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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 301–347 of 347.

301.Which method is used by computers to store negative whole numbers?

  1. A. Floating point
  2. B. Two's complement
  3. C. Hexadecimal
  4. D. ASCII
Show answer

Answer: B. Two's complement

It lets the same circuits add and subtract numbers.

302.Numbers with decimal points, like 3.14, are stored in computers in which form?

  1. A. Floating point
  2. B. Binary coded decimal
  3. C. ASCII code
  4. D. Two's complement
Show answer

Answer: A. Floating point

The format is defined by the IEEE 754 standard.

303.How many characters could the original ASCII code represent?

  1. A. 128
  2. B. 256
  3. C. 1,000
  4. D. 65,536
Show answer

Answer: A. 128

Original ASCII used 7 bits.

304.The high-speed slot used for graphics cards on modern motherboards is called what?

  1. A. Serial ATA (SATA)
  2. B. PCI Express (PCIe)
  3. C. VGA
  4. D. PS/2
Show answer

Answer: B. PCI Express (PCIe)

SSDs using NVMe also connect through PCIe lanes.

305.Which old connector, often purple and green, was used for keyboards and mice?

  1. A. RJ45
  2. B. USB
  3. C. HDMI
  4. D. PS/2
Show answer

Answer: D. PS/2

USB replaced it on most computers.

306.Which analogue video connector with 15 pins was used for older monitors?

  1. A. DisplayPort
  2. B. VGA
  3. C. HDMI
  4. D. USB-C
Show answer

Answer: B. VGA

VGA stands for Video Graphics Array.

307.Which connector is used for Ethernet network cables?

  1. A. VGA
  2. B. RJ45
  3. C. RJ11
  4. D. PS/2
Show answer

Answer: B. RJ45

RJ11 is the smaller connector used for telephone lines.

308.The fast connection standard Thunderbolt was developed by Intel together with which company?

  1. A. Apple
  2. B. Samsung
  3. C. Dell
  4. D. Microsoft
Show answer

Answer: A. Apple

Recent versions of Thunderbolt use the USB-C connector.

309.A metal part with fins that draws heat away from a processor is called what?

  1. A. Motherboard
  2. B. Power supply
  3. C. Expansion card
  4. D. Heat sink
Show answer

Answer: D. Heat sink

It is usually used with a fan.

310.The common shape of widescreen monitors is described by which aspect ratio?

  1. A. 1:1
  2. B. 16:9
  3. C. 3:2
  4. D. 4:3
Show answer

Answer: B. 16:9

Older square-looking monitors used 4:3.

311.Which type of touchscreen, used in smartphones, senses the electrical charge of a finger?

  1. A. Infrared
  2. B. Capacitive
  3. C. Resistive
  4. D. Magnetic
Show answer

Answer: B. Capacitive

Resistive screens respond to pressure and work with any object.

312.The brightness of a screen is measured in what?

  1. A. Nits
  2. B. Hertz
  3. C. Pixels
  4. D. Decibels
Show answer

Answer: A. Nits

One nit equals one candela per square metre.

313.Which input device has a ball on top that the user rolls with fingers?

  1. A. Light pen
  2. B. Joystick
  3. C. Trackball
  4. D. Touchpad
Show answer

Answer: C. Trackball

It works like an upside-down mouse.

314.Which old input device was pointed directly at the screen to select items?

  1. A. Plotter
  2. B. Scanner
  3. C. Light pen
  4. D. Trackball
Show answer

Answer: C. Light pen

It was used with old CRT monitors.

315.Which device turns paper documents and photos into digital images?

  1. A. Plotter
  2. B. Projector
  3. C. Scanner
  4. D. Printer
Show answer

Answer: C. Scanner

A flatbed scanner is the most common type.

316.Which output device prints raised dots for blind readers?

  1. A. Dot-matrix printer
  2. B. Plotter
  3. C. Braille embosser
  4. D. Thermal printer
Show answer

Answer: C. Braille embosser

Braille is read by touch.

