Fundamentals of Computer
Introduction
Computer are found everywhere around us, performing different tasks, wheather we notice it or
not. Computers are used during purchase of our groceries, pumping of gas, at ATM, driving a
vehicle etc.
What is a Computer?
Computer is an electronic device that executes the instructions given in a program and controls
the operations that are expressible in numerical or logical terms.
Basically, a computer has four functions to perform
accepts data input
processes data processing
produces output
stores the output for further use
The word ‘computer’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘computerae’ meaning ‘to
compute’.
Charles Babbage is known as the ‘father of computer’.
What makes a computer powerful?
The power of computer can be judged in the following parameters
Speed : A computer can do billions of actions per second.
Reliability : A computer can be considered as highly reliable as failures are usually due to
human error, one way or another.
Storage : A computer can store ample amount of data.
Types of Computer
There are different types of computers for different purposes. The types of computers are
generally based on general performance levels.
(i) Personal Computer or Micro Computer Computers for personal use come in all
shapes and sizes. Their shape and size can range from tiny Personal Digital Assistant
(PDA) to the hefty personal computer towers. More specialized models of personal
computer are launched each week-trip planners, expense account pads, language
translators etc. The market for the smallest PCs is expanding very rapidly.
An electronic stylus can be used to write on the screen through the tablet PC, just like
with a pen and paper, only our words are in digital ink.
The small types of personal computers like the Palmtop (PPC) and Handheld (HPC) are
now becoming available and the software supporting these PCs are based on new
operating system like windows CE (For Consumer Electronics).
(ii) Mini Computer As the personal computers has become very powerful on its own, the
mini computers have become of less importance. Initially the mini computer was
designed to carry out some specific tasks, like engineering and Computer-Aided Design
(CAD) calculations. In fact, the ordinary new personal computers being much more
powerful have replaced the mini computers.
(iii) Mainframe The mainframe computer serves as a backbone for the entire business world.
It is considered as the heart of a network of computers or terminals that allows a large
number of people to work at the same time and on the same data. For the efficient
working of the mainframe computers a specific type of environment is required-cold and
dry.
(iv) Super Computer The super computers remain at the top of the heap in power and
expense. They are used for the tasks that require massive calculations, like engineering
design and testing, weather forecasting, economic forecasting, serious decryption, etc.
On the basis of uses and working system a computer can have the following types
(i) Digital Computer They are high speed, programmable electronic devices that perform
mathematical calculations, compare values and store the results. They recognise data by
counting discrete signals representing either a high ['on'] or low ['off'] voltage stage of
electricity.
(ii) Analog Computer It recognises data as a continuous measurement of a physical
property. The name which is derived from the Greek word analog denotes that the
computers function by similarities between two quantities that are usually expressed as
voltage or currents. They are powerful tools to solve different equations. The analog
computers work on the supply of continuous electrical pulses.
(iii) Hybrid Computer It combines features of both analog and digital types are hybrid
computer. They require that analog unit can be an integral part of CPU of digital
computer and have direct input and output facilities. These computers are generally used
for scientific application and industrial purposes.
Components of Computer
Computers are made from various components that perform specific functions. Primarily, a
computer system has the following components
(A) Inputs unit An input is everything that we tell the computer. The input may be of various
forms
Data It is the raw facts given to the computer.
Programs These are the sets of instructions that direct the computer.
Commands These are special codes or key words that the user inputs to perform a specific task.
They may be selected by clicking on a command button.
User's Response They are the user's answer to the computer's questions, such as choosing OK,
YES, or NO or by typing in text. The input is provided to computer through various input
devices such as Keyboard, Mouse, Light Pen, Joystick, Magnetic Ball, OCR (Optical Character
Reader), Floppy Disk Drive, Magnetic Disk Drive, Bar Code Reader, Smart Card Reader,
Biometric Sensor, Touch Screen, Punched Card Reader, Stylus and Tablet, Puck or Microphone,
Digital Camera, Scanner etc.
(B) Central Processing Unit (CPU) This unit processes the input whatever entered into the
computer through the input devices. Processing is the manipulation of information inside the
computer in an area called the CPU. The CPU performs all the processing work of computer and
controls all its parts and therefore also termed as the brain of computer.
Processing It is the act of performing some actions on the input data in order to convert it
into some useful form.
Information It is the processed data or final result conveying some meaningful results.
Instruction It is a type of action to be taken on input data.
CPU is further classified into three components
(i) Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
It is a part of the execution unit.
It is a core component of all CPUs.
It performs all arithmetic and logic operations.
It consists of a number of small locations, termed as registers.
(ii) Control Unit (CU)
It is the part of a CPU that directs its operation.
It gives command to transfer data from input devices to memory and from memory to
arithmetic logic unit.
It transfers the results from memory to output unit.
(iii) Memory Unit It is also one of the most important parts of the computer. It stores data,
calculations and result into it and in case of need, it sends tha data in the form of output.
The capacity of memory is measured in terms of Byte, Kilobytes, Megabytes and
Gigabytes.
It transfers the data to ALU.
It may be volatile or non-volatile in nature.
There are two types of computer memory
(i) Primary Memory It holds the data received from input device. It holds the data being
processed and intermediate results being generated. RAM is an example of computer's primary
memory.
All active programs and data are stored in RAM so that they are readily available and
easily accessed by the CPU.
It is also a volatile memory as the data stored in it get vanished by turning off the
computer.
It is also known as temporary memory.
It is also called as read and write memory.
Example of RAM
EDO RAM (Extended data output random access memory)
D RAM (Dynamic random access memory)
SD RAM (Synchronous dynamic random access memory)
DDR RAM (Double Dynamic Rate)
(ii) Secondary Memory Secondary memory is known as permanent memory of the computer as
the data stored in it remains for ever. ROM is an example of secondary memory.
ROM stands for Read Only Memory.
It is a non-volatile memory as it can keep its contents even without a power source.
The data stored on ROM cannot be changed.
Example of ROM
PROM (Programmable read only memory)
EPROM (Erasable programmable read only memory)
EEPROM (Electrically erasable programmable read only memory)
(C) Output Unit An output is data that has been processed into useful form, now called
information.
Types of Output The output produced by a computer may be of two types Hard Copy This
output is printed on paper or other permanent media.
Soft Copy This output is displayed on screen or by other non-permanent means.
Categories of Output The output furnished by a computer may be categorised as follows Text
documents It includes reports, letters etc.
Graphics It includes charts, pictures, graphs etc.
Multimedia It includes a combination of text, graphics, video, audio etc.
The widely used means of output are the printer and the computer screen.
The speed of printer is measured in
cps - characters per second
lpm - lines per minute
ppm - pages per minute
The output unit accepts the processed data (results) from CPU.
It converts results from machine language into some
It displays results to user.
Visual Display Unit (VDU), Printer, Plotter, Floppy Disk Drive, Magnetic Disk Drive,
Speaker, Pen Drive are examples of output unit.
Software
It is a set of instructions that directs the computer to process information. Computer software
can have various functions such as controlling hardware, performing, computations,
communication with other software, human interaction etc. Computer software cannot be
touched and seen.
It can be classified into three types
(1) System Software : It coordinates the operation of the various hardware components of
the computer e.g., DOS, Windows 95/98/2000/ME and UNIX etc.
(2) Application Software It is a set of program designed for specific uses or applications e.g.,
MS-Word, Ms-Excel, Ms-PowerPoint etc.
(3) Utilities Software Utility software are those that are very often requested by many
application programs. It is used to debug the software errors, correct the data through the
editor, sort data, etc. e.g. Anti-virus software etc.
Hardware
Hardware is any part of a computer which can see by the eyes. The other external computer
equipments are called peripherals. Monitor, Printers, modems, scanners, etc. are the examples of
hardware.
Input System
Input devices can be classified according to
The modality of input e.g., mechanical motion, audio, visual, etc.
The input is discrete or continuous e.g., key presses are discrete type of input and a
mouse's position (though digitized into a discrete quantity) is fast enough to be
considered continuous.
The number of degrees of freedom involved e.g., two dimensional traditional mice, or
three, dimensional navigators designed for CAD application.
Types of Input Devices
Keyboard
A 'keyboard' is a human interface device which is represented as a layout of buttons. Each
button, or key, can be used to either input a linguistic character to a computer, or to call upon a
particular function of the computer. Traditional keyboards use spring-based buttons, though
newer variations employ virtual keys, or even projected keyboards. Examples of types of
keyboards include
Keys of Computer Keyboard
Keyboard is the most often used input device. The layout of the keys was borrowed from the
typewriter with a number of new keys added.
Alphabet Keys The letters of the alphabet and some punctuation marks are in three rows. The
order of the keys is called QWERTY from the order of the keys on the top row.
Alt The 'Alt' key does not do anything by itself. But the effect of any other key may be different
from usual if we hold the 'Alt' key down while pressing that key.
Arrow Keys They are four in number used to move tne cursor on the screen. The up and down
arrows move the cursor up or down one line. The left and right arrows move the cursor one
character.
Backspace This key deletes the character on the left of the cursor and moves the cursor that
direction, too.
Caps Lock Caps Lock in active state (i.e., in ON position) result in an upper case (capital)
letter.
Control Keys These keys do nothing by itself. They are always used in combination that
changes the normal effect of a key.
Delete This key is used to erase the character just to the right of the cursor.
End The End key is a navigation key. It sends the cursor to the end of the current line.
Enter This key can be used in several ways. In the word processing, it acts like the Return key
on a typewriter by starting a new line. It is also used in case of a mouse click with buttons and
drop-down menus.
Escape The Escape key is used to cancel actions in progress before they finish. It can also be
used to close certain dialog boxes.
Function Keys The Function keys are programmable keys i.e., the programs can assign some
specific actions to these keys. These keys are numbered from F1, F2, F3, F4…… etc.
Home The Home key is a navigation key for the cursor that moves the cursor to the beginning of
the current line.
Insert The Insert key is considered as a toggle key that will alternate between two effects
typing over types characters already there
typing inserts characters in between the characters
Numeric Keypad These keys are used to enter numbers in the active state of Num Lock key
(i.e., in UN position). But when the Num Lock key is in OFF position then these keys act as
navigation keys.
Number/Symbol Keys Two characters are seen on this row of keys, one at the top of the key
and one at the bottom. The upper character is a symbol and is accessed by holding the shift key
down while pressing the key.
Page Down It is a navigation key which drops the displayed area down the page one screen's
worth.
Page Up It is also a navigation key which moves the cursor up the displayed area one screen's
worth.
Pause This key is used very little under the windows system. Under the DOS it is used to halt all
the actions in progress.
Scroll Lock This key is more useful under DOS where pressing it will stop text on the screen
from scrolling off the top of the screen.
Shift The Shift key is used in combination with the alphabetic keys to get upper case.
Spacebar The Spacebar is used to enter blank spaces in text. Sometimes, this key can also be
used instead of a mouse click on button.
Tab The Tab key is used to move the cursor over to the right to a pre-set point.
Pointing Devices
A pointing device is any human interface device that allows a user to input spatial data to a
computer. Movements of the pointing device are echoed on the screen by movements of the
pointer, creating a simple, intuitive way to navigate a computer's GUI. A variety of pointing
devices are used to move the cursor on the screen. The most commonly used ones have two or
three buttons to click and for special functions.
Mouse
Mouse is the most commonly used input pointing device. A ball underneath rolls as the mouse
moves across the mouse pad. The cursor on the screen follows the motion of the mouse. Buttons
on the mouse can be clicked or double-clicked to perform tasks, like to select an icon on the
screen or to open the selected document.
Trackball
Instead of moving the whole mouse around, the user roll the trackball only, which is on the top
or side.
Glidepad
Glidepad uses a touch sensitive pad for controlling cursor. The user slides finger across the pad
and the cursor follows the finger movement. For clicking there are buttons, or we can tap on the
pad with a finger. The glidepad is a popular alternate pointing device for laptops.
Game Devices
In game devices, the motion of cursor is controlled by vertical stick (joystick) or arrow buttons
(game pad).
Pen Input
It is used especially in Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). Pen is used for Data Input By writing.
PDA recognizes our handwriting.
Touchscreen
The touchscreen makes selection by iust touching the screen.
Digitizers and Graphic Tablets
The tablets have special commands to convert drawings, photos, etc to digital signal.
Terminals
A terminal can also be considered an input device as it consists of a keyboard and a screen.
Multimedia
Multimedia is a combination of sound and images with text and graphics. This would include
movies, animations, music, sound etc.
Sound Input
In order to record sounds, computer requires the special equipment. Microphones can capture
sounds from the air.
Voice Input
Voice Input systems are now becoming available at the local retail level.
Video Input
A digital camera takes still photos but records the pictures on computer disks or memory chips.
A video camera or recorder (VCR) can record data that can be uploaded to the computer with the
right hardware. A web cam is a tiny video camera that feeds pictures directly to the computer -
no tape or film to develop.
Page Scanner
It works like a copy machine. It captures a whole page and converts it to digital image. The
scanned text cannot be edited at this juncture.
Hand Scanner
It can be moved across the document or picture. It can capture only a section of a page or a large
image.
Bar Codes
It is used at the retail shops to track inventory and calculate the sale at the checkout counter. It is
used at the post offices to sort mails but the bars are different from those used for pricing
products.
Optical Marks
It is a special machine that reads the marks. Test scoring is an example of optical marks.
Magnetic Ink
It is a special ink in which the bank account is printed with magnetic qualities. These can be read
by the right machine.
Optical Characters
It uses letters or special characters that are especially shaped to be easy for the machines to read.
OCR Software
OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. It takes a scanned image and converts the
character in the image into computer characters. The document can now be edited with a word
processor.
Output System
Output is data that has been processed into useful form, now called information. Examples of
output devices is Printer, Screen (Monitor), Speaker, Headphones etc.
Printer
A printer prints whatever is on the monitor onto paper. Printer resolution is the more numerical
measure of print quality that is measured in dots per inch (dpi).
Types of Printer
Mainly, the printer can be classified into two types that are as follows
(1) Impact Printers
(2) Non-Impact Printers
Impact Printers
This type of printer strikes paper and ribbon together to form a character, like a typewriter. They
are less expensive, fast and can make multiple copies with multipart paper.
Types of Impact Printer
(i) Dot Matrix It forms characters using rows of pins which impact the ribbon on top of the
paper therefore also called pin printers.
(ii) Daisy Wheel In daisy wheel printers, characters are fully formed on the 'petals', like
typewriter keys.
(iii) Chain and Band Printers This type of printer uses characters on a band or chain that is
moved into place before striking the characters onto the paper.
Non-Impact Printers
Such type of printer does not involve actually striking the paper. It uses ink spray or toner
powder.
Types of Non-impact Printers
(i) Ink jet
It sprays ink onto paper to form characters. It prints high quality text and graphics. It cannot use
multiple-copy paper.
(ii) Thermal printer
It uses heat on chemically treated paper to form characters. Fax machine that use rolls of paper
are also of thermal printer type. It is relatively slow, expensive and requiring special paper.
(iii) Laser printers
It is faster than other non-impact printers. It prints high quality graphics. It is more expensive
than impact printers.
Screen (Monitor)
A monitor is the screen on which words, numbers and graphics can be seen.
Types of Screens
Monochrome One colour text on single colour background, i.e., white letters on blue, or green
characters on black.
Colour Numerous colours can be displayed.
CRT Uses a cathode ray tube and the most common type of monitor used.
LCD Used in laptops especially.
Plasma screens Used for very large screens and some laptops but quite expensive.
Other Output Devices
A number of special-use output devices are announced every week that can perform various
tasks like from recording the earthquake tremors to displaying CAT scans etc.
Data Projectors It projects the image onto a wall screen. Watching a movie in a movie hall is an
example of data projections.
Large Format Printers It is used especially for building plans and engineering drawing Plotters
use a pen to draw continuous lines for the engineering drawings that require both large sheets of
paper and precise lines.
Microfilm (COM) It directly generates Ihe microfilm images as the output of a computer.
Speaker It gives you the sound output from your computer. Some speakers are built into the
computer and some are separate.
Headphones They are similar to speakers, except they are worn on the ears, so only one person
can hear the output at a time.
Floppy Disk Floppy disk is used to record information on. The information is stored on the
floppy disk and can be used later or used on another computer.
Compact Disk Some Compact disks can be used to put information on. This is called burning
information to a CD.
Processing System
Central Processing Unit
The Central Processing Unit or CPU is known as the brain of computer where entire works get
done. Most of the computers contain one processing chip.
(i) Control Unit
This is the part of the computer that controls the machine cycle. It takes a number of cycles to do
even a simple addition of two numbers. It performs the various functions
Fetch It gets an instruction from main memory.
Decode It translates it into computer commands.
Execute It processes the command.
Store It writes the result to main memory.
(ii) Arithmetic Logic Unit
It is the part that executes the computer's commands. It does either a basic arithmetic operation
or the logical comparisons.
(iii) Memory Unit
It is also called temporary storage unit.
Memory Addresses
The memory addresses are just numbers. A memory address holds 1 byte of data where
1 bit = 0 or 1/on or off
1 byte = 8 bits
1 kilobyte = 1024 bytes
1 megabyte = 1024 kilobytes (K or KB)
Processor Speed
Processor speed is affected by system clock rate. The rate of an electronic pulse is used to
synchronize processing. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) where
1 MHz = 1 million cycles per second or in gigahertz (GHz)
Physical Components
There are several Physical Components of a computer that are directly involved in processing.
They are
Microprocessor
Memory device
Motherboard
Microprocessor
This is a single silicon chip containing CPU, ALU and some memory. The microprocessor chip
is located on a large circuit board called the main board or motherboard. The physical size of a
computer chip is very small.
Memory Devices
They may include
Vacuum Tube This is the oldest type that cannot hold up long and generate a lot of heat.
Core These are small metal rings that represents on and off. They are relatively slow.
