Help with question - cable type

An advantage of using unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable for data communication over other copper-based cables is that UTP cable:

A. reduces crosstalk between pairs.

B. provides protection against wiretapping.

C. can be used in long-distance networks.

D. is simple to install.

I think the answer should be D, as the UTP are cheapest ones out there and they are easiest to install as well as compared to any other type of cable. But the correct answer is mentioned as A, how on earth can it reduce craosstalk between pairs. They are most prone to EMI / RFI.

Any thoughts on why it is A and not D?

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shochan

Shielded twisted pairs are less prone, unshielded is more prone...Shielded will have an extra foil barrier...I know shielded wasn't mentioned, but is copper not underneath all cables? I agree it was a bad question, they were trying to distract you from the correct answer which wasn't obvious. But in most of my A+ /Net+ studies the crosstalk they mention always was the correct choice.

sumeetgandhi

@shochan - I am aware that STP are less prone but the question is talking about UTP and its advantage, for which I am looking for some thoughts. Thanks

sumeetgandhi

shochan said:

Shielded twisted pairs are less prone, unshielded is more prone...Shielded will have an extra foil barrier...I know shielded wasn't mentioned, but is copper not underneath all cables? I agree it was a bad question, they were trying to distract you from the correct answer which wasn't obvious. But in most of my A+ /Net+ studies the crosstalk they mention always was the correct choice.

That is a real bummer, but honestly I still don't get the point about crosstalk being reduced by using UTP.

shochan

You might check out Mike Meyers explain it...he writes many great IT cert books - maybe this will help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eea_-D8rhoE

OR
Eli, goes deep into cabling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-azkafrgrw

wd40

Why is this in CISM category? shouldn't it be in A+ or Network+

Hi Sumeet, is this your first Certification attempt?

You must learn two things regarding certification exams:

1: What you think is irrelevant, you must think in the way that they want you to think (CompTIA in this case), if they say in the book that UTP reduces cross talk then for this exam you have to select that UTP reduce cross talk, of course there will be some exceptions where the information is actually wrong.

2: If you need to research every single piece of information in the book you will never finish studying for any exam, focus on the idea and don't dig too deep into the details because it will confuse you more than help you with the exam.

..................................

I have a diploma in Telecommunications Electronics and used to teach A+ course more than 10 years ago, UTP does reduce cross talk if you compare it to a bunch of straight cables for example, if the question was saying that UTP eliminates cross talk then D will be correct.

sumeetgandhi

wd40 said:

Why is this in CISM category? shouldn't it be in A+ or Network+

Hi Sumeet, is this your first Certification attempt?

You must learn two things regarding certification exams:

1: What you think is irrelevant, you must think in the way that they want you to think (CompTIA in this case), if they say in the book that UTP reduces cross talk then for this exam you have to select that UTP reduce cross talk, of course there will be some exceptions where the information is actually wrong.

2: If you need to research every single piece of information in the book you will never finish studying for any exam, focus on the idea and don't dig too deep into the details because it will confuse you more than help you with the exam.

..................................
I have a diploma in Telecommunications Electronics and used to teach A+ course more than 10 years ago, UTP does reduce cross talk if you compare it to a bunch of straight cables for example, if the question was saying that UTP eliminates cross talk then D will be correct.

Hi,

No, this is not the 1st cert I am giving. This is not CompTIA question (I am not sure if this is part of that). For some reason this should be under CISA and not CISM.

Even in books of CISA or CompTIA (which I have not gone through), it is mentioned that UTP is cheap / easy to install as the biggest advantage. No where it is mentioned that they reduce (or help in reducing the crosstalks). So, I wanted to get an view from the fellow members of this community to understand why the correct answer is correct.

Thanks

wd40

I passed CISA in 2015, and I really don't think I ever saw anything related to cables while preparing for the exam..

Where did you see that question?

Pseudonymous

wd40 said:

1: What you think is irrelevant, you must think in the way that they want you to think (CompTIA in this case), if they say in the book that UTP reduces cross talk then for this exam you have to select that UTP reduce cross talk, of course there will be some exceptions where the information is actually wrong.

2: If you need to research every single piece of information in the book you will never finish studying for any exam, focus on the idea and don't dig too deep into the details because it will confuse you more than help you with the exam.

Couldn't disagree more. If you don't understand why something is the right answer, don't just accept it and on. You need to know why the correct answer is right. Sorry, but following his advise will probably result in you failing the exam. They're not going to ask you the exact questions that you see on practice exams so it's important to really research and question things like you're doing now when you don't get it. That's how you learn

sumeetgandhi

wd40 said:

I passed CISA in 2015, and I really don't think I ever saw anything related to cables while preparing for the exam..