317.Which device lets a computer send data over telephone lines by converting signals?

  1. A. Modem
  2. B. Switch
  3. C. Router
  4. D. Hub
Show answer

Answer: A. Modem

Modem is short for modulator-demodulator.

318.Which data structure works on the "last in, first out" (LIFO) rule?

  1. A. Array
  2. B. Queue
  3. C. Stack
  4. D. Tree
Show answer

Answer: C. Stack

Like a stack of plates, the last one added is the first taken off.

319.Which data structure works on the "first in, first out" (FIFO) rule?

  1. A. Stack
  2. B. Queue
  3. C. Tree
  4. D. Graph
Show answer

Answer: B. Queue

Like a line at a bank, the first to arrive is served first.

320.A collection of items of the same type stored one after another, reached by an index number, is called what?

  1. A. An array
  2. B. A pointer
  3. C. A function
  4. D. A loop
Show answer

Answer: A. An array

In most languages the first item has index 0.

321.Which search method works only on sorted data, by repeatedly halving the list?

  1. A. Binary search
  2. B. Random search
  3. C. Bubble search
  4. D. Linear search
Show answer

Answer: A. Binary search

It is much faster than checking items one by one.

322.Which simple sorting method repeatedly swaps neighbouring items that are in the wrong order?

  1. A. Quick sort
  2. B. Merge sort
  3. C. Heap sort
  4. D. Bubble sort
Show answer

Answer: D. Bubble sort

It is easy to understand but slow for large lists.

323."Big O" notation is used to describe what?

  1. A. How an algorithm's running time grows with input size
  2. B. The size of a computer's memory chips
  3. C. The download speed of an internet connection
  4. D. The resolution of a computer screen
Show answer

Answer: A. How an algorithm's running time grows with input size

For example, binary search is O(log n).

324.In programming, a named block of code that does a task and can be reused is called what?

  1. A. A variable
  2. B. A comment
  3. C. A constant
  4. D. A function
Show answer

Answer: D. A function

Functions are also called procedures or methods.

325.A value in a program that cannot change while it runs is called what?

  1. A. A constant
  2. B. A loop
  3. C. An array
  4. D. A variable
Show answer

Answer: A. A constant

For example, the value of pi.

326.A data type that can hold only true or false is called what?

  1. A. String
  2. B. Float
  3. C. Boolean
  4. D. Integer
Show answer

Answer: C. Boolean

It is named after the mathematician George Boole.

327.A sequence of characters such as a name or sentence is stored as which data type?

  1. A. Boolean
  2. B. Integer
  3. C. Float
  4. D. String
Show answer

Answer: D. String

Strings are usually written inside quotation marks.

328.Which program joins compiled pieces of code and libraries into one runnable program?

  1. A. Linker
  2. B. Loader
  3. C. Debugger
  4. D. Editor
Show answer

Answer: A. Linker

The loader then places the program in memory to run.

329.Which program places a program into memory so it can run?

  1. A. Assembler
  2. B. Compiler
  3. C. Linker
  4. D. Loader
Show answer

Answer: D. Loader

It is part of the operating system.

330.Programming that describes a program as steps and procedures, as in C, is called what?

  1. A. Procedural programming
  2. B. Logic programming
  3. C. Object-oriented programming
  4. D. Functional programming
Show answer

Answer: A. Procedural programming

Object-oriented languages group data and functions into objects.

331.In object-oriented programming, a blueprint from which objects are created is called what?

  1. A. A class
  2. B. A module
  3. C. A loop
  4. D. A pointer
Show answer

Answer: A. A class

An object is one instance of a class.

332.In object-oriented programming, hiding an object's data and allowing access only through its methods is called what?

  1. A. Polymorphism
  2. B. Inheritance
  3. C. Encapsulation
  4. D. Compilation
Show answer

Answer: C. Encapsulation

Inheritance lets a class take on features of another class.

333.In object-oriented programming, a class taking on the features of another class is called what?

