Section 1: Introduction to Computer Networks (History)

1. What is a computer network?

a) A single computer system
b) A collection of interconnected devices that share resources
c) A standalone computer processing data
d) A computer with no peripherals
2. Which network concept was used in the first generation of networks?
a) Packet switching
b) Circuit switching
c) Message switching
d) Hybrid switching
3. ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet, was first launched in which year?
a) 1965
b) 1969
c) 1973
d) 1983
4. The first message sent over ARPANET was:
a) Hello, World
b) Login
c) LO
d) Ping
5. Which organization played a significant role in developing ARPANET?
a) NASA
b) DARPA
c) IEEE
d) ITU
6. Who is often called the 'Father of the Internet'?
a) Tim Berners-Lee
b) Vint Cerf
c) Robert Kahn
d) Both b and c
7. The OSI model was developed to standardize:
a) Hardware specifications
b) Network protocols
c) Software development
d) All of the above
8. Which of the following networks relies on centralized control?
a) Peer-to-peer network
b) Client-server network
c) Mesh network
d) Ring network
9. Who invented the World Wide Web?
a) Vint Cerf
b) Tim Berners-Lee
c) Robert Metcalfe
d) Larry Roberts
10. What is the primary purpose of a computer network?
a) Data storage
b) Resource sharing
 c) Data redundancy
d) Error correction

Section 2: Circuit Switching

11. Circuit switching requires:

a) Establishing a dedicated communication path
b) Dividing data into packets
c) Storing messages temporarily
d) Broadcasting data
12. In circuit switching, resources are:
a) Shared among users
b) Dedicated for the entire communication session
c) Allocated only on demand
d) Not required
13. Which is an example of circuit switching?
a) Internet
b) Traditional telephone networks
c) Ethernet LAN
d) Wi-Fi networks
14. The main disadvantage of circuit switching is:
a) High latency
b) Resource wastage during idle times
c) Inefficient for real-time communication
d) Packet loss
15. What happens if a circuit is disrupted during a call?
a) Call continues as packets reroute
b) Call is dropped
c) Call automatically reconnects
d) Call quality improves
16. In circuit switching, connection setup time is:
a) Negligible
b) Significant
c) Variable
d) Zero
17. What is an advantage of circuit switching?
a) High data efficiency
b) Consistent quality of service (QoS)
c) Low resource requirements
d) Packet priority
18. Which of the following layers does circuit switching operate on?
a) Physical Layer
b) Transport Layer
c) Network Layer
d) Data Link Layer
19. Which switching method is most suitable for voice communication?
a) Packet switching
b) Circuit switching
 c) Message switching
d) Bus switching
20. How does circuit switching handle bandwidth allocation?
a) On-demand allocation
b) Permanent allocation
c) Dynamic reallocation
d) Shared allocation

Section 3: Packet Switching

21. What is packet switching?

a) Sending data as a continuous stream
b) Dividing data into packets and sending them independently
c) Establishing a dedicated path
d) Storing data temporarily for later delivery
22. Packet switching primarily improves:
a) Latency
b) Bandwidth utilization
c) Connection establishment time
d) Fixed bandwidth
23. What protocol does the Internet use for packet switching?
a) TCP/IP
b) SMTP
c) HTTP
d) FTP
24. In packet switching, packets:
a) Are sent along a dedicated path
b) Travel independently through the network
c) Are received simultaneously
d) Cannot be reordered
25. What is an advantage of packet switching?
a) Low latency for real-time communication
b) Efficient use of network resources
c) Guaranteed connection during communication
d) Fixed delays
26. Packet switching is most suitable for:
a) Voice calls
b) Internet data transmission
c) Television broadcast
d) Satellite communication
27. Which of the following is an example of a packet-switched network?
a) Telephone network
b) Internet
c) Circuit-switched systems
d) Bluetooth
28. How are packets identified in a packet-switched network?
a) Header information
b) File names
 c) Channel numbers
d) Time stamps
29. The term 'datagram' is associated with which protocol?
a) TCP
b) UDP
c) FTP
d) ARP
30. Packet switching improves reliability because:
a) Packets take fixed paths
b) Redundant paths are available
c) Connections are dedicated
d) Transmission is loss-free

