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Semester Exam
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. In the world of computers, the term ____ refers to the computer’s physical
components, such as the monitor, keyboard, motherboard, and hard drive.
a. software
c. architecture
b. middleware
d. hardware
2. The term ____ refers to the set of instructions that directs the hardware to
accomplish a task.
a. software
c. middleware
b. hardware
d. stack
3. To perform a computing task, software uses hardware for four basic functions:
____.
a. input, storage, retrieval, and
c. input, storage, alteration, and
display
output
b. input, processing, storage, and
d. output, input, analysis, and
output
viewing
4. A 1 or 0 in this system is called a ____.
a. byte
c. datum
b. word
d. bit
5. Most input/output devices communicate with components inside the computer
case through a wireless connection or through cables attached to the case at a
connection called a(n) ____.
a. port
c. interface
b. slot
d. socket
6. The printer produces output on paper, often called ____ copy.
a. real
c. hard
b. soft
d. virtual
7. A device that is not installed directly on the motherboard is called a(n) ____
device.
a. standard
c. extraneous
b. peripheral
d. perimeter
8. A ____ bus port can be used by many different input/output devices, such as
keyboards, printers, scanners, and digital cameras.
a. unified serial
c. universal serial
b. universal static
d. universal standards
9. The ____ is a group of microchips on the motherboard that control the flow of
data and instructions to and from the processor.
a. chipset
c. bridge
b. block
d. gate
10. Primary storage is provided by devices called memory or ____ located on the
motherboard and on some adapter cards.
a. ROM
c. Flash
b. BIOS
d. RAM
11. Most ____ drives consist of a sealed case containing platters or disks that rotate
at a high speed.
a. optical
c. flash
b. hard
d. solid state
12. A(n) ____ drive is considered standard equipment on most computer systems
today because most software is distributed on CDs or DVDs.
a. floppy
c. optical
b. flash
d. hard
13. USB ____ drives are compact, easy to use, and currently hold up to 64 GB of
data.
a. worm
c. hard
b. optical
d. flash
14. A(n) ____ is a set of rule and standards that any two entities use for
communication.
a. protocol
c. interface
b. language
d. interaction
15. The ____ or system timer is dedicated to timing the activities of the chips on the
motherboard.
a. randomizer
c. system clock
b. ALU
d. interrupt manager
16. Everything in a computer is ____.
a. decimal
b. binary
c. hexadecimal
d. integers
17. The ____ card, also called a graphics card, provides one or more ports for a
monitor.
a. video
b. interface
c. input
d. output
18. The ____ card provides a port for a network cable to connect the PC to a
network.
a. video
c. modem
b. interface
d. network
19. The most important component of the computer’s electrical system is the ____,
which is usually near the rear of the case.
a. power supply
c. drive cage
b. cooling fan
d. power bus
20. Data and instructions are stored on special ROM (read-only memory) chips on
the board and are called the ____.
a. flash
c. BIOS
b. microcode
d. Symbols
21. Motherboard settings are stored in a small amount of RAM located on the
firmware chip and are called ____.
a. CMOS ROM
c. DMOS ROM
b. CMOS RAM
d. HMAC RAM
22. A(n) ____ is software that controls a computer.
a. application
c. interface routine
b. operating system
d. ROM routine
23. A ____ interface is an interface that uses graphics as compared to a commanddriven interface.
a. text
c. common user
b. menu-based
d. graphical user
24. Vista has a new 3D user interface called the ____ user interface.
a. Glass
c. Air
b. Aero
d. Shield
25. A ____ makes it possible to boot a computer into one of two installed OSs.
a. hypervisor
c. dual boot
b. virtualization layer
d. quick boot
26. A(n) ____ is the portion of an OS that relates to the user and to applications.
a. hypervisor
c. GUI
b. interpreter
d. shell
27. The OS ____ is responsible for interacting with hardware.
a. kernel
c. driver layer
b. abstraction layer
d. ring
28. The ____ interface between the subsystems in user mode and the HAL.
a. application
c. primitive
b. executive services
d. non-privileged services
29. A ____ is a single task, such as the task of printing a file, that the process
requests from the kernel.
