Computer Hardware and Software Questions and Answers

Answer: B

Correct answer: Non-abrasive cleanser

An LCD's Mylar coating is soft and is attacked by ammonia and by alcohol, both of which cloud it permanently. Only a mild non-abrasive cleaner on a soft cloth is safe.

Answer: D

Correct answer: SCSI

SCSI is designed for external devices: it carries its own bus off the back of the machine and can address several devices on one cable. ESDI, MFM and ARLL are internal disk interfaces.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Switched Mode Power Supply

An SMPS converts mains alternating current into the several direct-current voltages a computer needs, switching rapidly rather than dissipating the excess as heat. That switching is why it is far more efficient and lighter than a linear supply.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 32 bit word size, 16 bit data path

The 386SX has the full 32-bit internal architecture of the 386 but reaches memory over a 16-bit bus, which made it cheaper to build systems around. The SX suffix marks that reduction.

Answer: C

Correct answer: ROM BIOS

At power-up nothing has been loaded from disk, so the first code executed must already be in firmware. The ROM BIOS then reads CMOS for the settings and goes on to the disk.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Gigahertz

Processor speed is quoted in gigahertz, the number of clock cycles per second - 3 GHz meaning three billion cycles a second. It is a poor measure of performance on its own, and knowing why matters more than knowing the unit. Two processors at the same clock speed can differ greatly because of the number of cores, the instructions completed per cycle, the size of the cache, and the memory bandwidth available. Comparing clock speeds across different architectures is close to meaningless. The distractors measure other things entirely: gigabytes measure storage or memory capacity, megabits per second measure network speed, and dots per inch measure printer or scanner resolution. Modern processors also vary their clock dynamically, running below the nominal speed when idle to save power and boosting above it briefly under load - so the quoted figure is a base rating rather than a constant.

Answer: A

Correct answer: only digital

ISDN is digital end to end: the signal is digital on the subscriber's line as well as in the exchange, which is what removes the need for a modem and gives it its quick call setup.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Format

Invalid media means the partition exists but carries no file system, which is exactly the state after partitioning. The next step is therefore to format it.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 4MB

Twenty-four bits is three bytes per pixel:

\[ 1024\times 768\times 3 = 2{,}359{,}296\ \text{bytes} \approx 2.25\ \text{MB} \]

More than 2 MB is needed, and cards are supplied in powers of two, so 4 MB is the size required.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Parallel

Of the interfaces listed, the parallel port gives the highest throughput to a printer, since it sends eight bits at a time; RS-232 and other serial connections send one.