Technology Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The IBM PC-XT's hard disk held 10 MB.

It was introduced in 1983 and was the first IBM PC with a hard drive fitted as standard. The 20 MB version came with the PC-AT two years later.

Answer: D

The computer that stores files for others on a network is the file server.

It holds shared data centrally, so files can be backed up in one place and access controlled by user account rather than by machine.

Answer: B

Explanatory text attached to a cell is a comment.

A cell carrying one shows a small red triangle in its corner and the note appears when the pointer hovers over it. Comments annotate a sheet without affecting its calculations.

Answer: D

HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol.

It is the request-response protocol by which a browser asks a server for a page and the server replies. HTTPS is the same protocol carried inside a TLS-encrypted connection.

Answer: D

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets.

It separates a page's presentation from its structure, so the same HTML can be styled differently for screen, print or a small display. 'Cascading' refers to the rules that resolve conflicting declarations.

Answer: A

The BIOS is stored in a flash memory chip on the motherboard.

It must be non-volatile, since it runs before any disk is available, and flash allows the firmware to be updated in place - which older mask-programmed ROMs did not.

Answer: A

RAM stands for random access memory.

Any location can be read or written in the same time, regardless of position - unlike tape, which must be wound through. It is volatile: its contents vanish when power is removed.

Answer: C

Select designates where the next action will occur.

Selecting a file, a cell or a stretch of text marks it as the target of whatever command follows. This select-then-act sequence is the basic grammar of the graphical interface.

Answer: A

FET stands for field effect transistor.

The current between source and drain is controlled by the electric field of the voltage on the gate, which draws almost no current. That high input impedance is why FETs, and MOSFETs in particular, are used in almost all integrated circuits.

Answer: A

MBR stands for master boot record.

It is the first sector of a disk, holding the partition table and a small boot loader. Being only 512 bytes it limits disks to 2 TB and four primary partitions, which is why GPT has replaced it.