Semi Conductor This is integrated circuit on a chip. The modern computers use this for their
memory.
Motherboards
The motherboards have a number of slots for memory and all the slots contain the same size
memory board.
Connectors
This is the slot where cables connect to motherboard for the things like hard drives, floppy drives
and CD Rom drives.
ISA Slots
This board has three slots for the things like video cards, sound cards, internal modems etc.
Keyboard Plug
This is the slot where the keyboard attaches through the back of computer.
Memory Slots
There are four short slots for the semiconductor memory. This board has two long slots for a new
kind of memory called DIMM DRAM. This board can support a maximum of 256 MR of
memory.
PCI Slots
This board contains four slots for the peripherals like video cards, internal modems, sound cards
etc.
Power Connection
This is the slot where power supply connects to the motherboard.
Computer Storage Devices
Computer storage are of two types
Primary Storage
Secondary Storage
Primary Storage
It is the main memory of computer. It keeps track of what is currently being processed. It is
volatile, i.e., turning the power off erases all of the data. For main memory, computers use RAM
or Random Access Memory. These memory chips are the fastest, but most expensive type of
storage.
Secondary Storage
It is the auxiliary storage of computer. It keeps track of what is not currently being processed.
It is the stuff that is 'Filed away', but is ready to be pulled out when needed. It is non-volatile,
i.e., turning the power off does not erase the data. Auxiliary storage is used for input data and
programs as well as saving the result of processing.
Magnetic Disks
They are the mostly used type of auxiliary storage. They come in numerous sizes and materials
and by the method of magnetism data are stored on the magnetic surface. The advantages of
using magnetic disk is high storage capacity, reliable and providing the direct access to data.
There is a drive that spins the disk very quickly underneath a read/write head. It reads data from
a disk and writes data to a disk.
Disk Format
All the magnetic disks have the similar format. They are divided into the following areas
(i) Tracks A track is a circular ring on one side of the disk and each track has a number. The
diagram given here shows three tracks of a disk.
(ii) Sectors A disk sector is a wedge shaped piece of the disk as shown in the given figure. A
track sector is the area of intersection of a track and a sector.
(iii) Clusters A cluster is a set of track sectors, ranging from 2 to 32. l cluster is the minimum
space used by any read or write.
(iv) Cylinders A cylinder is a set of matched tracks.
Magnetic Tape
Magnetic tapes are just similar to the VCR tape in the way of storing data. The speed of data
access can be quite slow, however, when the tape is long and whatever desired is not near the
start. Therefore, this is used for mainly major backups of large amounts of data.
Types of Magnetic Tape
There are mainly two types of magnetic tape as Tape Reel and Tape Cassette. Each of the type
has its own requirements. The older systems designed for networks use reel-to-reel tapes. Newer
systems use cassettes holding more data than that of the huge reels.
Optical Disks
For the optical disks, an entirely different method is used to record data. They include the various
kinds of CD and DVD disks.
Features of Optical Disks
They are formed of layers.
Data are arranged in a spiral groove on starting from the centre of the disk.
Digital data are in form of 1's and 0's.
The different types of optical disks use different materials and methods to absorb and
reflect the light.
The absorption and reflection of laser light is read as a '1' or a '0' by the computer.
In a CD, the data layer is near the top of the disk the label side.
In a DVD, the data layer is in the middle of the disk.
A DVD can actually have data in two layers.
A double-sided, double-layered DVD can hold 4 times the data that a single-sided,
single-layered DVD can.
Other Devices
Flash Memory
They are solid state devices that read and write data electrically, instead of magnetically. Devices
like digital cameras, digital camcorders and cell phones use compact flash, smart media or
another flash memory card.
USB Drive
They are also known as flash drive, flash pen, thumb drive, key drive and mini - USB drive.
They are small in size and can plug into a USB port on the computer. They have storage
capacities from 8 MB to 1 GB. Some of them include password protection and the ability to run
software right off the USB drive.
Removable Hard Drives
They are special drives that compress the data. They are regular external hard drive that can be
used for back up.
Optical Cards
A chip on this type of card holds information like health records and auto repair records. They
can hold more data than the smart cards as they don't need to do any processing
Operating System
An operating system consists of a set of programs, which controls, co-ordinates and supervises
the activities of the various components of a computer system. Its function is to establish a link
between the computer hardware and the user. Some of the most commonly used operating
systems are MSDOS, WINDOWS, LINUX, CP/M, WINDOW7. WINDOWS8 etc. Operating
system can be classified as follows
Multi-user Allows two or more users to run programs at the same time. Some operating systems
permit hundreds or even thousands of concurrent users.
Multi-tasking Allows more than one program to run concurrently.
Multi-processing Supports running a program on more than one CPU.
Multi-threading Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently.
Real-time processing Responds to input instantly. They are used to control machinery, scientific
instruments and industrial systems, general-purpose operating systems, such as DOS and UNIX
are not real-time processing.
Functions of Operating System
It is responsible for managing all the resources attached to a computer system. These resources
are the processor and various input and output devices.
Processing the commands.
Controlling the execution of various programs.
Managing devices (like storage and retrieval of files on the disks).
Common Operating System
MS DOS
The term DOS stands for Disk Operating System developed by Microsoft for micro
computers.
DOS is a single user operating system.
It is the only operating system, which can be loaded in the main memory of the computer
using a single disk.
It has a Character User Interface (CUI) i.e., communication between a computer and the
user is through characters.
It is a command driven operating system that provides all the commands for file handling
such as creating, deleting, copying, seeing the contents of files etc.
In DOS, one has to key in the commands on the prompt. Prompt is a place where
commands are issued. It may look like
C:\> or
C:\WINDOWS\>
DOS software consists of many files, which are loaded into the main memory from the
secondary storage devices, so as to load the OS in the computer.
File Extensions
Meaning
.EXE
Executable Files
.COM
Command Files
.BAT
Batch Files
.DOC
Document Files
.TXT
Text Files
PRG
Program Files
.OVR
Overlays
.SYS
System Files
Windows
They are actual operating systems on their own and it is a graphical user interface which will do
the multitasking. Windows operating system can take advantage of the 32 – bit, 64 – bit
processors.
Windows Me
Windows Me stands for Windows Millennium Edition. It is an upgrade of windows 98 released
in 14 September, 2000. The system resources required for this operating system are significantly
higher than previous versions of windows.
Windows NT
It stands for Windows New Technology. It is an operating system for client-server type
networks. The latest version of NT has a user interface that is practically identical to windows
95. Windows NT has higher demands for the disk space and memory.
Apple Macintosh
It is a multi-tasking operating system. It was a first graphical interface to achieve commercial
success. Apple products are of high quality and always more expensive than comparable
products. The current version is Mac OS X, which is version 10.
UNIX
UNIX is an operating system developed by Bell Labs to handle complex scientific applications.
It is a multi-user and multi-tasking operating system. It is a command line interface. X-windows
is a graphical interface for UNIX that is easier to work with than windows 98.
Linux
Linux is an operating system similar to UNIX that is becoming more and more popular. It is an
open source program created by Linux Torvalds at the University of Finland. Open source
program means that the underlying computer code is freely available to everyone. The
programmers can work directly with the code and add features.
Utilities
Utility-programs perform tasks related to the maintenance of our computer's health - hardware or
data.
File Management
These programs make it easier to manage our files. Many programs are written to help the user
find files, create and organize directories, copy, move and rename files. The newer graphical
interfaces that come with operating systems like windows have reduced the need for alternate file
management programs.
Disk Management
These programs involve formatting and defragmenting disks. Defragmenting means putting files
on the disk so that the whole file is in sequence. These programs reduce the time to access the
file.
Memory Management Software
It handles where the programs put their current data in RAM. They move certain memory-
resident items out of the. way. They increase the memory available by getting all the unused
pieces together in one spot making a useable amount.
Backup Program
It restores the backed up data. It compresses the data to take up the least space.
Anti-virus Program
They are must have programs. They monitor the computer for the activity of viruses. Viruses are
nasty little programs that copy themselves to other disks to spread to other computers.
Binary System and Data Representation
Basic Data Structures
The computer data, whatever it may represent, is made up of certain components basically called
'bits' and 'bytes'. Following are the explanations of these basic components which constitute the
data structures
Bit A bit (sometimes abbreviated as b) is the most basic information unit used in computing and
information theory. A single bit is a one or a zero, a true or a false, a 'flag' which is 'on' or 'off or
in general, the quantity of information required to distinguish two mutually exclusive stales from
each other.
Nibble A nibble is the computing term for the aggregation of four bits or half an octet (an octet
being an 8-bit byte). As a nibble contains four bits, there are sixteen (24) possible values, so a
nibble corresponding to a single hexadecimal digit.
Byte A byte is a collection of bits, originally variable in size but now almost always eight bits.
Eight-bit bytes, also known as octets, can represent 256 values (28 values, 0-255). 'Byte' is most
often abbreviated as 'B', hence 'MB' for megabyte.
Kilobyte A kilobyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to 1024 bytes. It is
commonly abbreviated as KB, kB, Kbyte or kbyte. The term 'kilobyte' was first loosely used for
a value of 1024 bytes (210), because 2t0 is roughly one thousand and powers of two are
convenient for use with binary digital computers.
Megabyte A megabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to approximately one
million bytes. It is commonly abbreviated as MB.
One Megabyte (MB) = 220 bytes
= 1024 kilobytes
Gigabyte A gigabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to approximately one
billion bytes. It is commonly abbreviated as GB in writing and gig in writing or speech. One
Gigabyte (GB) = 230 bytes = 1024 megabytes
Terabyte A terabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to approximately one
trillion bytes. It is commonly abbreviated as TB.
One Terabyte (TB) = 240 bytes
= 1024 gigabytes
Note (1) After terabytes, the counting doesn't stop there. It continues in following ways
One Petabyte (PB) = 250 bytes = 1024 Terabytes
One Exabyte (EB) = 260 bytes = 1024 Petabytes
One Zettabyte (ZB) = 270 bytes = 1024 Exabytes
One Yottabyte (YB) = 280 bytes = 1024 Zettabytes
Data Representation and Binary System
Decimal Numeral System
A Decimal usually refers to the base 10 numeral system. Decimal notation is the writing of
numbers in the base 10 numeral system, which uses various symbols for ten distinct quantities
(0.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, called digits) to represent numbers. These digits are frequently used
with a decimal point which indicates the start of a fractional part and with one of the sign
symbols + (plus) or - (minus) to indicate sign. The decimal system is a positional numeral
system,- it has positions for units, ten hundreds, etc. The position of each digit conveys what
multiplier is to be used with that digit. Decimal is the most common numeral system used around
the world.
Binary Numeral System
The binary numeral system represents numeric values using two symbols, typically 0 and 1.
Owing to its relatively straightforward implementation in electronic circuitry, the binary system
is used internally by virtually all modern computers.
Octal Numeral System
The octal numeral system is the base-8 number system and uses the digits 0 to 7. Octal numerals
can be made from binary numerals by grouping consecutive digits into groups of three (starting
from the right), e.g., the binary representation for decimal 74 is 1001010 which groups into
1001010 — so the octal representation is 112.
Octal Binary
0 0 0 0
1 0 0 1
2 0 1 0
3 0 1 1
4 1 0 0
5 1 0 1
6 1 1 0
7 1 1 1
Hexadecimal Numeral System
In mathematics and computer science, hexadecimal or simply hex, is a numeral system with a
radix or base of 16 usually written using the symbols 0-9 and A-F. The current hexadecimal
system was first introduced to the computing world in 1963 by IBM. An earlier version, using
the digits 0-9 and U-Z, was used by the Bendix G-15 computer, introduced in 1956.
For example, the decimal numeral 79 whose binary representation is 01001111 can be written as
4F in hexadecimal (4 = 0100, F = 1111).
It is a useful system in computers because there is an easy mapping from four bits to a single hex
digit. A byte can be represented as two consecutive hexadecimal digits.
Relation between Decimal, Binary, Octal and Hexadecimal
Decimal Binary Octal Hexadecimal
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
2 10 2 2
3 11 3 3
4 100 4 4
5 101 5 5
6 110 6 6
7 111 7 7
8 1000 10 8
9 1001 11 9
10 1010 12 A
11 1011 13 B
12 1100 14 C
13 1101 15 D
14 1110 16 E
15 1111 17 F
Programming Languages
Introduction
The only Programming Language, a computer can directly execute, is machine language
(sometimes called 'machine code'). Originally all programmers worked out every detail of the
machine code, but this is hardly ever done anymore. Instead, programmers write source code and
a computer (running a compiler, an interpreter or occasionally an assembler) translates it through
one or more translation steps to fill in all the details, before the final machine code is executed on
the target computer.
Some Important Programming Languages
Short Code In 1949, a few years after Von Neumann's work, the language 'short code' appeared.
Short code was the first computer language for electronic devices and it required the programmer
to change its statements into O's and 1's by hand. Still, it was the first stop towards the complex
languages of today. In 1951, Grace Hopper wrote the first compiler, A-0. A compiler is a
program that runs the language's statements into O's and l's for the computer to understand. This
lead to faster programming, as the programmer no longer had to do the work by hand.
FORTRAN In 1957, the first of the major languages appeared in the form of FORTRAN. Its
name stands for 'FORmula TRANslation' system. The language was designed at IBM for
scientific computing The components were very simple and provided the programmer with low
level access to the computer's innards.
COBOL Its name stands for 'Common Business Oriented Language'. It was designed from the
ground up as the language for businessmen. Its only data types were numbers and strings of text.
It also allowed for these to be grouped into arrays and records, so that data could be tracked and
organized better. It is interesting to note that a COBOL program is built in a way similar to an
essay, with four or five major sections that build into an elegant whole. COBOL statements also
have a very English-like grammar, making it quite easy to learn.
ALGOL The ALGOL language was created by a committee for scientific use in 1958. It's major
contribution is being the root of the tree that has led to such languages as Pascal, C, C+ + and
Java. It was also the first language with a formal grammar.
Pascal Pascal was begun in 1958 by Niklaus Wirth. Its development was mainly out of necessity
for a good teaching tool. Pascal was designed in a very orderly approach. It combined many of
the best features of the languages in use at the time, COBOL, FORTRAN and ALGOL. While
doing so, many of the irregularities and oddball statements of these languages were cleaned up,
which helped it gain users. The combination of features, input/output and solid mathematical
features, made it a highly successful language.
C : C was developed in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie while working at Bell Labs in New Jersey. The
transition in usage from the first major languages to the major languages of today occurred with
the transition between Pascal and C. Its direct ancestors are B and BCPL, but its similarities to
Pascal are quite obvious. Ritchie developed C for the new Unix system being created at the same
time. Because of this, C and Unix go hand in hand. Unix gives C such advanced features as
dynamic variables, multi-tasking, interrupt handling, forking and strong, low level, input-output
Because of this, G is very commonly used to program operating systems such as Unix, Windows,
the Mac OS and Linux.
C++ : In the late 1970's and early 1980's, a new programming method was being developed It
was known as Object Oriented Programming or OOP Objects are pieces of data that can be
packaged and manipulated by the programmer. Bjarne Stroustroup liked this method and
developed extensions to C known as 'C with classes'. This set of extensions developed into the
full-featured language C++, which was released in 1983. C+ + was designed to organize the raw
power of C using OOP, but maintain the speed of C and be able to run on many different types of
computers. C++ is most often used in simulations, such as games. It is the language of choice in
todays Computer Science courses.
Java : In the early 1990's, interactive TV was the technology of the future. Sun Microsystems
decided that interactive TV needed a special, portable (can run on many types of machines)
language. This language eventually became Java. In 1994, the Java project team changed their
focus to the web, which was becoming 'the coal thing' after interactive TV failed. The next year,
Netscape licensed Java for use in their Internet browser, Navigator. At this point, Java became
the language of the future and several companies announced applications which would be written
in Java, none of which came into use. Visual Basic Visual Basic is often taught as a first
programming language today as it is based on the BASIC language developed in 1964 by John
Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz. BARIC is a very limited scope language and was designed for non-
computer science people.
Visual Basic (VB) product. The heart of VB is the form or blank window on which you drag
and drop components such as menus, pictures and slider bars These items are known as 'widgets'.
Widgets have properties (such as its colour) and events (such as clicks and double-clicks) and are
central to building any user interface today in any language. VB is most often used today to
create quick and simple interfaces to other Microsoft products such as Excel and Access without
needing a lot of code, though it is possible to create full applications with it.
Perl : Perl has often been described as the 'duct tape of the Internet', because it is most often used
as the engine for a web interface or in scripts that modify configuration files. It has very strong
text matching functions which make it ideal for these tasks. Perl was developed by Iarry Wall in
198? because the Unix sed and awk tools (used for text manipulation) were no longer stronger
enough to support his needs. Perl stands for Practical Extraction and Reporting Language.
Types of Programming Languages
First Generation Programming Languages
A first generation programming language is a machine level programming language. It consists
of l's and O's. Originally, no translator was used to compile or assemble the first generation
language. The first generation programming instructions were entered through the front panel
switches of the computer system. The main benefit of programming in a first generation
programming language is that code, a user writes, that it can run very fast and efficiently since it
is directly executed by the CPU, but machine language is somewhat more difficult to learn than
higher generational programming languages and it is somewhat more difficult to edit if errors
occur.
Second Generation Programming Languages
A second generation programming language is a term usually used to refer to some form of
assemble language. Unlike first generation programming languages, the code can be read and
written fairly easily by a human, but it must be converted into a machine readable form in order
to run on a computer. The conversion process is simply a mapping of (he assembly language
code into binary machine code (the first generation language). The language is specific to and
dependent on a particular processor family and environment. Since, it is the native language of a
processor it has significant speed advantages, but it requires more programming effort and is
difficult to use effectively for large applications.