Section 4: Comparison Between Switching Techniques

31. What is the key difference between circuit switching and packet switching?
a) Circuit switching requires fixed bandwidth; packet switching does not.
b) Packet switching has lower delays than circuit switching.
c) Circuit switching is used for emails.
d) Packet switching uses dedicated connections.
32. Which switching type offers better utilization of resources?
a) Circuit switching
b) Packet switching
c) Both equally
d) None
33. Which of the following is a hybrid of circuit and packet switching?
a) Store-and-forward switching
b) Virtual circuit switching
c) Datagram switching
d) Message switching
34. Which technology is used in VoIP services like Skype?
a) Circuit switching
b) Packet switching
c) Virtual connections
d) Message switching
35. Why is circuit switching inefficient for data traffic?
a) Data is continuous
b) Idle resources remain unused
c) It guarantees QoS
d) Delays are minimal
36. Which technique is more suitable for real-time voice communication?
a) Circuit switching
b) Packet switching
c) Datagram switching
d) Ethernet
37. In packet switching, delays can occur due to:
a) High bandwidth
b) Packet routing
 c) Fixed connections
d) Dedicated resources
38. What ensures packets arrive in the correct order?
a) IP address
b) Packet sequence numbers
c) Port numbers
d) Network ID
39. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of packet switching?
a) Efficient resource utilization
b) High scalability
c) Guaranteed low latency
d) Redundancy of paths
40. Packet switching was developed primarily to handle:
a) Voice traffic
b) Email traffic
c) Bursty data traffic
d) Fixed communication

Answers
1. b | 2. b | 3. b | 4. c | 5. b | 6. d | 7. b | 8. b | 9. b | 10. b
2. a | 12. b | 13. b | 14. b | 15. b | 16. b | 17. b | 18. a | 19. b | 20. b
3. b | 22. b | 23. a | 24. b | 25. b | 26. b | 27. b | 28. a | 29. b | 30. b
4. a | 32. b | 33. b | 34. b | 35. b | 36. a | 37. b | 38. b | 39. c | 40. c

Section 1: OSI Model Basics

1. How many layers are there in the OSI Model?

a) 5
b) 6
c) 7
d) 8
2. Which layer of the OSI model is responsible for end-to-end communication?
a) Data Link Layer
b) Network Layer
c) Transport Layer
d) Application Layer
3. The Physical Layer of the OSI model deals with:
a) Data framing
b) Logical addressing
c) Bit-by-bit transmission
d) Error correction
4. Which layer provides error detection and correction mechanisms?
a) Physical Layer
b) Data Link Layer
c) Network Layer
d) Transport Layer
 5. The OSI model was developed by:
a) IEEE
b) ISO
c) IETF
d) W3C
6. Which layer of the OSI model adds logical addressing to the data?
a) Data Link Layer
b) Network Layer
c) Transport Layer
d) Presentation Layer
7. The main function of the Presentation Layer is to:
a) Provide physical connections
b) Provide logical addressing
c) Format and encrypt data
d) Manage sessions
8. Which of the following protocols operates at the Application Layer?
a) TCP
b) IP
c) HTTP
d) Ethernet
9. Which layer is responsible for routing data between different networks?
a) Physical Layer
b) Network Layer
c) Transport Layer
d) Application Layer
10. What is the PDU (Protocol Data Unit) at the Transport Layer?
a) Frame
b) Packet
c) Segment
d) Bits

Section 2: Functions of Each OSI Layer

11. At which OSI layer do switches operate?

a) Network Layer
b) Data Link Layer
c) Transport Layer
d) Application Layer
12. Which device operates at Layer 3 (Network Layer)?
a) Hub
b) Switch
c) Router
d) Repeater
13. Encapsulation of data happens at:
a) Network Layer only
b) Physical Layer
c) Each layer of the OSI model
d) Transport Layer only
 14. Which layer handles flow control and windowing?
a) Data Link Layer
b) Network Layer
c) Transport Layer
d) Application Layer
15. The term 'MAC address' is associated with:
a) Network Layer
b) Data Link Layer
c) Physical Layer
d) Transport Layer
16. Which OSI layer is responsible for translating data formats (e.g., encryption,
decryption)?
a) Application Layer
b) Presentation Layer
c) Data Link Layer
d) Network Layer
17. What does the Session Layer manage?
a) End-to-end delivery
b) Data synchronization between applications
c) Logical addressing
d) Error detection
18. Which protocol provides reliable communication at the Transport Layer?
a) IP
b) UDP
c) TCP
d) ICMP
19. The Data Link Layer has two sublayers:
a) MAC and LLC
b) LLC and PDU
c) IP and TCP
d) Routing and Switching
20. Which of the following operates at Layer 2?
a) Router
b) Hub
c) Switch
d) Gateway

