test DNS resolution on a Windows machine?

Ping

Nslookup

Ipconfig /all

Tracert

20. In a PBQ scenario, you must configure a Windows Server to allow remote access. Which protocol is most commonly used for secure remote connections?

Telnet

RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol)

FTP