Unit 2 Hardware and Software

Question 1

What is a mainframe computer?

Answer 1

A large, powerful computer used for bulk data processing.

Question 2

What is a supercomputer?

Answer 2

A computer with extremely high processing power used for scientific research.

Question 3

Give two uses of mainframe computers.

Answer 3

Census processing; Banking transactions.

Question 4

Give two uses of supercomputers.

Answer 4

Weather forecasting; Quantum mechanics research.

Question 5

What does RAS stand for?

Answer 5

Reliability, Availability, Serviceability.

Question 6

What is MTBF?

Answer 6

Mean Time Between Failures.

Question 7

What is fault tolerance?

Answer 7

Ability of a computer to continue operating even if components fail.

Question 8

Give one advantage of mainframes.

Answer 8

Very reliable and secure.

Question 9

Give one disadvantage of mainframes.

Answer 9

Very expensive to buy and maintain.

Question 10

Give one advantage of supercomputers.

Answer 10

Extremely fast data processing.

Question 11

Give one disadvantage of supercomputers.

Answer 11

High cost and power consumption.

Question 12

What does MIPS measure?

Answer 12

Millions of Instructions Per Second.

Question 13

What does FLOPS measure?

Answer 13

Floating Point Operations Per Second.

Question 14

What is an operating system?

Answer 14

System software that manages hardware and software resources.

Question 15

Give two functions of an operating system.

Answer 15

Memory management; File management.

Question 16

What is multitasking?

Answer 16

Running multiple programs at the same time.

Question 17

What is a compiler?

Answer 17

Software that translates high-level code into machine code.

Question 18

What is an interpreter?

Answer 18

Software that translates and executes code line by line.

Question 19

What is a linker?

Answer 19

Software that combines object code into a single executable program.

Question 20

What is a device driver?

Answer 20

Software that allows OS to communicate with hardware devices.

Question 21

Give two examples of utility software.

Answer 21

Disk formatting; Disk defragmentation.

Question 22

What is disk formatting?

Answer 22

Preparing a disk for use by organizing its structure.

Question 23

What is disk defragmentation?

Answer 23

Rearranging data on a disk to improve access speed.

Question 24

What is data compression?

Answer 24

Reducing file size for storage or transmission.

Question 25

Give two types of compression.

Answer 25

Lossy; Lossless.

Question 26

What is backup software?

Answer 26

Software used to create copies of files for recovery.

Question 27

What is anti-virus software?

Answer 27

Software that detects and removes malware.

Question 28

What is a platter?

Answer 28

A disk surface in a hard drive used to store data.

Question 29

What is a track?

Answer 29

A circular path on a disk where data is stored.

Question 30

What is a sector?

Answer 30

A subdivision of a track on a disk.

Question 31

What is a block?

Answer 31

A group of sectors used for data storage.

Question 32

Label the parts of a hard disk diagram.

Answer 32

Platters, Spindle, Read/Write Head, Actuator Arm.

Question 33

Label the components of a CPU diagram.

Answer 33

Control Unit, Arithmetic Logic Unit, Registers, Cache.

Question 34

Label the memory hierarchy diagram.

Answer 34

Registers, Cache, RAM, Secondary Storage.

Question 35

Label the parts of an optical disk diagram.

Answer 35

Track, Sector, Spiral Path.

Question 36

Label the components of a motherboard diagram.

Answer 36

CPU socket, RAM slots, Expansion slots, Power connector.

Question 37

What is file management?

Answer 37

Organizing and controlling files in a computer system.

Question 38

What is memory management?

Answer 38

Allocating and managing RAM for processes.

Question 39

What is the purpose of a boot loader?

Answer 39

Loads the operating system into memory when the computer starts.

Question 40

Why do mainframes have high security?

Answer 40

To protect large volumes of sensitive data.

Question 41

Give two security measures used in mainframes.

Answer 41

User authentication; Encryption.

Question 42

Label the parts of a network diagram.

Answer 42

Router, Switch, Hub, End Devices.

Question 43

Label the components of a storage device diagram.

Answer 43

Controller, Cache, Interface, Platters.

Question 44

What is the function of a delete utility?

Answer 44

Deletes pointers to files so OS can reuse space.

Question 45

Can deleted files always be recovered?

Answer 45

No, if data is overwritten, recovery is difficult.

Question 46

What is anti-virus software?

Answer 46

Software that detects and removes viruses.

Question 47

Give two examples of malware.

Answer 47

Viruses; Worms.

Question 48

What is a Trojan horse?

Answer 48

Malware disguised as legitimate software.

Question 49

What is adware?

Answer 49

Software that displays unwanted ads.

Question 50

What is signature-based detection?

