Part A. Multiple Choices (30 marks) Sample Only
Select the best answer for each question. Use the MC answer sheet provided to record your answers.
3. System software is designed to accomplish ____ tasks. a. real-world b. computer-centric c. gaming d. only operating system
9. Which of the following is NOT a limitation of the management information systems? a. The reports generated by the systems are too simple to understand and analyze the data for business purpose b. The reports generated by the systems are not flexible enough to provide exact information needed by the managers. c. The systems are unable to create models for the data d. The systems are unable to do projections for strategic planning
Questions 16 – 22 are related to Photoshop CS6
18. What determines the percentage of transparency in a layer? a. Brightness b. Clarity c. Color d. Opacity
Questions 23 – 30 are related to Microsoft Excel 2013
27. What type of cell reference does not change when copied and remains in a fixed position during operations? a. Relative b. Absolute c. Constant d. Fixed
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Part B. Questions (48 marks) Sample Only
[NOTE: There are five questions which carry 12 marks equally. Answer any FOUR
QUESTIONS only. If you answer more than four questions, only your first four answers in this part will be marked.]
Question 1
(a) Briefly describe the terms data and information . Give one example for each of the terms.
(3 marks)
(b) Name any three types of computers. For each of them, briefly describe the specific purpose of the computers (6 marks)
(c) What are the differences between extended ASCII code and Unicode? (3 marks)
Question 4
(a) Briefly describe the functions of an operating system. Give one example of an operating system. (4 marks)
(b) What is a device driver? (1 marks)
(c) Give two characteristics of local applications. Give two examples of local applications.
(4 marks)
(d) Briefly describe any three measures to avoid security threats. (3 marks)
Part C. Case Studies (22 marks)
Consider the hardware and software specifications of the following devices.
Samsung Galaxy Note4 mobile phone
(The information obtained from http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxynote4/note4_specs.html)
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Dimension / weight
Processor
Memory
Storage
Display
Connection
OS
Apple MacBook Air 13”
:
:
153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm / 176g
2.7 GHz Quad Core Processor
: 3 GB RAM
: 32 GB internal storage
Supports microSD up to 128GB
: 5.7" Quad HD Super AMOLED (2560 x 1440)
: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2x2 MIMO)
: Android 4.4 (Kitkat)
(The information obtained from http://www.apple.com/hk/macbook-air/specs.html)
Dimension / weight
Processor
Memory
Storage
Display
Connection
:
:
325 x 227 x 17 mm / 1.35kg
1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
: 4 GB RAM
: 128GB PCIe-based flash storage
: 13.3" LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
(1440 x 900)
: 802.11ac WiFi networking;
IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible
: Mac OS X Yosemite OS
Compare the performance of the two devices. Justify your answer with elaboration on the following items.
(a) The performance of the processor (4 marks)
(b) The capacity of the memory and storage components (4 marks)
(c) The quality of the display component (4 marks)
(d) The speed of connection to networks (4 marks)
(e) The performance of the operating system (3 marks)
(f) Portability (3 marks)
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Answer Key & Marking Scheme
Part B
Question 1
(a) Data and information (3 marks)
Data refers the symbols that represent people, events, things, and ideas.
Example: names, numbers, or colors in a photo
Sometimes data and information are used interchangeably.
Sometimes data and information are distinguished as “Information is data presented in a format that people can understand and use”.
Example: average age in the class
(b) Any three types of computers (6 marks)
A personal computer is a microprocessor-based computing device designed to meet the computing needs of an individual.
-
A videogame console, such as Nintendo’s Wii, Sony’s PlayStation, or Microsoft Xbox, is not generally referred to as personal computer because of their history as dedicated game devices.
A mainframe computer (or simply a mainframe) is large and expensive computer capable of simultaneously processing data for hundreds of thousands of users.
A computer falls into the supercomputer category if it is, at time of construction, one of the fastest computers in the world. A compute-intensive problem is one that requires massive amounts of data to be processed using complex mathematical calculations.
Handheld digital devices include familiar gadgets such as iPhones. Handheld devices can be divided into two broad categories: those that allow users to install software applications (apps) and those that do not.
(c) Extended ASCII code and Unicode (3 marks)
Extended ASCII uses 8 bits for each character. It can store up to 256 characters.
Unicode uses 16 bits to represent a character; provides codes for 65000 characters; can represent the alphabets of multiple languages, e.g. Chinese and Japanese.
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Question 4
(a) Functions of an operating system and a device driver:
Operating system:
(4 mark)
An operating system (OS) is a type of system software that acts as the master controller for all activities that take place within a computer system.
OS provides an environment for running system
A command to print a document is relayed through various levels of software, including the operating system, until it reaches the printer.
The OS interacts with application software, device drivers, and hardware to manage a computer’s resources.
Example: Mircrosoft Windows
(b) (4 mark)
A device driver is software that helps a peripheral device establish communication with a computer
(c) Local application: (4 mark)
Most local applications contain a setup program that guides you through the installation process.
At least one of the files include in a software package is an executable file designed to be started by users or automatically launched by the operating system.
Example: (Any two) Microsoft Office, Photoshop, iTunes, Windows Media Player…
(d) Local application:
Measure to avoid security threats: (Any three)
(4 mark)
Install and activate security software on every computing device you down
Keep software patches and operating system service packs up to date
Do not open suspicious e-mail attachments
Obtain software only from reliable sources, and before running it use security software to scan for malware
Do not click pop-up ads – to make the ad go away, right-click the ad’s taskbar button and select the Close option
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Part C Questions (22 marks)
(a) The performance of the processor: Galaxy Note4 is better than MacBook Air in terms of the clock speed (2.7GHz > 1.4GHz) and number of cores (Quad Core is better than
Dual Core (4 marks)
(b) The capacity of both RAM and Storage: In general, MacBook Air is better than
Galaxy Note4 because there is more RAM (4GB > 3GB) and more internal storage
(128GB > 32GB). Yet, the microSD storage in Galaxy Note4 helps to store more data.
(4 marks)
(c)
The quality of the display: In terms of the physical size, MacBook Air is bigeger (13.3”
> 5.7”). However, in terms of resolution Galaxy Note4 is better (2560 x 1440 is higher than 1440 x 900). (4 marks)
(d) The connection speed to networks. Both devices make use of WiFi technology and they are compatible to most WiFi standards. The Galaxy Note4 may be better as it also uses the MIMO technology (4 marks)
(e) OS: MacBook Air uses a more powerful OS (Mac OS X). Android is an OS specially design with less functionalities for handheld device with limited resources.
(3 marks)
(f) Portability: Galaxy Note4 is more portable as it is smaller in size and lighter in weight. (3 marks)
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