CTE Skills and Knowledge 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer complains that their workstation runs slowly after installing new software. Which diagnostic step should the technician perform FIRST?
- Reinstall the operating system
- Check Task Manager for resource-heavy processes (Correct answer)
- Replace the RAM
- Run a full disk defragmentation
Correct answer: Check Task Manager for resource-heavy processes
Task Manager reveals which processes are consuming CPU, RAM, or disk resources, allowing targeted diagnosis.
Question 2: Which type of malware disguises itself as legitimate software to gain unauthorized access to a system?
- Worm
- Trojan horse (Correct answer)
- Ransomware
- Adware
Correct answer: Trojan horse
A Trojan horse appears to be legitimate software but contains malicious code that executes once installed.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a POST (Power-On Self-Test) in a computer system?
- To install the operating system
- To verify hardware components are functioning before boot (Correct answer)
- To scan for malware at startup
- To configure BIOS settings automatically
Correct answer: To verify hardware components are functioning before boot
POST runs firmware-level diagnostics to verify CPU, RAM, storage, and other components before the OS loads.
Question 4: A technician is setting up a workstation in an office. Which IP address class is most commonly used for private internal networks?
- Class A (10.0.0.0/8)
- Class B (172.16.0.0/12)
- Class C (192.168.0.0/16)
- All of the above are valid private ranges (Correct answer)
Correct answer: All of the above are valid private ranges
RFC 1918 defines all three — Class A, B, and C — as valid private IP address ranges for internal networks.
Question 5: Which tool is used to crimp RJ-45 connectors onto the end of a twisted-pair ethernet cable?
- Wire stripper
- Punch-down tool
- Crimping tool (Correct answer)
- Cable toner
Correct answer: Crimping tool
A crimping tool compresses the RJ-45 connector onto the cable, securing the pins to each wire.
Question 6: In electrostatic discharge (ESD) prevention, what does the anti-static wrist strap connect to?
- The power outlet
- A ground point on the workbench or chassis (Correct answer)
- The RAM slot
- The technician's shoe
Correct answer: A ground point on the workbench or chassis
The anti-static wrist strap must connect to a grounding point to safely dissipate static charge from the technician's body.
Question 7: A technician replaces a failed hard drive and needs to restore data. Which practice ensures data can be recovered with minimal loss?
- Keeping all data on a single drive
- Implementing a regular backup schedule (Correct answer)
- Using only SSD drives
- Encrypting all files
Correct answer: Implementing a regular backup schedule
A regular backup schedule ensures that recent data can be restored after hardware failure with minimal data loss.
CTE Skills and Knowledge 3
A customer complains that their workstation runs slowly after installing new software.
Which diagnostic step should the technician perform FIRST?