Chapter 1 Introduction to Information Processing

Multiple Choice Questions

P01M001
According to the Input-Process-Output cycle, arrange the following actions in the correct
order.
(1) The vending machine provides the drink as requested.
(2) A user inserts coins into the vending machine and selects the desired drink.
(3) The user retrieves the drink from the vending machine.
A. (2)  (1)  (3)
B. (2)  (3)  (1)
C. (3)  (1)  (2)
D. (3)  (2)  (1)
Answer
A

P01M002
Which of the following devices has / have stored programs?
(1) Mobile phone
(2) Traditional camera
(3) Printer
A. (1) only
B. (2) only
C. (1) and (3) only
D. (1), (2) and (3)
Answer
C

P01M003
Which of the following statements about computers and stored programs is correct?
A. Personal computers can complete a specific task themselves without stored programs or
human instructions.
B. Stored programs can only be found in computers.
C. Computers can perform tasks described by stored programs.
D. All stored programs in a computer will be lost after the computer is shut down.
Answer
C
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P01M004
Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Data is a collection of facts in numerical form.
B. Information is meaningful to at least a specific group of people.
C. Computers can reject all incorrect data.
D. Data is used by computer operators while information is used by decision makers.
Answer
B

P01M005
Which of the following is not a character coding system?
A. ASCII
B. Unicode
C. GB code
D. Bar code
Answer
D

P01M006
Which of the following mappings is incorrect?
Date type Possible format
A. Text JPG
B. Image BMP
C. Audio WAV
D. Video AVI
Answer
A

P01M007
Which of the following statements about digital images is / are correct?
(1) All digital images are formed by pixels.
(2) The images taken by digital cameras cannot be altered.
(3) Scanners can digitize all kinds of photos.
A. (1) only
B. (3) only
C. (1) and (2) only
D. (1), (2) and (3)
Answer
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B

P01M008
Which of the following is not the major component in an information system?
A. Purposes
B. Technology
C. Personnel
D. Capital
Answer
D

P01M009
Which of the following systems is / are (an) example(s) of an information system?
(1) WebSAMS
(2) The Internet
(3) An aqueduct system
A. (1) only
B. (2) only
C. (1) and (2) only
D. (1), (2) and (3)
Answer
C

P01M010
Mary is a person with information literate. Which of the following abilities must she have?
(1) She can search desired information on the Internet quickly and effectively.
(2) She can use searched information effectively for her work.
(3) She has obtained a university degree related to IT.
A. (1) only
B. (3) only
C. (1) and (2) only
D. (1), (2) and (3)
Answer
C

P01M011
A __________ is responsible for researching, planning and implementing an information
system.
A. systems analyst
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B. programmer
C. technician
D. data entry operator
Answer
A

P01M012
Which of the following is not a feature of the Information Age?
A. There is an explosion of information.
B. There will be an increasing number of knowledge-based societies.
C. IT skills become much more important for people to get employed.
D. IT skills become much more important than language skills.
Answer
D

P01M013
Which of the following mappings is incorrect?
Point-of-sale device Stage of a Input-Process-Output cycle
A. Bar code reader Input stage
B. Keyboard Input stage
C. Thermal printer Output stage
D. Touch screen Process stage
Answer
D

P01M014
Which of the following is not a process in a washing machine?
A. Select the appropriate washing sequence.
B. Rinse clothes.
C. Mix washing powders with clothes.
D. Dry clothes.
Answer
A

P01M015
Which of the following actions does not belong to data processing?
A. Data sorting
B. Data searching
C. Data merging
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D. Data presenting
Answer
D

Short Questions

P01S001
(a) State the input and the output of a scanner. Describe the main process carried out by a
scanner.
(3 marks)
(b) State the input and the output of a laser printer. Describe the main process carried out by
a laser printer.
(3 marks)
Answer
(a) Input: paper documents (1)
Output: electronic version of paper documents (1)
Process: Digitize paper documents. (1)
(b) Input: digital signals from a computer, toner and papers (1)
Output: printouts (1)
Process: Interpret the digital signals received and use toner to display the corresponding
information on papers. (1)

