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Computer Awareness Study Material – Computer Software

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Computer Awareness Study Material – Computer Software

Computer Awareness Study MaterialBanking AwarenessMarketing Aptitude

Software is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do. A software is a interface between the user and the computer. It is a set of instructions, programs that are used to give command to the hardware. It is responsible for controlling, integrating and managing the hardware components of a computer system and for accomplishing specific tasks.

Types of Software
Software can be divided into two major categories

  1. System software
  2. Application software

computer-awareness-study-material-computer-software-1

System Software
It consists of several programs, which are directly responsible for controlling, integrating and managing the individual hardware components of a computer system. System software also provides the interface between the user and components of the computer. The purpose of system software is to insulate the applications programmer as much as possible from the detail of the particular complex computer being used. Depending on the functionality, the system software can be further divided into two major categories; system management program and system utilities.

System Management Program
It includes an integrated system of programs, which manages the operations of the processor, controls input/output, manages storage resources and provides various support services. Some common examples of system management programs are operating system and device drivers,

(a) Operating System It consists of programs, which control, coordinate and supervise the activities of the various components of a computer system. Its function is to provide link between the computer hardware and the user. Operating system performs all internal management functions (disk access, memory management, task scheduling and user interfacing) and ensures systematic functioning of a computer system. It provides an environment to run the programs, e.g. MS-DOS, Windows XP/2000/98, Unix, Linux, etc.
The operating system performs the following functions

  • It recognises input from keyboard, sends output to the display screen.
  • It makes sure that programs running at the same time do not interfere with each other.
  • It is also responsible for security, ensuring that unauthorised users do not access the system.

(b) Device Drivers A software, which is written with the objective of making a device functional when it is connected to the computer is called device driver. It is a system software that acts like an interface between the device and the user.
Every device, whether it is a printer, monitor, mouse or keyboard has a driver program associated with it for its proper functioning.

System Utilities
These programs perform tasks related to the maintenance of the computer system. These are the packages which are loaded into computer during time of installation of operating system. They are used to support, enhance, expand and secure existing programs and data in the computer system. System utility mainly consists of the following functions

  1. Disk Compression It increases the amount of information that can be stored on a hard disk by compressing all information stored on a hard disk. This utility works automatically and the user does not need to be aware of its existence, e.g. DiskDoubler, SuperStor Pro, DoubleDisk Gold, etc.
  2. Disk Fragmenter It detects computer files whose contents are broken across several locations on the hard disk and moves the fragments to one location to increase efficiency. It can be used to rearrange files and unused space on your hard disk. e.g. MyDefrag, Diskeeper, Defraggler, etc.
  3. Backup Utilities It can make a copy of all information stored on a disk and restore either the entire disk or selected files.
  4. Disk Cleaners It is used to find files that have not been used for a long time. This utility also serves to increase the speed of a slow computer, e.g. Bleach Bit cleaner, etc.
  5. Anti-virus It is the utility which is used to scan computer for viruses and prevent the computer system files from being corrupt, e.g. Kaspersky, AVG, McAfee, Avira, etc.
  6. Text Editor It is a program that facilitates the creation and correction of text. It is used to type only text which can be stored for future reference. A text editor supports special commands for text editing, i.e. you can write, delete, find and replace words, lines, paragraphs, etc.
    e.g. MS-Word, WordPad, Notepad etc in which Notepad is the most popular text editor.

Linker
It is a system program that links together several object modules and libraries to form a single and i coherent program (executable). The main purpose of ! linker is to resolve references among files. Linker is used to determine the memory locations that code – from each module will occupy and relates its instruction by adjusting absolute references.

Loader
It is a kind of system software, which is responsible i for loading and relocation of the executable program in the main memory. It is a part of operating system that brings an executable file residing on disk into ) memory and starts its execution process.

Application Software
It is a computer software designed to help the user to perform single or multiple tasks. It is a set of instructions or programs designed for specific uses or applications, that enable the user to interact with a computer. Application softwares are also called the end-user programs. These programs do the real work for users. There are two types of application software

General Purpose Software
These softwares are those softwares which are used for any general purpose. Sometimes, it is also known as off the shelf or GPs. They allow people to do simple computer tasks. There are several good reasons for using general purpose software and some of them are given below

  • These are relatively cheap
  • Easily available
  • Thoroughly tested
  • Easily handleable

Some of the general purpose software are

(a) Word Processing Software A word processor is a software program capable of creating, storing and printing of documents. Word processors have the ability to create a document and make changes anywhere in the document.
This document can also be saved for modification later on or be opened on any other computer using the same word processor.
Today, the word processor is one of the most frequently used programs or online services used on a computer system, e.g. Microsoft Word, WordPerfect (Windows only), AppleWorks (Mac only), OpenOffice.org Writer, etc.

