Computer & IT · Topic 1
Parts of a computer, memory, storage units and kinds of software.
Learn first
Learn the parts of a computer, the difference between kinds of memory, and the kinds of software.
Practise
Try each question, then open the answer. MCQs 1–50 of 270.
1.Who is known as the father of the computer?
Answer: D. Charles Babbage
Babbage designed the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine.
2.Which machine designed by Charles Babbage is seen as the first general-purpose computer design?
Answer: C. Analytical Engine
The Analytical Engine (1837) had a mill, a store and punched-card input.
3.Who is regarded as the first computer programmer?
Answer: B. Ada Lovelace
Ada Lovelace wrote an algorithm for the Analytical Engine in 1843.
4.Which was the first electronic general-purpose computer?
Answer: C. ENIAC
ENIAC was completed in the United States in 1945.
5.Which was the first commercial computer produced in the United States?
Answer: A. UNIVAC I
UNIVAC I was delivered in 1951.
6.The earliest known counting device is what?
Answer: B. Abacus
The abacus has been used for thousands of years.
7.Who invented the first mechanical adding machine, the Pascaline?
Answer: A. Blaise Pascal
Pascal built it in 1642.
8.Who invented punched-card tabulating machines for the 1890 US census?
Answer: C. Herman Hollerith
Hollerith's company later became part of IBM.
9.First-generation computers used which technology?
Answer: C. Vacuum tubes
First-generation computers (1940s–1950s) used vacuum tubes.
10.Second-generation computers used which technology?
Answer: D. Transistors
Transistors replaced vacuum tubes in the late 1950s.
11.Third-generation computers used which technology?
Answer: C. Integrated circuits
Integrated circuits came into use in the 1960s.
12.Fourth-generation computers are based on which technology?
Answer: A. Microprocessors
The microprocessor put a whole CPU on one chip.
13.Fifth-generation computers are associated with what?
Answer: A. Artificial intelligence
Fifth-generation computing aims at AI and natural language.
14.Who invented the transistor?
Answer: B. Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley
They invented it at Bell Labs in 1947.
15.Who invented the integrated circuit?
Answer: B. Jack Kilby (with Robert Noyce)
Kilby and Noyce independently invented the IC in 1958–59.
16.Which was the first commercial microprocessor?
Answer: C. Intel 4004
Intel released the 4004 in 1971.
17.What is the full form of CPU?
Answer: B. Central Processing Unit
The CPU carries out instructions.
18.The CPU is often called what?
Answer: B. The brain of the computer
It processes all instructions and data.
19.What are the main parts of the CPU?
Answer: C. ALU, control unit and registers
The ALU calculates, the control unit directs and registers hold data.
20.What does ALU stand for?
Answer: D. Arithmetic Logic Unit
The ALU does arithmetic and logical operations.
21.The speed of a CPU is measured in what?
Answer: A. Hertz (GHz)
Clock speed is given in gigahertz.
22.A processor with several processing units on one chip is called what?
Answer: C. Multi-core processor
Multi-core CPUs run several tasks at once.
23.Which processor is designed especially for graphics?
Answer: C. GPU
Graphics Processing Units also power AI training.
24.The main circuit board of a computer is called what?
Answer: C. Motherboard
All components connect through the motherboard.
25.What does RAM stand for?
Answer: B. Random Access Memory
RAM is the computer's working memory.
26.What does ROM stand for?
Answer: A. Read Only Memory
ROM holds permanent instructions.
27.Which memory loses its contents when the power is switched off?
Answer: B. RAM
RAM is volatile.
28.Which memory is non-volatile and holds start-up instructions?
Answer: C. ROM
ROM keeps its contents without power.
29.Which is the fastest memory in a computer?
Answer: A. Registers
Registers inside the CPU are fastest; cache comes next.
30.Cache memory is placed between which two components?
Answer: A. CPU and main memory (RAM)
Cache keeps frequently used data close to the CPU.
31.Virtual memory uses which device to extend RAM?
Answer: D. Hard disk or SSD
The operating system uses storage space as extra memory.
32.What does EPROM stand for?
Answer: C. Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
EPROM can be erased with ultraviolet light and reprogrammed.
33.Which kind of ROM can be erased electrically and is used in flash drives?
Answer: D. EEPROM (flash)
Flash memory is a type of EEPROM.
34.What is the smallest unit of data in a computer?
Answer: D. Bit
A bit is a single 0 or 1.
35.How many bits make one byte?
Answer: A. 8
One byte is eight bits.
36.Four bits are called what?
Answer: B. Nibble
A nibble is half a byte.
37.One kilobyte is equal to how many bytes?
Answer: D. 1,024
In binary terms, 1 KB = 2¹⁰ = 1,024 bytes.
38.Which is the largest of these units?
Answer: D. Terabyte
KB < MB < GB < TB.
39.One gigabyte is equal to how many megabytes?
Answer: C. 1,024
1 GB = 1,024 MB.
40.Which unit comes after the terabyte?
Answer: C. Petabyte
After TB come PB, EB, ZB and YB.
41.Computers store data using which number system?
Answer: C. Binary
Binary uses only 0 and 1.
42.The binary number 1010 equals which decimal number?
Answer: A. 10
1×8 + 0×4 + 1×2 + 0×1 = 10.
43.The hexadecimal number system has a base of what?
Answer: A. 16
Hexadecimal uses 0–9 and A–F.
44.The octal number system has a base of what?
Answer: B. 8
Octal uses the digits 0 to 7.
45.ASCII is a code for representing what?
Answer: C. Characters as numbers
ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
46.Which character-encoding standard covers most of the world's writing systems, including Urdu?
Answer: D. Unicode
Unicode includes Arabic and Urdu script.
47.Which of these is an input device?
Answer: B. Keyboard
Input devices send data into the computer.
48.Which of these is an output device?
Answer: D. Printer
Output devices present results.
49.Which device works as both input and output?
Answer: A. Touchscreen
A touchscreen shows output and takes touch input.
50.Who invented the computer mouse?
Answer: A. Douglas Engelbart
Engelbart demonstrated the mouse in 1968.
Test yourself
Each quiz has 50 MCQs from this topic and 50 minutes. A correct answer earns 1 mark and each wrong answer takes off 0.25; skipped questions score nothing. No password needed.
