CMPE003
Personal Computer Concepts: Software and Hardware
Spring 1996
Exam1 Sample
Hello Everybody,
This file contains a sample exam for you. It was originally a
WordPerfect file that I saved as ASCII. For this reason, the formatting
was not transferred to the ASCII file. So everything is a bit messy. Instead
of reformatting the text and providing you with this test later, I
thought that you would want it sooner with the formatting problems. Here
it is.
Good luck,
Margarida
NAME___________________ID______________ID#______________LAB______________
COMPUTER ENGINEERING 003 WINTER 1995 P.E. MANTEY MIDTERM 2/14/95
Test A
Instructions: Mark ALL your answers on the Answer Sheet provided. NO
credit will be given for answers on this test paper if they are not on
the Answer Sheet. For multiple choice questions, choose the SINGLE
best answer. If you have any questions, raise your hand and we will
try to provide an appropriate answer.
1. Approximately how many pages of text (assume that one page is about
2K bytes) can be stored on a floppy disk of capacity 1.2M bytes?
_______________
2. The instruction 'SELECT FROM CE3 WHERE COLLEGE=CROWN' is a command
that would be used in
a. A Hierarchical Database
b. DOS/Windows
c. A Relational Database
d. A Spreadsheet
3. In a spreadsheet, a rectangular block of cells specified by its
top left cell and lower right cell is called a _______________.
4. A program that supports management of data on disk, at a higher
level than the operating
systems file management provides, plus supports insert and
retrieval of data, and facilitates development of a structure or model
of the data according to the application requirements, is called a
_________________.
a. data management system
b. spreadsheet
c. query language
d. file cabinet
5. The software layer that works directly with the computer hardware,
and which is itself used by programs such as WordPerfect, is called
the
a. user interface
b. operating system
c. application system
6. In logging on to campus unix using the Telnet support on the PC's
in the Ming-Ong Laboratory, the type of user interface presented by
the unix system (to access email or the newsgroup) is a
a. command line interface
b. menu interface
c. graphical interface
7. The intersection of a row and a column of a spreadsheet is called
a. an item
b. a field
c. a cell
8. A Hierarchical Database provides the user with an organization of
data in the form of a .
a. Graph
b. Tree
c. Table
9. ASCII is a binary code for representing
a. compressed data for fax
b. CPU pin configurations
c. memory addresses
d. characters
10. When the cell F8 is highlighted in Quattro-Pro, +F7+E8-D8 is
displayed. If cell F7 contains the value 900, E8 contains 100, and D8
contains 50, what value will be displayed in cell F8?
_____________
11. How many kilobytes can be stored on a disk of capacity equal to
one megabyte?
a. 8,000,000
b. 1024, or approximately one thousand
c. 1,000,000
d. no disk exists that can store one megabyte
12. Which of the following is NOT a type of secondary storage ?
a. ROM
b. floppy disk
c. fixed (hard) disk
d. tape
13. The primary DEFICIENCY of tape storage is
a. cost
b. volatility
c. physical size vs. storage capacity
d. slow access to data
14. In today's computers, integrated circuits contain the switches
needed for the logical operations, and these employ millions of:
a. magnets
b. vacuum tubes
c. transistors
d. lasers
15. Which is the correct ordering of storage devices in terms of
their transfer time?
a. tape, floppy disk, optical disk, hard disks, RAM
b. tape, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, RAM
c. tape, floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, RAM
16. The development of better user interfaces, from 'glass teletypes'
to full screen graphical interfaces has depended primarily on advances
in
a. operating systems
b. display technology
c. computer hardware technology, especially affordable memory size
17. The main advantage of Relational Databases vs. Hierarchical Databases is:
a. They are often faster
b. They are analogous to business or military organizations
c. The Graphics Ability
d. The Query Language
18. When you are editing a document using WordPerfect, the copy of
the document which you edit is located in (or on)
a. ROM
b. the computer processor
c. main memory (RAM)
d. disk
19. The part of the computer's hardware which stores information when
the computer is turned off is called ____________ storage.
a. Volatile Storage
b. Secondary Storage
c. Primary Storage
d. Random Access Storage
20. The fundamental difference between a simple calculator and a
computer is that
a. the computer stores instructions as well as data,
b. computers are faster.
c. there are none -- they are essentially the same.
d. calculators are better for arithmetic tasks than are computers.
