STUDENT TEST BOOKLET
Open Response Scoring Breakdown: 4 = 50/50, 3 = 45/50, 2 = 30/50, 1 = 20/50
This test section contains TWELVE multiple-choice and ONE open-response (short-answer)
questions. Please mark your answers for the multiple-choice questions in the spaces provided on
your Student Response Booklet. Mark only one answer for each question. If you do not know the
answer, make your best guess. DO NOT WRITE ANY ANSWERS IN THIS TEST BOOKLET.
WHEN YOU FINISH, DO NOT WORK ON ANY OTHER TEST SECTION.
1.
2.
3.
4.
The IT Help Desk currently employs six operators during each of its three shifts. If during
a normal day the help desk receives 225 calls per day (with the number of calls being
equal during each shift) how many calls would each IT Help desk employee receive each
day?
A.
12.5 calls
B.
14 calls
C.
11calls
D.
13.25 calls
Michael recently purchased a new motherboard and components from Newegg.com.
Michael just finished installing his motherboard and now is ready to install items
into his expansion slots. Which of the following items would not be installed into an
expansion slot?
A.
Network Card
B.
Video Card
C.
Sound Card
D.
CPU
Mike’s computer has begun overheating and shutting down. What is the most likely
culprit?
A.
Faulty Video Card
B.
Incompatible Motherboard
C.
Heat Sink not installed over the CPU
D.
Incorrect ROM type
Kattie has been asked by her supervisor to make a short presentation to the board of
directors at South Bronx Bank over the advantages of installing LCD monitors at all
computer stations. Which of the following is an advantage that Kattie could include
within her presentation?
LCD monitors have been produced longer than any other type of computer
A.
monitor
B.
LCD monitors weigh less that CRT monitors
C.
LCD monitors are required by law due to their power saving settings
D.
LCD monitors offer more security for the individual computer user.
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5.
After looking at numerous computer cases for his custom PC, Brett has decided on a
case with a 600-watt power supply. Why should consumers and computer builders
both be concerned about the wattage of a power supply.
Each powered component of a computer system pulls from the power supply. If
the supply does not have enough watts to supply power to all components then
A.
the system will no function correctly.
B.
C.
D.
6.
7.
8.
The wattage should be matched with the national power standards as in the
United states all power supplies should be kept under 200 watts, while in
Europe all power supplies must be under 300 watts.
If a power supply has to much power then devices will not function correctly
because they will receive to much power.
The lower the wattage the better the power supply will perform with high end
computer systems such as gaming PC’s or programming PC’s.
While looking through the material included with his new computer, Matt discovered
a page that contained a Motherboard location map. Which of the following would not
generally be found on a Motherboard location map?
A.
CPU location
B.
DIMM slots
C.
PCI slots
D.
CPU heat sink
Eddie was amazed at all of the options available concerning the CPU selection for his
new PC. Which of the following statements is true concerning the CPU?
A.
CPU’S are interchangeable on a motherboard
B.
CPU’s only interact with the DIMM and PCI slots on a motherboard
C.
CPU’s must match up with the socket type on a motherboard
D.
CPU’s within the Pentium 2 family of processors use socket 7 on the
motherboard for installation
As Ken was taking a close look at the small writing on his motherboard he noticed
some writing beside a plastic piece that read, “DIMM 1”. DIMM 1 could be best
described as
A.
A port used to allow advanced graphic cards to be installed on the motherboard
B.
A module used for memory on a motherboard
C.
A port used to expand the processing power of the CPU
D.
A module used to install extra cards in a motherboard for expansion purposes.
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9.
Mattie has disassembled her computer’s hard drive. She has located a large shiny
disc that looks very similar to a CD. What component of a hard drive has Mattie
located?
A.
Spindle
B.
Actuator
C.
Read/Write Head
D.
Platter
Motherboard Quality: How to Find a Good Motherboard
Motherboards can be confusing to shop for; they have lots of parts and all look about the same. How do you know you
are getting a good motherboard? Here are a few things that you can check for a good sense of what you are getting.
