Computer Hardware and Software Questions and Answers

Answer: C

Correct answer: Loopback plug

A loopback plug joins a port's output pins to its input pins, so software can send data and check that the same data returns. That tests the port itself with nothing attached to it.

Answer: C

Correct answer: 14

IRQ14 is taken by the primary IDE controller, which is present on every such system, so it is never available for a modem. IRQs 5 and 10 are commonly free.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Printhead

The printhead pins must run dry: oil collects paper dust and jams them, and they rely on airflow for cooling. The rails and bearings are the parts that do need lubrication.

Answer: C

Correct answer: farads

Capacitance is measured in farads, though practical capacitors are rated in microfarads and picofarads.

Answer: B

Correct answer: ATH

ATH hangs up - H for hook, as in on-hook. ATZ resets the modem instead.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Basic Input Output System

BIOS is the Basic Input Output System, firmware stored on a chip on the motherboard and the first code the processor executes when the machine is switched on. It performs three tasks in sequence. It runs the POST - the power-on self test - checking that the memory, processor and essential devices are present and working, and reporting failures by beep codes. It then initialises the hardware. Finally it locates a boot device and loads the bootstrap loader from it, handing control to the operating system. Its settings - boot order, date and time, hardware options - are held in CMOS memory, kept alive by a small battery on the board. A dead battery is why a computer forgets the date. On modern machines BIOS has been replaced by UEFI, which supports larger disks through GPT partitioning, faster booting and secure boot verification, though the older name is still used loosely for both.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Battery

Batteries contain heavy metals and must be disposed of under environmental regulations rather than thrown away. Keyboards, boards and supplies are ordinary electronic waste.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Resistor

The strap includes a resistor of about one megohm, high enough to bleed static charge away slowly and low enough to stop the wearer becoming a low-resistance path to earth if a live conductor is touched.

Answer: C

Correct answer: To allow additional cards to be fitted, extending the computer’s capabilities

An expansion slot accepts a circuit card that adds capability the motherboard does not itself provide - a graphics card, sound card, network card, capture card or additional storage controller. The modern standard is PCI Express, which comes in sizes described by the number of lanes: x1, x4, x8 and x16. Each lane is a serial connection, so bandwidth scales with the count, and a graphics card takes an x16 slot. A shorter card fits a longer slot and simply uses fewer lanes. It replaced the older PCI and AGP standards, and the shift from parallel PCI to serial PCI Express follows the same reasoning as USB and SATA: at high speeds, timing skew between parallel wires becomes the limiting factor. The other options describe different parts: the processor sits in a socket, the power supply uses dedicated connectors, and BIOS settings live in CMOS memory kept alive by a battery.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Dots per inch

Printer resolution is measured in dots per inch, the number of individual dots of ink or toner the printer can place along an inch. Higher figures give finer detail and smoother curves. Typical values are worth knowing: 300 dpi is adequate for ordinary text, 600 dpi is common on laser printers, and photographic work uses 1200 dpi or more. The distractors measure related but different things, and the set is a standard examination pairing. Pixels measure the resolution of a display or a digital image. Hertz measures a monitor’s refresh rate or a processor’s clock. Bits per second measures data transfer. The same unit dpi is used for scanners, where it means how finely the original is sampled - and it is worth noting that an image scanned at 300 dpi and printed at 300 dpi comes out the same size, while printing it larger reduces its effective resolution. Print speed, a separate specification, is quoted in pages per minute.