(b) Electronic Spreadsheets Spreadsheet applications (sometimes referred to simply as spreadsheets) are the computer programs that accept data in a tabular form and allow you to create and manipulate spreadsheets electronically.
In Spreadsheet applications, each value exists in a cell. You can define what type of data is in each cell and how different cells depend on one another.
The relationships between cells are called Formulas and the names of the cells are called Labels, e.g. Microsoft Excel, Corel Quattro Pro, Lotus 1-2-3, OpenOffice.org Calc, etc.

(c) Presentation Software Presentation is the practice of showing and explaining the contents of a topic to an audience or learner visually. People, in a variety of settings and situations, use presentation software to make their presentations more interesting and professional.
e.g. marketing managers use presentation graphics to present new marketing strategies to their superior. Students use it to create high quality class presentations, e.g. Microsoft PowerPoint, Corel Presentations, Lotus Freelance Graphics, OpenOffice.org Impress, etc.

(d) Database Management System (DBMS) A DBMS refers to the software that is responsible for sorting, maintaining and utilising a database. It enables a user to define, create and maintain the database and provide controlled access on it. A database is a collection of integrated data stored together to serve multiple applications, e.g. Microsoft Access, Corel Paradox, MySQL, OpenOffice.org Base, etc.

(e) Desktop Publishing (DTP) Software It is a tool for graphic designers and non-designers to create visual communications for professional or desktop printing as well as for online or on screen electronic publishing.
Complete DTP involves the combination of type setting (choosing fonts and the text layout), graphic design, page layout (how it all fits on the page) and printing the document.
e.g. Quark Xpress, Adobe PageMaker, 3B2, CorelDraw, Corel Ventura, Illustrator, etc.

(f) Graphics Software (Image Editing) It is an application program or collection of programs that enables a person to manipulate visual images on a computer system. Most graphics softwares have the ability to import and export one or more graphics file formats.
Typical graphics software enables data to be plotted as line chart, bar chart and pie chart, e.g. Adobe Photoshop, PiZap, Microsoft Publisher, Picasa, etc.

(g) Multimedia Software Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video or interactivity content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which uses only rudimentary computer display such as text only or traditional forms of printed or hand produced material, e.g. Flash, Xilisoft Video Converter, VLC Media Player, Nimbuzz, etc.

Specific Purpose Software
These softwares are designed to perform specific tasks. This type of application software generally has one purpose to execute.
Some of the specific purpose application softwares are described below

(a) Inventory Management System and Purchasing System It is an attempt to balance inventory needs and requirement to minimize total cost, resulting from obtaining and holding an inventory.
Inventory is a list of goods and materials available in a stock. Inventory management system is generally used in departmental stores or in an organisation to keep the records of the stock of all the physical resources.
e.g. Fish bowl, AdvancePro, etc.

(b) Payroll Management System It is used by all modern organisations to encompass every employee of the organisation who receives a regular wages or other compensation. All different payment methods are calculated by the payroll software and the appropriate paychecks are issued, e.g. Namely, UltiPro, etc.

(c) Hotel Management System It refers to the management techniques used in the hotel sector. These can include hotel administration, accounts, billing, marketing, housekeeping, front office or front desk. e.g. Djubo, Aatithya HMS, Hotelogix PMS, etc.

(d) Reservation System A reservation system or Central Reservation System (CRS) is a computerised system used to store and retrieve information and conduct transactions related to air travel, hotels, car rental, or other activities.
It is an application software which is commonly seen at railway reservation offices, this software helps the concerned department to automatically check the availability of the seats or berths of any train and any particular date with incomparable speed. Today, number of websites like www.yatra.com,www.makemytrip.com provide online booking for tourists.

(e) Report Card Generator It is an application software which is commonly used in schools by the examination department to prepare and generate the report cards of the students.
It performs all possible mathematical calculations and checks whether a student can be promoted to the next class or not. It can also be used to calculate the classwise ranking of a student.

(f) Accounting Software It is an application software that records and processes accounting transactions within functional modules such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll and trial balance. It works as an accounting information system.
There are several types of accounting softwares as follows

  • Accounts Payable Software
  • Bank Reconciliation Software
  • Budget Management Software, etc.
    e.g. Tally ERP9, HDPoS, MARG, Profit Books

(g) Billing System It refers to the software that is used to perform the billing process. It handles the tracking of labled products and services delivered to a customer or set of customers, e.g. Billing Manager, Billing Tracker, KBilling, etc.