Third Generation Programming Languages
A third generation language (abbreviated as 3GL) is a programming language designed to be
easier for a human to understand, including things like named variables. FORTRAN, ALGOL
and COBOL are early examples of this sort of language. Most 'modern' languages (BASIC, C,
C+ +) are third generation. Most of the 3GLs support structured programming.
Fourth Generation Programming Languages
A fourth generation programming language (abbreviated as 4GL) is a programming language
designed with a specific purpose in mind, such as the development of commercial business
software. Such languages arose after the introduction of modern, block-structured third
generation programming languages, which improved the process of software development. The
term 4GL was according to James Martin first used in his 1982 book Applications, Development
without Programmers to refer to non-procedural, high level specification languages. All 4GLs
are designed to reduce programming effort, the time it takes to develop software and the cost of
software development. They are not always successful in this task, sometimes resulting in
inelegant and unmaintainable code. However, given the right problem, the use of an appropriate
4GL can be spectacularly successful. SQL and Oracle are the examples of some of the successful
fourth generation languages.
Fifth Generation Programming Languages
A fifth generation programming language (abbreviated as 5GL) is a programming language
based on solving problems using constraints given to the program, rather than using an algorithm
written by a programmer. Most constraint-based and logic programming languages and some
declarative languages are fifth generation languages. While, fourth generation programming
languages are designed to build specific programs, fifth generation languages are designed to
make the computer solve the problem for you. This way, the programmer only needs to worry
about what problems need to be solved and what conditions need to be met, without worrying
about how to implement a routine or algorithm to solve them. Filth generation languages are
used mainly in artificial intelligence research. Prolog. OPS5 and Mercury are the best known
fifth generation languages.
Low Level Programming Languages
In Computer Science, a low level programming language is a language that provides little or no
abstraction from a computer's microprocessor. The word 'low' does not imply that the language is
inferior to high level programming languages but rather refers to the reduced amount of
abstraction between the language and itself,- because of this, low level languages are sometimes
described as being 'closer to the hardware'.
High Level Programming Languages
A high level programming language is a programming language that is more user-friendly, to
some extent platform-independent and abstract from low level computer processor operations
such as memory accesses. In general, high level languages make complex programming simpler,
while low level languages produce more efficient code. In a high level language, complex
elements can be broken up into simpler though still fairly complex, elements for which the
language provides abstractions. The cost of this convenience is often less efficient code overall.
For this reason, code which needs to run particularly quickly and efficiently may be written in a
lower level language, even if a higher level language would make the coding easier.
Some Important Points Related to Computer Programming Languages
Program Logic: Logical programming makes use of pattern directed invocation of procedures
from assertions and goals. The point of programming logic is to bring the style of mathematical
logic to computer programming.
Algorithms : In computing, an algorithm is a procedure (a finite set of well-defined instructions)
for accomplishing some task which, given an initial state, will terminate in a defined end-state.
The computational complexity and efficient implementation of the algorithm are important in
computing and this depends on suitable data structures. "Most algorithms can be directly
implemented by computer programs."
Data Flow Diagrams : A Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is a graphical representation of the 'flow'
of data through an information system. A Data Flow Diagram can also be used for the
visualization of data processing (structured design). A Data Flow Diagram "illustrates the
processes, data stores and external entities in a business or other system and the connecting data
flows."
Pseudocodes : Pseudocodes can refer to the technique of using short codes, especially within the
language with singular name short code, which was the first ever language developed for an
electronic computing device. For the different meaning, the term pseudocode refers to a high
level 'language' whose aim is to generalise the logic and program flow of a computer program.
Flowchart Flowcharts are the means of the visually representing the flow of data through an
information processing system, the operations performed within the system and the sequence in
which they are performed. It is basically a schematic representation of a process.
Application Software
Some of the most important application softwares are as follows
MS Word
MS Excel
MS Power Point
MS Access
These all are collectively known as the Microsoft Office package.
Microsoft Word
MS Word is a word processing application and is one of the most important and widely used
application found on computer.
Features of Word Processor
Fast : Typing text in a word processor becomes speedy as there is no mechanical carriage
movement associated.
Editing Features Any type of correction (insertion, deletions, modifications etc) can be made
easily.
Permanent Storage The documents can be saved as long as desired. The saved document can be
retrieved whenever desired.
Formatting Features The typed text can be made in any forms or styles (bold, italic, underline,
different fonts etc).
Graphics Graphics provides the facility of incorporating drawings in the documents which
enhances their usefulness.
Alignment You can set your text in any alignment e.g., Left, Right or Centre. You can even do
box setting, i.e., aligned from both sides.
Deleting Mistakes You can delete word, line, paragraph in a stroke and the rest of the matter
will get adjusted automatically.
Line Spacing You can set line spacing according to your liking from one to nine.
Moving Cursor You can move the cursor from word to word or from paragraph to paragraph, if
needed.
Page Breaks You can set a page break at any place within the text so that while printing it will
jump to next page.
Find and Replace You can find for a particular word in the whole document and replace it with
another one.
Thesaurus By using thesaurus you can change a word with any of its synonyms. In this way
you can prevent repetition of a single word in a document and bring beauty to the language.
Indentation Indentation refers to the distance between text boundaries and page margins. There
are three types of indents — Positive Indent, Negative Indent and Hanging Indent.
Header and Footer A header or footer is text or graphics such as a page number, the date, or a
company logo that is usually printed at the top or bottom of each page in a document.
Page Setup Page setup refers is used to set the page Size. Which A4, A3 etc.
Spell Check Spell check is not only capable of checking spelling mistakes but also can suggest
possible alternatives for incorrectly spelt words.
Mail Merge Mail merge is a facility which enables to print a large number of letters/documents
with more or less similar text. Under it, same invitation letter has to be sent to invitees, only the
names and address are to be changed.
Macros Like other Microsoft Office documents, word files can include advanced macros and
even embedded programs. This extensive functionality can also be used to run and propagate
viruses in documents. The tendency for people to exchange word documents via email, USB key
and floppy makes this an especially attractive vector.
Bullets and numbering Word's bullets and numbering system is highly problematic. Bullets and
numbering problems in 1 word include bullet characters are often changed and altered,
indentation is changed within the same list and bullet point, or number sequence can belong to an
entirely different nests within the same sequence.
Creating tables Users can also create tables in MS Word. Depending on the version, word can
perform simple calculations. Formulae are supported as well.
Auto Summarize Auto Summarize highlights passages or phrases that it considers valuable. The
amount of text to be retained can be specified by the user as a percentage of the current amount
of text.
Auto Correct In Microsoft Office 2003, Auto Correct items added by the user cease working
when text from sources outside the document are pasted in.
Sub and superscript issues In any of the Microsoft Word package, it is impossible to display
superscript exactly lying above subscript. It can only be done using the equation editor.
Title Bar Title Bar shows the name of the file on which you are working. It also consist of three
buttons, e.g., (1) Minimize button reduces the window to an icon but word still remains active.
(2) Restore button again brings word window to the maximum original size. (3) Close button
brings us out of word.
Menu Bar Menu Bar consists of various commands which can be accessed by clicking at the
menu options under these menu heads.
Standard Tool Bar Standard Tool Bar displays the symbols for the common operation like
open, print, save etc, which can be performed by clicking on the appropriate tool.
Formatting Tool Bar Formatting Tool Bar displays the options which can be used to format our
document like font type, size of the font, bold, underline, bullets, alignments etc.
Ruler Ruler shows the width of the document. It can be increased or decreased. You can see
how much of the lines you have consumed by typing. Workspace Workspace is the area where
the text can be entered.
Vertical Scroll Bar For a larger text in the document, you can scroll the vertical bar to see the
text at various positions.
Horizontal Scroll Bar It is used to move from left side to right side in the document and vice-
versa in case the document is too wide to fit in the screen.
Normal View Button Normal View Button helps us in viewing the document very close to the
form in which it will be printed. It arranges the text in such a way that no document remains
hidden on the screen.
Print Layout View This option allows us to view how actually the document will be printed. All
the headers and footers and comments will be displayed.
Drawing Toolbar One of the various toolbars which can be made available on the screen. This
particular one is used for making drawings in the document.
Status Bar This bar will always show you your current position as far the text goes. It will tell
you your current position with respect to page number, line number etc
Shortcut Keys of Microsoft Word
Shortcut Keys Description
Ctrl + A Select all contents of the page.
Ctrl + B Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl + C Copy selected text.
Ctrl + X Cut selected text.
Ctrl + P Open the print window.
Ctrl + F Open find box.
Ctrl +1 Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl + K Insert link.
Ctrl + U Underline highlighted selection.
Ctrl + V Paste.
Ctrl + Y Redo the last action performed.
Ctrl + Z Undo last action.
Ctrl + L Aligns the line or selected text to the left of the screen.
Ctrl + E Aligns the line or selected text to the center of the screen.
Ctrl + R Aligns the line or selected text to the right of the screen.
Ctrl + M Indent the paragraph.
Ctrl + Shift + F Change the font.
Ctrl + Shift + > Increase selected font +1 pt up to 12pts and then increases font +2pts
Ctrl + ] Increase selected font +1pt.
Ctrl + Shift + < Decrease selected font -1pt if 12pts or lower, if above 12 decreases font by +2pts
Ctrl + [ Decrease selected font - 1pt.
Ctrl + Shift + * View or hide non printing characters.
Ctrl+<left arrow> Moves one word to the left.
Ctrl + <right arrow> Moves one word to the right.
Ctrl + <up arrow> Moves to the beginning of the line or paragraph.
Ctrl + <down arrow> Moves to the end of the paragraph.
Ctrl + Del Deletes word to right of cursor.
Ctrl + Backspace Deletes word to left of cursor.
Ctrl + End Moves the cursor to the end of the document.
Ctrl + Home Moves the cursor to the beginning of the document
Ctrl + Spacebar Reset highlighted text to the default font.
Ctrl + 1 Single-space lines.
Ctrl + 2 Double-space lines.
Ctrl + 5 1.5-line spacing.
Ctrl + Alt + 1 Changes text to heading 1,
Ctrl + Alt + 2 Changes text to heading 2.
Ctrl + Alt + 3 Changes text to heading 3.
Ctrl + Fl Open the Task Pane.
F1 Open Help.
Alt + Ctrl + F2 Open new document.
Ctrl + F2 Display the print preview.
Shift F3 Change the text in Microsoft Word from upper to lower case or a capital letter at the
beginning of every word.
Shift + Insert Paste.
F4 Repeat the last action performed
F5 Open the find, replace and go to window in Microsoft Word.
Ctrl + Shift + F6 Opens to another open Microsoft Word document.
F7 Spell and grammar check selected text and/or document.
Shift + F7 Runs a Thesaurus check on the word highlighted.
F12 Save as.
Shift+ F12 Save.
Ctrl + Shift+ F12 Prints the document
Alt + Shift + D Insert the current date.
Alt + Shift + T Insert the current time.
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet-application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft
Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables and a macro
programming language called VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). A spreadsheet is a software
tool that lets one enter, calculate, manipulate and analyze set of numbers.
Worksheet Worksheet is a grid of cells made up of horizontal rows and vertical columns.
Worksheet contains 65536 rows and 256 columns.
Row Number Each row is given a number that identifies it, starts from I, 2, 3, 4,... so on.
Column Letter Each column is given a letter that identifies it, starts from A ... Z, AA ... AZ,
BA ... BZ, ... IA-IV.
Cell Cell is a basic unit of worksheet where numbers, text, formulas etc, can be placed.
Cell Pointer Cell Pointer is a cell-boundary that specifies which cell is active at that moment.
Current Cell Current Cell is a cell which is active.
Range of Cell It is a group of contiguous cells that forms a rectangular area in shape.
Work Book A worksheet is a grid of cells made up of rows and columns. Multiple worksheets
can be combined under a file known as work book.
Formula Formula is a sequence of values, cell address, names functions or operators in a cell
that produces a new value from existing values.
Cell Referencing Each cell in worksheet has a unique address, when cell address is referred in
formulas, it is called cell referencing.
Relative Referencing Cell referencing in which the cells are referred by their relative position
in the worksheet relative to a particular cell.
Absolute Referencing The cell referencing in which the cells are referred by their fixed
position (absolute position) in the worksheet.
Mixed Referencing Combination of relative and absolute referencing is called mixed
referencing.
Functions : Functions are predefined formulas that perform calculations by using specific
values, called arguments.
Arguments : Arguments are the values passed to the functions, using which the function carries
out some task. It can be numbers, text, logical values, constants, formulas or other functions.
Structure The structure of a function begins with the function name, followed by an opening
parenthesis, the arguments for the function separated by commas and a closing parenthesis.
Charts : Charts/Graphs are the pictorial representation of worksheet data.
Area Chart An area chart emphasizes the magnitude of change over time.
Column Chart A column chart shows data-changes over a period of time or illustrates
comparisons among item.
Bar Chart Bar Chart illustrates comparisons among individual items. Categories are organized
vertically and values horizontally.
Line Chart Line Chart shows trends in data at equal intervals. It is useful for depicting the
change in a value over a period of time.
Pie Chart Pie Chart shows the proportional size of items that make up a data series to the sum of
the items.
XY (Scatter) Chart XY Chart shows the relationships among the numeric values in several data
series or plots two groups of numbers as series of XY coordinates.
Shortcut Keys of Microsoft Excel
Shortcut Keys Description
F2 Edit the selected cell.
F5 Go to a specific cell. For example, C6.
F7 Spell check selected text and/or document
Fl-1 Create chart.
Ctrl * Shift + ; Enter the current time.
Ctrl + ; Enter the current date.
Alt + Shift + F1 Insert New Worksheet.
Shift + F3 Open the Excel formula window.
Shift + F5 Bring up search box.
Ctrl + A Select all contents of the worksheet
Ctrl + B Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl +1 Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl + K Insert link.
Ctrl + U Underline highlighted selection.
Ctrl + 5 Strikethrough highlighted selection.
Ctrl + P Bring up the print dialog box to begin printing.
Ctrl + Z Undo last action.
Ctrl + F9 Minimize current window.
Ctrl + F10 Maximize currently selected window.
Ctrl + F6 Switch between open workbooks / windows.
Ctrl + Page up Move between Excel worksheets in the same Excel document.
Ctrl + Page down Move between Excel worksheets in the same Excel document.
Ctrl + Tab Move between Two or more open Excel files.
Alt + = Create a formula to sum all of the above cells
Ctrl +' Insert the value of the above cell into cell currently selected.
Ctrl + Shift + ! Format number in comma format.
Ctrl + Shift + $ Format number in currency format.
Ctrl + Shift + # Format number in date format
Shortcut Keys Description
Ctrl + Shift + % Format number in percentage format.
Ctrl + Shift + ^ Format number in scientific format.
Ctrl + Shift + @ Format number in time format
Ctrl + Arrow key Move to next section of text
Ctrl + Space Select entire column.
Shift + Space Select entice row.
Microsoft PowerPoint
The application software that can create professional looking visual aids is called Presentation
Graphics Software. The best form of visual images are graphics and pictures. A graphic object is
any written or diagrammatic representation, like graphs, figures and diagrams. The application
software that manipulates images is known as Graphics Software. Presentation graphic is
specialized type of graphics software. These programs are used to create professional looking
visual aids for an audience. The visual aids can be computer images, paper printouts or
photographic transparencies.
PowerPoint is the presentation graphics part of MS-Office suite.
PowerPoint can create various presentations materials like,- charts, graphics, slides, handouts,
overheads etc. PowerPoint even creates slide shows, which are electronic presentations that you
can run on your computer screen or a projection devices.
Operation
PowerPoint presentations consist of a number of individual pages or slides'. The 'slide' analogy is
a reference to the slide projector, a device that has become obsolete due to the use of PowerPoint
and other presentation software. Slides may contain text, graphics, movies and other objects,
which may be arranged freely on the slide. PowerPoint, however, facilitates the use of a
consistent style in a presentation using a template or 'Slide Master'. The presentation can be
printed or displayed live on a computer and navigated through at the command of the presenter.
Presentation Tips
Knowing the level of knowledge of the audience towards the concept of presentation.
To persuade the audience successfully, the user must not display more or less information
than required.
Using white spaces efficiently to set the things off.
Not to including too much information on a slide or graphic.
Using of text on a slide should be judiciously or self explanatory.
Avoiding the colours that clash with each other.
PowerPoint Creations
On Screen Presentations By using slide transactions, timings, movies, sound, animation and
hyperlinks, makes a presentation exciting.
Web-pages for Web Use Broadcasting a presentation for a company meeting, presenting to
remote groups or holding a team meeting, over the web.
Overhead Transparencies Creating presentation that the users on overhead transparencies by
printing the slides.
Creating New Presentation
Auto Content Wizard It is easy to use wizard that helps to create a presentation by leading
through some basic questions.
Design Templates It is a set of predefined formats or text or colour schemes applicable to a
presentation. Sample Presentation It is a set of sample slides with some text and outlines that
give you suggestions about the context 01 your presentation.
Blank Presentation If you are sure of the layout and contents of your presentation, then you
create a new presentation from scratch.
PowerPoint Views
Normal It displays three panes that show the outline, the slide and an area into which you can
enter speaker's notes.
Outline It displays only the text of the presentation in outline form, allowing you to work easily
with the context.
Slide It shows the slide and its contents.
Slide Sorter It displays the entire set of slides on screen, so that you can check the order and
completeness of the presentation.
Slide Show It display the presentation on slide at a time in sequence as an automatic slide
show.
Notes Pages It available from view menu. It enter and edit speaker's notes for the presenter.
Various Effects in Slide Shows
Animations and Transitions: Transitions are special effects that introduce a slide in a slide
show. Animations are special sound or visual effects that can add to text or other objects, such as
a chart. Music, Sound and Video An occasional burst of music or sound during a transition or
animation can focus the audience on the slide.
