Chapter 6 Exercises
Multiple Choice
Select the best answer.
1. Most current video cards support the video standard called _________.
a. VGA (video graphics array)
b. SVGA (super video graphics array)
c. XGA (extended graphics array)
d. MGA (monochrome graphics array)
2. Which of these ports provides the fastest data transmission speed?
a. USB 2.0
b. parallel
c. serial
d. FireWire (1394b)
3. When connecting a video card, in which expansion slot should you install it?
a. AGP
b. ISA
c. USB
d. VESA
4. Which of these is not a parallel port technology?
a. standard parallel port
b. extended printer port (EPP)
c. extended capabilities port (ECP)
d. enhanced parallel port
Which of the following monitors provides a better image quality?
a. .38-mm dot pitch monitor
b. .32-mm dot pitch monitor
c. .20-mm dot pitch monitor
d. .25-mm dot pitch monitor
Answers
1. b
2. d
3. a
4. b
5. c
Fill in the Blank
Write the word or phrase to fill in the blank in each of the following
questions.
1. The_______ is the number of times in one second an electronic beam can fill the
screen with lines from top to bottom.
2. FireWire uses ___________, meaning that data is transferred continuously
without breaks over the FireWire bus.
3. Wireless devices that use _________ require a direct line of sight between
devices, while __________ devices do not.
4. A port assignment such as LPT1 or COM3 represents a designated configuration of
the _____and the _______.
5. USB allows for ________, which means you can connect a device to a USB port
and it automatically will be configured without your having to restart the computer.
Answers
1. refresh rate or vertical scan rate
2. isochronous data transfer
3. infrared or IR; radio frequency or RF (also could be Bluetooth, 802.11, or Wi-Fi)
4. IRQ; I/O address range
5. hot-swapping or hot-plugging
Matching Terms
Match the terms with their definitions.
_d_
_j_
_c_
_a__
_h_
_e_
_g_
_f_
_i_
_b_
1. isochronous
data transfer
2. MP3
3. touch pad
4. direct
memory execute
5. DIN
connector
6. Bluetooth
7. viewable size
8. graphics
accelerator
9. sampling rate
10. audio
resolution
a. AGP feature that involves sharing memory with the CPU.
b. number of bytes used to represent the sound at any one
interval
c. small, flat rectangular pointing device that is sensitive to
pressure and motion
d. data is transferred continuously without breaks; used by
FireWire
e. uses short range radio waves to transmit data between
two devices
f. video card with its own processor to boost performance
g. actual size of the lighted screen in the monitor
h. also called a keyboard port connector
i. the number of times per second a sound is recorded
j. popular audio compression method
Short Answer Questions
Write a brief answer to each of the following questions.
1. The quality and price of a CRT monitor is based on several features -- screen size,
refresh rate, interlacing, and resolution. Briefly explain each of these features.
2. If a mouse is not working properly, what troubleshooting steps should you take?
3. Explain why sampling is used when recording sound, and list factors in the
sampling process that affect the quality of the sound during playback.
4. Describe the steps required to install a new sound card.
5. List and explain the various types of video memory used by a
video card.
Answers
1. The screen size of a monitor is the one feature that most affects price. The larger
the screen size, the more expensive the monitor. Common screen sizes in inches are
15, 17, 19, 21, and 22. Monitor sizes are measured diagonally from one corner of
the case to the other. The refresh rate, or vertical scan rate, is the number of times
in one second an electronic beam can fill the screen with lines from top to bottom.
Slower refresh rates make the image appear to flicker, while faster refresh rates
make the image appear solid and stable. Interlaced monitors draw a screen by
making two passes. Interlaced monitors generally have slightly less flicker than
noninterlaced monitors, which always draw the entire screen on each pass.
Resolution describes the sharpness and clarity of an image, which, for a monitor, is
defined by how many pixels are used to make a screen image.
2. Remove the cover to the mouse ball and the mouse ball itself, and clean the
rollers with a cotton swab dipped in a very small amount of water. If the mouse still
does not work or the mouse pointer is moving erratically on the screen, close any
open applications and restart the computer. Also check the mouse port connection to
ensure that it is secure and that the mouse is plugged into the correct port. You also
can uninstall and then reinstall the mouse driver.
3. Sampling is used because an analog sound is a continuous waveform – and to
represent the waveform in a recording, the computer would have to store the value
of the waveform at every instant in time. Because this is not possible, the sound is
recorded using a sampling process. Sampling consists of breaking up the waveform
into set intervals and representing all values during that interval with a single value.
Several factors in sampling process affect sound quality during playback.
These include:
 Sampling rate, also called sampling frequency, which refers to the number of
times per second the sound will be recorded. The more frequently a sound is
recorded per second, the smaller the intervals, and the better the quality.
 Audio resolution, defined as 8-bit, 16-bit, or 24-bit, which refers to the
number of bytes used to represent the sound at any one interval. The higher
the audio resolution, the more accurate the representation of the level of each
sample and consequently, the better the sound.
 Mono or stereo recording, which refers to the number of channels used during
recording. Mono means that the same sound will come from both the left and
right speaker during playback. Stereo means that there are two separate
channels in the recording, which provides more realistic sound.
4. The following steps are used to install a sound card:
 After following basic safety procedures, turn off the PC, remove the cover,
and locate an empty expansion slot for the card. Because this installation
uses the connecting wire from the sound card to the CD-ROM drive (the wire
comes with the sound card), place the sound card near enough to the CDROM drive so that the wire can reach between them.
 Attach the wire to the sound card and to the CD-ROM drive.
 Remove the cover from the slot opening at the rear of the PC case, and place
the card into the PCI slot, making sure that the card is seated firmly. Use the
screw taken from the slot cover to secure the card to the back of the PC case.
 Check again that both ends of the wire are still securely connected and that
the wire is not hampering the CPU fan, and then replace the case cover.
 Plug in the speakers to the ports at the back of the sound card, and turn on
the PC. Install the device drivers by restarting the computer and using the
Found New Hardware wizard.
 Restart your PC and then access Device Manager to ensure that the sound
card and its drivers are listed in Device Manager under Sound, video, and
game controllers.
5. Several types of video memory exist, including VRAM, SGRAM, WRAM, and 3-D
RAM.
 Video RAM, or VRAM, is a form of RAM used to store image data for a
computer display. Video RAM usually is dual-ported, which means that while



the CPU is writing a new image to video RAM, the monitor is reading from
video RAM to refresh its current display content. Video RAM often is called the
frame buffer because it serves as a buffer between the CPU and the monitor.
SGRAM (synchronous graphics RAM) is similar to SDRAM, but is designed
specifically for video card processing. SGRAM can synchronize itself with the
CPU bus clock, which makes the memory faster. SGRAM is used on moderate
to high-end cards when the very highest resolutions are not required.
WRAM (window RAM) is a type of dual-ported RAM that is faster and less
expensive than VRAM. WRAM is used on high-end graphics cards with very
high resolutions and true color.
3-D RAM was designed specifically to improve performance for video
processing that involves simulating 3-D graphics.