QUESTION BANK

1. The primary purpose of software is to turn data into

  1. websites
  2. information
  3. programs
  4. objects
  5. None of these

2. Which of the following is not a type of computer software which can be bought?

  1. Off-the-shelf
  2. Tailor-made
  3. Custom-developed
  4. Off-the-shelf with altrations
  5. All of the above can be purchased

3. Software for originating storage retrieval of information is a(n)

  1. operating system
  2. database
  3. database program
  4. data warehouse
  5. None of these

4. System software

  1. allows the user to diagnose and troubleshoot the device
  2. is a programming language
  3. is part of a productivity suite
  4. is an optional form of software
  5. helps the computer manage internal resources

5. Software designed for a specific purpose/ application such as pay calculations, processing of examination result, etc are known as

  1. utility software
  2. system software
  3. application software
  4. customised software
  5. None of the above

6. Utility programs include

  1. Virus scanning software
  2. Backup software
  3. Disk defragmenter
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

7. Disk cleaner helps to free

  1. data
  2. recycle bin
  3. spaces
  4. information
  5. None of these

8. Which of the following is not related to a utility software?

  1. Text editor
  2. Antivirus program
  3. Disk compression software
  4. Railway reservation system
  5. None of the above

9. Which type of software is designed to perform specific, personal, business or scientific processing tasks?

  1. System
  2. Application
  3. GUI s
  4. Compiler
  5. Operating

10. Which of the following is not related to an application software?

  1. Word processor
  2. DBMS
  3. Operating system
  4. Railway reservation system
  5. HR Management Software

11. Which one of the following is a set of instructions that tells the hardware how to perform the tasks?

  1. Compiler
  2. Software
  3. Hardware
  4. CPU
  5. All of these

12. Operating system is a

  1. application software
  2. system software
  3. hardware
  4. language
  5. program

13. Which software takes control of computer system on startup?

  1. Compiler
  2. Operating system
  3. Application software
  4. System software
  5. All of these

14. A(n)…… is software that helps a computer control to operate efficiently and keep track of data.

  1. application system
  2. hardware system
  3. software system
  4. operating system
  5. None of these

15. A kind of system software, which is responsible for loading and relocating of the executable program in the main memory

  1. Loader
  2. Linker
  3. Translator
  4. Presentation software
  5. Desktop publishing software

16. Another word for software is

  1. input
  2. output
  3. program
  4. system
  5. None of these

17. The steps and tasks needed to process data, such as responses to questions or clicking an icon, are called

  1. instructions
  2. the operating system
  3. application software
  4. the system unit
  5. None of these

18. The two broad categories of software are

  1. word processing and spreadsheet
  2. transaction and application
  3. windows and Mac OS
  4. system and application
  5. None of the above

19. Which of the following is a system software?

  1. Database programs
  2. Word processors
  3. Spreadsheets
  4. Device drivers
  5. None of the above

20. Corel ventura, illustrator are the examples of

  1. Word Processing
  2. Graphic
  3. Multimedia
  4. Spreadsheet
  5. DTP

21. DTP is a tool for graphic designers and non-designers to create visual communications for professional. DTP stands for

  1. Device Transfer Protocol
  2. Desktop Publishing
  3. Device Transfer Programs
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

22. It is a set of computer programs used on a computer to help perform tasks.

  1. An instruction
  2. Software
  3. Memory
  4. A processor
  5. None of these

23. The programs designed to govern the computer hardware system are called the

  1. system software
  2. application software
  3. utility software
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

24. The software tool that enables a user to interact with a computer for specific purposes are known as

  1. hardware
  2. networked software
  3. shareware
  4. applications
  5. None of these

25. The operating system is the most common type of………. software.

  1. communication
  2. application
  3. system
  4. word-processing
  5. None of these

26. The two rtiajor categories of software include

  1. operating system and utility
  2. personal productivity and system
  3. system software and application software
  4. system software and utility software
  5. None of the above

27. A linker program

  1. places the program in the memory for the purpose of execution
  2. relocates the program to execute from the specific memory area allocated to it
  3. links the program with other programs needed for its execution
  4. interfaces the program with the entities generating its input data
  5. None of the above

28. It is the set of programs that enables your computers hardware device and application software to work together. [SBI PO 2010]

  1. management
  2. processing
  3. utility
  4. system software
  5. None of the above

29. The ………. tells the computer how to use its components.    [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. utility
  2. application
  3. operating system
  4. network
  5. None of these

30. Which of the following system software resides in main memory always? [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. Text editor
  2. Assembler
  3. Linker
  4. Loader
  5. None of these

31. Application software [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. is used to control the operating system
  2. is designed to help programmers
  3. performs specific task for computer users
  4. is used for making design only
  5. All of the above

32.  A(n)……… backup contains a copy of every program, data and system file on a computer. [Allahabad Bank Clerk 2011]

  1. restoration
  2. bootstrap
  3. differential
  4. full
  5. None of these

33. The main purpose of……….. is to resolve references among files.             [SBI PO 2012]

  1. Text editor
  2.  loader
  3. Antivirus
  4. linker
  5. None of these

34. Programs designed to perform specific tasks related to managing computer resources are called       [IBPS PO 2012]

  1. system software
  2. operating system
  3. utility software
  4. application software
  5. None of the above

