IT Test - Fundamentals of Computers eCourse Set 1

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) - Fundamentals of Computer

While developing an eCourse for candidates of Computer Operators I compiled an ebook

about multiple choice questions from Fundamentals of Computers. Following are the first
10 questions from that ebook. If you want to download the complete eBook please visit
the link at the bottom of this post.

1. UNIVAC is
A) Universal Automatic Computer
B) Universal Array Computer
C) Unique Automatic Computer
D) Unvalued Automatic Computer

2. The basic operations performed by a computer are

A) Arithmetic operation
B) Logical operation
C) Storage and retrieval
D) All the above

3. The two major types of computer chips are

A) External memory chip

B) Primary memory chip
C) Microprocessor chip
D) Both b and c

4. Microprocessors as switching devices are for which generation computers

A) First Generation
B) Second Generation
C) Third Generation
D) Fourth Generation

5. What is the main difference between a mainframe and a super computer?

A) Super computer is much larger than mainframe computers

B) Super computers are much smaller than mainframe computers
C) Supercomputers are focused to execute few programs as fast as possible while
mainframe uses its power to execute as many programs concurrently
D) Supercomputers are focused to execute as many programs as possible while
mainframe uses its power to execute few programs as fast as possible.
6. ASCII and EBCDIC are the popular character coding systems. What does EBCDIC
stand for?

A) Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code

B) Extended Bit Code Decimal Interchange Code
C) Extended Bit Case Decimal Interchange Code
D) Extended Binary Case Decimal Interchange Code

7. The brain of any computer system is

A) ALU
B) Memory
C) CPU
D) Control unit
8. Storage capacity of magnetic disk depends on

A) Tracks per inch of surface

B) Bits per inch of tracks
C) Disk pack in disk surface
D) All of above

9. The two kinds of main memory are:

A) Primary and secondary

B) Random and sequential
C) ROM and RAM
D) All of above
10. A storage area used to store data to a compensate for the difference in speed at which
the different units can handle data is

A) Memory
B) Buffer
C) Accumulator
D) Address

ANSWERS:
1-A
2-D
3-D
4-D
5-C
6-A
7-C
8-D
9-C
10-B
UNIVAC

After the successful development of ENIAC and EDVAC, John Mauchly & J.P. Eckert
founded their own company in 1946 and began to work on the Universal Automatic
computer. UNIVAC was the first general purpose commercial computer. [from History of
Computers - Electronic Computer]

Operations of Computers

Computers are magnificient devices not only to perform processing (calculation) but they
are able to manage huge storage and easy retrieval. [Read more - Introduction of
Computers]

Types of Computer Chips

After the invention of semiconductor silicon chips, it revolutionized the world of

electronic. In computers, chips are basically used for primary memory. Similarly
microprocessors also use the same IC chips. Read more about computer chips and how
they are manufactured at Third Generation of Computers.

Microprocessors

IC Chips were developed and used in third generation of computers. However, these
chips were used to build microprocessors only in fourth generation. Due to the invention
of microprocessors, micro-computers were possible.

Probably the most important development in this generation is microprocessor. The Intel
4004 chip, developed in 1971, took the integrated circuit one step further by locating all
the components of a computer (central processing unit, memory, and input and output
controls) on a minute chip. Whereas previously the integrated circuit had had to be
manufactured to fit a special purpose, now one microprocessor could be manufactured
and then programmed to meet any number of demands. Soon everyday household items
such as microwave ovens, television sets, and automobiles with electronic fuel injection
incorporated microprocessors [from fourth generation computers]

Mainframe Computers and Super Computers

Super Computers are not the largest computers but they are often classified on the basis
of size. Super computers are considered better for the speed and power. This speed is
achieved from the fact that they are designed to run small number of programs but with
utmost speed whereas, mainframe computers are designed to run as many programs as
possible to support multiple users.
EBCDIC

Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC) is an 8-bit character

encoding used mainly on IBM mainframe and IBM midrange computer operating
systems. EBCDIC descended from the code used with punched cards and the
corresponding six bit binary-coded decimal code used with most of IBM's computer
peripherals of the late 1950s and early 1960s. It is also employed on various non-IBM
platforms such as Fujitsu-Siemens' BS2000/OSD, HP MPE/iX, and Unisys MCP. [Visit
Source]

Brain of Computer

Because CPU performs thinking, remembering and controlling the whole system, it is
often called the brain of Computer System.

