CSS NEXUS

Computer & IT · Topic 1

Hardware and software

Parts of a computer, memory, storage units and kinds of software.

Explanation 347 MCQs Free timed quizzes
Computer & IT

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Explanation

Learn the parts of a computer, the difference between kinds of memory, and the kinds of software.

History and parts

  • Charles Babbage is called the father of the computer (he designed the Analytical Engine); Ada Lovelace is called the first programmer.
  • The CPU is the "brain" of the computer; it has the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), the control unit (CU) and registers.
  • Input devices: keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone. Output devices: monitor, printer, speakers.
  • Generations of computers: vacuum tubes, transistors, integrated circuits, microprocessors, and artificial intelligence.

Memory and storage

  • RAM is volatile: it loses its contents when the power goes off. ROM is non-volatile and holds start-up instructions.
  • Cache memory is the fastest memory and sits close to the CPU.
  • 1 byte = 8 bits; 1 kilobyte = 1,024 bytes; then megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte.
  • Hard disks (HDD) store data on spinning platters; solid-state drives (SSD) use flash memory and are faster.

Software

  • System software runs the computer (operating systems, drivers); application software does the user's tasks (word processors, browsers).
  • Firmware, such as the BIOS, is software stored permanently on hardware.
  • A compiler translates a whole program at once; an interpreter translates and runs it line by line.
  • Open-source software lets anyone read and change its source code.

Practise

Hardware and software MCQs

Try each question, then open the answer. MCQs 151–200 of 347.

151.Most smartphone processors are based on which design?

  1. A. Itanium
  2. B. SPARC
  3. C. ARM
  4. D. x86
Show answer

Answer: C. ARM

ARM designs use little power.

152.Which company makes the Snapdragon processors used in many Android phones?

  1. A. Qualcomm
  2. B. Intel
  3. C. Apple
  4. D. AMD
Show answer

Answer: A. Qualcomm

Snapdragon chips combine CPU, GPU and modem.

153.What does "open-source hardware" mean?

  1. A. Hardware that can run only the Linux system
  2. B. Hardware that is supplied with no outer case
  3. C. Designs that anyone may study, change and make
  4. D. Hardware that is sold without any warranty
Show answer

Answer: C. Designs that anyone may study, change and make

Arduino is a well-known example.

154.Software sold with a licence that keeps its code secret is called what?

  1. A. Freeware
  2. B. Open-source software
  3. C. Proprietary software
  4. D. Public domain software
Show answer

Answer: C. Proprietary software

Microsoft Windows is proprietary.

155.Using copied software without a licence is called what?

  1. A. Freeware
  2. B. Software piracy
  3. C. Beta testing
  4. D. Shareware
Show answer

Answer: B. Software piracy

Piracy breaks copyright law.

156.A test version of software released to users before the final version is called what?

  1. A. Alpha release to the public only
  2. B. Final release
  3. C. Beta version
  4. D. Legacy version
Show answer

Answer: C. Beta version

Beta testers report bugs before release.

157.A newer version of software that adds features is called what?

  1. A. Patch only
  2. B. Upgrade
  3. C. Downgrade
  4. D. Rollback
Show answer

Answer: B. Upgrade

Updates fix problems; upgrades add new features.

158.Software that is old but still in use is called what?

  1. A. Legacy software
  2. B. Middleware
  3. C. Beta software
  4. D. Freeware
Show answer

Answer: A. Legacy software

Many banks still run legacy systems.

159.Software that connects different applications or databases is called what?

  1. A. Freeware
  2. B. Firmware
  3. C. Malware
  4. D. Middleware
Show answer

Answer: D. Middleware

It sits between programs and helps them communicate.

160.A program that converts files into a smaller size is called what?

  1. A. Device driver
  2. B. Antivirus software
  3. C. Compression software
  4. D. Compiler
Show answer

Answer: C. Compression software

WinRAR and 7-Zip are examples.

161.Software that hides data by scrambling it is called what?

  1. A. Encryption software
  2. B. Debugger
  3. C. Compression software
  4. D. Firewall
Show answer

Answer: A. Encryption software

Only someone with the key can read the data.

162.Software used to create and edit photos is called what?

  1. A. Image editor
  2. B. Database
  3. C. Compiler
  4. D. Spreadsheet
Show answer

Answer: A. Image editor

Adobe Photoshop and GIMP are image editors.

163.Adobe Photoshop is mainly used for what?

  1. A. Recording and mixing music
  2. B. Editing photographs and images
  3. C. Writing letters and reports
  4. D. Managing customer databases
Show answer

Answer: B. Editing photographs and images

It works with bitmap images.

164.Software for drawing logos that stay sharp at any size works with which type of graphics?