Answer 50

Compares files to known virus signatures.

Question 51

What is heuristic detection?

Answer 51

Detects suspicious behaviour or code patterns.

Question 52

What is sandbox detection?

Answer 52

Runs suspected files in a virtual environment.

Question 53

What is a false positive in virus detection?

Answer 53

When clean files are flagged as infected.

Question 54

What is a file management system?

Answer 54

Software that organizes and manages files.

Question 55

Give two functions of a file management system.

Answer 55

Rename files; Move files between directories.

Question 56

What is metadata in file management?

Answer 56

Information about a file such as size and date.

Question 57

What is a disk management system?

Answer 57

Utilities to manage hard disk partitions and space.

Question 58

Give two functions of disk management systems.

Answer 58

Create partitions; Change drive letters.

Question 59

What is disk defragmentation?

Answer 59

Reorganizing files to improve access speed.

Question 60

What is data compression?

Answer 60

Reducing file size for storage or transmission.

Question 61

Name two types of compression.

Answer 61

Lossy; Lossless.

Question 62

What is custom-written software?

Answer 62

Software developed for a specific user or organization.

Question 63

What is off-the-shelf software?

Answer 63

Pre-made software available for general use.

Question 64

Give one advantage of custom-written software.

Answer 64

Meets exact user requirements.

Question 65

Give one disadvantage of custom-written software.

Answer 65

Expensive and time-consuming to develop.

Question 66

Give one advantage of off-the-shelf software.

Answer 66

Cheaper and immediately available.

Question 67

Give one disadvantage of off-the-shelf software.

Answer 67

May not meet all user needs.

Question 68

What is a user interface?

Answer 68

The way a user interacts with a computer system.

Question 69

Name four types of user interface.

Answer 69

CLI, GUI, Dialogue-based, Gesture-based.

Question 70

What is CLI?

Answer 70

Command Line Interface using text commands.

Question 71

What is GUI?

Answer 71

Graphical User Interface using windows, icons, menus.

Question 72

What is a dialogue interface?

Answer 72

Interface using voice commands.

Question 73

What is a gesture-based interface?

Answer 73

Interface using physical gestures.

Question 74

Give one advantage of GUI over CLI.

Answer 74

More user-friendly and intuitive.

Question 75

Give one disadvantage of CLI.

Answer 75

Requires knowledge of commands.

Question 76

Give one advantage of gesture-based interface.

Answer 76

Hands-free operation.

Question 77

Give one disadvantage of gesture-based interface.

Answer 77

Can misinterpret gestures.

Question 78

Explain what RAS means.

Answer 78

Reliability, Availability, Serviceability.

Question 79

What does a sector refer to on a disk?

Answer 79

Subdivision of a track for data storage.

Question 80

What is a track on a disk?

Answer 80

Circular path on a disk surface.

Question 81

What is a cylinder in disk storage?

Answer 81

Set of tracks aligned vertically across platters.

Question 82

Explain how high-level language runs on different systems.

Answer 82

It is translated using compilers or interpreters.

Question 83

What is the main function of anti-virus software?

Answer 83

To detect, prevent, and remove malware.

Question 84

Why should anti-virus software be updated regularly?

Answer 84

To recognize new viruses and threats.

Question 85

Give two examples of anti-virus programs.

Answer 85

Norton; McAfee.

Question 86

What is real-time scanning in anti-virus software?

Answer 86

Continuous monitoring of files and programs for threats.

Question 87

What is quarantine in anti-virus software?

Answer 87

Isolating infected files to prevent spreading.

Question 88

Why do false positives occur in anti-virus detection?

Answer 88

When clean files match virus signatures by mistake.

Question 89

Give one advantage of anti-virus software.

Answer 89

Protects system from malware attacks.

Question 90

Give one disadvantage of anti-virus software.

Answer 90

May slow down system performance.

Question 91

What is heuristic analysis in anti-virus software?

Answer 91

Detecting unknown viruses by analyzing suspicious behavior.

Question 92

What is signature-based detection?

Answer 92

Matching files against a database of known virus signatures.

Question 93

What is sandboxing in anti-virus software?

Answer 93

Running suspicious files in a virtual environment to observe behavior.

Question 94

Why is anti-virus software important for email attachments?

Answer 94

To prevent malware from spreading through emails.

Question 95

What is the role of automatic updates in anti-virus software?

Answer 95

Ensures the virus database is current.

Question 96

What does anti-virus software do when a virus is detected?

Answer 96

Alerts the user and removes or quarantines the file.

Question 97

What is a virus signature?

Answer 97

A unique pattern used to identify a virus.

Question 98

What is behavioral-based detection?

Answer 98

Monitoring programs for abnormal activities like sending mass emails.