a. fiber
c. process
b. bundle
d. thread
30. ____ are small programs stored on the hard drive that tell the computer how to
communicate with a specific hardware device such as a printer, network card, or
modem.
a. Abstraction layer
c. BIOS
b. Device drivers
d. Input routines
31. The ____ is normally located at the bottom of the Windows desktop, displaying
information about open programs and providing quick access to others.
a. taskbar
c. menu bar
b. Windows button
d. task ribbon
32. The ____ is usually on the right side of the taskbar and displays open services.
a. status tray
c. system tray
b. display area
d. identification area
33. A(n) ____ is a program that runs in the background to support or serve
Windows or an application.
a. interface
c. daemon
b. slave
d. service
34. A ____ is one or more characters following the last period in a filename, such as
.exe, .txt, or .avi.
a. filename
c. file version
b. file extension
d. file type
35. The ____ dialog box in Windows Vista appears each time a user attempts to
perform an action that can be done only with administrative privileges.
a. User Account Confirmation
c. User Access Control
b. User Account Control
d. User Access Confirmation
36. Windows identifies file types primarily by the ____.
a. file contents
c. file extension
b. resource fork
d. companion stream
37. Windows offers two ways to sync files: ____.
a. Briefcase and Offline Files
b. Network Neighborhood and
Offline Files
c. Synchronization Tasks and Online
Files
d. Briefcase and Synchronization
layer
38. From the ____ window, you can change the read-only, hidden, archive, and
indexing attributes of the file.
a. Open
c. Status
b. Attributes
d. Properties
39. A(n) ____ is a list of items that is used to speed up a search.
a. database
c. shortcut
b. index
d. block
40. The first ATX power supplies and motherboards used a single power connector
called the ____ connector that had 20 pins.
a. A1
c. P2
b. P1
d. P3
41. Motherboards that support PCI Express and have the 24-pin P1 connector are
sometimes called ____ boards.
a. Advanced ATX
c. Micro ATX
b. Modified ATX
d. Enhanced ATX
42. The ____ form factor is a major variation of ATX and addresses some
technologies that have emerged since the original development of ATX.
a. MicroATX
c. MacroATX
b. Advanced ATX
d. UnionATX
43. The ____ form factor was designed by Intel in 2003 for flexibility and can be
used by everything from large tower systems to those ultrasmall-systems that sit
under a monitor.
a. CTX
c. BTX
b. ATX
d. TTX
44. The ____ is a measure of resistance to electricity.
a. Ohm
c. Volt
b. Amp
d. Watt
45. A ____ is an electronic device that can hold an electrical charge for a period of
time and can smooth the uneven flow of electricity through a circuit.
a. transistor
c. capacitor
b. diode
d. resistor
46. A power ____ is a box inside a computer case that supplies power to the
motherboard and other installed devices.
a. unit
b. supply
c. distributor
d. activator
47. ____ is running a processor, motherboard, or video card at a higher frequency
than the manufacturer recommends and is not considered a best practice.
a. Overbuilding
c. Overburning
b. Overrunning
d. Overclocking
48. One ____ is the work or energy required to produce one watt of power in one
second.
a. Volt
c. Ohm
b. joule
d. Watt
49. The ____ provides backup power in the event that the AC fails completely.
a. uninterruptible power supply
c. uniform power supply
b. line conditioner
d. line manager
50. A(n) ____ is a general-purpose tool that can measure several characteristics of
electricity in a variety of devices.
a. voltmeter
c. multimeter
b. ohmeter
d. ammeter
51. A ____ color or stripe down one side of a cable marks this side of the cable as
pin 1.
a. green
c. red
b. black
d. blue
52. Older hard drives use a(n) ____-conductor IDE ribbon cable.
a. 20
c. 60
b. 40
d. 80
53. For an older motherboard, instead of screws you’ll see ____ that keep the board
from resting directly on the bottom of the computer case.
a. washers
c. risers
b. spacers
d. screws
54. A ____ of the house current might cause symptoms of electrical power
problems.
