Caribbean Examination Council June Examination 2006 (01529010/F2006) Information Technology Technical and General Proficiencies

Question 1 a. Explain the term peripheral device In computer hardware, a peripheral device is any device attached to a computer in order to expand its functionality. If a peripheral device is disconnected, the computer will still be able to work. Peripheral devices can reside inside the computer case or outside. Input devices are used for data input Output devices are used for data output Storage devices are used to store data for long periods of time b. Give TWO examples of a peripheral device in a computer system. Eg. printers, scanners, disk drives, tape drives, microphones, speakers, and cameras.

Question 2 You are told that your new computer system will consist of 256 megabytes of RAM, a highresolution 19-inch monitor, a 100-gigabyte hard disk and an optical mouse. a.

Explain the difference between primary and secondary storage. Primary storage is volatile: when the power is off, all contents of RAM are lost while secondary storage is non-volatile and almost permanent (It wears out eventually or becomes out of dated technology) Size. Secondary storage is virtually infinite: when you run out of space on one disk, you use another. On the contrary there is a limited amount of Primary Storage that can be accessed by the CPU. Access time. It takes few nanoseconds for the CPU to access primary storage but it takes several milliseconds to access secondary storage. Cost. Secondary storage is cheaper than primary storage .

b.

Identify which of the above computer components are suited for Primary storage 256 megabytes of RAM Secondary storage 100 gigabyte hard disk drive

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c.

Explain which of the above would store the most data The 100 gigabyte hard disk drive would store more data than the 256 megabytes of RAM because of the hierarchy of data representation where 1024 megabytes would equal to 1 gigabyte; therefore the hard disk capacity would be 100 X 1024 => 102400 megabytes which is a lot more than the 256 megabytes of data Explain how you would know if the monitor has high resolution. Resolution describes the sharpness and clearness of an image. The greater the resolution (the more pixel (picture element) the clearer the image will be which means it `will show pictures clearly. As resolution increases the images on the screen will be smaller so you can test using the display property to see if the resolution can be increased.

d.

Question 3 Copy EACH of the following and state whether it can be described as (A) soft copy, (B) hard copy (C) both hard and soft copy, or (D) neither hard nor soft copy. a. b. c. d. Question 4 Perform calculations to determine which of the following examples represents binary coded decimal, 8-bit sign and magnitude or even parity. Make sure to state your answer in each example. a. 10110001 Even parity method Sound soft copy Microfilm hard copy Visual display unit soft copy Non-impact printer Neither hard nor soft copy

b. c.

-19 = 1111 0001 1001 -4 = 10000100

Binary Coded Decimal

Sign and Magnitude Method

Question 5 Your teacher has given you notes on Windows NT, Windows 2000, UNIX and Linux. a. State the type of system software illustrated in the above examples Operating Systems

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b.

Explain why this software is necessary for a computer system. This software is the backbone of the operation of the computer. It allows the hardware to work efficiently with the application software. Without the Operating System then you cannot run any application software. It manages the computers resources, it schedule tasks, grants access to the CPU, manages memory, manages files, it provides an interface for the user to interacts.

c.

For EACH of the following types of application software, state whether it can be described as general purpose, custom written, integrated or specialized. i. A program that includes all the major types of applications and brings them together into a single software package Integrated Software Software written solely for a specific task, and its users are trained in a particular field Specialized Software. Software which can be modified by writing or adding programming modules to perform specific tasks Customized Software (*not in list though) Software which is not specific to any organization or business and can be used by anyone General Purpose software

ii.

iii.

iv.

Question 6 a. Name the TWO types of user interface which are represented in the figures below:

Figure 1 Graphical User Interface b.

C>dir Figure 2 Command Line User Interface

Discuss which user interface would be better for someone who is not familiar with a computer. Graphical User Interface this interface is simply clicking on buttons to execute commands. All the user has to do is read and click; he or she doesnt have to memorized any commands to operate the computer

c.

State the name of another user interface not mentioned in (b) Web-based user interfaces menu-driven interface

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SECTION II Question 7 A new business uses two pieces of equipment shown below. Name them and explain how they would help clients or customers.

Bar code reader

Touch screen

Bar code reader device which with sensitivity to detects light and dark areas usually represented by vertical lines. It helps by allowing user to get information including inventory of items to determine how many in stock and re-ordering status, prices of items, items details (manufacturer, manufacturing country etc) Touch Screen users interact by touching areas of the screen with their fingers. The touch screen provides a less intimidating user-friendly interface that allows users who doesnt have much knowledge of computers to use it. Customers can place order or explore information on products or services without having to consult anyone Question 8 a. Explain what you understand by the statement 'Information is a commodity'. A commodity is an item of information that can be bought or sold. Therefore people may profit from information by selling it to those who are willing to pay for it and so companies collect information for the sole purpose of selling. Information such as demographic, tracking and buying trends in the banking and other financial sectors; sport statistic, database of individuals' credit ratings. Name TWO uses of information that can be helpful in decision making. In a population where data (census information) is used to determine where to build health-care institutions and schools etc Data collected on competitors are used to develop tactics to outperform them. Data collected by retail stores to help determine whether they should expand or downsize.

b.

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Question 9 Write the words or phrases that the following words represents and give ONE advantage of using EACH i. E-mail Electronic Mail ~messages can be sent instantly from one computer to another anywhere in the world. E-commerce- Electronic Commerce ~ the selling and buying of goods and services on the internet. Customers can conduct transactions from the comforts of their homes. IRC Internet Relay Chat ~allows one to go online at the same time and exchange text, graphics or audio messages in real time. FTP-File Transfer Protocol ~ used to transfer files across the internet/network. Users can download files from these file servers.

ii.

iii.

iv.

