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Virtualization and Cloud Computing — A+ Core 1 practice questions

Domain 4 of the CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) exam. 105 questions on this domain in the full bank — here are four free samples with answers and explanations.

Question 1 · Difficulty 2/5

Which cloud service model exposes virtualized compute, storage, and network primitives to the customer, requiring the customer to install and manage the operating system and all software running on top of it? (Select the best answer.)
  1. Software as a Service (SaaS)
  2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
  3. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
  4. Function as a Service (FaaS)
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
IaaS provides raw virtualized infrastructure (compute, storage, networking) and places responsibility for the OS, middleware, runtime, and application on the customer. SaaS delivers a fully managed application where the customer manages only configuration and data. PaaS delivers a managed runtime platform where the customer is responsible only for application code and data. FaaS (serverless) is an even more abstracted execution model and is outside the IaaS/PaaS/SaaS tier definitions tested here.

Question 2 · Difficulty 3/5

A development team wants to deploy a web application without managing servers, operating systems, or runtime patches. They need only to upload their application code and data while the cloud provider handles the underlying platform. Which cloud service model best satisfies this requirement? (Select the best answer.)
  1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), such as AWS EC2
  2. Platform as a Service (PaaS), such as Google App Engine
  3. Software as a Service (SaaS), such as Salesforce
  4. Function as a Service (FaaS), such as AWS Lambda
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Platform as a Service (PaaS), such as Google App Engine
PaaS (exemplified by Google App Engine and Heroku) provides a managed runtime environment; the customer is responsible only for application code and data, and the provider manages the OS, runtime, patches, and underlying infrastructure. IaaS (such as AWS EC2) requires the customer to manage the OS upward, which does not satisfy the requirement to avoid OS and runtime management. SaaS (such as Salesforce) delivers a specific pre-built application; customers cannot deploy their own custom application code. FaaS (such as AWS Lambda) is an event-driven, serverless execution model suited for discrete functions rather than full web application deployments, and the team would need to re-architect their application around individual functions rather than uploading it as a cohesive platform-hosted app.

Question 3 · Difficulty 2/5

Which cloud service model is best described as one in which the cloud provider manages the underlying infrastructure, the operating system, and the runtime environment, while the customer is responsible only for deploying and maintaining application code and data? (Select the best answer.)
  1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
  2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
  3. Software as a Service (SaaS)
  4. Network as a Service (NaaS)
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS provides a managed runtime and application platform; the provider handles infrastructure, OS patches, and middleware, leaving the customer responsible only for code and data. IaaS exposes raw virtualized compute, storage, and network resources, requiring the customer to manage the OS and everything above it. SaaS delivers a fully managed application where the customer manages only configuration and data, not code deployment. NaaS is a real cloud delivery concept (outsourced network connectivity), but it is not one of the three primary cloud service models and has no role in this responsibility boundary discussion.

Question 4 · Difficulty 3/5

A company deploys a Python web application on Google App Engine. A security auditor asks the engineering team to document which security controls are the team's direct responsibility under the shared-responsibility model. Which of the following items falls within the customer's responsibility boundary for this deployment? (Select the best answer.)
  1. Configuring identity and access management (IAM) policies to restrict which users can invoke the application's service endpoints
  2. Securing the application code and protecting the data the application processes
  3. Managing network virtualization and hypervisor-level isolation
  4. Applying security patches to the Python runtime provided by App Engine
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Securing the application code and protecting the data the application processes
Google App Engine is a PaaS offering; under the PaaS shared-responsibility model the customer is responsible for the application code it writes and the data the application handles, including code-level vulnerabilities and data classification. IAM policy configuration is a shared control, while customers do configure IAM, the question asks what falls strictly within customer responsibility as a security control over the application itself; application code and data remain the definitive customer-owned boundary. Hypervisor and network virtualization security are provider responsibilities at every service tier. The managed runtime (the Python interpreter and its patches) is maintained by the PaaS provider, not the customer.

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