21. A byte is equivalent to how many bits?
a. eight
b. two
c. four
22. Which of the following is NOT a reason for using database software?
a. To support efficient deletion and insertion of records in large
data sets
b. To permit multiple and different uses of the same data
c. To carry out arithmetic calculations on modest sets of data
d. To keep data separate from the programs that use it
23. In Quattro-Pro, if cell D5 contains +(A5+B5-C5)/$A$1, and this
entry is copied to cell H10, what will H10 contain after this
operation? __________________
24. Software (such as Wordperfect) which enables creation, editing,
saving and printing of text is called a(n)
a. word processor
b. editor
c. software product
d. operating system
25. The unit of information that is sufficient to represent the state
of a simple (On/Off) switch is called the ________
26. Over the past twenty years or so, the price of memory has
declined approximately:
a. 30% every two years
b. 50% every three years
c. 30% every year
d. 50% every year
27. One Megabyte of RAM today costs about:
a. less than $ 50.00
b. $ 500.00
c. $ 5000.00
28. In DOS, the form of file system where there are directories,
subdirectories, and files, is called a
a. hierarchical file system
b. folder system
c. flat file system
d. file cabinet
29. In programming, the process or style of developing programs in
small steps which combine to make a complete program is called
a. iteration
b. nested procedure calling
c. algorithm specification
d. stepwise refinement
30. The combination of switches and wires that implement a function
on a computer chip is called a
a. transistor
b. DIP
c. circuit
d. wafer
31. Which of the following statements is/are false?
a. Spreadsheet software emphasizes calculations, while database
software emphasizes data storage, update and retrieval.
b. Spreadsheet software and database software have essentially the
same capabilities.
c. Spreadsheets work on data in memory, databases manage data on disk.
d. Spreadsheets present a tabular view of data to the user, and
relational databases present the user a list of records as a table.
32. Microsoft DOS is an example of an
a. instruction set
b. operating system
c. application program
33. The wafers that, after processing, become microchips in today's
computers are made of
a. silicon
b. aluminum
c. gold
34. In a relational database, the columns (which each contain a
specific type of data) are called
a. items
b. labels
c. fields
35. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Archival media?
a. Slow
b. Volatile
c. Low cost
36. Which of the following is/are true regarding the operating system
of a computer:
I. It is software.
II. It starts application programs.
III. It "sits " between the applications software and the computer's
hardware.
IV. It manages input from keyboard and input from and output to disk.
V. It manages output to the display screen.
a. II,III,IV, and V
b. I, II, and III
c. I, II, IV, and V
d. I, III, IV, and V
e. All of the Above
37. A major justification for timesharing was/is:
a. to make individual computer users as productive as possible
b. to prevent users from interfering with each other when using the
computer
c. to improve the responsiveness of the computer to an individual
user during computation
d. to improve utilization of the expensive computing resource
38. Which of the following cannot be erased from commands issued via
the operating system?
a. Tape
b. ROM
c. RAM
39. How many Bytes are required to store the name SLUGS?
_____________
40. If an 8 inch by 10 inch document is sent via facsimile, with the
facsimile scanned at 300 samples per inch, how many bytes are
contained in this facsimile of the picture?
a. 900,000
b. 7,200,000
c. 640
d. 11,520,000
41. Which of the following is NOT considered hardware?
a. Display Monitor
b. Disk Drives
c. Memory
d. Programs
42. If RAM were the least expensive form of storage, why would one
still use secondary storage devices? _________________
43. Which of the following are NOT key attributes of a good user interface ?
a. flexible
b. easy to develop (by the application programmer)
c. easy to learn
d. efficient of user time and effort
44. When you are using WordPerfect to create a document, the part of
the computer's hardware where both the program and the document being
created are kept while WordPerfect is executing is called the
a. main memory or RAM
b. ALU
c. CPU
d. magnetic storage
45. Another important advantage of relational databases over
hierarchical database products is their
a. simplified user interface
b. cost
c. efficiency
46. Which of the following is NOT an allowed numerical entry in a spreadsheet?
a. 3.14159
b. 86000
c. 5,280
47. A program is a
a. a combination of transistors and wires
b. set of instructions that implement a function
c. floppy disk
d. wiring diagram for building computer hardware
48. In a display adapter, if a byte is allocated for each position
(pixel) on the screen, how many different colors can be displayed on
this screen?
a. 256
b. 8
c. 16
49. According to Moore's Law, the number of switches per chip:
a. increases 30% per year
b. has changed very little in the past decade
c. depends on the competition
d. doubles each year
50. Binary computers (designed to work on numbers represented in the
binary system) are favored over decimal computers (designed to work on
numbers represented in the decimal system) because:
a. Intel has shown that binary arithmetic computations achieve
greater accuracy.
b. Binary computers use electronics, decimal computers are
mechanical.
c. They simplify the electronic circuits needed to carry out the
arithmetic and logic.
d. They are easier to program.
The exam may also contain short essay questions.