Wrong Questions on Practice Tests

Hello All I'm starting to get really frustrated with EXAM Cram 2. I have stumbled onto quite a few questions that I believe they are wrong about and I'm worried the actual test may cause me to make the same mistakes. Let me give you a sample question and perhaps you can help.

Which of the following devices is associated with the Physical layer?

NIC Card
Router
Switch
Fiber Optic Cable

Ok Obviously I picked NIC card because it is a device that operates at the Physical and Data link Layer. Well according to the answer its supposed to be the Fiber Cable. WTF!!!! since when is cabling a device???? Am I crazy or did they word this wrong?

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Comments

Tyrant1919

NIC is apart of the Data Link and Physical as you said, but it's considered to be a device that works at the Data Link layer. A router could also be the correct answer if you think about it like you're doing, and so could a switch. The fiber cable is correctly stated as being at the physical layer which includes all cables and connectors and such.

As quoted from Wikipedia:

The Physical layer defines all the electrical and physical specifications for devices. In particular, it defines the relationship between a device and a physical medium. This includes the layout of pins, voltages, cable specifications, Hubs, repeaters, network adapters, Host Bus Adapters (HBAs used in Storage Area Networks) and more.

I can see where the word Device may have thrown you off. But the definition of a device at Dictionary.com could include a fiber cable.

Since all other answers listed work at the Data Link layer or higher, the only logical choice is the fiber optic cable.

Daniel333

Since a NIC has a MAC address, you are going to place it at layer 2. Since the cable is dumb and has no addressing, you'll place it layer 1.

The Net+ exams will test you on that sort of thing, as will the CCNA. Make sure you get that one down. I don't recommend the Exam Cram books as your first source, use them as a second resouce.

Kikode

Thanks for the clarification but it's really starting to seem like they are purposefully trying to make me miss questions. For example from what I've studied a wire is considered Media. And now that I get it in a question it can be a device as well so frustrating.

Tyrant1919

I'm pretty sure the word Device gotcha. I wouldn't call the wire a device myself, maybe that was put in there to try and throw you off.

sprkymrk

Kikode wrote:

Thanks for the clarification but it's really starting to seem like they are purposefully trying to make me miss questions. For example from what I've studied a wire is considered Media. And now that I get it in a question it can be a device as well so frustrating.

Try not to look at this exam as a "semantics" or "grammar" quiz - that's what Micrsoft tests are for.

Look at everything with the "network" concept in mind. That should help you understand what they are asking you. Pick the "most correct" or "best" answer. If you still have trouble, grab something other than the Exam Cram and see if you can grasp the material a little better. Better yet, check out the TechNotes here:

http://www.techexams.net/technotes.php