Question 10 A consultant is hired to study the computer systems at your office. One of her recommendations was as follows in the paragraph supplied: In addition to software security needs, the department must seek ways to secure the physical components entrusted to it. A secure room is to be identified where fireproof cabinets can be placed to store backup copies of data disks and archived files. These backup copies and files must be provided with virus protection and then encrypted prior to being stored. Explain EACH of the underlined words. Backup copies making identical copies of the present data disk. Archived files placing backup of important computer files that are not currently in use in a safe place so that they can be found easily if needed. Virus protection a software that is used to prevent the risk of virus infecting your computer. It detects and remove virus that are on a computer. Encrypted/encryption the process of encoding information so that it bears no similarity to the original in order to secure it.

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Question 11 A young college student is accused of Electronic Eavesdropping and Unauthorized Surveillance. During the trial it was revealed that the college student used software to access the computer of another student while she was chatting with her friends. She could read all the messages she (other student) wrote and the messages her friends wrote to her. At the end of the trial one of the charges was dropped. a. Explain Electronic Eavesdropping and Unauthorized Surveillance. Electronic Eavesdropping the use of electronic device to monitor electronic communication between two or more groups without the permission of any communicating parties. Unauthorized Surveillance the use of technology to gather information from the user and from the computer, often without the user's knowledge b. Discuss which charge was kept and why Electronic Eavesdropping charge was kept because this is considered an illegal act which can be damaging to the person or company. E.g. getting credit card number, passwords and other personal sensitive data. The data protection law protects against this. Question 12 Three of the jobs in Information Technology are data entry clerks, data communications specialists and database administrators. a. Explain what each of these jobs involves i. data entry clerks Transfer data from source documents onto machinereadable media or directly into the computer; verify previously entered data; keeps a log of the work tasks done. data communications specialists determine the requirements associated with data communication using WANs and/or LANs; ensure that all aspects of communication ( intranets, videoconferencing, teleconferencing, ISDN {integrated services digital networks} high-speed internet connection, wireless and remote connections ) are working properly according to the specifications of the users. database administrators design and develop database applications; control access to data; keep the data up to date; coordinates discussions between the user groups to determine the content and format of the database so that data redundancy is reduced; preserved data integrity and security.

ii.

iii.

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b.

Show how EACH of these jobs is related The data entry clerks will enter the given data into the database while the database administrator will ensure that the correct data is entered, the entry clerks only get access to specified part of the database and the data communication specialist job is to ensure that the network needed between the clients and database server is running efficiently. SECTION III - PROGRAMMING

Question 13 Explain the difference between EACH of the following pairs of terms: a. Machine language and high level language First language available for programming and the only language the computer can understand without any translation. It is written using a series of 0s and 1s It is timeconsuming to write, easy to make mistake with the bit string and it is machine dependent while high level languages are not machine dependent, written using English like statement, require less coding detail. Second generation and fourth generation languages Second Generation also called Assembly languages uses a short code(mnemonic) to represent instructions. Knowledge of the hardware must be known, execution is faster than fourth generations. In fourth generations language, it is easier to write than second generation, using English-like statements which are user friendly Pseudocode and trace tables Pseudocode is an imitation computer program written using mathematical notations and English-like statements to describe the logics to solve a problem or carry out a procedure while trace tables are important tools (rectangular array of rows and columns) used to test the logics of a pseudocode for correctness. Input and Output Input is the entering of data that is needed to solve the problem into the computer's memory while output is the result or goal of the problem solution./getting information out of the computer.

b.

c.

d.

Question 14 Consider the following segment of code: Read X, Y While (X <>Y) DO Print Y Y=Y+1 Print Y a. Explain what is meant by: <> - not equal to

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Y = Y + 1 one is added to the previous value of Y to give a new value for Y b. Write an example of a variable from the above segment of code X or Y Use a trace table to determine the output of the code if X = 4 and Y=2. Use the headings X Y Print Y X 4 4 4 4 4 Y 2 2 3 4 Print Y

c.

2 3 4

Question 15 Explain what is produced by EACH of the following: a. b. c. d. e. f. Object code files saved from the generation of the compiler Executing the result of processing Test Data arbitrary data used in the dry run process of a program Syntax error error caused by use of incorrect grammar for particular instruction Dry run result of processing that is derived from the test data. Debugging finding errors caused by syntax or logic errors

Question 16 Write an algorithm to perform the following sequence of tasks: i. ii. iii. Read a number NUM, and a letter LET Read NUM, LET ANS = NUM + 5

Add 5 to the number NUM and place the result in ANS

If LET is equal to 'A', then subtract 4 from the number NUM and place the result in ANS If LET = 'A' then ANS = NUM 4 Endif Print the results of NUM and LET. Print NUM, LET

iv.

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Question 17 Copy the labels EX1, EX2, EX3 and EX4 on separate lines on your answer book. Then, write the corresponding example, Name 1 to Name 4, which matches the appropriate label. EX1 : IF weather = 'SUNNY' Then SMILE EX2 : While (ANSWER = 'Y') Do Print 'Yes' EX3 : hours > 12 Name1 Name2 Name4 Name3

EX4 : Grade = Grade + 5 Name1 : Name2 : Name3 : Name4 :

a logical operation an arithmetic operation conditional statement a loop

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