35. This type of software works with end-users, application software and computer hardware to handle the majority of technical details.  [IBPS PO 2012]

  1. Communications software
  2. System software
  3. Application software
  4. Utility software
  5. None of the above

36. Software refers to [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. the physical components that a computer is made of
  2. firmware
  3. programs
  4. people ware
  5. None of the above

37. A computer cannot ‘boot’ if it does not have the              [Union Bank of India Clerk 2012]

  1. compiler
  2. loader
  3. operating system
  4. assembler
  5. None of these

38. What is backup? [Union Bank 2011, RBI Grade B 2012]

  1. Connect his network to more component
  2. Copy to save a data from original source to other destination
  3. Filter on old data from new data
  4. Access data from tape
  5. None of the above

39. The ………. manual tells you how to use a software program              [RBI Grade B 2012]

  1. documentation
  2. programming
  3. user
  4. technical
  5. designer

40. What does the acronym BIOS stands for?  [SBI Clerk 2014, RBI Grade B 2013]

  1. Basic Input/Outer System
  2. Basic Internal Output System
  3. Basic Inner/Output System
  4. Basic Input/Output Systemisation
  5. Basic Input/Output System

41. Direct X is a [RBI Grade B 2013]

  1. computer part
  2. a user interface
  3. operating system
  4. software that drives graphic hardware
  5. None of the above

42. Text editor is a/an [RBI Grade B 2013]

  1. application software
  2. system software
  3. utility software
  4. all purpose software
  5. None of the above

43. The software that is used to create text-based documents are referred to as          [SBI PO 2013]

  1. DBMS
  2. suites
  3. spreadsheets
  4. presentation software
  5. Word processors

44. ……….. is a Windows utility program that locates and eliminates unnecessary fragments and rearranges files and unused to disk space to optimise operations. [SBI PO 2013]

  1. Backup
  2. Disk cleanup
  3. Disk defragmenter
  4. Restore
  5. Disk restorer

45. The primary purpose of software is to turn data into     [RBI Grade B 2014]

  1. Information
  2. programs
  3. objects
  4. charts
  5. websites

46. Programs designed to perform specific tasks related to managing computer resources are called       [RBI Grade B 2014]

  1. operating system
  2. helper software
  3. system software
  4. application software
  5. utility software

47. In computer terminology ‘CAD’ stands for  [SBI PO 2014]

  1. Computer Applied Design
  2. Computer Algorithm and Design
  3. Computer Application Design
  4. Computer Aided Design
  5. Other them those given as options

48.  Which of the following is software?  [IBPS Clerk 2014]

  1. Keyboard
  2. Internet Explorer
  3. Scanner
  4. Mouse
  5. Printer

49. This type of software works with end-users, application software and computer hardware to handle the majority of technical details   [RBI Grade B 2014]

  1. Communications software
  2. Application software
  3. Utility software
  4. System software
  5. None of the above

50. The operating system is the most common type of ………… [SBI PO 2015]

  1. communication
  2. application
  3. System
  4. word-processing
  5. None of these

51. Which of the following is not an example of application software?        [IBPS PO 2015]

  1. Word processing software
  2. Spreadsheet software
  3. Operating system software
  4. Database software
  5. Graphics software

52. Computer software is [SBI Clerk 2015]

  1. used only for output
  2. a computer peripheral
  3. used for input
  4. a set of instructions
  5. used only in operating systems

53. A collection of various programs that helps control your computer is called   [SBI  Clerk 2015]

  1. system software
  2. application software
  3. Microsoft Excel
  4. Microsoft Word
  5. Microsoft Outlook

54. ………… includes boot firmware and power management.     [SBI  Clerk 2015]

  1. CD-ROM
  2. Internal buses
  3. BIOS
  4. Chip Set
  5. RAM

55. The term used to describe the intangible instructions that tell the computer what to do is [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. hardware
  2. Software
  3. storage
  4. input/output
  5. None of these

ANSWERS

computer-awareness-study-material-computer-software-2

Computer Awareness Study Material – Data Representation

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Computer Awareness Study Material – Data Representation

Computer Awareness Study MaterialBanking AwarenessMarketing Aptitude

Data representation refers those methods which are used internally to represent information stored in a computer. Computers store lots of different types of information as numbers, text, graphics, sounds, etc.

Number System
It defines a set of values that is used to represent quantity. Digital computers internally use the binary number system to represent data and perform arithmetic calculations.