Microsoft PowerPoint Shortcut Keys
Shortcut Keys Description
Ctrl + A Select all items on the page or the active text box
Ctrl + C Copy
Ctrl + P Opens the Print dialog box
Ctrl + S Save
Ctrl + V Ctrl + X Paste Cut
Ctrl + Z Undo last change
F5 View the Slide Show
Shift + Ctrl + Home Selects all text from the cursor to the start of the active text box
Shift + Ctrl + End Selects all text from the cursor to the end of the active text box
Spacebar or Click the mouse
Move to next slide or next animation
S Stop the show. Press S again to restart the show
Esc End the slide show
Ctrl + A Select all items on the page or the active text box
Ctrl + B Applies bold to the selected text
Ctrl + D Duplicates the selected object
Ctrl + F Opens the Find dialog box
Ctrl + G Opens the Grids and Guides dialog box
Ctrl + H Opens the Replace dialog box
Ctrl +1 Applies Italics to the selected text
Ctrl + M Inserts a new slide
Ctrl + N Ctrl + 0 Opens a new blank presentation Opens the Open dialog box
Ctrl + T Opens the Font dialog box
Ctrl + U Applies Underlining to the selected text
Ctrl + V Paste
Ctrl + W Closes the presentation
Ctrl + Y Repeats the last command entered
Home Moves cursor to beginning of current line of text
End Moves cursor to end of current line of text
Ctrl + Home Moves cursor to beginning of presentation
Ctrl + End Moves cursor to end of presentation
Page Up Moves to previous slide
Page Down Moves to next slide
Ctrl + left arrow Moves cursor to beginning of previous word
Ctrl + right arrow Moves cursor to beginning of next word
Ctrl + up arrow Moves cursor to start of previous paragraph
Ctrl + down arrow Moves cursor to start of next paragraph
Shift + left arrow Selects the previous letter
Shift + right arrow Selects the next letter
Shift + Home Selects text from the cursor to start of the current line
Shift + End Selects text from cursor to end of the current line
Shift F1 Help
F5 View the Slide Show
F7 Spell check
F12 Opens Save As dialog box
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Office Access, previously known as Microsoft Access, is a relational database
management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine
with a graphical user interface and software development tools. Access is a member of the
Microsoft Office suite of applications and is included in the professional and higher versions for
windows and also sold separately.
Database Management System (DBMS)
A database is a collection of data of a particular type. A DBMS is an organized collection of data
viewed as a whole, instead of a group of separate unrelated files. Data in a database is stored in
the form of tables. A table is a row and column arrangement of information. A DBMS is a
collection of interrelated data and a set of programs to retrieve data from a database.
Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)
A RDBMS is a multi-table database where the tables in the database have to be related for
storing or retrieving data. A RDBMS is used to create and maintain relational databases.
Types of Database Objects
Table : They store data in a row and column format similar to spreadsheets.
Queries : They enable you to view data from a table based on a specified criterion.
Form : They enable you to enter, view and modify in a table.
Reports : They enable you to generate reports based on tables and query results.
Data Access : They are web pages that enables you to
Pages : view data from the Internet where the data is stored in an Access database.
Macros : They are a series of commands and functions that can be executed whenever you need
to perform a task.
Modules : They are a set Visual Basic procedures and declarations stored as one unit.
Data Type : A data type is used to store different types of values in a column in a table.
Text It stores text or a combination of text and numbers.
Memo It stores large number of text and numeric characters.
Number It stores numeric data that is used for mathematical calculations.
Date Time It stores date and time values.
Currency It stores currency values.
Auto Number It enables the user to automatically insert numbers in a sequential or a random number.
Yes / No It is used for fields that can contain YES/NO, TRUE/FALSE and ON/OFF values.
OLE Object It enables to store object, like word documents, Excel spreadsheets, pictures or sounds.
Hyperlink It enables to store a hyperlink, like an e-mail address or a web site address.
Look Up Wizard It enables to select a field from another table.
Microsoft Access Shortcut Keys
To perform this action... Press...
To open a new database Ctrl+N
To open an existing database Ctrl+O
To quit Microsoft Access Alt+F4
To print the current or selected object Ctrl+P
To open the Print dialog box Ctrl+P
To open the Page Setup dialog box from Print Preview S
To open the Print dialog box from Print Preview P
To cancel Print Preview or Layout Preview C or Esc
To save a database object Ctrl+S or Shift+F12 or Alt+Shift+F2
To open the Save As dialog box Fl 2 or AU+F2
To open a combo box F4 or Alt+Down Arrow
To refresh the contents of a Lookup field, list box, or
combo Box
F9
To move down one line Down Arrow
To move down one page Page Down
To move up one line Up Arrow
To move up one page Page Up
To exit the combo box or list box Tab
Networking and Internet
Computer networking relates to the communication between a group of two or more computer
systems linked together. Networks are built with a mix of computer hardware and computer
software.
Local Area Network (LAN)
A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short distance. It is a system in which
computers are inter-connected and the geographical spread may be within a building to 1
kilometre. A number of terminals can be used in the whole building at various places with
sharing means. All the terminals are connected to a main computer called server. LANs are
typically owned, controlled and managed by a single person or organization. They also use
certain specific connectivity technologies, primarily Ethernet and Token Pong.
Types of LAN
Star LAN
A number of stations are connected to control station. The station passes information to the
central station and then proceed it to the destination station. If one node of the network fails, it
does not affect the connectivity.
Ring LAN
Stations are connected by cables using point-to-point link. Network access is not under
control of central station. Each station can pass data to its adjacent
Bus LAN
There is no repeater. Stations are common and single communication line. Data is sent in packets
and related station picked up by it Any fault diagnosis is difficult.
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
It is a data network designed for a town or city. This type of network is spread over a city. It
connects an area larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN, such as a city, with dedicated or
high performance hardware. Its main purpose is to share hardware and software resources by the
various users. Cable TV network is an example of metropolitan area network.
Wide Area Network (WAN)
A WAN is a geographically dispersed collection of LANs. A WAN like the internet spans most
of the world. A network device called a router connects LANs to a WAN. In IP networking, the
router maintains both a LAN address and a WAN address. Like the internet, most WANs are not
owned by any one organization but rather exist under collective or distributed ownership and
management. WANs use technology like ATM, Frame Relay and X.25 for connectivity.
Types of WAN
Public Networks
These networks are owned and run by telecommunication authorities. These are made available
to an individual subscriber or an organization, i.e., PSTN, PSDN, VAN, ISDN.
Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN)
PSTN is designed for telephone, which requires modem for data communication. It is used for
FAX machine also.
Public Service Digital Network (PSDN)
PSDN is popular mode for connecting public and private mail system to have electronic mail
services with other firms.
Value Added Network (VAN)
VAN provides Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) facility. The owner rent out the network to
subscribers.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
ISDN is used for voice, video and data services. It uses digital transmission.
Private Network
Private Network provides services at various locations using private or leased circuits by using
technology of its choice. It is mostly used to carry large volume of data at very high speed
transmission.
Network Topology
Topology is the geometric arrangement of a computer system. Each computer system in a
topology is known as a node. Network topology is determined only by the configuration of
connections between nodes. A fully connected or complete topology is a network topology in
which there is a direct link between all pairs of nodes. In a fully connected network with n nodes,
there are n(n - l)/2 direct links.
Bus Topology
A bus topology is such that there is a single line to which all nodes are connected and the nodes
connect only to this bus.
Mesh Topology
This type of network topology contains at least two nodes with two or more paths between them.
Ring Topology
In this network topology, every node has exactly two branches connected to it. The ring is
broken and cannot work if one of the nodes on the ring fails.
Star Topology
In this network topology, the peripheral nodes are connected to a central node, which
rebroadcasts all transmissions received from any peripheral node to all peripheral nodes on the
network, including the originating node.
Tree Topology
This is a network topology in which nodes are arranged as a tree. The function of the central
node in this topology may be distributed.
Client-Server Networking
It is a network application architecture which separates the client from the server. It is a scalable
architecture, where each computer or process on the network is either a client or a server.
Peer-to-Peer Networking
It is also known as P2P networking. This computer network relies on computing power at the
edges of a connection rather than in the network itself. It is used for sharing content like audio,
video, data or anything in digital format. P2P network can also mean grid computing.
Internet
The Internet is a global network of interconnected network, enabling users to share information
along multiple channels. A computer that connects to the internet can access information from a
vast array of available servers and other computers by moving information from them to the
computer's local memory. A majority of widely accessible information on the Internet consists
of inter-linked hypertext documents and other resources of the World Wide Web (WWW).
Computer users typically manage sent and received information with web browsers,- other
software for users' interface with computer networks includes specialized programs for electronic
mail, online chat, file transfer and file sharing. The movement of information in the Internet is
achieved via a system of interconnected computer networks that share data by packet switching
using the standardized Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP). It is a 'network of networks' that consists
of millions of private and public, academic, business and government networks of local to global
scope that are linked by copper wires, fibre-optic cables, wireless connections and other
technologies. The Internet (also known simply as the NET) is the world wide, publicly accessible
system of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the
standard Internet Protocol (IP).
Services of Internet
E-mail The Internet enables user to exchange data/' information and communicate via electronic
media. E-mail messages are usually encoded in American Standard Code for Information
Interchange (ASCII) text. A popular protocol for sending e-mail is Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol (SMTP) and for receiving it is POP3.
Chat Chat is the exchange of typed message by cetizens. It enables cetizens to 'talk not vocal' by
typing and sending the messages back and forth. It has two modes-computer to telephone and
computer to computer.
Video Conferencing A service that allows a group of users to exchange video information over
the Internet. It include an audio teleconference facility. Each participant's computer must have a
camera, microphone and earphones or speaker.
Computer Virus
A computer virus is a program designed to spread itself by first infecting executable files or the
system areas of hard disks and floppy disks and then making copies of itself. Viruses usually
operate without the knowledge of the computer user.
Types of Virus
Macro Virus It can infect word processing and spreadsheet documents that use macros.
Boot Sector Virus A boot sector virus alters or hides in the boot sector, usually the 1st sector,
of a bootable disk or hard drive. They were prevalent in the 1980s.
Companion Virus A companion virus creates new files that have the same file names as
legitimate .EXE files.
Virus hoax This is a false email message warning the recipient of a virus that is going around.
Computer prank It is a prank related to either the software or the hardware of computers. Some
pranks are screamers involving loss of control of the computer software.
WORM A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program that always harm the network
Trojan horse It is a type of program that is often confused with viruses but it can be harmful
Some Famous Computer Virus
Anti-virus Software
Anti-virus software consists of computer programs that attempt to identify, thwart and eliminate
computer viruses and other malicious software (malware). Anti-virus software typically uses two
different techniques to accomplish this
Examining (scanning) files to look for known viruses matching definitions in a virus
dictionary.
Identifying suspicious behaviour from any computer program which might indicate
infection.
Most commercial anti-virus software uses both of these approaches, with an emphasis on the
virus dictionary (pattern) approach.
Some Latest Computer Anti-virus Softwares
Trend Micro Anti-virus
Anti Spyware 2010
Panda Security Anti-virus Pro 2010
Symantec Norton Anti-virus 2010
Kaspersky Anti-virus 2010
MCAfee Anti-virus Plus 2010
Virus Dictionary Approach
In the virus dictionary approach, when the anti-virus software examines a file, it refers to a
dictionary of known viruses that the authors of the anti-virus software have identified. If a piece
of code in the file matches any virus identified in the dictionary, then the anti-virus software can
take one of the following actions (in order by favourability)
Attempt to repair the file by removing the virus itself from the file,
Quarantine the file (such that the file remains inaccessible to other programs and its virus
can no longer spread),
Deleted the infected file.
Suspicious Behaviour Approach
The suspicious behaviour approach, by contrast, does not attempt to identify known viruses, but
instead monitors the behaviour of all programs. If one program tries to write data to an
executable program, for example, the anti-virus software can flag this suspicious behaviour, alert
a user and ask what to do. Unlike the dictionary approach, the suspicious behaviour approach
therefore provides protection against brand-new viruses that do not yet exist in any virus
dictionaries. Some of the most popular anti-virus software are Norton anti-virus, MCAfee,
PcCillin etc.
Other Security Threats
Phishing It is characterized by attempts to fraudulently acquire sensitive information such as
passwords, credit cards details etc by masquerading as a trustworthy person.
Spam It is the abuse of messaging systems to send unsolicited, bulk messages in the form of e-
mails.
Malware It is a superset of computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, spyware and other
malicious or unwanted software including the viruses.
Adware It is any software package which automatically renders advertisements.
Spyware It is a type of malicious software installed on computers that collects information
about users without their knowledge.
Firewell It is a software or hardware based device to permit or deny network transmissions
based on a set of rules and is frequently used to protect network from unauthorized access while
permitting legitimate communications to pass.
Set - I
1. The word 'computer' has been derived from which of the following language?
(1) Greek (2) English (3) Latin (4) Spanish
(5) None of these
2. Which of the following is known as the father of computer?
(1) Herman Hollerith (2) Grace Hoppers
(3) Charles Babbage (4) Napier (5) None of these
3. Which of the following operation in not performed by the computer?
(1) Inputting (2) Processing (3) Controlling (4) Outputting
(5) Understanding
4. The brain of any computer system is
(1) control unit (2) arithmetic logic unit
(3) central processing unit (4) storage unit (5) output unit
5. The computer size was very large in
(1) first generation (2) second generation (3) third generation (4) fourth generation
(5) None of these
6. Pick the one that is used for logical operations or comparisons such as less than equal to
or greater than
(1) arithmetic and logic unit (2) control unit (3) input unit
(4) memory unit (5) None of these
7. The first generation of computers were based upon
(1) transistors (2) ICs (3) valves (4) conductor
(5) None of these
8. All processing of computers is done in
(1) monitor (2) CPU (3) keyboard (4) RAM
(5) ROM
9. RAM is a type of
(1) volatile memory (2) primary memory (3) temporary memory
(4) All of these (5) None of these
10. For seeing the output, we use
(1) monitor (2) keyboard (3) mouse (4) joystick
(5) None of these
11. A scanner scans
(1) pictures (2) text (3) graphics (4) All of these
(5) None of these
12. Laser printer is a type of
(1) input device (2) output device (3) memory device (4) processing device
(5) None of these
13. Computer program which controls the operations of computer is called
(1) operating system (2) processing system (3) memory system (4) controlling system
(5) None of these
14. Which of the following directs other components of the computer to perform the tasks
specified in the program instructions?
(1) Input unit (2) Output unit (3) ALU unit (4) Control unit
(5) System unit
15. Printed copy is often called
(1) soft copy (2) blank copy (3) hard copy (4) write copy
(5) carbon copy
16. Which of the following is a collection of facts and figures?
(1) Data (2) Information (3) Processing (4) File
(5) Document
17. It converts accepted instructions into machine language
(1) input unit (2) output unit (3) processing unit (4) memory unit
(5) logical unit
18. It temporary holds the data received from input device
(1) keyboard (2) memory (3) processing unit (4) file
(5) output unit
19. The physical arrangement of elements as input, output and processing devices grouped
together represent a
(1) mobile device (2) information processing cycle (3) circuit board
(4) computer system (5) None of the above
20. What type of computer could be found in a digital Watch?
(1) Mainframe computer (2) Super computer
(3) Embedded computer (4) Notebook computer (5) None of
these
21. Which is not a basic function of a computer?
(1) Copy text (2) Accept input (3) Process data (4) Store data
(5) None of these
22. The contents of ______ are lost when the computer turns off.
(1) storage (2) input (3) output (4) memory
(5) None of these
23. These are specially designed computer chips reside inside other devices, such as your car
or your electronic thermostat
(1) servers (2) embedded computers (3) robotic computers
(4) mainframes (5)None of these
24. It is the set of programs that enables your computer's hardware devices and application
software to work together
(1) management (2) processing (3) utility (4) system software
(5) None of these
25. The most frequently used instructions of a computer program are likely to be fetched
from
(1) hard disk (2) cache memory (3) RAM (4) registers
(5) None of these
26. All of the following are examples of input device except a
(1) scanner (2) mouse (3) keyboard (4) printer
(5) None of these
27. The most common pointing input device is the
(1) trackball (2) touchpad (3) touchscreen (4) mouse
(5) scanner
28. Which type of software is distributed free but requires the users to pay some amount for
further use?
(1) Freeware (2) Shareware (3) Rentalware
(4) Public domain software (5) Abandonware
29. External devices such as printers, keyboards and modems are known as
(1) add-on devices
(2) peripherals
(3) extra hardware devices
(4) PC expansion slot add-ons
(5) special buys
30. Which of the following is not an example of hardware ?
(1) Scanner (2) Printer (3) Monitor (4) Mouse
(5)Interpreter
31. Which of the following is the fastest type of computer ?
(1) Laptop (2) Notebook (3) Personal computer
(4) Workstation (5) Supercomputer
32. The CPU and memory are located on the
(1) expansion board (2) motherboard (3) storage device (4) output device
(5) None of these
33. The thing which easily understands the instruct ions is called
(1) user friendly (2) information (3) word processing (4) icon
(5) None of these
34. Storage that retains its data after the power is turned off is referred to as
(1) volatile storage (2) non-volatile storage (3) sequential storage
(4) direct storage (5) None of these
35. A collection of programs that controls how your computer system runs and processes
information is called
(1) operating system (2) computer (3) office (4) compiler
(5) interpreter
36. A central computer that holds collections of data and programs for many PCs,
workstations and other computers is a
(1) super computer (2) mini computer (3) laptop (4) server
(5) None of these
37. The contents of ………… are lost when the computer turns Off.
(1) storage (2) input (3) output (4) memory
(5) None of these
38. What is the permanent memory built into your computer called?
(1) RAM (2) Floppy (3) CPU (4) CD-ROM
(5) ROM
39. Any component of the computer you can see and touch
(1) Software (2) Perepheral (3) Storage (4) CPU
(5) Hardware
40. Data or information used to run the computer is called
(1) Software (2) Hardware (3) Peripheral (4) CPU
(5) None of these
41. An electronic device, operating under the control of information, that can accept data,
process the data, produce output and store the results for future use
(1) Input (2) Computer (3) Software (4) Hardware
(5) None of these
42. The term used to describe the intangible instructions that tell the computer what to do is
(1) hardware (2) software (3) storage (4) input/output
(5) None of these
43. A detailed written description of the programming cycle and the program, along with
the test results and a printout of the program is called
(1) documentation (2) output (3) reporting (4) special sheets
(5) Directory
44. Which computer memory is used for storing programs and data currently being processed
by the CPU?