P01S002
(a) State one difference between a stored program and a normal computer program.
(2 marks)
(b) Give two examples for each of the following types of devices that contain stored
programs.
(i) Mechanical devices
(2 marks)
(ii) Electronic devices
(2 marks)
Answer
(a) A computer program is usually run in a computer (1) while a stored program can be run
in many kinds of electronic devices. (1)
(b) (i) Mechanical music box (1) and traditional sewing machine (1)
(ii) Video recorder (1) and automatic washing machine (1)

P01S003
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When developing an IT system, a number of personnel are involved. Name the post that is
responsible for each of the following details.
(a) System researching and planning
(1 mark)
(b) System maintenance
(1 mark)
(c) Inputting data into the system
(1 mark)
(d) Managing cost and implementation time
(1 mark)
(e) Writing program codes
(1 mark)
(f) Monitoring the availability and performance of the communications concerning the
system
(1 mark)
Answer
(a) Systems analyst (1)
(b) Technician (1)
(c) Data entry operator (1)
(d) Systems analyst (1)
(e) Programmer (1)
(f) Network manager (1)

P01S004
(a) In an information life cycle, what are the two processes between data collection and data
processing?
(2 marks)
(b) State four methods of data collection.
(4 marks)
Answer
(a) Organization (1) and storage (1)
(b) Interview, questionnaire, experiment and searching from the Internet (any four × 1)

P01S005
An investigation has collected some basic information (such as gender, age, career and hobby)
of residents in a community. The collected data will be processed to generate more useful
information. Answer the following questions regarding the information processes.
(a) In the organization process, state two types of format that the collected data can be
converted into.
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 (2 marks)
(b) In the storage process, state two possible storage media for data storage.
(2 marks)
(c) In the processing process, state two common types of data processing.
(2 marks)
Answer
(a) Putting data into electronic forms by its category, (1) and inserting data into related
database tables or spreadsheets (1)
(b) Magnetic tape (1) and DVD (1)
(c) Data merging (1) and data sorting (1)

P01S006
In the Information Age, IT has changed our lives significantly. Describe two changes for each
of the following aspects:
(a) Job market
(2 marks)
(b) Education
(2 marks)
(c) Entertainment
(2 marks)
Answer
(a) More jobs can be replaced by computers. (1)
Jobs that requires advanced IT skills are getting more. (1)
(Each correct example × 1)
(b) Teachers use more IT skills to enhance their teaching. (1)
Students can learn more knowledge from the Internet anytime and anywhere. (1)
(c) Online games can be played anywhere using wireless broadband. (1)
Electronic games look more vivid and attractive. (1)

P01S007

Technology and personnel are two main components of an information system.

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 Data (1)
Process (1)
(b) Purpose: Let users access the system from the Internet. (1)
Data: information of patrons and books (1)
Process: Check whether a book is due and determine the amount of the fine if necessary.
(1)
(Or any reasonable answer)

P01S008
Hong Kong is becoming a knowledge-based society.
(a) Describe what a knowledge-based society is.
(2 marks)
(b) State three factors that contribute the success of a knowledge-based society.
(4 marks)
Answer
(a) It is a society that employs knowledge, information technology and communication
systems (1) in the production processes of all walks of life and the life styles of all levels
of citizens. (1)
(b) Computers are essential for producing, manipulating, storing and distributing knowledge.
(1)
Communication networks of a high transmission speed and wide coverage at low cost are
necessary. (1)
People must be information literate to handle the vast amount of information encountered
every day. (1) People must also undergo lifelong learning to deal with the ever-changing
working environment. (1)