Types of Number System
The number systems generally used by a computer are as follows
Binary Number System
This system is very efficient for computers, but not for humans. It contains only two unique digits 0’s and l’s. It is also known as Base 2 system. The binary numbers 0 and 1 are called a bit. The computer always calculates input in binary form. e.g. (10101)2
Here, 2 represents base of binary number.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-1

Decimal Number System
It consists of 10 digits from 0 to 9. These digits can be used to represent any numeric value. It is also known as Base 10 system or positional number system, e.g. (1275)10,(10406)10

Octal Number System
It consists of 8 digits from 0 to 7. It is also known as Base 8 system. Each position of the octal number represents a successive power of eight.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-2

Hexadecimal Number System
It provides us with a shorthand method of working with binary numbers. There are 16 unique digits available in this system.
These are 0 to 9 and A to F, where A denotes 10, B denotes 11……. F denotes 15. It is also known as Base 16 system or simply Hex. So, each position of the hexadecimal number represents a successive power of 16.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-3
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-4

Conversion between the Number Systems
Different types of conversion between the number systems are discussed below

Decimal to Binary
To convert decimal to binary following steps are involved
Step 1 – Divide the given number by 2.
Step 2 – Note the quotient and remainder. Remainder should be 0 or 1.
Step 3 – If quotient 0, then again divide the quotient by 2 and back to step 2.
If quotient = 0, then stop the process.
Step 4 – First remainder is called as Least
Significant Bit (LSB) and last remainder is called as Most Significant Bit (MSB).
Step 5 – Arrange all remainders from MSB to LSB.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-5

Binary to Decimal
To convert binary to decimal following steps are involved
Step 1 – Multiply the all binary digits by powers of 2.
Step 2 – The power for integral part will be positive and for fractional part will be negative.
Step 3 – Add the all multiplying digits.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-6

Binary to Octal
To convert binary to octal following steps are involved
Step 1 – Make the group of 3 bits from right to left. If the left most group has less than 3 bits, put in the necessary number of leading zeroes on the left.
Step 2 – Now, convert each group to decimal number.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-7

Octal to Binary
Convert every digit of the number from octal to binary in the group of 3 bits.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-8

Binary to Hexadecimal
To convert a binary number to its hexadecimal equivalent follow these steps
Step 1 – Start making the group of 4 bits each from right to left from the given binary number. If the left most group has less than 4 bits, put in the necessary number of leading 0’s on the left.
Step 2 – Now, each group will be converted to decimal number.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-9

Hexadecimal to Binary

For this type of conversion, convert each hexadecimal digit to 4 bits binary equivalent.

computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-10

Decimal to Octal
To convert decimal to octal following steps are involved
Step 1 – Divide the given number by 8.
Step 2 – Note the quotient and remainder. Digits of remainder will be from 0 to 7.
Step 3 – If quotient 0, then again divide the quotient by 8 and go back to step 2.
Step 4 – If quotient = 0, then stop the process.
Step 5 – Write each remainder from left to right starting from MSD to LSD.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-11

Octal to Decimal
To convert octal to decimal following steps are involves
Step 1 – Multiply each digit of octal number with powers of 8.
Step 2 – These powers should be positive for integral part and negative for fractional part.
Step 3 – Add the all multiplying digits.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-12

Decimal to Hexadecimal
To convert decimal to hexadecimal, following steps are involves
Step 1 – Divide the given number by 16.
Step 2 – Note the quotient and remainder. Digits of remainder will be 0 to 9 or A to F.
Step 3 – If quotient 0, then again divide the quotient by 16 and go back to step 2.
Step 4 – If quotient = 0 or less than 16, then stop the process.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-13

Hexadecimal to Decimal
To convert hexadecimal to decimal following steps are involved
Step 1 – Multiply each digit of hexadecimal number with powers of 16.
Step 2 – These powers should be positive for integral part and negative for fractional part.
Step 3 – Add the all multiplying digits.
computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-14

Computer Codes
In computer, any characters like alphabet, digit or any special character is represented by collection of l’s and 0’s in a unique coded pattern. In computers, the code is made up of fixed size groups of binary positions. The binary coding schemes that are most commonly used are as follows

Binary Coded Decimal (BCD)
It is a number system where four bits are used to represent each decimal digits. BCD is a method of using binary digits to represent the decimal digits (0-9). In BCD system, there is no limit on size of a number.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
These are standard character codes used to store data so that it may be used by other software programs. Basically, ASCII codes are of two types which as follows

  • ASCII-7 It is a 7-bit standard ASCII code. It allows 27 = 128 (from 0 to 127) unique symbols.
  • ASCII-8 It is a extended version of ASCII-7. It is an 8-bit code, allows 28 = 256 (0 to 255) unique symbols or characters.

Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)
In EBCDIC, characters are represented by eight bits. These codes store information which is readable by other computers. It allows 28 = 256 combinations of bits.