a. brownout
c. whiteout
b. blackout
d. grayout
55. A(n) ____ might solve the problem of intermittent errors caused by noise in the
power line to the PC.
a. uninterruptible power supply
c. line manager
b. line cleaner
d. line conditioner
56. The motherboard, like all other components inside the computer case, should be
____ the chassis.
a. grounded from
c. detached from
b. grounded to
d. attached to
57. A ____ is the most complicated component in a computer.
a. video card
c. motherboard
b. sound card
d. modem
58. The ____ and the chipset determine which processors a board can support.
a. processor socket
c. processor brand
b. processor chip
d. peripheral interface
59. Earlier Pentiums used a ____ socket, with pins aligned in uniform rows around
the socket.
a. ball grid array
c. pin socket array
b. differential grid array
d. pin grid array
60. Later sockets used a ____, with pins staggered over the socket to squeeze more
pins into a small space.
a. vertical pin grid array
c. staggered pin grid array
b. keyed pin grid array
d. linear pin grid array
61. The ____ have a lever that is used to lift the processor up and out of the socket.
a. minimal insertion force sockets
c. zero effort sockets
b. zero insertion force sockets
d. zero tolerance sockets
62. The fast end of hub in the Intel i800 series chipsets, which contains the graphics
and memory controller, connects to the system bus and is called the hub’s ____.
a. North Bridge
c. Middle Bridge
b. South Bridge
d. North Gate
63. The slower end of the hub in the Intel i800 chipsets, called the ____, contains
the I/O controller hub.
a. North Bridge
c. South Hub
b. North Gate
d. South Bridge
64. Throughput is sometimes called ____.
a. speed
c. bandwidth
b. capacity
d. expandability
65. A(n) ____ boot involves turning on the power with the on/off switch.
a. hard
c. soft
b. warm
d. absolute
66. At the beginning of the boot drive (usually drive C) is the OS ____ record.
a. loop
b. boot
c. strap
d. master
67. For Windows XP, Ntldr is responsible for loading the OS, and is, therefore,
called the ____.
a. link loader program
c. boot interface program
b. partition management program
d. boot loader program
68. The process of upgrading or refreshing the ROM BIOS chip is called ____
BIOS.
a. flashing
c. refurbishing
b. flushing
d. cloning
69. Some cases have ____, also called spacers, which are round plastic or metal
pegs that separate the motherboard from the case, so that components on the
back of the motherboard do not touch the case.
a. picks
c. standoffs
b. clubs
d. columns
70. With any installation, remember the importance of using a ground strap (ground
bracelet) to ground yourself when working inside a computer case to protect
components against ____.
a. EDS
c. NSD
b. ESD
d. ASD
71. The ____ menu in BIOS setup allows you to configure automatic power-saving
features for your system, such as suspend mode or a sleep state.
a. power
c. boot
b. peripheral
d. general
72. Most likely when you first install a hard drive or an operating system, you will
want to have the BIOS attempt to first boot from a ____.
a. CD
c. floppy drive
b. hard drive
d. USB drive
73. The most reliable way to restore settings is to keep a written record of all the
changes you make to ____.
a. BMOS ROM
c. BMOS RAM
b. CMOS RAM
d. DMOS ROM
74. Processor core frequency is measured in ____.
a. hertz
c. gigahertz
b. megahertz
d. terahertz
75. Memory on the processor die is called ____ cache.
a. Level 1
c. Level 3
b. Level 2
d. Level 4
76. Memory in the processor package, but not on the processor die, is called ____
cache.
a. Level 1
c. Level 3
b. Level 2
d. Level 4
77. Intel’s ____ allows each logical processor within the processor package to
handle an individual thread in parallel with other threads being handled by other
processors within the package.
a. Hyper-Execution
c. HyperTransport
b. Multi-Threading
d. Hyper-Threading
78. ____ hold counters, data, instructions, and addresses that the ALU is currently
processing.
