Name __________________________________ Section___________
Midterm Exam, CS-1010 Introduction to Computers and Software
Select the SINGLE BEST ANSWER to each question.
1. The data storage device which reads and writes to 100-MB
removable disks is called the
a. Jaz drive
b. Zip drive
c. scanner
d. POS terminal
e. tape backup system
2. The programs that cause the computer to perform desired
functions are called
a. specifications
b. software
c. data
d. firmware
e. hardware
3. RAM technology used in most new computers is called
a. asynchronous dramatic RAM
b. asynchronous static RAM
c. synchronous dynamic RAM
d. synchronous static RAM
e. synchronous dynamic ROM
4. Which of the following is NOT directly associated with the
central processing unit?
a. control unit
b. arithmetic and logic unit
c. accumulator
d. EISA port
e. microprocessor
5. A WORM drive uses a(n) as its storage medium.
a. magnetic disk
b. magnetic tape
c. optical disk
d. punched tape
e. analid device
6. Integrated circuits signified the beginning of the
generati n.
a. first
b. second
c. third
d. fourth
e. fifth
7. The grouping of bits that represent a character is called a
a. byte
b. nibble
c. word
d. MIP
e. SIMM
8. Vision input systems are best suited for tasks in which
a. input devices are restricted to keyboard and mouse
b. many images are encountered
c. few images are encountered
d. voice-data entry is required
e. the reject bin is large
9. Printers produce characters on a page using two basic types
types of printing mechanisms.
a. electrical and mechanical
b. impact and nonimpact
c. dot matrix and ink jet
d. greyscale and color
e. hard copy and soft copy
10. Which of the following IS FALSE?
a. Computers process data into information
b. Computers are more accurate than people
c. Computers are faster than people
d. Computers can interpret information
e. Computers may be digital or analog
11. Which of the following IS NOT considered a function of
the PC operating system?
a. word processing
b. control of ongoing operations of the computer system
c. file and disk management
d. input and output controls
e. providing support for the user interface
12. "Total + Commission = Pay" is a example of which computer operation?
a. division
b. output registering
c. logic
d. computation
e. input
13. Which of the following is a proper binary number?
a. 102101
b. 1010101
c. 22101012
d. B11
e. 2
14. The operating system program often called the kernel
a. loads system programs into memory as needed
b. compiles source programs
c. keeps score and guages time for computer games
d. eliminates the need for a user interface
e. is called Windows 95
15. MIPS stands for
a. machine industry processing standards
b. memory intensive primary storage
c. megabytes in processor system
d. multidrop information processors
e. millions of instructions per second
16. A popular access method for computer networks is
a. USENET
b. UNIX
c. token ring
d. pier to pier
e. indirect
17. The "brain" of a computer system refers to its
a. keyboard
b. magnetic disks
c. microprocessor
d. VDT
e. memory
18. Data are moved from secondary storage into RAM by a
a. process of operator overloading
b. destructive read process
c. flash addressing process
d. nondestructive read process
e. SIMMS process
19. The generation of computers was
characterized by vacuum tube .
a. first
b. second
c. third
d. fourth
e. fifth
20. When application software is loaded into a computer, it resides in...
a. RAM
b. the operating system
c. the hard drive
d. ROM
e. the instruction set
21. A(n) allows data to be retained by
the computer after it is turned off.
a. output device
b. input device
c. storage device
d. system unit
e. central processing unit
22. Which of the following devices is considered to be an input device only
a. PDA
b. plotter
c. UPC scanner
d. monitor
e. Windows CE
23. Which of the following is a multiuser operating system?
a. UNIX
b. OS/2
c. MS-DOS
d. PC-DOS
e. BASIC
24. The second generation of computers was characterized by
a. transistors
b. artificial intelligence
c. magnetic cards
d. vacuum tubes
e. microprocessors
25. Computer programs that allow users to perform specific tasks.
a. system software
b. programming software
c. application software
d. hardware
e. operating systems
26. When communicating via a front end processor, each computer
system in a network is assigned a
a. ROM number
b. parity host
c. network address
d. PIN number
e. traffic-control system
27. Which of the following IS NOT a transmission medium for
data communications?
a. microwave
b. convection
c. satellite
d. fiber optic cable
e. twisted pair lines
28. Page printers are often called
a. impact printers
b. nonimpact printers
c. offset printers
d. line printers
e. character printers
29. Which of the following eliminates the need for keystrokes
to enter data into a computer?
a. ink jets
b. VDT displays
c. DVD
d. UPC symbols
e. CRTs
30. CD-ROM is a type of
a. optical laser disk
b. main memory chip
c. magnetic disk
d. operating system
e. graphics user interface
31. The advancement that allowed several thousand transistors
to be placed on a single chip is known as
a. artificial intelligence
b. large scale integration
c. first generation efficiency
d. vacuum tube technology
e. virtual reality
32. This operating system is Microsofts answer to bridging the
gap between the original Windows and Windows NT.