Long Questions

P01L001
David is working in an IT company in Hong Kong.
(a) (i) David is responsible for entering data into a system. Which type of IS specialist is
he?
(1 mark)
(ii) The data David entered is meaningless to him. He thinks it is strange for the
company to store the data. State one possible reason why it happens and suggest one
solution for the problem.
(3 marks)
(b) After he has entered some Chinese characters into a file, he saves the file in a USB flash
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 drive and opens it on another computer.
(i) He finds that all the Chinese characters are unreadable. State the cause of the
problem.
(1 mark)
(ii) Suggest one character coding system that contains both traditional and simplified
Chinese characters.
(1 mark)
(iii) Explain why the coding system you suggested in part (b) (ii) is not used by the
company.
(2 marks)
(c) Hong Kong is becoming a knowledge-based society.
(i) What is a knowledge-based society?
(2 marks)
(ii) David knows he has to be information literate to stay competitive in such a society.
State two qualities that an information literate person should have.
(2 marks)
Answer
(a) (i) Data entry operator (1)
(ii) Data is a collection of unorganized facts that is meaningless. (1) After certain
processes, it will be organized into information that is meaningful to certain users.
(2)
(b) (i) The two computers may use different coding systems. (1)
(ii) Unicode (1)
(iii) Since many companies which have business relationships with David’s company are
still using old coding systems like Big5 or GB code, (1) the documents sent by his
company may not be read by the others readily. (1)
(c) (i) It is a society that employs knowledge, information technology and communication
systems (1) in the production processes of all walks of life and the life styles of all
levels of citizens. (1)
(ii) Access information effectively and efficiently. (1)
Use information effectively to accomplish a task. (1)

P01L002
(a) (i) What is a computer program? Give one example of computer programs.
(3 marks)
(ii) What is a stored program? State one household appliance that contains a stored
program.
(3 marks)
There are a number of stored programs inside a computer.
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(b) (i) Which electronic component can be used to hold stored programs?
(1 mark)
(ii) What does the stored program on a motherboard do?
(1 mark)
(iii) State two devices that contain stored programs and are connected to the
motherboard of a computer.
(2 marks)
(iv) State two computer peripheral devices that contain stored programs.
(2 marks)
Answer
(a) (i) A program is a sequence of commands (1) that instruct a computer to carry out a
specific task. (1)
Example: word processor / spreadsheet / database (any one × 1)
(ii) A stored program is a computer program (1) that allows a device to do tasks
automatically, repeatedly and accurately. (1)
Example: microwave oven / refrigerator / air-conditioner (any one × 1)
(b) (i) ROM (1)
(ii) Start the computer properly.
Store the hardware configurations.
(any one × 1)
(iii) Sound card (1) and display card (1)
(iv) Printer (1) and scanner (1)

P01L003
XYZ Ltd. is a company which produces washing machines.
(a) Regarding the operations of a washing machine, state the action that is involved in each
of the following steps.
(i) Input
(1 mark)
(ii) Process
(1 mark)
(iii) Output
(1 mark)
In order to improve the quality of the products, the company manager wants to implement a
knowledge-based IT system to enhance the production.
(b) Which type of IS specialist is responsible for each of the following tasks?
(i) Designing the IT system
(1 mark)
(ii) Writing the program codes of the system
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 (1 mark)
(iii) Monitoring the network availability and performance of the system
(1 mark)
(iv) Entering data to the system
(1 mark)
(v) Performing daily routines of the system
(1 mark)
(c) The data gathered by the system will then be analyzed.
(i) What kind of software can be used to analyze the data?
(1 mark)
(ii) With the help of the software mentioned in part (c) (i), state two formats in which
the data statistics can be presented in an organized way.
(1 mark)
(iii) State another function of the software mentioned in part (c) (i) which is useful for
data analysis.
(1 mark)
Answer
(a) (i) Input: dirty clothes and washing powders (1)
(ii) Process: washing / drying the clothes (1)
(iii) Output: cleaned clothes (1)
(b) (i) Systems analyst (1)
(ii) Programmer (1)
(iii) Network manager (1)
(iv) Data entry operator (1)
(v) Technician (1)
(c) (i) Spreadsheet (1)
(ii) Table (1) and chart (1)
(iii) Built-in functions for complex calculations (1)

