Unit 2: Computer Fundamentals - Practice Quiz

1 Which electronic component was mainly used in first-generation computers?

2 Which component replaced vacuum tubes in second-generation computers?

3 Which characteristic allows a computer to perform repetitive tasks without becoming tired?

4 Which computer characteristic refers to producing correct results when the data and instructions are correct?

5 Which technology is associated with fourth-generation computers?

6 Which functional unit accepts data and instructions from a user?

7 Which part of the CPU performs arithmetic calculations and logical comparisons?

8 Which unit directs and coordinates the activities of a computer?

9 Which functional unit stores data, instructions, and processing results?

10 Which functional unit presents processed information to the user?

11 What is computer hardware?

12 What is computer software?

13 Which of the following is an example of system software?

14 Which of the following is application software?

15 Which of the following is a hardware component?

16 Which type of computer is commonly used for complex scientific calculations and weather forecasting?

17 Which type of computer can support many users and process large amounts of organizational data?

18 Which type of computer is designed mainly for use by one person?

19 Which type of computer is portable and usually has a built-in screen and keyboard?

20 Which type of computer is built into another device to perform a specific task?

21 A computer processes customer records continuously for several hours without losing concentration or becoming tired. Which computer characteristic is best illustrated?

22 A museum computer uses integrated circuits instead of individual transistors, making it smaller and more reliable than earlier models. To which generation does it belong?

23 Which sequence correctly represents the major hardware technologies used during the evolution of computers?

24 An organization uses the same computer hardware for payroll in the morning and inventory management in the afternoon by loading different programs. Which development made this practical?

25 A student uses one computer for document preparation, scientific simulation, graphic design, and video playback. Which characteristic is primarily demonstrated?

26 During program execution, one CPU component directs the ALU, memory, and input/output devices so that operations occur in the correct order. Which component performs this role?

27 A program must determine whether a customer's account balance is greater than the required minimum. Which CPU unit performs this comparison?

28 A barcode scanner reads printed bars and converts them into signals that the computer can process. Which function is being performed?

29 A computer becomes slow when many applications are open because the operating system repeatedly moves active data to the disk. Which upgrade would most directly reduce this problem?

30 Data are entered, temporarily stored, processed arithmetically, stored again, and then displayed. Which sequence best represents this data flow?

31 A programmer wants an entire source-code file translated into machine code before the program is executed. Which type of software is required?

32 A router contains startup instructions that remain available after power is removed and are stored in flash memory. How should these instructions be classified?

33 After connecting a new printer, the operating system cannot communicate with it until a manufacturer-provided package is installed. What does this package most likely contain?

34 Which action is a hardware upgrade rather than a software modification?

35 A program compresses several files into an archive and checks the archive for errors. Into which software category does it best fit?

36 A research center must process enormous weather models involving trillions of calculations and extensive parallel processing. Which type of computer is most suitable?

37 A national bank needs one central system to process millions of transactions while supporting thousands of users simultaneously. Which computer type is most appropriate?

38 A washing machine contains a processor that monitors water level and controls the wash cycle using a dedicated program. What type of computer is this?

39 A fuel pump continuously measures the physical flow of fuel but digitally calculates the quantity, price, and transaction total. How is this system best classified?

40 A computer centrally stores files, manages user accounts, and provides shared resources to other computers on a network. Which role does it perform?

41 Which architectural change most directly distinguishes a stored-program computer from earlier machines configured primarily by plugboards or mechanical settings?

42 Which association between computer generation and dominant hardware technology is historically accurate?

43 Which sequence places these developments in the correct chronological order, from earliest to latest?

44 A computer repeatedly produces the same incorrect total because its program stores a large sum in a fixed-width integer that overflows. Which conclusion best reflects computer characteristics?

45 A system uses integrated-circuit memory modules, but its entire CPU is implemented on one general-purpose processor chip. Which feature most strongly supports classifying it as a fourth-generation computer?

46 For an instruction that adds a value from memory to a register and writes the result back to that register, which sequence best represents its conceptual processing stages?

47 A byte-addressable computer has a 24-bit address bus and a 32-bit data bus. Ignoring address-extension mechanisms, what is its maximum directly addressable memory space?

48 During a large disk-to-memory transfer using direct memory access (DMA), which description is most accurate?

49 A row-major matrix is stored in contiguous memory. Assuming a cache loads adjacent elements together, which traversal is most likely to exploit spatial locality?

50 An instruction's opcode has been fetched into the instruction register. Which functional unit is primarily responsible for interpreting it and generating signals that coordinate registers, the ALU, and memory?

51 A router stores updateable code in flash memory to initialize hardware and provide low-level device control. How should this code be classified?

52 Two computers implement the same instruction set architecture, but they use operating systems with incompatible executable formats and system-call conventions. What follows?

53 In a virtual-memory system, a process accesses a valid virtual page that is not currently in physical memory. Which division of responsibility is most accurate?

54 Which ordering best represents a typical boot process after a computer is powered on?

55 An operating system supports a generic printing interface, but a newly attached printer cannot operate until an additional component is installed. What is that component's primary role?

56 A laboratory system uses operational amplifiers to solve differential equations continuously while a digital processor changes coefficients and records results. Which classification is most appropriate?

57 A bank needs a system optimized for thousands of concurrent transactions, very high I/O throughput, centralized administration, and extensive redundancy. Which type is the best fit?

58 Which property most reliably distinguishes an embedded computer from a general-purpose personal computer?

59 A control computer always produces an answer within 2 milliseconds, but the controlled machine becomes unsafe whenever an answer arrives later than 1 millisecond. How should the computer be assessed?

60 Thousands of commodity servers are connected to run a single large climate simulation in parallel. Which classification is most defensible?