Storage Capacity of Disks

It is fairly obvious that more data can be stored in a disk if there are more tracks per inch
of disk surface, more bits can be accomodated in every inch of track and many disk packs
are used.

Two kind of main memory

Main memory or primary memory are of two types - ROM and RAM. ROM is used to
store permanent type of programs such as POST (Power On Self Test), BIOS (Basic Input
Output Systems). RAM is used to load user programs and is erased automatically when
power supply is cut off.

Buffer

Buffer is a storage area used to store data to a compensate for the difference in speed at
which the different units can handle data. It will collect until the prespecified amount of
data to allow processing it as a unit. [Read more about Buffer]

These 10 questions are extracted from 'MCQs on Fundamentals of Comptuer' ebook. You
can register and download this ebook from ICT Trends.
IT Test - Fundamentals of Computers eCourse Set 2

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) - Fundamentals of Computer .

1. What do you call the programs that are used to find out possible faults and their
causes?

A) Operating system
B) Cookies
C) Diagnostic software
D) Boot diskettes

2. Who invented the high level language C?

A) Dennis M. Ritchie
B) Niklaus Writh
C) Seymour Papert
D) Donald Kunth

3. Which of the following is not a type of Software

A) System Software
B) Application Software
C) Utility Software
D) Entertainment Software

4. Which of the following is not the classification of computers based on application?

A) Electronic Computers
B) Analog Computers
C) Digital Computers
D) Hybrid Computers

5. Which of the following registers is used to keep track of address of the memory
location where the next instruction is located?

A) Memory address register

B) Memory data register
C) Instruction register
D) Program counter
6. Networking such as LAN, MAN started from

A) First generation
B) Second generation
C) Third generation
D) Fourth generation

7. Which characteristic of computer distinguishes it from electronic calculators?

A) Accuracy
B) Storage
C) Versatility
D) Automatic

8. Which of the following is the largest manufacturer of Hard Disk Drives?

A) IBM
B) Seagate
C) Microsoft
D) 3M

9. LSI, VLSI & ULSI chips were used in which generation?

A) First
B) Second
C) Third
D) Fourth

10. Which is the type of memory for information that does not change on your
computer?

A) RAM
B) ROM
C) ERAM
D) RW / RAM

Answers:
1-C
2-C
3-D
4-C
5-D
6-B
7-B
8-B
9-C 10-D
Explanation:

Diagnostic Software

A diagnostic program is a program written for the express purpose of locating problems
with the software, hardware, or any combination thereof in a system, or a network of
systems. Preferably, diagnostic programs provide solutions to the user to solve issues.
[Wikipedia]. MemTurbo, Registry Repair Wizard, Disk Cleaner etc are some examples of
diagnostic software.

Inventor of Programming Language C

C was created in 1972 by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie, researchers at AT&T's Bell
Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey who also invented the UNIX operating system (a
program used to operate computer systems). After creating UNIX, the two programmers
needed to enable it for use on many different kinds of computers. Improving upon a
language called B that Thompson had developed, they created C to accomplish this task.
By doing so, they created the first portable operating system, and UNIX became the first
major program to be written in the C language. According to C Programming by Augie
Hansen, C went through a long period of development before it was released in Brian
Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie's 1978 book The C Programming Language. Later, the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) developed a standardized version of the
language to make it more acceptable for international use. [Read more: C (Programming
Language)]

Types of Software

Software are generally categorized into two types, (1) system software - programs that
are required to run computer and (2) application software - programs that are used to
perform user tasks. So, operating systems, programming languages, language processors
and utility programs are system software. WordProcessing, spreadsheet calculation,
presentation, database management, multimedia applications and so on are application
software.