QUESTION BANK

1. A hexadecimal number is represented by

  1. three digits
  2. four binary digits
  3. four digits
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

2. Decimal number system is the group of

  1. 0 or 1
  2. 0 to 9
  3. 0 to 7
  4. 0 to 9 and A to F
  5. None of these

3. Hexadecimal number system has ……….

  1. 2
  2. 8
  3. 10
  4. 16
  5. None of these

4. Hexadecimal number system consists of

  1. 0 to 9
  2. A to F
  3. Both ‘1’ and ‘2’
  4. Either ‘1’ or ‘2’
  5. Neither ‘1’ nor ‘2’

5. Which of the following statements is true?

  1. 1 gigabyte is equivalent to 1024 kilobyte
  2. Mb stands for megabyte
  3. Octal number system having 8 digits
  4. Decimal number system cannot contain binary digits
  5. None of the above

6. The number system based on ‘0’ and ‘1′ only, is known as

  1. binary system
  2. barter system
  3. number system
  4. hexadecimal system
  5. special system

7. What is the value of the binary number 101?

  1. 3
  2. 5
  3. 6
  4. 101
  5. 7

8. Which of the following is octal number equivalent to binary number (110101)2 ?

  1. 12
  2. 65
  3. 56
  4. 1111
  5. 00

9. Which of the following is hexadecimal number equivalent to binary number (1111 1001 )2?

  1. 9F
  2. FF
  3. 99
  4. F9
  5. FC

10. Which of the following is a binary number equivalent to octal number (.431)2?

  1. (100011001)2
  2. (.100011001)2
  3. (100110100)2
  4. (.100110001)2
  5. (1000.11001)2

11. Which of the following is an octal number equal to decimal number (896)10?

  1. 0061
  2. 6001
  3. 1006
  4. 1600
  5. 0601

12. Which of the following is invalid hexadecimal number?

  1. A0XB
  2. A0F6
  3. 4568
  4. ACDB
  5. 60AC

13. Which of the following is a hexadecimal number equal to 3431 octal number?

  1. 197
  2. 917
  3. 791
  4. 971
  5. 719

14. There are how many types of number system?

  1. One
  2. Two
  3. Three
  4. Four
  5. Five

15. How many values can be represented by a single byte?

  1. 4
  2. 16
  3. 64
  4. 256
  5. 512

16. Modern computers represent characters and numbers internally using one of the following number systems.

  1. Penta
  2. Octal
  3. Hexa
  4. Septa
  5. Binary

17. Which of the following is not a computer code?

  1. EBCDIC
  2. ASCII
  3. CISC
  4. UNICODE
  5. None of these

18. The coding system allows non-english characters and special characters to be represented

  1. ASCII
  2. UNICODE
  3. EBCDIC
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

19. MSD refers as

  1. Most Significant Digit
  2. Many Significant Digit
  3. Multiple Significant Digit
  4. Most Significant Decimal
  5. None of the above

20. Binary system is also called

  1. base one system
  2. base two system
  3. base system
  4. binary system
  5. None of these

21. The negative numbers in the binary system can be represented by

  1. Sign magnitude
  2. 1’s compliment
  3. 2’s compliment
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

22. Today’s mostly used coding system is/are

  1. ASCII
  2. EBCDIC
  3. BCD
  4. Both ‘1’ and ‘2’
  5. All of these

23. (1010)2 equivalent decimal number is

  1. 8
  2. 9
  3. 10
  4. 11
  5. 12

24. The digits of the binary system are called

  1. bytes
  2. bits
  3. nibbles
  4. number
  5. None of these

25. Data representation is based on the……….. number system, which uses two numbers to represent all data.

  1. binary
  2. biometric
  3. bicentennial
  4. byte
  5. None of these

26. Conversion of decimal number (42)10 to its octal number equivalent is

  1. (57)8
  2. (42)8
  3. (47)8
  4. (52)8
  5. None of these

27. Most commonly used codes for representing bits are

  1. ASCII
  2. BCD
  3. EBCDIC
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

28. Determine the octal equivalent of (432267 )10

  1. (432267 )8
  2. (346731)8
  3. (2164432)8
  4. (123401)8
  5. None of these

29. The method used for the conversion of octal to decimal fraction is

  1. digit is divided by-8
  2. digit is multiplied by the corresponding power of 8
  3. digit is added with-8
  4. digit is subtracted with-8
  5. None of the above

30. Conversion of decimal number (99)10 to its binary number equivalent is

  1. (1100011)2
  2. (100011)2
  3. (1110001)2
  4. (1111000)2
  5. None of these

31. Conversion of octal number(3137)8 to its decimal equivalent is

  1. (1631)10
  2. (1632)10
  3. (1531)10
  4. (1931)10
  5. None of these

32. LSD stands for

  1. Long Significant Digit
  2. Least Significant Digit
  3. Large Significant Digit
  4. Longer Significant Decimal
  5. None of the above