Section 3: Internetworking Devices

21. A hub operates at which layer of the OSI model?

a) Physical Layer
b) Data Link Layer
c) Network Layer
d) Transport Layer
22. A switch forwards data based on:
a) IP address
b) MAC address
 c) Port number
d) Domain name
23. Which device breaks up collision domains?
a) Router
b) Hub
c) Switch
d) Repeater
24. Routers operate at which layer?
a) Physical Layer
b) Data Link Layer
c) Network Layer
d) Transport Layer
25. What is the role of a gateway?
a) Connects networks using the same protocols
b) Translates protocols between networks
c) Amplifies signals
d) Resolves IP addresses
26. Which device amplifies signals to extend the network range?
a) Router
b) Switch
c) Repeater
d) Gateway
27. Which internetworking device can work across multiple OSI layers?
a) Hub
b) Switch
c) Router
d) Gateway
28. A bridge operates at which OSI layer?
a) Physical Layer
b) Data Link Layer
c) Network Layer
d) Transport Layer
29. A switch uses which address to forward frames?
a) IP Address
b) MAC Address
c) Port Address
d) Broadcast Address
30. Hubs are considered "dumb devices" because:
a) They use MAC addresses
b) They do not filter data
c) They operate at Layer 3
d) They store MAC tables

Section 4: OSI Model Protocols

31. What protocol does the Transport Layer use for connectionless communication?
a) IP
b) TCP
 c) UDP
d) ICMP
32. Which protocol is used to transfer files over the network securely?
a) HTTP
b) FTP
c) SFTP
d) SMTP
33. DNS operates at which OSI layer?
a) Application Layer
b) Transport Layer
c) Network Layer
d) Presentation Layer
34. ICMP operates at which layer?
a) Network Layer
b) Data Link Layer
c) Transport Layer
d) Physical Layer
35. HTTP and HTTPS are protocols of which layer?
a) Presentation Layer
b) Session Layer
c) Application Layer
d) Data Link Layer
36. What protocol is used for email delivery?
a) SMTP
b) FTP
c) TCP
d) POP
37. ARP resolves:
a) IP addresses to MAC addresses
b) MAC addresses to IP addresses
c) Domain names to IP addresses
d) IP addresses to domain names
38. Which protocol provides network time synchronization?
a) NTP
b) ARP
c) DNS
d) HTTP
39. What does the RIP protocol help with?
a) Routing
b) Address translation
c) DNS resolution
d) File transfer
40. What type of protocol is SNMP?
a) Management Protocol
b) Routing Protocol
c) Transport Protocol
d) Address Resolution Protocol
Section 5: Miscellaneous

41. Which layer converts frames into bits?

a) Network Layer
b) Physical Layer
c) Transport Layer
d) Data Link Layer
42. What is the main role of the Network Layer?
a) Error detection
b) Addressing and routing
c) Synchronizing sessions
d) Ensuring encryption
43. Which address is used at Layer 3?
a) MAC address
b) IP address
c) Port address
d) None of the above
44. What is the purpose of TCP?
a) Provide unreliable communication
b) Provide reliable, connection-oriented communication
c) Resolve IP addresses
d) Manage encryption
45. Which protocol translates domain names into IP addresses?
a) DNS
b) ARP
c) ICMP
d) DHCP
46. What layer is responsible for establishing, managing, and terminating sessions?
a) Presentation Layer
b) Application Layer
c) Session Layer
d) Transport Layer
47. Which OSI layer ensures data integrity?
a) Data Link Layer
b) Transport Layer
c) Network Layer
d) Physical Layer
48. What protocol does DHCP use to assign IP addresses dynamically?
a) TCP
b) UDP
c) ICMP
d) ARP
49. What type of address does a router use to forward data?
a) MAC address
b) IP address
c) Physical address
d) Port number
50. Which device connects two dissimilar networks?
a) Hub
b) Bridge
 c) Gateway
d) Repeater

Answers
1. c | 2. c | 3. c | 4. b | 5. b | 6. b | 7. c | 8. c | 9. b | 10. c
2. b | 12. c | 13. c | 14. c | 15. b | 16. b | 17. b | 18. c | 19. a | 20. c
3. a | 22. b | 23. c | 24. c | 25. b | 26. c | 27. d | 28. b | 29. b | 30. b
4. c | 32. c | 33. a | 34. a | 35. c | 36. a | 37. a | 38. a | 39. a | 40. a
5. b | 42. b | 43. b | 44. b | 45. a | 46. c | 47. b | 48. b | 49. b | 50. c