(1) Mass memory (2) Internal memory (3) Non-volatile memory
(4) PROM (5) None of these
45. You use a(n) ………….. such as keyboard or mouse, to input information.
(1) output device (2) input device (3) storage device (4) processing device
(5) None of the above
46. To move to the beginning of a line of text, press the ……….. key.
(l) page up (2) shift (3) home (4) enter
(5) None of these
47. Which key is used in combination with another key to perform a specific task?
(1) Function (2) Space bar (3) Arrow (4) Control
(5) None of these
48. A …………….. can make it easier to play games.
(l) mouse (2) joystick (3) keyboard (4) pen
(5) None of these
49. A scanner scans
(1) pictures (2) text (3) both pictures and text
(4) neither picture nor text (5) None of the above
50. You can use the tab key to
(1) move a cursor across the screen (2) indent a paragraph
(3) move the cursor down the screen (4) Both 1 and 2 (5) None of the above
51. Computers gather data. It means that they allow the users to……….. data.
(1) present (2) input (3) output (4) store
(5) None of these
52. The most common input devices are the …………. and the
(1) microphone, printer (2) scanner, monitor
(3) digital camera, speakers (4) keyboard, mouse (5) None of the above
53 What types of keys 'ctrl' and 'shift'?
(l) Adjustment (2) Function (3) Modifier (4) Alphanumeric
(5) None of these
54. Which of the following can input graphical images and pictures for a computer?
(1) Plotter (2) Scanner (3) Mouse (4) Printer
(5) Keyboard
55. Why is the caps lock key referred to as a toggle key?
(1) Because its function goes back and forth every time it is pressed
(2) Because it cannot be used for entering numbers
(3) Because it cannot be used to delete
(4) Because it cannot be used to insert
(5) None of the above
56. Which key is used to delete one character to the left of the current position of the cursor?
(1) Backspace (2) Delete (3) Insert (4) Esc
(5) Ctrl
57. To restart the computer the following combination of keys is used
(1) Del + Ctrl (2) Backspace + Ctrl (3) Esc + Ctrl (4) Insert + Esc
(5) Ctrl + Alt + Del
58. Input devices are used to provide the steps and tasks the computer needs to process data,
and these steps and tasks are called
(1) program (2) design (3) information (4) instructions
(5) flow chart
59. These terminals (formerly known as cash registers) are often connected to complex
inventory and sales computer systems
(1) Data (2) Point-of-sale (POS) (3) Sales
(4) Query (5) None of the above
60. The input device to be used to get a printed diagram into a computer is the
(1) printer (2) mouse (3) keyboard (4) touchpad
(5) scanner
Answer
1. (3) 2. (3) 3. (5) 4. (4) 5. (1) 6. (1) 7. (3) 8. (2) 9. (4)
10. (1) 11. (4) 12. (2) 13. (1) 14. (4) 15. (3) 16. (1) 17. (1) 18. (2)
19. (4) 20. (5) 21. (1) 22. (1) 23. (2) 24. (4) 25. (2) 26. (4) 27. (4)
28. (1) 29. (2) 30. (5) 31. (5) 32. (2) 33. (1) 34. (2) 35. (1) 36. (4)
37. (4) 38. (5) 39. (5) 40. (1) 41. (2) 42. (2) 43. (2) 44. (2) 45. (5)
46. (2) 47. (2) 48. (4) 49. (2) 50. (3) 51. (2) 52. (2) 53. (4) 54. (2)
55. (1) 56. (1) 57. (5) 58. (4) 59. (2) 60. (5)
Set – II
1. Drum printer is an example of
(1) input (2) output (3) processing (4) storage
(5) None of the above
2. The impact printers are
(1) dot matrix (2) drum (3) ink jet (4) All of these
(5) None of these
3. A type of line printer that uses an embossed steel band to form the letters printed on the
paper is
(1) golf ball printer (2) dot-matrix printer (3) laser printer (4) band printer
(5) None of the above
4. Peripheral devices such as printers and monitors are considered to be
(1) hardware (2) software (3) data (4) information
(5) None of the above
5. What is output?
(1) What the processor takes from the user
(2) What the user gives to the processor
(3) What the processor gets from the user
(4) What the processor gives to the user
(5) None of the above
6. For seeing the output, you use
(1) monitor (2) keyboard (3) mouse (4) scanner
(5) None of these
7. The output devices make it possible to
(1) view or print data (2) store data (3) scan (4) input data
(5) None of the above
8. Transformation of input into output is performed by
(1) peripherals (2) memory (3) storage (4) input-output unit
(5) CPU
9. External devices such as printers, keyboards and modems are known as
(1) add-on devices (2) peripherals (3) extra hardware devices
(4) PC expansion slot add-ons (5) special-buys
10. The display size of a monitor is measured
(1) zig-zag (2) horizontally (3) vertically
(4) from center to the furthest corner (5) diagonally
11. A pixel is a
(1) picture element or dot on a screen (2) point of ink on a user printed paper
(3) point of ink on an ink jet printed page (4) light beam used in printing paper
(5)None of the above
12. Using output device one can
(l) input data (2) store data (3) scan data (4) view or print data
(5) None of these
13. Which of the following is not an output device?
(1) Plotter (2) Printer (3) Monitor (4) Touch screen
(5) None of these
14. What is usually used for displaying information at public places?
(1) Monitors (2) Overhead projections
(3) Monitors and overhead projections (4) Touch screen kiosks
(5) None of the above
15. The kinds of cable-connection required by printer
(1) serial cable (2) parallel cable (3) USB cable (4) All of these
(5) None of these
16. USB stands for
(1) Universal Serial Bus (2) Unique Serial Bus
(3) Universal Straight Bus (4) Utility Serial Bus (5) None of these
17. Dot matrix printer is
(1) unidirectional (2) bi-directional (3) sequential (4) random
(5) None of the above
18. Which of the following can't print graphics?
(1) Ink jet printer (2) Thermal printer (3) Page printer
(4) Daisy wheel printer (5) None of the above
19. Laser printers belong to
(1) line printer (2) page printer (3) dot matrix printer (4) band printer
(5) None of the above
20. Which of the following is an output device?
(1) VDT (2) CRT (3) VDU (4) LCD
(5) None of these
21. Clarity of an image is determined by
(1) resolution (2) rotation (3) refraction (4) reflexition
(5) None of the above
22. VGA stands for
(1) Visual Graphics Adapter (2) Video Graphics Adapter
(3) Video Gyrated Adapter (4) Visual Graphics Auditor
(5) None of the above
23. What type of devices are computer speakers or headphones?
(1) Input (2) Input/output (3) Software (4) Storage
(5) Output
24. What type of device is a computer printer?
(1) Input (2) Input/output (3) Software (4) Storage
(5) Output
25. Central processing unit is a combination of
(1) control and storage (2) control and output unit
(3) arithmetic logic and input unit (4) arithmetic logic and control unit
(5) None of the above
26. Which statement is valid?
(1) 1 KB = 1024 bytes (2) 1 MB = 2048 bytes
(3) 1 MB = 1000 kilobytes (4) 1 KB = 1000 bytes
(5) None of the above
27. Microprocessors can be used to make
(!) Computers (2) Digital systems (3) Calculators (4) All of the above
(5) None of the above
28. Which of the following are the two main components of the CPU?
(1) Control unit and registers (2) Registers and main memory
(3) Control unit and ALU (4) ALU and bus (5) None of the above
29. The ALU of a computer responds to the commands coming from
(1) primary memory (2) control section (3) external memory (4) cache memory
(5) None of these
30. Instructions and memory address are represented by
(1) character code (2) binary codes (3) binary word (4) parity bit
(5) None of these
31. The term gigabyte refers to
(1) 1024 bytes (2) 1024 kilobytes (3) 1024 megabytes (4) 1024 gigabytes
(5) None of these
32. The ALU of a computer normally contains a number of high speed storage element called
(1) semi conductor memory (2) registers (4) hard disk
(5) magnetic disk (6) None of the above
33. What is the responsibility of the logical unit in the CPU of a computer?
(1) To produce result (2) To compare numbers
(3) To control flow of information (4) To do Math's work
(5) None of the above
34. The width of a processor's data path is measured in bits. Which of the following are
common data paths?
(1) 8 bits (2) 12 bits (3) 16 bits (4) 32 bits
(5) None of these
35. Which of the following controls the machine cycle?
(1) Control unit (2) Memory unit (3) Logical unit (4) Arithmetical unit
(5) None of the above
36. Which of the following executes the computer's commands?
(1) Arithmetic unit (2) Logic unit (3) Both'1'and'2' (4) Control unit
(5) None of the above
37. The machine cycle includes
(l) fetch (2) decode (3) execute (4) store
(5) None of these
38. Part number, part description and number of parts ordered are examples of
(1) control (2) output (3) processing (4) feedback
(5) input
39. The simultaneous processing of two or more programes by multiple processors is
(1) multi programming (2) multi tasking (3) time sharing
(4) multi processing (5) None of the above
40. Grouping and processing all of a firm's transactions at one time is called
(1) a database management system (2) butch processing
(3) a real time system (4) an online system (5) None of the above
41. What is the function of the central processing unit of a computer?
(1) Creates invoices (2) Performs calculations and processing (3) Deletes Data
(4) Corrupts the data (50 None of the above
42. Which of the following is the magnetic storage device?
(1) Hard disk (2) Compact disk (3) Audio tapes (4) All of these
(5) None of these
43. A secondary storage device that uses a long plastic strip coated with a magnetic material
as a recording medium is
(1) magnetic tape (2) compact disk (3) hard disk (4) All of these
(5) None of these
44. Which of the following is a non-volatile storage device?
(1) Magnetic tape (2) Compact disk (3) Floppy disk (4) All of these
(5) None of these
45. Where is the disk put to enable the computer to read it?
(1) Disk drive (2) Memory (3) CPU (4) ALU
(5) None of these
46. The main directory of a disk is called the…………. directory.
(1)root (2) sub (3) folder (4) network
(5) None of these
47. The full form of HDD is
(1) High Disk Drive (2) Hard Disk Drive (3) Hard Digital Disk (4) High Digital Drive
(5) None of the above
48. The type of program required for writing to CD-RWs is called
(1) a BDF packet writer (2) a VDF packet writer
(3) a CDF packet writer (4) a LDL packet writer
(5) a DVD packet writer
49. One terabyte is equal to
(1) 1024 gigabytes (2) 1024 kilobytes (3) 1024 megabytes (4) 1024 exabytes
(5) None of these
50. A disk's content that is recorded at the time of manufacture and that cannot be changed or
erased by the user is
(1) memory only (2) write only (3) once only (4) run only
(5) read only
51. Reusable optical storage will typically have the acronym
(1) CD (2) DVD (3) ROM (4) RW
(5) ROS
52. The most common type of storage devices are
(1) presistent (2) optical (3) magnetic (4) flash
(5) steel
53. A DVD is an example of a
(1) hard disk (2) optical disk (3) output device
(4) solid state storage device (5) None of the above
54. ……… is the process of dividing the disk into tracks and sectors.
(1) Tracking (2) Formatting (3) Crashing (4) Allotting
(5) None of these
55. Which of the following are advantages of CD-ROM as a storage media?
(1) CD-ROM is an inexpensive way to store large amount of data and information
(2) CD-ROM disks retrieve data and information more quickly than magnetic disks do
(3) CD-ROMs make less errors than magnetic media
(4) All of the above
(5) None of the above
56. What does RAM stand for?
(1) Read Access Memory (2) Read Anywhere Memory
(3) Random Anything Memory (4) Random Access Module
(5) Random Access Memory
57. What type of device is a 3 - inch floppy drive?
(1) Input (2) Output (3) Software (4) Storage
(5) None of these
58. Which of the following has the smallest storage capacity?
(1) Zip disk (2) Hard disk (3) Floppy disk (4) Data cartridge
(5) CD
59. What type of device is a computer mouse?
(1) Storage (2) Output (3) Software (4) Input
(5) Input/output
60. Devices that enter information and let you communicate with the computer are called
(1) software (2) output devices (3) hardware (4) input devices
(5) input/output devices
Answer
1. (2) 2. (4) 3. (4) 4. (1) 5. (4) 6. (1) 7. (1) 8. (5) 9. (2)
10. (5) 11. (1) 12. (4) 13. (4) 14. (3) 15. (4) 16. (1) 17. (2) 18. (4)
19. (2) 20. (5) 21. (1) 22. (1) 23. (5) 24. (5) 25. (4) 26. (1) 27. (4)
28. (3) 29. (2) 30. (3) 31. (3) 32. (2) 33. (2) 34. (1) 35. (1) 36. (3)
37. (5) 38. (4) 39. (1) 40. (3) 41. (2) 42. (4) 43. (1) 44. (4) 45. (1)
46. (1) 47. (2) 48. (2) 49. (1) 50. (5) 51. (4) 52. (3) 53. (2) 54. (2)
55. (4) 56. (5) 57. (4) 58. (3) 59. (4) 60. (4)
Set - III
1. Which of the following key combination will perform the warm boot of computer ?
(1) Ctrl + Shift + Del (2) Ctrl + Alt + Delete
(3) Alt + Shift + Enter (4) Spacebar + Shift + Enter
(5) Ctrl + Alt + Enter
2. DOS stands for
(1) Drive Out System (2) Dry Out System (3) Disk Operating System
(4) Disk Output System (5) Disk Operating Series
3. Which of the following operating system is also known as single user operating system?
(1) Windows (2) Linux (3) Unix (4) DOS
(5) None of the above
4. The main difference between Windows and DOS is the ability to
(1) multitask (2) speed up (3) run a programme
(4) run without power (5) None of the above
5. Which of the following is a step in the process of cold booting?
(1) Shutting off the power switch (2) Waiting for ten seconds
(3) Turning it back on (4) All of the above (5) None of the above
6. Multiprocessing means
(1) two or more central processing units within a single computer system
(2) two or more programs running at once
(3) two or more input devices connected to a single computer system
(4) two or more tasks carried out by a single computer system
(5) None of the above
7. Execution of two or more programs by a single CPU is known as
(1) multi-processing (2) time sharing (3) multi-programming
(4) multi-user (5) None of the above
8. A(n)………….. is a set of programs designed to manage the resources of a computer
including starting the computer, managing programs and coordinating tasks between
input and output devices.
(1) application suite (2) compiler (3) input/output system (4) interface
(5) operating system
9. 1 megabyte (MB) equal to
(1)220 bytes (2)1 kilo KB (3) Both' 1' and '2' (4) 1024 kilobytes
(5) None of these
10. 1 kilobyte (KB) is equal to
(1) 1000 bits (2) 1024 bits (3) 1020 bits (4) 1030 bits
(5) None of the above
11. The result of the subtraction (1011)2 - (0010)2 is
(1) 0001 (2) 1001 (3)1011 (4)1111
(5) None of these
12. The binary equivalent of decimal number 98 is
(1)1110001 (2)1110100 (3) 1100010 (4)1111001
(5) None of these
13. The product of two binary numbers (1011) and (1001) is
(1) 1100011 (2) 1010100 (3)000100 (4)100100
(5) None of these
14. A byte represents a group of
(1)10 bits (2) 40 bits (3) 8 bits (4) 22 bits
(5) None of these
15. A(n) hexadigit can be represented by
(1) three binary (consecutive) bits (2) four binary (consecutive) bits
(3) eight binary (consecutive) bits (4) All of the above
(5) None of the above
16. When a key is pressed on the keyboard, which standard is used in converting the
keystroke into the corresponding bits?
(1) ANSI (2) ASCII (3) EBCDIC (4) ISO
(5) None of the above
17. Computers use the ……….. number system to store data and perform calculations.
(1) binary (2) octal (3) decimal (4) hexadecimal
(5) None of the above
18. The computer abbreviation KB usually means
(1) Key Block (2) Kernel Boot (3) Key Byte (4) Kit Bit
(5) Kilo Byte
19. What is the value of the binary number 101?
(1) 3 (2) 5 (3) 6 (4) 101
(5) 9
20. What is the biggest number you can get with 8 bits ?
(1) 256 (2) 128 (3) 1000 (4) 255
(5) 1024
21. A factor in the selection of a source language is
(1) programmer skill (2) language availability
(3) program compatibility with other software (4) All of the above
(5) None of the above
22. All computers execute
(1) BASIC programs (2) COBOL programs (3) Machine language programs
(4) FORTRAN programs (5) All of the above
23. Which of the following is not one of the process that a high level language program must
go through before it is ready to be executed?
(1) Translation (2) Controlling (3) Loading (4) Linking
(5) Cycling
24 …………. are words that a programming language has set aside for its own use.
(1) Control words (2) Control structures (3) Reserved words (4) Reserved keys
(5) None of the above
25. A set of rules for telling the computer what operations to perform is called a
(1) procedural language (2) structures (3) natural language
(4) command language (5) programming language
26. A(n) ……………. language reflects the way people think mathematically.
(1) cross-platform programming (2) 3 CI. business programming
(3) event-driven programming (4) functional (5) None of the above
27. Open a new file in MS Word, the shortcut key is
(1) Ctrl + X (2) Ctrl + N (3) Ctrl + Y (4) Ctrl + V
(5) None of these
28. Which extension is given to Word document by default?
(1) .ext (2) .com (3) .doc (4) None of these
(5) All of these
29. Which of the following gives the status of your document like page numbers, number of
pages?