P01L004
The manager of a restaurant wants to hire a systems analyst to develop a POS system.
(a) State two functions that should be provided by the POS system.
(2 marks)
(b) State two job requirements of the systems analyst.
(2 marks)
(c) The answers in part (a) are actually the purposes of the POS system. The other
components are listed below. State two examples for each of the following:
(i) Data
(2 marks)
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 (ii) Process
(2 marks)
(iii) Technology
(2 marks)
(iv) Personnel
(2 marks)
Answer
(a) Calculate customer payments automatically. (1)
Generate daily and monthly reports of revenues and inventory. (1)
(b) Research, plan and implement the system. (1)
Analyze cost and study the feasibility of the system. (1)
(c) (i) The prices of meals (1) and the items consumed by customers in a week (1)
(ii) Calculating the payment made by each customer (1) and evaluating the remaining
stocks of all items (1)
(iii) A touch screen for entering orders (1) and a thermal printer for printing receipts (1)
(iv) A technician who installs and troubleshoots the system (1) and a programmer who
writes the program codes (1)

P01L005
A food enterprise is planning to open a new chain of convenience shops in Hong Kong. The
enterprise is going to hire some IS specialists for the development of a POS system for the
convenience shops.
(a) Which type of IS specialist should be hired first? State two reasons to support your
answer.
(3 marks)
After the first IS specialist stated in part (a) is hired, he / she starts to follow the systems
development life cycle for the project.
(b) (i) Data collection will be performed first. State three methods to collect relevant data.
(3 marks)
(ii) What kind of software should be used to store the data collected?
(1 mark)
(iii) Which type of IT personnel can be hired to facilitate data collection?
(1 mark)
(c) The data collected will then be used in the analysis process.
(i) State one type of software that can analyze the data.
(1 mark)
(ii) State one storage medium for backing up the data.
(1 mark)
(d) (i) The processed data from a shop is required to be transmitted to another shop
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 sometimes. State the main protocol needed for this type of file transfer.
(1 mark)
(ii) Which type of IT personnel is responsible for the data communication?
(1 mark)
Answer
(a) Systems analyst (1) who is responsible for researching, planning and implementing the
system. (1) He / she can help hire the other IT personnel due to his/her expertise in
system development. (1)
(b) (i) Interview the existing staff involved. (1)
Do surveys to collect data or opinions if the target group is large. (1)
Examine existing documents relevant to the project. (1)
(ii) Database (1)
(iii) Data entry operator (1)
(c) (i) Spreadsheet
(ii) Magnetic tape (1)
(d) (i) FTP (1)
(ii) Network manager (1)

P01L006
The Hong Kong SAR Government wants to develop Hong Kong into a knowledge-based
society.
(a) (i) Describe the main features of a knowledge-based society.
(2 marks)
(ii) The people in a knowledge-based society must be information literate. Describe the
other two contributing factors of a knowledge-based society.
(2 marks)
(iii) State two characteristics of a person who is information literate.
(2 marks)

Hiro is required to work on a project for a factory which produces vending machines.
(b) Regarding the systems development life cycle of manufacturing vending machines, what
are the three processes between data collection and analysis? State one example for each
of the three processes.
(6 marks)
Answer
(a) (i) It is a society that employs knowledge, information technology and communication
systems (1) in the production processes of all walks of life and the life styles of all
levels of citizens. (1)
(ii) Computers are essential for producing, manipulating, storing and distributing
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 knowledge. (1)
Communication networks of a high transmission speed and wide coverage at low
cost are necessary. (1)
(iii) Determine the nature and the extent of the information needed. (1)
Create new knowledge from the collected information through analytical processes
with adequate IT software. (1)
(b) Organization (1)
Example: converting the manual data collected from the production lines into electronic
forms, e.g. database (1)
Storage (1)
Example: storing the system data into a fault-tolerant network attached storage (1)
Processing (1)
Example: merging the data from different production lines into a database (1)

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