33. Determine the decimal equivalent of (456)8

  1. (203)10
  2. (302)10
  3. (400)10
  4. (402)10
  5. None of these

34. Conversion of decimal number (93)10 to hexadecimal number is

  1. (2D)16
  2. (5D)16
  3. (62)16
  4. (31)16
  5. None of these

35. Numbers that are written with base 10 are classified as

  1. decimal number
  2. whole number
  3. hexadecimal number
  4. exponential integers
  5. Mantissa

36. To convert binary number to decimal, multiply the all binary digits by power of

  1. 0
  2. 2
  3. 4
  4. 6
  5. 8

37. Conversion of decimal number (15)10 to hexadecimal number is

  1. (14)16
  2. (13)16
  3. (F)16
  4. (7F)16
  5. (FF6)

38. Code ‘EBCDIC’ that is used in computing stands for

  1. Extension of BCD information code
  2. Extended of BCD interchange code
  3. Extension of BCD interchange conduct
  4. Extended BCD information conduct
  5. None of the above

39. In EBCDIC code, maximum possible characters set size is

  1. 356
  2. 756
  3. 556
  4. 256
  5. 156

40. To perform calculation on stored data computer uses……………. number system.

  1. decimal
  2. hexadecimal
  3. octal
  4. binary
  5. None of these

41. In the binary language, each letter of the alphabet, each number and each special character is made up of a unique combination of

  1. 8 bytes
  2. 8 KB
  3. 8 character
  4. 8 bits
  5. None of these

42. What type of information system would be recognized by digital circuits?

  1. Hexadecimal system
  2. Binary system
  3. Both ‘1’ and ‘2’
  4. Only roman system
  5. None of the above

43. Which of the following is an example of binary number?                          [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. 6AH1
  2. 100101
  3. 005
  4. ABCD
  5. 23456

44. Which of the following is not a binary number?                              [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. 001
  2. 101
  3. 202
  4. 110
  5. 011

45. The octal system [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. needs less digits to represent a number than in the binary system
  2. needs more digits to represent a number than in the binary system
  3. needs the same number of digits to represent a number as in the binary system
  4. needs the same number of digits to represent a number as in the decimal system
  5. None of the above

46.The most widely used code that represents each character as a unique 8-bit code is [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. ASCII
  2. UNICODE
  3. BCD
  4. EBCDIC
  5. None of these

47. Conversion of binary number (1001001)2 to hexadecimal is                             [SBI PO 2011]

  1. (40)15
  2. (39)16
  3. (49)16
  4. (42)16
  5. None of these

48. Conversion of binary number (101110)2 to hexadecimal is                             [SBI PO 2011]

  1. (35)16
  2. (46)16
  3. (2E )16
  4. (50)16
  5. None of these

49. Decimal equivalent of (1111)2 is  [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. 11
  2. 10
  3. 1
  4. 15
  5. 13

50. The binary equivalent of decimal number 98 is                                            [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. 1110001
  2. 1110100
  3. 1100010
  4. 1111001
  5. None of these

51. A hexadigit can be represented by  [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. three binary (consecutive) bits
  2. four binary (consecutive) bits
  3. eight binary (consecutive) bits
  4. sixteen binary (consecutive) bits
  5. None of the above

52. Conversion of decimal number (71)10 to its binary number equivalent is [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. (110011)2
  2. (1110011)2
  3. (0110011)2
  4. (1000111)2
  5. None of these

53. Conversion of decimal number (61)10 to its binary number equivalent is [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. (110011)2
  2. (11001110)2
  3. (111101)2
  4. (11111)2
  5. None of these

54. Computer uses the……………. number system to store data and perform calculations [IBPS Clerk 2013]

  1. binary
  2. octal
  3. decimal
  4. hexadecimal
  5. None of these

55. ASCH stands for [IBPS Clerk 2011,2014]

  1. American Special Computer for Information Interaction
  2. American Standard Computer for Information Interchange
  3. American Special Code for Information Interchange
  4. American Special Computer for Information Interchange
  5. American Standard Code for Information Interchange

56. A device that converts from decimal to binary number is known as  [IBPS Clerk 2014]

  1. instructor
  2. decoder
  3. AND gate
  4. converter
  5. decoder

57. Which of the following is not a binary number?        [IBPS Clerk 2014]

  1. 11101
  2. 110
  3. 233
  4. 1001
  5. 100110

58. Which of the following is a binary number ? [SBI Clerk 2014]

  1. 36
  2. 10
  3. 45
  4. 29
  5. 12

ANSWERS

computer-awareness-study-material-data-representation-15

Computer Awareness Study Material – Computer Memory

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Computer Awareness Study Material – Computer Memory

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The computer memory is one of the most important elements in a computer system. It stores data and instructions required during the processing of data and output results. Storage may be required for a limited period of time, instantly or for an extended period of time. It also relates to many devices that are responsible for storing data on a temporary or a permanent basis.