(1) Status bar (2) Standard toolbar (3) Formatting toolbar (4) None of these
(5) All of these
30. Alignment buttons are available on which toolbar?
(1) Status (2) Standard (3) Formatting (4) All of these
(5) None of these
31. Header is
(1) any text printed at the top of every page
(2) any graphics printed at the top of every page
(3) any text or graphics printed at the top of a particular page
(4) any text or graphics printed at the top of every page
(5) None of the above
32. This case converts first character of first word of selected sentence to capital
(1) sentence (2) upper (3) toggle (4) title
(5) None of these
33. Which of the following is not an option of edit menu?
(1) Cut (2) Copy (3) Paste (4) Page setup
(5) None of these
34. Which of the following will you use as an option for saving a file?
(1) Save button on Standard toolbar (2) Save option from File menu
(3) Pressing Ctrl + S (4) All of the above (5) None of the above
35. A file name cannot contain in MS-Word database file
(1) a letter (2) number (3) underscore (4) space
(5) None of these
36. When you start MS-Word, the opening document has the name as
(1) DOC 1 (2) Document 1 (3) Document (4) Work book
(5) Task book
37. The following shortcut keys are used for selecting the whole document
(1) Ctrl + A (2) Ctrl + S (3) Ctrl + W (4) Ctrl + X
(5) Ctrl + Alt
38. Blinking point which shows your position in the text is called
(1) Cursor (2) Blinker (3) Position (4) Status
(5) Place
39. Spacebar is used for
(1) giving space (2) deleting space (3) moving next line (4) All of these
(5) None of these
40. You can start Microsoft Word by using which button?
(1) New (2) Start (3) Program (4) All of these
(5) None of these
41. It is a grid of cells made up of horizontal and vertical columns
(1) worksheet (2) sheet (3) spreadsheet (4) page
(5) work book
42. It is a group of worksheets
(1) folder (2) document (3) work book (4) books
(5) files
43 Three types of data can be entered in a worksheet, number/characters, text and
(1) formulas (2) functions (3) logic (4) All of these
(5) None of these
44. To select the current row press
(1) Shift + Enter (2) Shift + Spacebar (3) Ctrl + Spacebar (4) Ctrl + C
(5) Ctrl + B
45. To select the current column press
(1) Ctrl + Spacebar (2) Ctrl + B (3) Shift + Enter (4) Ctrl + Enter
(5) Ctrl + Shift
46. To select the entire worksheet
(1) Ctrl + B (2) Ctrl + V (3) Ctrl + A (4) Ctrl + C
(5) Ctrl + X
47. The Extension of saved file in MS-Excel
(1) .XIS (2) .XAS (3) .XLS (4) .XLL
(5) .LXS
48. All formula start with, which sign in MS-Excel?
(1) + (2)- (3)@ (4) =
(5) = =
49. For creating an absolute cell reference, which sign is used?
(1) $ (2) @ (3) # (4) !
(5) None of these
50. A cell entry can be edited in the cell or in the
(1) menu bar (2) edit menu (3) function bar (4) formula bar
(5) None of these
51. The cell having bold boundary is called
(1) Relative (2) Active (3) Absolute (4) Mixed
(5) Passive
52. To select one hyperlink after another during a slide presentation, what do you press ?
(1) Tab (2) Ctrl + K (3) Ctrl + H (4) All of the above
(5) None of the above
53. Which command brings you to the first slide in your presentation ?
(1) Next slide button (2) Page up (3) Ctrl + Home (4) Ctrl + End
(5) None of these
54. Which is the short key to invoke the spell checker in MS Access?
(1) F2 (2) F7 (3) Alt + F7 (4) F3
(5) F4
55. The taskbar is located
(1) on the start menu (2) at the button of the screen
(3) on the Quick Launch toolbar (4) at the top of the screen
(5) None of the above
56. A ………….. is an additional set of commands that the computer displays after you make
a selection from the main menu.
(1) dialog box (2) sub menu (3) menu selection (4) All of these
(5) None of these
57. In Excel charts are created using which option?
(1) Chart wizard (2) Pivot table (3) Pie chart (4) Bar chart
(5) None of these
58. Which elements of a word document can be displayed in colour?
(1) Only graphics (2) Only text (3) All elements
(4) All elements, but only if you have a colour printer (5) None of the above
59. If text was highlighted and 'Edit' 'Copy' was clicked, what would happen?
(1) Text would be copied from the document and placed in the clipboard
(2) Text would be removed from the document and placed in the clipboard
(3) Text from the clipboard would be placed in the document at the place where the
cursor is blinking
(4) Both '2' and '3'
(5) None of the above
60. Which groupings do you work with when formatting text in word ?
(1) Tables, Paragraphs and indexes (2) Paragraphs, indexes and sections
(3) Characters, sections and paragraphs (4) Indexes, characters and tables
(5) None of the above
Answer
1. (2) 2. (3) 3. (4) 4. (1) 5. (4) 6. (1) 7. (3) 8. (5) 9. (4)
10. (2) 11. (2) 12. (3) 13. (1) 14. (3) 15. (2) 16. (1) 17. (1) 18. (5)
19. (2) 20. (1) 21. (4) 22. (3) 23. (1) 24. (2) 25. (5) 26. (4) 27. (2)
28. (3) 29. (1) 30. (3) 31. (4) 32. (1) 33. (4) 34. (4) 35. (4) 36. (2)
37. (1) 38. (1) 39. (1) 40. (2) 41. (1) 42. (3) 43. (3) 44. (2) 45. (1)
46. (3) 47. (3) 48. (4) 49. (1) 50. (4) 51. (1) 52. (1) 53. (3) 54. (2)
55. (2) 56. (2) 57. (1) 58. (3) 59. (1) 60. (3)
Set – IV
1. Taking on net with the help of typed text
(1) chatting (2) e-mail (3) new group (4) None of these
(5) All of these
2. URL stands for
(1) Uniform Read Locator (2) Uniform Resource Locator
(3) Unicode Research Location (4) United Research Locator
(5) None of the above
3. Which among of them is a search engine?
(l) Internet Explorer (2) Flash (3) Google (4) Fire Fox
(5) All of these
4. PROTOCOL consists of
(1) TCD/IT (2) TCP/IP (3) TCP/IT (4) TCT/IP
(5) All of these
5. Which is not the feature of Internet?
(1) E-mail (2) News Group (3) Chat (4) Designing
(5) None of these
6. Some, set rules and regulation while working on Internet
(1) Protocol (2) Internet (3) Intranet (4) WWW
[5) None of these
7. In a ring topology, the computer in possession of the …………. can transmit data.
(l) packet (2) data (3) access method (4) token
(5) None of these
8. Most websites have a main page, the …….. which acts as a doorway to the rest of the
website pages.
(1) search engine (2) home page (3) browser (4) URL
(5) None of these
9. An e-mail account includes a storage area, often called a
(1) attachment (2) hyperlink (3) mailbox (4) IP address
(5) None of these
10. E-mail addresses separate the user name from the ISP using the ……… symbol.
(1) & (2) @ (3) % (4) :
(5) None of these .
11. When sending an e-mail, the ……. Line describes the contents of the message.
(1) subject (2) to (3) contents (4) cc
(5) None of these
12. A chat is
(1) an internet standard that allows users to upload and download files
(2) a type of conversation that takes place on a computer
(3) an online area in which users conduct written discussions about a particular subject
(4) the transmission of messages and files via a computer network
(5) None of the above
13. Sending an e-mail is similar to
(1) picturing an event (2) narrating a story (3) writing a letter (4) creating a drawing
(5) None of the above
14. The most important or powerful computer in a typical network
(1) Desktop (2) Network client (3) Network server (4) Network station
(5) None of the above
15. Which of the following is an example of connectivity?
(1) Internet (2) Floppy disk (3) Power cord (4) Data
(5) None of these
16. …………. is a combination of hardware and software which provides the facility of
exchanging information between the computing devices.
(1) Network (2) Peripheral (3) Expansion board (4) Digital device
(5) None of these
17. Which of the following terms is only the connection of network which can be attached
to?
(1) Virtual private network (2) Internet (3) Intranet
(4) Extranet (5) None of the above
18. Servers are those computers which provide resources to other computers connected by
(1) network (2) mainframe (3) super computer (4) Client
(5) None of these
19. If you receive an e-mail from someone you don't know, what should you do?
(1) Forward it to the police immediately
(2) Delete it without opening it
(3) Open it and respond to them saying you don't know them
(4) Reply and ask them for their personal information
(5) Reply and tell them you want to keep in touch with them
20. A ………. is the term used when a search engine returns a web page that matches the
search criteria.
(l) blog (2) hit (3) link (4) view
(5) success
21. ……………. allows LAN users to share computer programs and data.
(1) Communication server (2) Print server (3) File server
(4) All of the above (5) None of the above
22. The advantage of a LAN is ………
(1) sharing peripherals (2) backing up your data
(3) saving all your data (4) accessing the web
(5) automatic printing of data
23. A program for viewing web pages is called
(1) Word processor (2) Spreadsheet (3) Protocol (4) A browser
(5) Database
24. Which of these is not a means of personal communications on the internet?
(1) Chat (2) Instant messaging (3) Instanoles (4) Electronic-mail
(5) None of the above
25 ……. a document means the file is transferred from another computer to your computer.
(1) Uploading (2) Really Simple Syndication (3) Accessing
(4) Downloading (5) Upgrading
26. What is URL?
(1) A computer software program
(2) A type of programming object
(3) The address of a document or "page" on the world wide web
(4) An acronym for Unlimited Resource for Learning
(5) A piece of hardware
27. The method of internet access that requires a phone line, but offers faster access speed
than dial-up is the ……….. connection.
(1) cable access (2) satellite access (3) fiber-optic serving
(4) Digital Subscefer Line (DSL) (5) modem
28. Which of the following cannot be part of an email address?
(1) Period (.) (2) At Sign (@) (3) Space () (4) Underscore (-)
(5) None of these
29. Which of the following must be contained in a URL?
(1) A protocol identifier
(2) The letters, www.
(3) The unique registered domain name
(4) www. and the unique registered domain name
(5) A protocol identifier, www, and the unique registered domain name
30. A (n) ………. allows you to access your e-mail from anywhere.
(1) forum (2) webmail interface (3) message board (4) weblog
(5) None of the above
31. Computer virus is
(1) a hardware (2) windows tool (3) a computer program
(4) a system software (5) None of these
32. The first computer virus is
(1) Creeper (2) PARAM (3) The Famous (4) HARLIE
(5) None of these
33. A time bomb occurs during a particular
(1) data or time (2) logic and data (3) only time (4) All of these
(5) None of these
34. First boot sector virus is
(1) computed (2) mind (3) brain (4) Elk cloner
(5) None of the above
35. Which virus spread in application software?
(1) Macro virus (2) Boot virus (3) File virus (4) Anti-virus
(5) None of these
36. Some viruses have a delayed payload, which is sometimes called a
(1) time (2) anti-virus (3) bomb (4) All of the above
(5) None of these
37. An anti-virus is a
(1) program code (2) computer (3) company name (4) application
(5) None of these
38. "Trend Micro' is a
(1) virus program (2) anti-virus software (3) just a program (4) All of the above
(5) None of the above
39. Le-Hard virus is effect of a
(1) Command.Com (2) FRIDAY 13 (3) Hardware (4) Software
(5) None of the above
40. It is a self-replicating program that infects computer and spreads by inserting copies of
itself into other executable code or documents
(1) key logger (2) worm (3) virus (4) cracker
(5) None of these
41. Like a virus, it is also a self-replicating program. The difference between a virus and it is
that a worm does not create copies of itself on one system. It propagate through computer
network
(1) keylogger (2) worm (3) cracker (4) All of the above
(5) None of the above
42. Viruses that fool a user into downloading and/or executing them by pretending to be
useful applications are also sometimes called
(1) trojan horses (2) keylogger (3) worm (4) cracker
(5) None of the above
43 ……….. are attempts by individuals to obtain confidential information from you by
falsifying their identity.
(1) Phishing trips (2) Computer viruses (3) Spyware scams (4) Viruses
(5) Phishing scams
44. How are the data organized in a spreadsheet?
(1) Lines and spaces (2) Layers and planes
(3) Height and width (4) Rows and columns (5) None of these
45. When cutting and pasting the item cut is temporarily stored in
(1) ROM (2) Hard drive (3) Diskette (4) Dashboard
(5) Clipboard
46. Which of the following can be used to select the entire document ?
(1) Ctrl + A (2) Alt + F5 (3) Shift + A (4) Ctrl + K
(5) Ctrl+H
47. The basic unit of a worksheet into which you enter data in Excel is called a
(1) tab (2) cell (3) box (4) range
(5) None of these
48. In word you can force a page break
(1) by positioning your cursor at the appropriate place and pressing the F1 key
(2) by positioning your cursor at the appropriate place and pressing the Ctrl + Enter
(3) by using the insert/section break
(4) by changing the font size of your document
(5) None of the above
49. In Excel ………. allows users to bring together copies of workbooks that other users
have worked on independently.
(1) copying (2) merging (3) pasting (4) compiling
(5) None of the above
50. The letter and number of the intersecting column and row is the
(1) cell location (2) cell position (3) cell address (4) cell coordinates
(5) cell contents
51. In power-point the Header and Footer button can be found on the insert tab in what
group?
(1) Illustration group (2) Object group (3) Text group (4) Tables group
(5) None of these
52. When entering text within a document, the enter key is normally pressed at the end of
every
(1) line (2) sentence (3) paragraph (4) word
(5) file
53. What is the overall term for creating, editing, formatting, storing, retrieving and printing
a text document?
(1) Word processing (2) Spread sheet design (3) Web design
(4) Database management (5) Presentation generation
54. Which power point view displays each slide of the presentation as a thumbnail and is
usefull for rearranging slides?
(1) Slide sorter (2) Slide show (3) Slide master (4) Notes page
(5) Slide design
55. Which of these is a point-and-draw device?
(1) Mouse (2) Scanner (3) Printer (4) CD-ROM
(5) Keyboard
56. Which of the following software could assist someone who cannot use their hands for
computer input?
(1) Video conferencing (2) Speech recognition
(3) Audio digitizer (4) Synthesizer (5) None of the above
57. They are the fastest and most expensive computers
(1) Super (2) Mini (3) Macro (4) Mainframe
(5) Hybrid
58. A string of eight (8) is and 1st is called a
(1) byte (2) bit (3) nibble (4) variable
(5) None of these
59. One kilobyte = …… byte
(1) 1250 (2) 2088 (3) 1024 (4) 1000
(5) None of these
60. To move the cursor to the end of the document
(1) Ctrl + Esc (2) Ctrl + end (3) Ctrl + B (4) Ctrl + C
(5) None of these
Answer
1. (1) 2. (2) 3. (3) 4. (2) 5. (4) 6. (1) 7. (4) 8. (2) 9. (3)
10. (2) 11. (1) 12. (2) 13. (3) 14. (3) 15. (3) 16. (1) 17. (3) 18. (1)
19. (2) 20. (3) 21. (3) 22. (1) 23. (4) 24. (3) 25. (4) 26. (3) 27. (4)
28. (3) 29. (2) 30. (2) 31. (3) 32. (1) 33. (1) 34. (3) 35. (1) 36. (3)
37. (1) 38. (2) 39. (1) 40. (3) 41. (2) 42. (1) 43. (2) 44. (4) 45. (5)
46. (1) 47. (2) 48. (3) 49. (2) 50. (3) 51. (3) 52. (1) 53. (4) 54. (2)
55. (1) 56. (2) 57. (1) 58. (1) 59. (2) 60. (2)
Previous Paper Questions
Computer
1. OCR stands for _______
1) Optical Character Recognition 2) Optical CPU Recognition
3) Optimal Character Rendering 4) Other Character Restoration 5) None of these
2. If a new device is attached to a computer, such as a printer or scanner, its ____ must be installed before the
device can be used.
1) buffer 2) driver 3) pager 4) server 5) None of these
3. The software that allows users to surf the Internet is called a/an
1) Search engine 2) Internet Service Provider (ISP) 3) Multimedia application
4) Browser 5) None of these
4. A tuple is a
1) column of a table 2) two-dimensional table 3) row of a table
4) key of a table 5) None of these
5. The method of file organization in which data records in a file are arranged in a specified order according
to a key field is known as the
1) Direct access method 2) Queuing method 3) Predetermined method
4) Sequential access method 5) None of these
6. In Excel, _____ contains one or more worksheets.
1) Template 2) Workbook 3) Active cell 4) Label 5) None of these
7. Which of the following is a popular programming language for developing multimedia web pages,
websites, and web-based applications?
1) COBOL 2) Java 3) BASIC 4) Assembler 5) None of these
8. Compiling creates a(n) ______ .
1) program specification 2) algorithm 3) executable program
4) subroutine 5) None of these
9. A CD-RW disk
1) has a faster access than an internal disk 2) is a form of optical disk, so it can only
be written once
3) holds less data than a floppy disk 4) can be erased and rewritten 5) None of these
10. The first page of a Web site is called the
1) Home page 2) Index 3) Java Script 4) Book mark 5) None of these
11. A word in a web page that, when clicked, opens another document.
1) anchor 2) URL 3) hyperlink 4) reference 5) None of these
12. The _____ manual tells you how to use a software program.
1) documentation 2) programming 3) technical 4) user 5) None of these
13. What disk is used to cold-boot a PC?
1) Setup disk 2) System disk 3) Diagnostic disk 4) Program disk 5) None of these
14. The ______ tells the computer how to use its components.
1) utility 2) network 3) operating system 4) application
program 5) None of these
15. A _____ contains buttons and menus that provide quick access to commonly used commands.
1) menu bar 2) toolbar 3) window 4) action bar 5) None of these
16. Numbers in table columns are usually
1) right-aligned 2) left-aligned 3) justified 4) centered 5) None of these
17. The ______ of software contains lists of commands and options.
1) menu bar 2) title bar 3) formula bar 4) toolbar 5) None of these
18. To access a mainframe or supercomputer, users often use a ________
1) terminal 2) node 3) desktop 4) handheld 5) None of these
19. By default, your documents print in ______ mode.
1) Landscape 2) Portrait 3) Page Setup 4) Print View 5) None of these
20. What characteristic of read-only memory (ROM) makes it useful?
1) ROM information can be easily updated.