a. Logic units
c. Registers
b. Caches
d. Shifters
79. Installing more than one processor on a motherboard creates a ____.
a. multiprocessor platform
c. variable platform
b. wide platform
d. uniprocessor platform
80. Intel’s current families of processors for the desktop include four major groups:
____.
a. the Pentium, the Phenom, the Celeron, and the Atom families
b. the Core, the Pentium, the Celeron, and the Atom families
c. the Sempron, the Core, the Celeron, and the Atom families
d. the Core, the Pentium, the Celeron, and the Molecule families
81. Using the ____ technology, the Intel processor, chipset, and wireless network
adapter are all interconnected as a unit, which improves laptop performance.
a. Centrino
c. vPro
b. Core
d. Centrum
82. The cooler sits on top of the processor and consists of a fan and a heat ____,
which are fins that draw heat away from the processor.
a. dump
c. pump
b. pipe
d. sink
83. A ____ is a heat sink carrying an electrical charge that causes it to act as an
electrical thermal transfer device.
a. Moirre
c. pelted
b. peltier
d. perrier
84. The peltier’s top surface can be as hot as ____ degrees F.
a. 45
c. 375
b. 150
d. 500
85. The most popular method of cooling overclocked processors is a(n) ____.
a. air boosted system
c. liquid cooling system
b. peltier system
d. heat pipe system
86. The current set of standards that is used by BIOS, hardware, and the OS to
manage power is ____.
a. Advanced Connection and Programming Interface
b. Advanced Configuration and Programming Interface
c. Advanced Connection and Power Interface
d. Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
87. The CMOS battery failure can be reported by startup BIOS during the ____.
a. firmware
c. POST
b. OST
d. Self Test
88. Processors can sense their operating temperatures and report that information to
____.
a. BIOS
c. RAM
b. CMOS
d. CPU
89. The temperature inside the case should not exceed ____ degrees C.
a. 27
c. 57
b. 38
d. 100
90. ____ memory temporarily holds data and instructions as the CPU processes
them.
a. Random array
c. Repeatable access
b. Read-only
d. Random access
91. RAM is divided into two categories, ____.
a. DIMM and SODIMM
c. RIMM and SRAM
b. DRAM and SRAM
d. SRAM and mSDRAM
92. ____ is used for a memory cache and is contained within the processor housing.
a. SRAM
c. ROM
b. DRAM
d. cSRAM
93. ____ loses its data rapidly, and the memory controller must refresh it several
thousand times a second.
a. Static RAM
c. Dynamic RAM
b. Read-only memory
d. Flash RAM
94. RAM on motherboards today is stored on ____.
a. chips
c. Socket Mem478
b. FPGAs
d. DIMMs
95. Laptops use a smaller version of a DIMM called a(n) ____.
a. mDIMM
c. dDIMM
b. SO-DIMM
d. l-DIMM
96. DIMMs intended to be used in servers must be extremely reliable and use an
error-checking technology called ____.
a. CRC
c. AES
b. ECC
d. DPD
97. A Rambus memory module is called a(n) ____.
a. RIMM
c. SIMM
b. DIMM
d. RDIMM
98. When Windows does not have adequate memory to perform an operation, it
gives a(n)
“____” error or it slows down to a painful crawl.
a. Out of memory
c. Excess memory
b. Insufficient memory
d. Stack overflow
99. To upgrade memory means to add more ____ to a computer.
a. ROM
c. RAM
b. Flash
d. disk
100. To use System Information, in the Vista Start Search box or the Windows XP
Run box, type ____ and press Enter.
a. msinfo32
c. wininfo
b. msconfig
d. msinfo
Matching
Match each term with the correct statement below.
a. Gigahertz
c. Flash ROM
b. Hertz
d. Megahertz
101. One cycle per second
102. One million cycles per second
103. One billion cycles per second
104. Non-volatile memory and can be reprogrammed
Match each term with the correct statement below.
a. MicroDIMMs
f. xxxxx
b. xxxxx
g. SO-DIMM
c. SRAM
h. xxxx
d. 240-pin DDR3 DIMM
i. DRAM
e. 168-pin SDRAM DIMM
105. Holds its data as long as the RAM has power
106. Loses its data rapidly
107. Used on laptops
108. Used on subnotebook computers
109. Currently the fastest memory and can support triple or dual channels or be
installed as a single DIMM
110. Has two notches on the module