  1. A. Pixel art
  2. B. Raster graphics
  3. C. Bitmap only
  4. D. Vector graphics
Show answer

Answer: D. Vector graphics

Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW use vector graphics.

165.AutoCAD is mainly used by whom?

  1. A. Engineers and architects for drawings
  2. B. Novelists for writing manuscripts
  3. C. Accountants for keeping ledgers
  4. D. Musicians for recording albums
Show answer

Answer: A. Engineers and architects for drawings

CAD stands for computer-aided design.

166.Which software category includes Tally, QuickBooks and Peachtree?

  1. A. Image editors
  2. B. Operating systems
  3. C. Web browsers
  4. D. Accounting software
Show answer

Answer: D. Accounting software

They manage ledgers, invoices and payroll.

167.Which software is used to manage large amounts of related data?

  1. A. Database management system
  2. B. Word processing program
  3. C. Photo and image editor
  4. D. Presentation software suite
Show answer

Answer: A. Database management system

Oracle, MySQL and Microsoft Access are DBMSs.

168.Which of these is an open-source database?

  1. A. MySQL
  2. B. IBM Db2
  3. C. Oracle Database
  4. D. Microsoft SQL Server
Show answer

Answer: A. MySQL

MySQL is widely used on websites.

169.What does "SQL" stand for?

  1. A. System Quality Language
  2. B. Standard Query Logic
  3. C. Simple Question Language
  4. D. Structured Query Language
Show answer

Answer: D. Structured Query Language

SQL is used to read and change data in databases.

170.What is "source code"?

  1. A. The password needed to install a program
  2. B. The program written by a programmer in a language
  3. C. The binary machine code stored inside the CPU
  4. D. The licence serial number printed on the box
Show answer

Answer: B. The program written by a programmer in a language

Compilers turn source code into machine code.

171.What does "IDE" stand for in programming?

  1. A. Internet Data Exchange Engine
  2. B. Integrated Development Environment
  3. C. Interactive Design Editor tool
  4. D. Internal Disk Encryption system
Show answer

Answer: B. Integrated Development Environment

Visual Studio and PyCharm are IDEs.

172.Which kind of programming arranges code into "objects" with data and methods?

  1. A. Assembly programming
  2. B. Machine-level programming
  3. C. Procedural programming only
  4. D. Object-oriented programming
Show answer

Answer: D. Object-oriented programming

Java, C++ and Python support it.

173.A named storage place in a program whose value can change is called what?

  1. A. Loop
  2. B. Constant
  3. C. Variable
  4. D. Comment
Show answer

Answer: C. Variable

A constant's value does not change.

174.A part of a program that repeats instructions is called what?

  1. A. Comment
  2. B. Loop
  3. C. Variable
  4. D. Function name
Show answer

Answer: B. Loop

For and while are common loops.

175.Notes in code that the computer ignores are called what?

  1. A. Loops
  2. B. Variables
  3. C. Errors
  4. D. Comments
Show answer

Answer: D. Comments

Comments explain code to human readers.

176.An error in a program's grammar that stops it compiling is called what?

  1. A. Logical error
  2. B. Hardware error
  3. C. Run-time error
  4. D. Syntax error
Show answer

Answer: D. Syntax error

A missing bracket causes a syntax error.

177.An error where the program runs but gives wrong results is called what?

  1. A. Syntax error
  2. B. Logical error
  3. C. Compile error
  4. D. Hardware failure
Show answer

Answer: B. Logical error

The code follows the rules but the reasoning is wrong.

178.How many bits are there in a kilobit?

  1. A. 100 (or 128 in binary use)
  2. B. 1,000 (or 1,024 in binary use)
  3. C. 8 (or 16 in binary use)
  4. D. 10,000 (or 8,192 in binary use)
Show answer

Answer: B. 1,000 (or 1,024 in binary use)

Network speeds use 1,000; memory sizes often use 1,024.

179.Which is bigger: a megabyte or a megabit?

  1. A. A megabyte
  2. B. It depends on the computer
  3. C. They are equal
  4. D. A megabit
Show answer

Answer: A. A megabyte

One byte is eight bits.

180.An internet speed of 8 Mbps can download about how many megabytes per second?

  1. A. About 8 MB
  2. B. About 1 MB
  3. C. About 64 MB
  4. D. About 0.1 MB
Show answer

Answer: B. About 1 MB

8 megabits divided by 8 bits per byte is 1 megabyte.

181.The binary number 1111 equals which decimal number?

  1. A. 11
  2. B. 15
  3. C. 16
  4. D. 8
Show answer

Answer: B. 15

8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 15.

182.The decimal number 8 is written in binary as what?

  1. A. 0100
  2. B. 1100
  3. C. 0111
  4. D. 1000
Show answer

Answer: D. 1000

8 is 2 to the power 3.