Where did you see that question?

Its from qae db.

wd40

Cameron M said:

wd40 said:

1: What you think is irrelevant, you must think in the way that they want you to think (CompTIA in this case), if they say in the book that UTP reduces cross talk then for this exam you have to select that UTP reduce cross talk, of course there will be some exceptions where the information is actually wrong.

2: If you need to research every single piece of information in the book you will never finish studying for any exam, focus on the idea and don't dig too deep into the details because it will confuse you more than help you with the exam.

Couldn't disagree more. If you don't understand why something is the right answer, don't just accept it and on. You need to know why the correct answer is right. Sorry, but following his advise will probably result in you failing the exam. They're not going to ask you the exact questions that you see on practice exams so it's important to really research and question things like you're doing now when you don't get it. That's how you learn

What I said is don't go too deep, understanding why the correct question is correct is different from doing research to understand why and how UTP cables reduce cross talk, it is like reading books about encryption to prepare for Security+ exam.

This happens all the time,some people will read one Book and pass the exam, and people who read 3 different books, watch videos on youtube, udemy, take a boot camp and others will fail the same exam.

If it is a simple question keep it simple, don't over complicate things.

wd40

sumeetgandhi said:

wd40 said:

I passed CISA in 2015, and I really don't think I ever saw anything related to cables while preparing for the exam..

Where did you see that question?

Its from qae db.

OK, what was the explanation for the answer?

clarson

sumeetgandhi said:

An advantage of using unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable for data communication over other copper-based cables is that UTP cable:

A. reduces crosstalk between pairs.
B. provides protection against wiretapping.
C. can be used in long-distance networks.
D. is simple to install.

I think the answer should be D, as the UTP are cheapest ones out there and they are easiest to install as well as compared to any other type of cable. But the correct answer is mentioned as A, how on earth can it reduce craosstalk between pairs. They are most prone to EMI / RFI.

Any thoughts on why it is A and not D?

well, when selecting a cable for data communications it is all about signal degradation. or "how fast can it go" for "how far can it go". one of factors contributing to this degradation is crosstalk. No one picks a cable based on how simple it is to install. For all copper cables the complexity of installation is about the same. (ok, this a general statement that doesn't hold true in specific circumstances, but it is a general question)

without getting into the physics of interacting electromagnetic fields, I'll just say that the more the pairs are twisted the less crosstalk there is. why is cat 6 cable rated as faster than cat 3? A big factor is the twists/inch of the cable. With cat 6 cable, the pairs have more twists/inch than cat 3. A cat 6 cable has less crosstalk. By using a cat 6 cable a faster signal can go further.

I agree that the question is somewhat vague and both answers could be right. But, when talking about cabling, it is more about the crosstalk. And, therefore, A is the better answer for this question.

sumeetgandhi

wd40 said:

sumeetgandhi said:

wd40 said:

I passed CISA in 2015, and I really don't think I ever saw anything related to cables while preparing for the exam..

Where did you see that question?

Its from qae db.

OK, what was the explanation for the answer?

Explanation just mentioned that UTP helps in reducing the crosstalk, they did not explain how or why.

sumeetgandhi

clarson said:

sumeetgandhi said:

An advantage of using unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable for data communication over other copper-based cables is that UTP cable:

A. reduces crosstalk between pairs.
B. provides protection against wiretapping.
C. can be used in long-distance networks.
D. is simple to install.

I think the answer should be D, as the UTP are cheapest ones out there and they are easiest to install as well as compared to any other type of cable. But the correct answer is mentioned as A, how on earth can it reduce craosstalk between pairs. They are most prone to EMI / RFI.

Any thoughts on why it is A and not D?

well, when selecting a cable for data communications it is all about signal degradation. or "how fast can it go" for "how far can it go". one of factors contributing to this degradation is crosstalk. No one picks a cable based on how simple it is to install. For all copper cables the complexity of installation is about the same. (ok, this a general statement that doesn't hold true in specific circumstances, but it is a general question)

without getting into the physics of interacting electromagnetic fields, I'll just say that the more the pairs are twisted the less crosstalk there is. why is cat 6 cable rated as faster than cat 3? A big factor is the twists/inch of the cable. With cat 6 cable, the pairs have more twists/inch than cat 3. A cat 6 cable has less crosstalk. By using a cat 6 cable a faster signal can go further.

I agree that the question is somewhat vague and both answers could be right. But, when talking about cabling, it is more about the crosstalk. And, therefore, A is the better answer for this question.

Thank you so much for the details. Well now I know that A and D are both correct answers but A weighs a bit more on the correct side. Thanks again everyone! Really appreciate the views from you all.

I do have few more questions that I will post which I would need some more expert advice as they are also bit biased.