Some people prefer to classify computers into three types - system, application and utility
software but we don't have a type called 'Entertainment Software'.

Classification of Computers Based on Application

There are three classes of computers based on application - Analog, Digital and Hybrid.

Program Counter
Program counter holds the address of either the first byte of the next instruction to be
fetched for execution or the address of the next byte of a multi byte instruction, which has
not been completely fetched. In both the cases it gets incremented automatically one by
one as the instruction bytes get fetched. Also Program register keeps the address of the
next instruction.

Program counter is 16 bit register which hold the address of next instruction to be
executed.

These 10 questions are extracted from 'MCQs on Fundamentals of Comptuer' ebook. You
can register and download this ebook from ICT Trends.
IT Test - Fundamentals of Computers eCourse Set 3

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) - Fundamentals of Computer

1. The main electronic component used in first generation computers was

A) Transistors
B) Vacuum Tubes and Valves
C) Integrated Circuits
D) None of above

2. A dumb terminal has

A) an embedded microprocessor
B) extensive memory
C) independent processing capability
D) a keyboard and screen

3. One millisecond is

A) 1 second
B) 10th of a seconds
C) 1000th of a seconds
D) 10000th of a seconds

4. The output quality of a printer is measured by

A) Dot per sq. inch

B) Dot per inch
C) Dots printed per unit time
D) All of the above

5. Which of the following was a special purpose computer?

A) ABC
B) ENIAC
C) EDVAC
D) All of the above

6. What was the computer invented by Attunes off and Clifford?

A) Mark I
B) ABC
C) Z3
D) None of above
7. Which of the following storage devices can store maximum amount of data?

A) Floppy Disk
B) Hard Disk
C) Compact Disk
D) Magneto Optic Disk

8. Which computer was considered the first electronic computer until 1973 when court
invalidated the patent?

A) ENIAC
B) MARK I
C) Z3
D) ABC

9. A physical connection between the microprocessor memory and other parts of the
microcomputer is known as

A) Path
B) Address bus
C) Route
D) All of the above

10. High density double sided floppy disks could store _____ of dat

A) 1.40 MB
B) 1.44 GB
C) 1.40 GB
D) 1.44 MB
Answers:

1-B
2-D
3-C
4-B
5-A
6-B
7-B
8-A
9-B
10-D
IT Test - Fundamentals of Computers eCourse Set 4

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) - Fundamentals of Computer

1. A high quality CAD system uses the following for printing drawing and graphs

A) Dot matrix printer

B) Digital plotter
C) Line printer
D) All of the above

2. Which of the following is not an input device?

A) OCR
B) Optical scanners
C) Voice recognition device
D) COM (Computer Output to Microfilm)

3. The accuracy of the floating-point numbers representable in two 16-bit words of a

computer is approximately

A) 16 digits
B) 6 digits
C) 9 digits
D) All of above

4. In most of the IBM PCs, the CPU, the device drivers, memory, expansion slots and
active components are mounted on a single

board. What is the name of the board?

A) Motherboard
B) Daughterboard
C) Bredboard
D) Fatherboard
 5. In most IBM PCs, the CPU, the device drives, memory expansion slots and active
components are mounted on a single board. What

is the name of this board?

A) Motherboard
B) Breadboard
C) Daughter board
D) Grandmother board

6. Magnetic disks are the most popular medium for

A) Direct access
B) Sequential access
C) Both of above
D) None of above

7. A technique used by codes to convert an analog signal into a digital bit stream is
known as

A) Pulse code modulation

B) Pulse stretcher
C) Query processing
D) Queue management

8. Regarding a VDU, Which statement is more correct?

A) It is an output device
B) It is an input device
C) It is a peripheral device
D) It is hardware item

9. A modern electronic computer is a machine that is meant for

A) Doing quick mathematical calculations

B) Input, storage, manipulation and outputting of data
C) Electronic data processing
D) Performing repetitive tasks accurately
10. When was vacuum tube invented?

