Self-Test Questions
1. The World Wide Web refers to the part of
the internet that presents information in
multimedia
form.
2. The two main types of microcomputers are
the Desktop PC, which sits on the desktop,
and the Tower PC, which usually is placed on
the floor.
3. “ Information technology” merges computing
with highspeed
communications.
4. A(n) Computer is an electronic machine that
accepts
data and processes it into information.
5. The Internet is a worldwide network that
connects
hundreds of thousands of smaller networks.
6. Multimedia refers to information presented
in nontextual
forms such as video, sound, and graphics.
7. Supercomputers are high-capacity
machines with thousands
of processors.
8. Embedded computers, or Microcontrollers,
are installed in
“smart” appliances and automobiles.
9. The kind of software that enables users to
perform
specific tasks is called Application software.
10. RAM is an example of Primary storage,
and a hard
drive is an example of Secondary storage.
1 1. A(n) Network is a communications
system connecting
two or more computers.
12. The four basic operations of all computers
are
Input, Processing, Storage, and Output
13. The first programmable computer in the
USA, which
appeared in 1946, was called the ENIAC .
14. The Monitor is the display device that
takes the electrical
signals from the video card and forms an
image
using points of colored light on the screen.
15. The base material for computer processing
devices is
Silicon , a natural element found in sand.
16. The general term for all the machinery and
equipment
in a computer system is Hardware .
17. Mouse and Keyboard are the two most
common
input devices.
18. The processor chip, commonly called the
CPU or a
Central Processing Unit , is a tiny piece of
silicon that contains millions
of miniature electronic circuits.
19. One gigabyte is approximately 1 Billion
characters.
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Which of the following devices converts
computer output
into displayed images?
a. printer
b. monitor
c. floppy-disk drive
d. processor
e. hard-disk drive
2. Which of the following computer types is the
smallest?
a. mainframe
b. microcomputer
c. microcontroller
d. supercomputer
e. workstation
3. Which of the following is a secondarystorage device?
a. processor
b. memory chip
c. floppy-disk drive
d. printer
e. monitor
4. Since the days when computers were first
made available,
computers have developed in three directions.
What are they?
a. increased expense
b. miniaturization
c. increased size
d. affordability
e. increased speed
5. Which of the following operations constitute
the four
basic operations followed by all computers?
a. input
b. storage
c. programming
d. output
e. processing
6. Supercomputers are used for
a. breaking codes.
b. simulations for explosions of nuclear
bombs.
c. forecasting weather.
d. keeping planets in orbit.
e. all of these
f. only a, b, and c.
7. What is the leading use of computers?
a. web surfing
b. email
c. e-shopping
d. word processing
8. Which is the main circuit board in the
computer?
a. RAM chip (random access memory)
b. CPU processor chip (central processing
unit)
c. motherboard (system board)
d. hard drive
9. A terabyte is approximately
a. one million characters.
b. one billion characters.
c. one trillion characters.
d. one quadrillion characters.
10. Speakers are an example of
a. an input device.
b. an output device.
c. a processor.
d. a storage device.
True/False Questions
T 1. Mainframe computers process faster than
microcomputers.
F 2. Main memory is a software component.
T 3. The operating system is part of the
system
software.
T 4. Processing is the manipulation by which a
computer
transforms data into information.
F 5. Primary storage is the area in the
computer
where data or information is held permanently.
T 6. The keyboard and the mouse are
examples of
input devices.
T 7. Movies are a form of multimedia.
F 8. Computers are becoming larger, slower,
and more
expensive.
F 9. Modems store information.
F 10. A microcomputer is used to view very
small
objects.
F 1 1. A hard disk is an example of software.
T 12. Computers continue to get smaller and
smaller.
F 13. Supercomputers are particularly
inexpensive.
Short-Answer Questions
1. What does online mean?
(p. 4) Using a computer or some other
information
device, connected through a network, to
access information
and services from another computer or
information device.
Why it’s important: Online communication is
widely used by
businesses, services, individuals, and
educational institutions.
2. What is the difference between system
software and
application software?
(p. 32) Software that helps the computer
perform essential operating tasks. Why it’s
important: Application
software cannot run without system software.