  1. A. Inheritance
  2. B. Iteration
  3. C. Encapsulation
  4. D. Abstraction
Show answer

Answer: A. Inheritance

The new class is called a subclass or child class.

334.Which was the first computer virus for IBM PCs, written in Lahore in 1986?

  1. A. ILOVEYOU
  2. B. Brain
  3. C. Stuxnet
  4. D. Melissa
Show answer

Answer: B. Brain

It was written by the brothers Basit and Amjad Farooq Alvi.

335.A program that pretends to be useful but secretly harms the computer is called what?

  1. A. Trojan horse
  2. B. Compiler
  3. C. Web cookie
  4. D. Firewall
Show answer

Answer: A. Trojan horse

Unlike a virus, it does not copy itself.

336.Malware that locks a user's files and demands payment to unlock them is called what?

  1. A. Spyware
  2. B. Freeware
  3. C. Ransomware
  4. D. Adware
Show answer

Answer: C. Ransomware

The WannaCry attack of 2017 was ransomware.

337.Software that secretly collects information about a user is called what?

  1. A. Shareware
  2. B. Spyware
  3. C. Firmware
  4. D. Middleware
Show answer

Answer: B. Spyware

It may record passwords and browsing habits.

338.Malware that spreads by itself across networks without attaching to files is called what?

  1. A. A trojan
  2. B. A patch
  3. C. A macro
  4. D. A worm
Show answer

Answer: D. A worm

A virus needs a host file to spread; a worm does not.

339.Grace Hopper is best known for what?

  1. A. Designing the first Apple computer and its software
  2. B. Inventing the computer mouse
  3. C. Founding the company Intel
  4. D. Developing early compilers and helping create COBOL
Show answer

Answer: D. Developing early compilers and helping create COBOL

She was a US Navy rear admiral and computer scientist.

340.Which company introduced the first commercial microprocessor, the 4004, in 1971?

  1. A. AMD
  2. B. Intel
  3. C. Motorola
  4. D. IBM
Show answer

Answer: B. Intel

The 4004 was a 4-bit processor.

341.The speed of RAM is commonly given in what?

  1. A. Dots per inch (DPI)
  2. B. Pages per minute (PPM)
  3. C. Revolutions per minute (RPM)
  4. D. Megatransfers per second (MT/s)
Show answer

Answer: D. Megatransfers per second (MT/s)

For example, DDR5-6000 means 6,000 MT/s.

342.What is the main job of a computer's graphics card?

  1. A. To connect the computer to the internet
  2. B. To supply power to all the parts
  3. C. To store files when power is off
  4. D. To create the images shown on the screen
Show answer

Answer: D. To create the images shown on the screen

Powerful graphics cards are needed for games, video editing and AI.

343.The design in which a computer has separate memory for data and instructions is called what?

  1. A. Harvard architecture
  2. B. Client-server architecture
  3. C. Cloud architecture
  4. D. Von Neumann architecture
Show answer

Answer: A. Harvard architecture

Many microcontrollers use the Harvard design.

344.A computer's ability to run several programs at the same time is called what?

  1. A. Compiling
  2. B. Booting
  3. C. Multitasking
  4. D. Formatting
Show answer

Answer: C. Multitasking

The operating system switches quickly between programs.

345.Preparing a disk so it can store files, which erases its data, is called what?

  1. A. Partitioning
  2. B. Defragmenting
  3. C. Formatting
  4. D. Compressing
Show answer

Answer: C. Formatting

Formatting creates a new file system on the disk.

346.Dividing one physical hard disk into separate sections, such as C: and D:, is called what?

  1. A. Caching
  2. B. Partitioning
  3. C. Mirroring
  4. D. Formatting
Show answer

Answer: B. Partitioning

Each partition can act like a separate drive.

347.Rearranging scattered pieces of files on a hard disk to speed it up is called what?

  1. A. Encryption
  2. B. Disk compression
  3. C. Defragmentation
  4. D. Formatting
Show answer

Answer: C. Defragmentation

It is not needed for SSDs.

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