183.The hexadecimal digit "F" equals which decimal number?

  1. A. 14
  2. B. 10
  3. C. 16
  4. D. 15
Show answer

Answer: D. 15

Hexadecimal uses A to F for 10 to 15.

184.Colours on web pages are often written in which number system, such as #FF0000?

  1. A. Binary
  2. B. Octal
  3. C. Hexadecimal
  4. D. Roman
Show answer

Answer: C. Hexadecimal

#FF0000 is pure red.

185.How many different values can one byte represent?

  1. A. 512
  2. B. 128
  3. C. 256
  4. D. 255
Show answer

Answer: C. 256

2 to the power 8 is 256 (0 to 255).

186.The logic gate that outputs 1 only if both inputs are 1 is which?

  1. A. AND
  2. B. OR
  3. C. XOR
  4. D. NOT
Show answer

Answer: A. AND

OR outputs 1 if either input is 1.

187.The logic gate that reverses its input is which?

  1. A. OR
  2. B. AND
  3. C. NAND
  4. D. NOT
Show answer

Answer: D. NOT

NOT turns 0 into 1 and 1 into 0.

188.The logic gate that outputs 1 when inputs are different is which?

  1. A. NOR
  2. B. AND
  3. C. OR
  4. D. XOR
Show answer

Answer: D. XOR

XOR means "exclusive OR".

189.Which logic gates are called "universal" because any circuit can be built from them?

  1. A. XOR and XNOR
  2. B. AND and OR
  3. C. NOT and XOR
  4. D. NAND and NOR
Show answer

Answer: D. NAND and NOR

Every other gate can be made from NAND or NOR alone.

190.Which mathematician created the algebra of logic used in computers?

  1. A. George Boole
  2. B. Alan Turing
  3. C. John Napier
  4. D. Charles Babbage
Show answer

Answer: A. George Boole

Boolean algebra uses true and false values.

191.Who described the design in which programs and data share the same memory?

  1. A. Claude Shannon
  2. B. John von Neumann
  3. C. Charles Babbage
  4. D. Alan Turing
Show answer

Answer: B. John von Neumann

Most computers still use the von Neumann architecture.

192.Who is called the father of information theory?

  1. A. Tim Berners-Lee
  2. B. John von Neumann
  3. C. Claude Shannon
  4. D. George Boole
Show answer

Answer: C. Claude Shannon

He showed how to measure information in bits.

193.Which British code-breakers' machine helped crack the Enigma code in the Second World War?

  1. A. The Bombe (with Alan Turing's work)
  2. B. The UNIVAC (with Grace Hopper's work)
  3. C. The ENIAC (with John Mauchly's work)
  4. D. The Difference Engine (with Babbage's work)
Show answer

Answer: A. The Bombe (with Alan Turing's work)

Colossus later helped break other German codes.

194.Which was the first programmable electronic computer, used by British code-breakers?

  1. A. Colossus
  2. B. UNIVAC
  3. C. ENIAC
  4. D. Mark I
Show answer

Answer: A. Colossus

It was used at Bletchley Park from 1944.

195.Which company built the first widely sold personal computer with a graphical interface, the Macintosh, in 1984?

  1. A. Microsoft
  2. B. IBM
  3. C. Commodore
  4. D. Apple
Show answer

Answer: D. Apple

The Lisa came earlier but was very expensive.

196.Which is the world's best-selling single computer model, from the 1980s?

  1. A. IBM PC
  2. B. Commodore 64
  3. C. Apple II
  4. D. ZX Spectrum
Show answer

Answer: B. Commodore 64

Millions of units were sold.

197.The first laptop computers became common in which decade?

  1. A. 1970s
  2. B. 2000s
  3. C. 1960s
  4. D. 1980s
Show answer

Answer: D. 1980s

Early portables were heavy and costly.

198.Which kind of storage does a smartphone mainly use?

  1. A. Hard disk platters
  2. B. Magnetic tape
  3. C. Flash memory
  4. D. Optical discs
Show answer

Answer: C. Flash memory

It is fast, small and has no moving parts.

199.Memory cards used in cameras and phones are commonly which type?

  1. A. SD (Secure Digital) cards
  2. B. Zip disks
  3. C. DVD discs
  4. D. Floppy disks
Show answer

Answer: A. SD (Secure Digital) cards

microSD cards are used in phones.

200.The standard connector on most new Android phones and laptops is which?

  1. A. Micro-USB only
  2. B. Lightning
  3. C. USB Type-A only
  4. D. USB Type-C
Show answer

Answer: D. USB Type-C

The EU made USB-C the common charger from 2024.

Test yourself

Free timed quizzes

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.

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