2) ROM provides very large amounts of inexpensive data storage.
3) Data in ROM is nonvolatile, that is, it remains there even without electrical power.
4) ROM chips are easily swapped between different brands of computers.
5) None of these
21. What are bas, doc, and htm examples of?
1) extensions 2) domains 3) protocols 4) databases 5) None of these
22. Ctrl, shift and alt are called _______ keys.
1) adjustment 2) function 3) modifier 4) alphanumeric 5) None of these
23. Which type of file is created by word processing programs?
1) database file 2) storage file 3) worksheet file 4) document file 5) graphical file
24. Personal computers can be connected together to form a _____ .
1) server 2) super computer 3) network 4) enterprise 5) None of these
25. A modem
1) translates analog signals from a computer into digital signals that can travel along conventional
telephone lines.
2) translates digital signals from a computer into analog signals that, can travel along conventional
telephone lines.
3) demodulates digital signals from a computer.
4) modulates signals from an analog telephone line.
5) None of these
26. Which of the following menu types is also called a drop-down menu?
1) fly-but 2) cascading 3) pop-up 4) pull-down 5) None of these
27. Data (information) is stored in computer as
1) files 2) directories 3) floppies 4) matter 5) None of these
28. The central processing unit contains which of the following as a component?
1) Memory Regulation Unit 2) Flow Control Unit 3) Arithmetic Logic Unit
4) Instruction Manipulation Unit 5) None of these
29. Memory unit is one part of ____.
1) Control unit 2) Central Processing Unit 3) Input device 4) Output device
5) None of these
30. The process of writing out computer instructions is known as
1) assembling 2) compiling 3) executing 4) coding 5) None of these
31. A Web site address is a unique name that identifies a specific ______ on the Web.
1) Web browser 2) PDA 3) Web Site 4) link 5) None of these
32. A character of information is represented by a(n) __ .
l) byte 2) bit 3) field 4) attribute 5) None off these
33. An example of a telecommunications device is a
1) keyboard 2) mouse 3) printer 4) modem 5) None of these
34. ____ is a procedure that requires users to enter an identification code and a matching password.
1) Paging 2) Logging on 3) Time-sharing 4) Multitasking 5) None of these
35. Which device is used as the standard pointing device in a Graphical User Environment?
1) Keyboard 2) Mouse 3) Joystick 4) Track ball 5) None of these
36. The simultaneous execution of two or more instructions is called
1) sequential access 2) reduced instruction set computing 3) multiprocessing
4) disk mirroring 5) None of these
37. Multiprogramming systems:
1) are easier to develop than single programming systems. 2) execute each job faster.
3) execute more jobs in the same time period. 4) use only one large mainframe computer.
5) None of these
38. Which device can understand the difference between data and programs?
1) Input device 2) Output device 3) Memory 4) Microprocessor 5) None of these
39. Which of the following devices has a limitation that we can only read it but cannot erase or modify it?
1) Tape Drive 2) Hard Disk 3) Compact Disk 4) Floppy Disk 5) None of these
40. Which of the following is not an output device?
1) Plotter 2) Printer 3) Monitor 4) Touch Screen 5) None of these
41. Data that is copied from an application is stored in the _____.
1) driver 2) clipboard 3) terminal 4) prompt 5) None of these
42. Every component of your computer is either .
1) software or CPU/RAM 2) input devices or output devices
3) application software or system software 4) hardware or software 5) None of these
43. A collection of interrelated records is called a
1) management information system 2) spreadsheet 3) database 4) text file
5)None of these
44. Which of the following is the storage area within the computer itself which holds data only temporarily as
the computer processes instructions?
1) the hard disk 2) main memory 3) the control unit 4) read-only memory 5) None of these
45. Codes consisting of bars or lines of varying widths or lengths that are computer-readable are known as __.
1) a bar code 2) an ASCII code 3) a magnetic tape 4) a light pen 5) None of these
46. A ____ contains specific rules and words that express the logical steps of an algorithm.
1) programming language 2) programming structure 3) syntax
4) logic chart 5) None of these
47. _____ is a set-of keywords, symbols, and a system of rules for constructing statements by which humans
can communicate the instructions to be executed by a computer.
1) A computer program 2) A programming language 3) An assembler
4) Syntax 5) None of these
48. The general term “peripheral equipment” is used for ____.
1) any device that is attached to a computer system 2) large scale computer systems
3) a program collection 4) other office equipment not associated with a desktop computer
5) None of these
49. If a memory chip is volatile, it will ______ .
1) explode if exposed to high temperatures 2) lose its contents if current is turned off
3) be used for data storage only 4) be used to both read and write data 5) None of these
50. is the process of finding errors in software code.
1) Compiling 2) Assembling 3) Interpreting 4) Debugging 5) None of these
51. A _______ typically connects personal computers within a very limited geographical area, usually within a
single building.
1) LAN 2) BAN 3) TAN 4) NAN 5) None of these
52. Computers manipulate data in many ways, and this manipulation is called_______.
1) utilizing 2) batching 3) upgrading 4) processing 5) None of these
53. An e-mail address typically consists of a user ID followed by the _____ sign and the name of the e-mail
server that manages the user’s electronic post office box.
1) @ 2) # 3) & 4) * 5) None of these
54. Software applies _______, also called algorithms, to process data.
1) arithmetic 2) procedures 3) objects 4) rules 5) None of these
55. A file extension is separated from the main file name with a(n) _______, but no spaces.
1) question mark 2) exclamation mark 3) underscore 4) period 5) None of these
56. An ad hoc query is a .
1) pre-planned question 2) pre-scheduled question
3) spur-of-the-moment question 4) question that will not return any results 5) None of these
57. A Web _______ consists of one or more Web pages located on a Web server.
l) hub 2) site 3) story 4) template 5) None of these
58. A computer _______ is a set of program instructions that can attach itself to a file, reproduce itself, and
spread to other files.
l) worm 2) virus 3) trojan horse 4) phishing scam 5) None of these
59. The desktop contains small graphics called _______.
1) windows 2) logos 3) icons 4) pictures 5) None of these
60. C, BASIC, COBOL, and Java are examples of _______ languages.
1) low-level 2) computer 3) system programming 4) high-level 5) None of these
61. A(n) _______ camera is a peripheral device used to capture still images in a digital format that can be
easily transferred into a computer and manipulated using graphics software.
1) digital 2) analog 3) classic 4) film 5) None of these
62. _______ makes it possible for shoppers to make purchases using their computers.
l) E-world 2) E-commerce 3) E-spend 4) E-business 5) None of these
63. Networks are monitored by security personnel and supervised by _______ who set(s) up accounts and
passwords for authorized network users.
1) IT managers 2) the government 3) network administrators 4) password administrators
5) None of these
64. Application software is designed to accomplish _______.
1) real-world tasks 2) computer-centric tasks 3) gaming tasks
4) operating-system tasks 5) None of these
65. A telephone number, a birth date, and a customer name are all examples of _______
1) a record 2) data 3) a file 4) a database 5) None of these
66. The human-readable version of a program is called _______.
1) source code 2) program code 3) human code 4) system code 5) None of these
67. A _______ computer (also referred to as a laptop) is a small, lightweight personal computer that
incorporates the screen, the keyboard, storage, and processing components into a single portable unit.
1) notebook 2) journal 3) diary 4) briefcase 5) None of these
68. _______ is the result produced by a computer.
1) Data 2) Memory 3) Output 4) Input 5) None of these
69. Programs such as Internet Explorer that serve as navigable windows into the Web are called
1) Hypertext 2) Networks 3) Internet 4) Web browsers 5) None of these
70. A _______ is a device that not only provides surge protection, but also furnishes your computer with
battery backup power during a power outage.
1) surge strip 2) USB 3) UPS 4) battery strip 5) None of these
71. When you save to _______, your data will remain intact even when the computer is turned off.
1) RAM 2) motherboard 3) secondary storage device
4) primary storage device 5) None of these
72. The motherboard is the
1) circuit board that houses peripheral devices 2) same as the CPU chip
3) the first chip that is accessed when the computer is turned on
4) circuit board that contains a CPU and other chips 5) None of these
73. A computer-intensive problem runs on a _______.
1) server 2) mainframe 3) supercomputer 4) super PC 5) None of these
74. A(n) _______ converts and executes one statement at a time.
1) compiler 2) interpreter 3) converter 4) instructions 5) None of these
75. The term _______ designates equipment that might be added to a computer system to enhance its
functionality.
1) digital device 2) system add-on 3) disk pack 4) peripheral device 5) None of these
76. Approximately how many bytes make one Megabyte?
1) One Thousand 2) Ten Thousand 3) One Hundred 4) One Million 5) None of these
77. What is MP3 ?
l) Amouse 2) Aprinter 3) A sound format 4) A scanner 5) None of these
78. All the deleted files go to
1) Recycle Bin 2) Task Bar 3) Tool Bar 4) My Computer 5) None of these
79. _______ is the act of copying or downloading a program from a network and making multiple copies of it.
1) Network piracy 2) Plagiarism 3) Software piracy 4) Site-license piracy 5) None of these
80. A directory within a directory is called a _______.
1) Mini Directory 2) Junior Directory 3) Part Directory 4) Sub Directory 5) None of these
81. Which is the best definition of a software package?
1) An add-on for your computer such as additional memory
2) A set of computer programs used for a certain function such as word processing
3) A protection you can buy for a computer
4) The box, manual and licence agreement that accompany commercial software
5) None of these
82. In MICR, C stands for
1) Code 2) Colour 3) Computer 4) Character 5) None of these
83. Fax machines and imaging systems are examples of
1) bar-code readers 2) imaging systems 3) scanning devices 4) pen-based
systems 5) None of these
84. When writing a document, you can use the _______ feature to find an appropriate word or an alternative
word if you find yourself stuck for the right word.
1) dictionary 2) word finder 3) encyclopedia 4) thesaurus 5) None of these
85. Which key is used in combination with another key to perform a specific task?
1) Function 2) Control 3) Arrow 4) Space bar 5) None of these
86. A disk’s content that is recorded at the time of manufacture and that cannot be changed or erased by the
user is .
1) read-only 2) memory-only 3) run-only 4) write-only 5) None of these
87. In an information system, alphanumeric data normally takes the form of
1) Sentences and paragraphs 2) Numbers and alphabetical characters
3) Graphic shapes and figures 4) Human voice and other sounds 5) None of these
88. A Web site’s main page is called its _______
1) home page 2) browser page 3) search place 4) bookmark 5) None of these
89. When installing _______, the user must copy and usually decompress program files from a CD-ROM or
other medium to the hard disk.
1) programming software 2) system hardware 3) applications hardware
4) applications software 5) None of these
90. A collection of interrelated files in a computer is a _______.
1) file manager 2) field 3) record 4) database 5) None of these
91. A _______ computer is a large and expensive computer capable of simultaneously processing data for
hundreds or thousands of users
1) server 2) mainframe 3) desktop 4) tablet 5) None of these
92. The trend in computer systems is toward the use of graphical user interfaces (GUIs). In these operating
systems, a track ball is described as _______.
1) a roller ball which moves the cursor
2) a pen-shaped device which allows data to be entered through the CRT screen
3) a figure which resembles a familiar office device 4) an outdated input device
5) None of these
93. Various applications and documents are represented on the Windows desktop by
1) Symbols 2) Labels 3) Graphs 4) Icons 5) None of these
94. What is usually used for displaying information at public places?
1) Monitors 2) Overhead Projections 3) Monitors and Overhead Projections
4) Touch Screen Kiosks 5) None of these
95. The real business and competitive value of information technology lies in
1) The software applications that are used by many companies
2) The capabilities of the software and value of the information a business acquires and uses
3) The infrastructure of hardware, networks, and other IT facilities that are commonly used by many
companies
4) The capabilities of the hardware and the speed at which it processes information
5) None of these
96. Companies use which of the following vendors to provide access to software and services rather than
purchasing the applications and maintaining the applications themselves?
1) Open source vendors 2) Alliances 3) Application service providers
4) All of the above 5) None of these
97. Which one of the following would be considered as a way that a computer virus can enter a computer
system?
1) Opening an application previously installed on the computer 2) Borrowed copies of software
3) Viewing a website without causing any additional transactions 4) Running antivirus
programs
5) None of these
98. Collecting personal information and effectively posing as another individual is known as the crime of
_______.
1) spooling 2) identity theft 3) spoofing 4) hacking 5) None of these
99. The first step in the transaction processing cycle is _______.
1) database operations 2) audit 3) data entry 4) user inquiry
5) None of these
100. In the information systems concept, the output function involves
1) Capturing and assembling elements that enter the system to be processed
2) Transformation processes that convert input into output
3) Transferring elements that have been produced by a transformation process to their ultimate destination
4) Monitoring and evaluating feedback to determine whether a system is moving toward the achievement of
its goal
5) None of these
101. What is a benefit of networking your computer with other computers?
1) Increase in the computer’s speed 2) Sharing of cables to cut down on expenses and clutter
3) You have another computer if yours has a breakdown 4) Increase in the speed of the network
5) Sharing of resources to cut down on the amount of equipment needed
102. ROM tells the computer to
1) disconnect the computer 2) start up the operating system - .
3) connect to the hardware 4) turn on 5) pass on data to the RAM
103. Why is technology an important job skill ?
1) Technology plays an essential role in most workplaces today.
2) Employers are only looking for people with technology experience.
3) Without technology skills you cannot use a job-search Web site.
4) Employers are looking for people to use Microsoft Office.
5) It is in vogue.
104. How do businesses protect their databases?
1) Security guards are hired to watch the databases at all times. 2) Databases are protected by file
swapping.
3) Databases are naturally protected. 4) Databases are kept physically and electronically secure.
5) The computer room is kept locked after office hours.
105. A(n) _______ contains text as well as information about the text.
1) annotated language 2) browser language 3) markup language 4) protocol language
5) machine language
106. Microsoft’s operating system Windows
1) is designed for multiple concurrent users. 2) has a graphical user interface.
3) can perform multitasking. 4) All of these 5) Both 2) and 3) above.
107. An operating system that can do multitasking means that
1) the operating system can divide up work between several CPUs.
2) multiple people can use the computer concurrently.
3) several programs can be operated concurrently. 4) All of these 5) None of these
108. The term “user interface” refers to
1) what the user sees on the screen and how they can interact with it.
2) how the operating system responds to user commands.
3) the means by which the user interacts with the peripheral devices on the computer.
4) All of these 5) None of these
109. The path of creation of an executable is
1) coding, linking, compiling, parsing. 2) coding, parsing, compiling, linking.
3) coding, compiling, parsing, linking. 4) coding, compiling, linking, parsing.
5) coding, parsing, linking, compiling
110. Computers excel at
1) performing the same action(s) over and over the same way.
2) keeping track of large numbers of small details. 3) providing creative solutions to problems.
4) working in fractions of seconds. 5) All of these
111. The ______ icon represents an e-mail message that has not been read.
1) Closed envelope 2) Red envelope 3) Highlighted envelope
4) Flashing letter 5) Question Mark
112. A good Web site
1) is relevant, reliable, recent and verifiable 2) always stays the same
3) is well-designed but not necessarily, accurate 4) contains Terms of Use information
5) is attractive in appearance
113. To start Internet Explorer, ________ on the Windows taskbar, point to All Programs, and then point to
Internet Explorer.
1) double click the Internet Explorer button 2) click the Start button
3) right click My Computer 4) all of the above 5) reboot the computer
114. A CPU chip developed by Intel for wireless laptops is called the
1) Celeron 2) Pentium-M 3) Xeon 4) Itanium 5) None of thes
115. A(n) ________ Web site offers a variety of Internet services from a single, convenient location.
1) protocol 2) informational 3) portal 4) news 5) chat
116. Which of the following has the most capacity?
1) CD-R 2) CD-RW 3) DVD 4) VCD 5) Floppy Disk
117. ______ increase the accuracy of a search by fine-tuning the keywords in the search.
1) Indexes 2) Italics 3) Compounds 4) Links 5) Operators
118. The fastest component for accessing stored data/ information is/are
1) cache 2) DVDs 3) hard disks 4) main memory 5) tape
119. A standard CD player.accesses data/information using which method?
1) Sequential access 2) Random access 3) Multi-variate access 4) All of these
5) None of these
120. The main purpose(s) of a database management program is to
1) allow users to retrieve and analyze stored records.
2) provide a way to store information about specified entities.
3) make it possible for users to store information as interrelated records.
4) translate hard-to-read data into more legible formats. 5) 1), 2) and 3) above
121. To navigate to a new Web page for which you know the URL, type that URL in the browser’s ______ and
press Enter
1) Address bar 2) Domain bar 3) Address button 4) Name button 5) None of these
122. The CPU, also called the _________ when talking about PCs, does the vast majority of the processing for a
computer.
1) macroprocessor 2) RAM 3) memory system 4) microprocessor
5) None of these
123. A computer’s type, processor, and operating system define its
1) brand 2) size 3) platform 4) speed 5) none of these
124. A kiosk
1) is data organised and presented in a manner that has additional value beyond the value of the data itself.
2) combines microscopic electronic components on a single integrated circuit that processes bits according
to software instructions.
3) is a computer station that provides the public with specific and useful information and services.
4) describes a computer’s type, processor, and operating system.