a. UNIX
b. Windows 98
c. OS/3
d. Explorer
e. Visual BASIC
33. A microprocessor contains both of these.
a. ALU and main memory
b. control unit and RAM
c. RAM and ROM
d. ALU and control unit
e. ALU and RAM
34. Iomega's relatively new form of interchangeable hard disk
technology which can store up to 1 GB of data is the
a. DVD drive
b. Zip drive
c. Super drive
d. Tiger drive
e. Jaz drive
35. Cyberphobia is the irrational fear of
a. computers
b. robots
c. technology
d. machines
e. plastics
36. The central processing unit in a computer processes
a. analog signals
b. alpha signals
c. digital signals
d. SDRAM signals
e. CPUs
37. A type of PC which gets its name from its operating
system and the microprocessor manufacturer is
a. unix PC
b. Minitel PC
c. Macintosh
d. IBM PC
e. Wintel PC
38. A 2 in 1 PC can function as a desktop PC by inserting
it into a
a. service station
b. workstation
c. terminal
d. docking station
e. laptop station
39. Computers use magnetic tape primarily for
a. random processing
b. sequential processing backup, and offline storage
c. large graphics programming tasks
d. sector processing, backup and offline storage
e. optical storage
40. A device which requires a special telephone line and
transmits data at more than twice the speed of the fastest
analog modem is called
a. a digital modem
b. a POTS modem
c. an ISDN modem
d. a RAPID modem
e. a Hayes modem
41. The Macintosh platform uses
a. the OS/2 operating system
b. the Intel family of microprocessors
c. the PowerPC processor
d. ISA 32-bit architecture
e. the Pentium or Pentium II processor
42. The term Windows 9x/NT refers to the specific products
a. Windows 9x and Windows NT
b. Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT
c. Windows 3.1, 3.11 and Windows NT
d. Windows, OS/2 and Windows NT
e. Windows 93, Windows 95 and Windows NT
43. "When Pay > 250 then print report" is an example of which
computer operation?
a. logic
b. division
c. output registering
d. computation
e. input
44. Computer output produced by a printer is called
a. dot matrix
b. a source document
c. soft copy
d. a master document
e. hard copy
45. Just a CD-ROMs became mainstream equipment, it appears
that they are on the way to being replaced by
a. high density floppy disks
b. Zip disks
c. Jaz disks
d. magnetic tape
e. digital video disks
46. An optical laser disk technology which allows the user to
write data to optical disk one time and subsequently read the
data as is necessary is called a
a. floppy disk
b. CD-ROM
c. DVD
d. rewritable optical disk
e. WORM disk
47. The encoding system which represents characters of English
as well as many other alphabets is called
a. ASCII
b. EBCDIC
c. ANSI
d. both ASCII and EBCDIC
e. UNICODE
48. The largest word length available in a microcomputer is
a. 8 bits
b. 16 bits
c. 32 bits
d. 64 bits
e. 128 bis
49. Which of the following is NEVER included as part of the
circuitry on a motherboard?
a. memory chips
b. miniature video
c. monitor processor
d. circuitry for handling input and output signals
e. ROM
50. A recent development in interchangeable disks that enables
100 MB to be stored on a single disk is the
a. Zip disk
b. Jaz disk
c. high density floppy disk
d. CD ROM
e. DVD
51. The raw material from which information is derived is
a. primary storage
b. secondary storage
c. data
d. PROM
e. read-only memory
52. A speaker-independent, voice-data-entry computer
a. is not technologically possible
b. uses no database
c. has an unlimited vocabulary
d. can have many users
e. must be trained to recognise the user's voice
53. A undesired program that destroys data or damages hardware
is commonly refered to as a
a. bug
b. virus
c. vaccine
d. sector
e. general application program
54. Which of the following printers use tiny pins to form
characters?
a. laser
b. dot matrix
c. daisy wheel
d. page
e. ink jet
55. Data that you copy directly into your computer from another
computer is said to be
a. inloaded
b. downloaded
c. outloaded
d. uploaded
e. out sourced
56. Which of the following IS NOT a basic computer network
topology?
a. train
b. star
c. bus
d. ring
e. all of these are basic network topologies
57. The interface between the user and applications programs
is provided by
a. the keyboard
b. a CRT
c. either the computer operating system or a GUI
d. the motherboard
e. the monitor
58. Using the computer in the industrial design process is
referred to as
a. IDC
b. EFT
c. CAP
d. CAM
e. CAD
59. Which of the following technologies is common with
laptop machines?
a. RBG
b. LCD
c. CAD
d. GPQ
e. IMF
60. General ledger software falls under which category of software?
a. analog
b. general purpose
c. human resources
d. applications
e. systems
61. The MicroSoft operating system designed for handheld and
pocket PCs is
a. Windows 95
b. Windows NT
c. Windows 98
d. Windows SE
e. Windows CE
62. An objective NOT associated with that of an operating
system is
a. optimizing the use of system resources
b. minimizing throughput
c. minimizing turnaround time
d. facilitating communication between the system and users
e. multitasking
63. The front end processor in a computer network is
responsible for
a. overall computer system control
b. establishing a handshake between network nodes
c. concentrating data from low speed devices
d. the execution of computer applications
e. controlling the microprocessor speed
64. The way to increase the number of programs that can be
stored on a tape is to use
a. file compression
b. data squeezing
c. data representation
d. data processing
e. disk freagmentation
65. Primary attributes of monitors include
a. resolution, size and processing speed
b. size, color and processing speed
c. color, size and resolution
d. color, processing speed and resolution
e. processing speed and memory
66. The function of the arithmetic and logic unit is to
a. perform all computations and comparison operations
b. read and interpret program instructions
c. direct the operation of internal processor components
d. control the flow of programs and data
e. direct numerical computations to the math coprocessor
Answer Key, Midterm I
1. B
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. C
6. C
7. A
8. C
9. B
10. D
11. A
12. D
13. B
14. A
15. E
16. C
17. C
18. D or E (D is correct, E is an incorrect answer on the textbook website)
19. A
20. A
21. C
22. C
23. A
24. A
25. C
26. C
27. B
28. B
29. D
30. A
31. B
32. B
33. D
34. E
35. A
36. C
37. E
38. D
39. B
40. C
41. C
42. B
43. A
44. E
45. E
46. E
47. E
48. D
49. B
50. A
51. C
52. D
53. B
54. B
55. B
56. A
57. C
58. E
59. B
60. D
61. E
62. B
63. B
64. A
65. C
66. A