The Thing that Connects Everything
The Motherboard is probably the easiest computer component to ignore when budgeting for your new computer build
or when you are trying to upgrade. Yet as the component that connects everything together it is one of the most
important components you have. Having a good quality motherboard is essential to your computer's speed and
connectivity as well as the life of the computer. But most importantly, the identity of your PC is tied to your
Motherboard--you don't need to get a new version of Windows until you get a new motherboard since Microsoft
attaches your Windows serial key to the motherboard. This means you can keep upgrading your computer until you
replace the motherboard; then it's like getting a new computer.
But what do you look for in a motherboard? For the person without a ton of knowledge (What is a northbridge? How
do I know a good chipset?) you can do a couple easy things to check your motherboard quality:
1) Price
As simple as it seems, price is a decent enough indicator of motherboard quality. The retailers will always keep their
new and better models more expensive. So I'd say spending a bit more money will help you out right away. But don't
just rely on price; it's just a place to start.
A decent price range for a motherboard as of this writing would be $150-$400 depending on your budget.
2) Reviews
Again, this sounds simple but looking at the reviews for a motherboard will get you a better sense of quality and
durability than pretty much anything else. Websites like Newegg, Tiger Direct, or Amazon all have good review
systems with lots of users who will let you know if there are any major issues with the motherboard or whether it is
high quality. Keep in mind that any computer component has a certain number of failures and problems. Just because
there are a few people complaining their MB was DOA (dead on arrival) doesn't mean you can't get it. But if those
DOA make up a disproportionate amount of the reviews (I'd say more than 5%) then I'd probably be wary.
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3) Components
To get a sense of the beefiness (but not necessarily the quality or durability) of the board, take a look at its
components. Here are things you want to note in the components
1. CPU Compatibility: Your MB will determine what processors you can use. Make sure it can use a good one
and that you have space for future upgrades.
2. Memory Standard: Again, this is determined by your motherboard. The faster the speed the quicker your
computer will run. At least get a motherboard with DDR3. Just keep in mind you'll have to spend more for
your RAM but its totally worth it.
3. Number of Connections: How many SATA connectors are there? Is it enough for your needs? How many PCI
slots are there? Is your video card going to fit? Also, how many connections are build into the external portion
of the motherboard (USBs particularly)? Is this going to be enough?
4) Look up the Chipset
If you really want to know more detailed info on the quality of the motherboard then you might want to look up
reviews and features for different chipsets. There are two parts to the chipset of any motherboard, the northbridge and
the southbridge. As people with the old XBox 360s know, the chipset can determine a lot about durability and quality
(the old chipset is why 360s red ringed so much). But how do you know if a chipset is any good? The best way to do it
is to just search for it and look for reviews. The great thing about the internet is that there are some people out there
with the technical knowledge sufficient to give you a good sense of its quality
10.
Use the above article to answer questions 10 - 12
The word Motherboard as used in the article means
A.
the main circuit board of your computer
B.
the location where power is converted from AC to DC
C.
the location where non-volatile data is permanent stored
D.
the processing unit where all decisions are made
11.
What is the main idea of this passage?
Motherboards are very expensive and should be purchased after the CPU is
A.
purchased.
Motherboards can easily be transferred from one computer to another computer
B.
for only a small amount of cost.
Motherboards work well in most computers but other computer systems need
C.
more advanced circuit boards that are called Fiberboard’s.
Motherboards are devices with many different operations that flow through
D.
them and motherboards can make or break an entire computer system.
12.
Who is the intended audience for this article?
A.
Software Engineers
B.
Motherboard Designers
C.
Custom PC Buyers
D.
CPU Developers
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OPEN-RESPONSE QUESTION
Read all parts of the open-response question before you begin. Write your answers to the openresponse question in the space provided on your Student Response Booklet. DO NOT WRITE ANY
ANSWERS IN THIS TEST BOOKLET.
The computer is made up of numerous parts and pieces that form a very
impressive object. Technicians are needed to ensure that each computer
works correctly on a daily basis and knowledge of each part must be
understood so that he or she can fully grasp the full design spectrum of the
Personal Computer.
13.
A. Describe the steps one would take to install a new hard drive(with an IDE interface)
inside a computer system that has just been put together
B. Explain the components one would find inside of a computer’s hard drive.