A) 1900
B) 1906
C) 1910
D) 1880
Answers
1-B
2-D
3-A
4-A
5-A
6-D
7-A
8-A
9-B
10-B

1. Which of the following produces the best quality graphics reproduction?

A) Laser printer
B) Ink jet printer
C) Plotter
D) Dot matrix printer

2. Computers with 80286 microprocessor is

A) XT computer
B) AT comptuers
C) PS/2 computer
D) None of above

3. An application suitable for sequential processing is

A) Processing of grades
B) Payroll processing
C) Both a and b
D) All of above

4. Which of the following is not processing?

A) arranging
B) manipulating
C) calculating
D) gathering
5. The digital computer was developed primarily in

A) USSR
B) Japan
C) USA
D) UK

6. Software in computer

A) Enhances the capabilities of the hardware machine

B) Increase the speed of central processing unit
C) Both of above
D) None of above

7. Today’s computer giant IBM was earlier known by different name which was changes
in 1924. What was that name?

A) Tabulator Machine Co.

B) Computing Tabulating Recording Co.
C) The Tabulator Ltd.
D) International Computer Ltd.

8. Before a disk drive can access any sector record, a computer program has to provide
the record’s disk address. What information does this address specify?

A) Track number
B) Sector number
C) Surface number
D) All of above

9. The arranging of data in a logical sequence is called

A) Sorting
B) Classifying
C) Reproducing
D) Summarizing

10. What is the responsibility of the logical unit in the CPU of a computer?

A) To produce result
B) To compare numbers
C) To control flow of information
D) To do math’s works
Answers:
1-C
2-B
3-C
4-D
5-C
6-A
7-B
8-D
9-A
10-B

Explanation:

Plotter

A plotter is a computer printing device for printing vector graphics. In the past, plotters
were widely used in applications such as computer-aided design, though they have
generally been replaced with wide-format conventional printers. It is now commonplace
to refer to such wide-format printers as "plotters," even though they technically aren't.
Plotter produces best quality graphics output.

AT Computers

Computer having 80286, 80386, 80486, Pentium and the later processors are AT
Computers. There were XT computers with 8080 and 8088 processors. Personal System/2
or PS/2 was developed by IBM to capture the PC market by introducing advanced
propritary architecture. However, its memory module, keyboard/mouse port etc. became
a defacto standard in later computers.

Sequential Processing

Sequential processing is a way of doing jobs where each job is done in serial fashion.
Some application are sequential by nature such as playing songs or video. You can't jump
randomely to any position and play. For example lets take three tasks - calculate total,
percentage and division. You should first calculate total and use it in percentage and use
the result to determine division. These three tasks are to be done sequentially. Similarly,
processing of grades or payroll processing both have to go through sequential processing.

Processing

Processing is called to something where we make some modification to the given data
either by calculating or by arranging or ordering or anything that would produce the
result by manipulating the given data. So, calculating, arranging, manupulating are
processing taks. Data collection (gathering) does not involve any sort of converting one
data into other form, so it is not processing.

Software

Software are the applications or computer programs that runs the hardware and perform
required user jobs. Software enhances the capability of hardware, means it can make a
computer do what it was not doing earlier. For example after you install a new software,
your computer is capable to perform a new job. However, software can't increase speed
of CPU or space of RAM etc.

Old Name of IBM

The giant computer manufacturing company IBM was named so in 1924. Till then, it was
known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording since 1911. See the logo more of CTR in
IBM Page.

Sorting

Sorting is the task of arranging data in required order - ascending or descending by

numbers or alphabets.

These 10 questions are extracted from 'MCQs on Fundamentals of Comptuer' ebook. You
can register and download this ebook from MCQs on Fundamentals at ICT Trends.