System
software consists of several programs. The
most important is
the operating system, the master control
program that runs
the computer. Examples of operating system
software for the
PC are various Microsoft programs (such as
Windows 95, 98,
NT, Me, XP, and Vista), Unix, Linux, and the
Macintosh operating
system.
(p. 33) Software that has been developed
to solve a particular problem, perform useful
work on
general-purpose tasks, or provide
entertainment.
Why it’s
important: Application software such as word
processing,
spreadsheet, database management,
graphics, and communications
packages are commonly used tools for
increasing
people’s productivity.
3. Briefly define cyberspace.
(p. 18) Term used to refer to not only the
online
world and the internet in particular but also the
whole wired
and wireless world of communications in
general. Why it’s
important: More and more human activities
take place in
cyberspace
4. What is the difference between software
and hardware?
Hardware (p. 25) All machinery and
equipment in a computer
system. Why it’s important: Hardware runs
under the control
of software and is useless without it.
However, hardware contains
the circuitry that allows processing.
software (p. 25) Also called programs; stepby-step electronically
encoded instructions that tell the computer
hardware
how to perform a task. Why it’s important:
Without software,
hardware is useless.
5. What is a local area network?
local area network (LAN) (p. 22) Network
that connects, usually
by special cable, a group of desktop PCs
and other devices,
such as printers, in an office or a building.
Why it’s important:
LANs have replaced mainframes for many
functions and are
considerably less expensive.
6. What is multimedia?
multimedia (p. 35) From “multiple media”;
technology that
presents information in more than one
medium—including
text, graphics, animation, video, and
sound—in a single integrated
communication. Why it’s important:
Multimedia is used
increasingly in business, the professions,
and education to
improve the way information is
communicated.
7. What is the difference between
microcomputers and
supercomputers?
microcomputer (p. 22) Also called personal
computer; small
computer that fits on or next to a desk or can
be carried
around. Costs $500–$5,000. Why it’s
important: The microcomputer
has lessened the reliance on mainframes and
has
provided more ordinary users with access to
computers. It can
be used as a stand-alone machine or
connected to a network.
supercomputer (p. 21) High-capacity
computer with thousands
of processors that is the fastest calculating
device ever
invented. Costs up to $350 million or more.
Why it’s important:
Supercomputers are used primarily for
research purposes, airplane
design, oil exploration, weather forecasting,
and other
activities that cannot be handled by
mainframes and other
less powerful machines.
8. What is the function of RAM?
is the internal computer circuitry that
temporarily holds data waiting to be
processed. (p.26)
9. What does downloading mean?
(p. 9) To transfer data from a remote
computer
to one’s own computer. Why it’s important:
Allows
text, music, and images to be transferred
quickly by
telecommunications.
10. What is meant by connectivity?
(p. 35) Ability to connect computers to one
another by communications lines, so as to
provide online information
access and/or the sharing of peripheral
devices. Why
it’s important: Connectivity is the foundation
of the advances
in the Information Age. It provides online
access to countless
types of information and services. The
connectivity resulting
from the expansion of computer networks
has made possible
email and online shopping, for example.
1 1. Describe some ways that information
technology can
be used to help people find jobs and to help
jobs find
people.
(p. 11,12, and 13)
12. Compare the use of email to the use of the
telephone
and of conventional letters sent via the postal
system.
Which kinds of communications are best
suited for
which medium?
(p. 15,16)
13. What is the basic meaning of cloud
computing?
CLOUD COMPUTING: THE GLOBAL
COMPUTER Not everyone agrees on exactly
what “cloud computing” means.70 Previously
called on-demand computing,
grid computing, or software as a service, cloud
computing basically means
that, instead of storing your software or data on
your own PC or your
own company’s computers, you store it on
servers on the internet. You
don’t care where the servers are located;
they’re out there somewhere—“in the
cloud.” The idea here is that companies could
tap into computers as they are
needed, just as they do now with the electric
power grid, splitting their computing
workload between data centers in different
parts of the world. The hope
of technology people is that companies will
find cloud computing cheaper and
more reliable than managing their own PCs,
servers, and software.71 (In a later
chapter, we discuss an even more involved
concept known as the singularity. ) (p.36)