5) None of these
125. The part of the CPU that accesses and decodes program instructions, and coordinates the flow of data
among various system components is the
1) ALU 2) control unit 3) megahertz 4) motherboard 5) None of these
126. Computer programs are written in a high-level programming language; however, the human-readable
version of a program is called
1) cache 2) instructions set 3) source code 4) word size 5) None of these
127. What is the difference between a CD-ROM and a CD-RW?
1) They are the same - just two different terms used by different manufacturers. .
2) ACD-ROM can be written to and a CD-RW cannot.
3) ACD-RW can be written to, but a CD-ROM can only be read from.
4) A CD-ROM holds more information than a CD-RW.
5) None of these
128. What is the term for how words will appear on a page?
1) Text formatting 2) Character formatting 3) Point size 4) Type face
5) None of these
129. The process of computer receiving information from a server on the Internet is known as .
1) pulling 2) pushing 3) downloading 4) transferring 5) None of these
130. When sending an e-mail, the ______ line describes the contents of the message.
1) subject 2) to 3) contents 4) cc 5) None of these
131. All the deleted files go to
1) Recycle Bin 2) Task Bar 3) Tool Bar 4) My Computer 5) None of these
132. You organise files by storing them in
1) archives 2) folders 3) indexes 4) lists 5) None of these
133. A Web site address is a unique name that identifies a specific ________ on the Web.
1) Web browser 2) Web site 3) PDA 4) link 5) None of these
134. _______ are specially designed computer chips that reside inside other devices, such as your car or your
electronic thermostat.
1) Servers 2) Embedded computers 3) Robotic computers 4) Mainframes
5) None of these
135. Which of the following places the common data elements in order from smallest to largest?
1) Character, file, record, field, database 2) Character, record, field, file, database
3) Character, field, record, file, database 4) Bit, byte, character, record, field, file, database
5) None of these
136. Which of the following statements is false concerning filenames?
1) Files may share the same name or the same extension but not both.
2) Every file in the same folder must have a unique name. 3) File extension is another name for file
type.
4) The file extension comes before the dot (.) followed by the file’name. 5) None of these
137. A disk’s content that is recorded at the time of manufacture and that cannot be changed or erased by the
user is _________.
1) memory-only 2) write-only 3) read-only 4) run-only 5) None of these
138. Distributed processing involves
1) solving computer component problems from a different computer
2) solving computing problems by breaking them into smaller parts that are separately processed by
different computers
3) allowing users to share files on a network
4) allowing users to access network resources away from the office 5) None of these
139. The operating system determines the manner in which all of the following occur except
1) user creating of a document 2) user interaction with the processor
3) printer output 4) data displayed on the monitor 5) None of these
140. Office LANs that are spread geographically apart on a large scale can be connected using a corporate
1) CAN 2) LAN 3) DAN 4) WAN 5) TAN
141. A CD-ROM disk
1) cannot be erased and rewritten 2) has more storage capacity than a CD-R
3) holds less data than a floppy disk 4) can be written to only once 5) None of these
142. What is the main folder on a storage device called?
1) Platform 2) Interface 3) Root Directory 4) Home Page 5) None of these
143. Storage device found inside the computer.
1) CD-ROM 2) Zip Disk 3) Super Disk 4) Hard Disk 5) None of these
144. Which of these keys is not on the number keypad?
l) Ctrl 2) Del 3) Enter 4) Num Lock 5) None of these
145. If you are going to a site you use often, instead of having to type in the address every time, you should
1) save it as a file 2) make a copy of it 3) bookmark it 4) delete it 5) None of these
146. The computer monitor is which type of device?
1) Input 2) Output 3) Processing 4) Software 5) None of these
147. How many options does a binary choice offer ?
1) One 2) Two 3) Three
4) It depends on the amount of memory in the computer 5) None of these
148. The smallest unit of information a computer can understand and process is known as a
1) digit 2) kilobyte 3) bit 4) byte 5) None of these
149. RAM is ______ and _______.
1) volatile, temporary 2) nonvolatile, permanent
3) nonvolatile, temporary 4) volatile, permanent 5) None of these
150. Which is not an item of hardware?
l) An MP3 file 2) A keyboard 3)A monitor 4) A mouse 5) None of these
151. The box that contains the central electronic components of the computer is the
1) motherboard 2) system unit 3) peripheral 4) input device 5) None of these
152. What menu is selected to cut, copy, and paste?
1) File 2) Edit 3) Tools 4) Table 5) None of these
153. A program that converts a high-level language source file into a machine-language file is called a
1) translator 2) assembler 3) compiler 4) linker 5) None of these
154. The _____ indicates how much data a particular storage medium can hold.
1) access 2) capacity 3) memory 4) storage 5) None of these
155. A(n) ________ is created by an application.
1) executable file 2) software program 3) document 4) operating system 5) None of these
156. The ________ key and the ______ key can be used in combination with other keys to perform shortcuts
and special tasks.
1) Control, Alt 2) Function, toggle 3) Delete, Insert 4) Caps Lock, Num Lock
5) None of these
157. What is a file?
1) A file is a section of main storage used to store data.
2) A file is a collection of information that has been given a name and is stored in secondary memory.
3) A file is the part of a program that is used to describe what the program should do.
4) A file is another name for floppy disk. 5) None of these
158. For creating a document, you use ________ command at File Menu.
l) Open 2) Close 3) New 4) Save 5) None of these
159. Applications are often referred to as
1) data file 2) executable files 3) system software 4) the operating system
5) None of these
160. PC stands for
1) Personal Comprehension 2) Personal Computing
3) Personal Computer 4) Personal Calculations 5) None of these
161. The primary output device for computers is a
1) video monitor 2) printer 3) keyboard 4) mouse 5) None
of these
162. A directory within a directory is called
1) Mini Directory 2) Junior Directory 3) Part Directory 4) Sub Directory 5) None of these
163. Compatibility in regard to computers refers to
1) the software doing the right job for the user .
2) it being versatile enough to handle the job
3) the software being able to run on the computer
4) software running with other previously installed software 5) None of these
164. How is it possible that both programs and data can be stored on the same floppy disk?
1) A floppy disk has two sides, one for data and one for programs.
2) Programs and data are both software, and both can be stored on any memory device.
3) A floppy disk has to be formatted for one or for the other.
4) Floppy disks can only store data, not programs. 5) None of these
165. The output which is made up of pictures, sounds, and video is called
l) COM 2) hard copy 3) graphics 4) multimedia 5) None of these
166. A device that provides emergency power to your computer, conditions the voltage, and protects against
power surges is called a _________ .
1) PSU = Power Supply Unit 2) USP = Universal Surge Protector
3) UPPS = Universal Power Protection and Supply 4) UPS = Uninterruptible Power Supply
5) None of these
167. Documentation of computer programs is important so that
1) users can learn how to use the program
2) other programmers can know how to maintain the program
3) the programmer can see why the code is written that way while hunting for sources of error
4) All of the above 5) None of these
168. Two different files can have the same name if
1) they are in different folders 2) they are on different drives 3) Never!
4) the names are capitalised differently 5) None of these
169. Secondary storage
1) does not require constant power 2) does not use magnetic media
3) consists of four main types of devices 4) does not store information for later retrieval
5) None of these
170. The first computers were programmed using
1) assembly language 2) machine language 3) spaghetti code 4) source code
5) None of these
171. Deleted data remains on a disk until
1) the data is overwritten 2) the recycle bin is emptied
3) a file compression utility is used 4) the disk is scanned 5) None of these
172. When you cut or copy information it gets place in the ________.
l) Clipart 2) Clipboard 3) Internet 4) Motherboard 5) None of these
173. _____ provides the means to move the pointer on the screen and give information to the computer by
clicking its buttons.
1) Scanner 2) Mouse 3) Keyboard 4) Program 5) None of these
174. The name of the location of a particular piece of data is its _______.
1) address 2) memory name 3) storage site 4) data location 5) None of these
175. A device that is connected to the motherboard is ____.
1) called an external device 2) called an adjunct device
3) called a peripheral device 4) must connect using ribbon cable 5) None of these
176. The physical components of a computer system.
1) Software 2) Hardware 3) ALU 4) Control Unit 5) None of these
177. A computer works on a _______ number system.
1) binary 2) octal 3) decimal 4) hexadecimal 5) None of these
178. Which is a graphical representation of an application?
1) Windows 95 2) Windows Explorer 3) Icon 4) Taskbar 5) None of these
179. A Field is a related group of ______.
1) Records 2) Files 3) Characters 4) Cables 5) None of these
180. To restart the computer _____ key is used.
1) Del + Ctrl 2) Backspace + Ctrl 3) Ctrl+Alt +Del 4) Reset 5) None of these
181. The process of preparing a floppy diskette for use is called ______ .
1) assembling 2) translating 3) parsing 4) formatting 5) None of these
182. A prescribed set of well-defined instructions for solving mathematical problems is called ______.
1) a compiler 2) a code 3) a description 4) an algorithm 5) None of these
183. A program that enables you to perform calculations involving rows and columns of numbers is called a __.
1) spreadsheet program 2) word processor 3) graphics package 4) window
5) None of these
184. A record is related to a file as a statement is related to a _____.
1) procedure 2) file 3) program 4) data 5) None of these
185. Housing all hardware, software, storage, and processing in one site location is called _____.
1) time-sharing 2) a distributed system 3) centralized processing
4) a host computer 5) None of these
186. Several computers linked to a server to share programs and storage space.
1) Network 2) grouping 3) library 4) integrated system 5) None of these
187. Soft copy refers to _______ .
1) printed output 2) music sounds 3) screen output 4) digitizing 5) None of these
188. Meaningful filename helps in easy file ______.
1) Storing 2) Accessing 3) Identification 4) Printing 5) None of these
189. LAN stands for _______.
1) Local Access Network 2) Local Area Network
3) Logical Access Network 4) Logical Area Network 5) None of these
190. WWW stands for _______.
1) World Work Web 2) Wide Work Web 3) Wide World Web
4) World Wide Web 5) None of these
Answer
1) 5 2) 2 3) 4 4) 3 5) 4 6) 2 7) 2 8) 3 9) 4 10) 1 11) 3
12) 4 13) 2 14) 3 15) 2 16) 1 17) 1 18) 1 19) 3 20) 3 21) 1 22) 2
23) 4 24) 3 25) 5 26) 3 27) 1 28) 3 29) 2 30) 4 31) 4 32) 2 33) 4
34) 2 35) 2 36) 3 37) 3 38) 4 39) 1 40) 5 41) 2 42) 4 43) 3 44) 2
45) 1 46) 3 47) 4 48) 1 49) 2 50) 1 51) 1 52) 4 53) 1 54) 2 55) 4
56) 3 57) 2 58) 2 59) 3 60) 4 61) 1 62) 4 63) 3 64) 3 65) 1 66) 1
67) 1 68) 3 69) 1 70) 3 71) 3 72) 4 73) 3 74) 2 75) 4 76) 4 77) 3
78) 1 79) 3 80) 4 81) 2 82) 4 83) 2 84) 4 85) 2 86) 1 87) 2 88) 1
89) 4 90) 4 91) 2 92) 1 93) 4 94) 3 95) 2 96) 3 97) 3 98) 3 99) 3
100) 1 101) 5 102) 2 103) 1 104) 4 105) 3 106) 4 107) 3 108) 1 109) 4 110) 5
111) 1 112) 1 113) 2 114) 3 115) 3 116) 3 117) 1 118) 4 119) 4 120) 5 121) 1
122) 4 123) 4 124) 3 125) 2 126) 3 127) 3 128) 1 129) 3 130) 1 131) 1 132) 2
133) 4 134) 2 135) 3 136) 4 137) 3 138) 2 139) 2 140) 4 141) 1 142) 3 143) 4
144) 1 145) 3 146) 2 147) 2 148) 3 149) 1 150) 1 151) 2 152) 2 153) 1 154) 2
155) 3 156) 1 157) 2 158) 3 159) 2 160) 3 161) 1 162) 4 163) 4 164) 2 165) 4
166) 4 167) 4 168) 1 169) 1 170) 2 171) 2 172) 2 173) 2 174) 1 175) 3 176) 2
177) 1 178) 3 179) 3 180) 4 181) 4 182) 4 183) 1 184) 3 185) 4 186) 1 187) 5
188) 2 189) 2 190) 4
Abbreviations
ABI - Application Binary Interface
AD - Active Directory
AH - Active Hub
AN - Active Monitor
AMD - Advanced Micro Devices
AVC - Advanced Video Coding
B
BASIC - Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic instruction Code
BCD - Binary Coded Decimal
BER - Bit Error Rate
Bit - Binary digit
BLOG - Web log
C
CAD - Computer - Aided Design
CAT - Computer-Aided Translation
CD - Compact Disc
CD-ROM - CD Read-only Memory
CD-RW - CD-Rewritable
CG - Computer Graphics
CUA - Common User Access
D
DB - Data basic
DCC - Direct Client-to-Client
DFS - Distributed File System
DLP - Digital light processing
DMA - Direct Memory Access
DVD - Digital Versatile Disc
DVR - Digital Vedio Recorder
E
EDO - Extended Data Out
ELM - Electronic Mail
EOF - End of File
EOL - End of Line
EOM - End of Message
F
FDD - Floppy Disk Drive
FPU - Floating Point Unit
FS - File System
FTP - File Transfer Protocol
G
GPU - Graphics Processing Unit
GUI - Graphical User Interface
H
HAL - Hardware Abstraction Layer
HDD - Hard Disk Drive
HDL - Hardware Description Language
I
IBM - International Business Machines
IE - Internet Explorer
I/O - Input/Output
IP - Internet Protocol
IT - Information Technology
J
JMS - Java Message Service
JS - Java Script
JSP - Java Server Pages
JUG - Java Users Group
K
Kb - Kilobit
KB - Kilobyte
kHz - Kilohertz
L
LAN - Local Area Network
LIFO - Last in First Out
LSB - Least Significant Bit
M
MAN - Metropolitan Area Network
Mb - Megabit
MB - Megabyte
MBR - Master Boot Record
MDI - Multiple Document Interface
MICR - Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
MIMO - Multiple-Input Multiple-Output
MMX - Multi-Media Extensions
MNG - Multiple-image Network Graphics
MPEG - Motion Pictures (Coding) Experts Group
MSB - Most Significant Bit
MS-DOS - Microsoft Dos
MVS - Multiple Storage
N
NEXT - Near-End Cross Talk
NFS - Network File System
NMI - Non-Markable Interrupt
NNTP - Network News Transfer Protocol
NOS - Network Operating System
NT - New Technology
O
OOP - Object - Oriented Programming
OS - Operating System
OSS - Open-Source Software
P
PAN - Personal Area Network
PAP - Password Authentication Protocol
PATA - Parallel ATA
PC - Personal Computer
PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect
PCIe - PCI Express
PCL - Printer Command Language
PGA - Pin Grid Array
PIC - Peripheral Interface Controller
PIC - Programmable Interrupt Controller
PINE - Program for Internet News & E-mail
PIO - Programmed Input/Output
PnP - Plug-and-Play
PoE - Power Over Ethernet
PPC - Power PC
PPI - Pixels Per Inch
PPP - Point-to-Point Protocol
FPPoA - PPP over ATM
PPPoE - PPP over Ethernet
PPTP - Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol
PSU - Power Supply Unit
Q
QDR - Quad Data Rate
QFP - Quoted For Permanence
QoS - Quality of Service
R
RAID - Redundant Array of Independent Disks
RAM - Random Access Memory
RARP - Reverse Address Resolution Protocol
RDBMS - Relational Database Management System
RDF - Resource Description Framework
REFAL - Recursive Functions Algorithmic Language
ROM - Read Only Memory
ROMB - Read-Out Motherboard
S
SaaS - Software as a Service
SAN - Storage Area Network
SAX - Simple API for XML
SBP-2 - Serial Bus Protocol 2
SBU - Standard Build Unit
SCSI - Small Computer System Interface
SDL - Simple Direct Media Layer
SDN - Service Delivery Network
SDR - Software - Defined Radio
SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SP - Service Pack
SPI - Serial Peripheral Interface
SQL - Structured Query Language
SUS - Single UNIX Specification
SVD - Structured VLSI Design
T
TCP - Transmission Control Protocol
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
TTA - True Tap Audio
TTF - True Type Font
TTS - Text-to-Speech
TTY - Teletype
U
UAC - User Account Control
UART - Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter
UI - User Interface
UL - Uplaod
UPS - Uinterruptible Power Supply
URI - Uniform Resource Identifier
URL - Uniform Resource Locator
URN - Uniform Resource Name
USB - Universal Serial Bus
V
VB - Visual Basic
VBA - Visual Basic for Applications
VBS - Visual Basic Script
VFAT - Virtual FAT
VFS - Virtual File System
VGA - Viedo Graphics Array
VGCT - Vedio Graphics Character Table
VLAN - Virtual Local Area Network
VM - Virtual Memory
VOD - Video on Demand
VPN - Virtual Private Network
W
WAFS - Wide Area File Services
WAIS - Wide Area Information Server
WAN - Wide Area Network
WAP - Wireless Application Protocol
Wi-Fi - Wireless Fidelity
WinFAS - Windows Future Storage
WINS - Windows Internet Naming Service
WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network
WMA - Windows Media Audio
WMV - Windows Media Video
WOM - Wake-on-Modem
WPA - Wi-Fi Protected Access
WSDL - Web Services Description Language
WWW - World Wide Web
X
XAML - Extensible Application Markup Language
XTHML - extensible Hypertext Markup Language
XML - eXtensible Markup Language
XNS - Xerox Network Services
XSL-FO - eXtensible Stylesheet Language Formating Objects
XSLT - eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation
Y
Y2K - Year Two Thousand
Z
ZIFS - Zero Insertion Force Socket
ZISC - Zero Instruction Set Computer