Memory Hierarchy
The hierarchical arrangement of storage in current computer architectures is called the memory hierarchy. The computer uses a hierarchy of memory that is organised in a manner to enable the fastest speed and largest capacity of memory as shown in figure.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-memory-1

Parameters of Memory
Some related parameters of memory are as follows

  1. Storage Capacity It is representative of the size of memory. The capacity of internal memory and main memory can be expressed in terms of number of words or bytes.
  2. Access Modes A memory is comprised of various memory locations. The information from these memory locations can be accessed randomly, sequentially and directly.
  3. Access Time The access time is the time required between the desired modes for a read or write operation till the data is made available or written at the desired location.
  4. Physical Characteristics In this respect, the devices can be categorised into four main categories as electronic, magnetic, mechanical and optical.
  5. Permanence of Storage Its permanence is high for future use in magnetic materials.

Types of Memory
In general, the memory is classified into two categories as follows

  1. Primary memory or Main memory
  2. Secondary memory or Auxiliary memory

Primary Memory
The memory unit that communicates directly with the CPU is called main memory or the internal memory. The primary memory allows the computer to store data for immediate manipulation and to keep track of what is currently being processed.
It is volatile in nature, it means that when the power is turned OFF, the contents of the primary memory are lost forever.

Primary memory can be further classified in two categories which are as follows
Random Access Memory
It is also known as read/write memory, that allows CPU to read as well as write data and instructions into it. RAM (Random Access Memory) is used for the temporary storage of input data, output data and intermediate results. There are two categories of RAM as follows

  • Dynamic RAM (DRAM) It is made up of memory cells where each cell is composed of one capacitor and one transistor. DRAM must be refreshed continually to store information. DRAM is slower, less- expensive and occupies less space on the computer’s motherboard.
  • Static RAM (SRAM) It retains the data as long as power is provided to the memory chip.

It needs not be refreshed periodically. SRAM uses multiple transistors for each memory cell. It does not use capacitor. SRAM is often used as cache memory due to its high speed. SRAM is more expensive than DRAM.

Cache Memory
It is a storage buffer that stores the data which is used more often, temporarily and makes them available to ; CPU at a fast rate.
Cache memory is a very high speed memory placed in between RAM and CPU. It increases the speed of processing.
Cache memory is very expensive, so it is smaller in size. Generally, computers have cache memory of sizes 256 KB to 2 MB.

Read Only Memory
It is also known as non-volatile memory or permanent storage. It does not lose its content when the power is switched OFF. ROM (Read Only Memory) has only read capability, no write capability.
ROM can have data and instructions written to it only one time. Once a ROM chip is programmed at the time of manufacturing, it cannot be reprogrammed or rewritten.

There are three categories of ROM as follow

  • Programmable ROM (PROM) It is also non-volatile in nature. Once a PROM has been programmed, its contents can never be changed. It is one-time programmable device. PROMs are manufactured blank and can be programmed at buffer, final test or in system.
    These types of memories are found in video game consoles, mobile phones, implantable medical devices and high definition multimedia interfaces.
  • Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM) It is similar to PROM, but it can be erased by exposure to strong ultraviolet light, then rewritten.
    So, it is also known as Ultraviolet Erasable Programmable ROM (UVEPROM).
  • Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM) It is similar to EPROM, but it can be erased electrically, then rewritten electrically and the burning process is reversible by exposure to electric pulses. It is the most flexible type of ROM, and is now commonly used for holding BIOS.

Secondary Memory
This memory stores much larger amounts of data and information for extended periods of time. Data in secondary memory cannot be processed directly by the CPU, it must first be copied into primary storage, i.e. RAM.
Secondary storage is used to store data and programs when they are not being processed. It is also non-volatile in nature. Due to this, the data remain in the secondary storage as long as it is not overwritten or deleted by the user. It is a permanent storage, i.e. device.
Secondary memory devices include as follows
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-memory-4

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
It is a non-volatile, random access digital data storage device. HDD is a data storage device used for storing and retrieving digital information using rotating disks (platters) coated with magnetic material. All programs of a computer are installed in hard disk.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-memory-2
It consists of a spindle that holds non-magnetic flat circular disks, called platters, which hold the recorded data. Each platter requires two read/write heads, that are used to write and read the information from a platter.
All the read/write heads are attached to a single access arm so that they cannot move independently.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-memory-3
The information is recorded in bands; each band of information is called a track. Each platter has the same number of tracks and a track location that cuts across all platters is called a cylinder.
The tracks are divided into pie-shaped sections known as sectors.

Floppy Disk (Diskette)
It is used to store data but it can store small amount of data and it is slower to access than hard disks. Floppy disk round in shape and a thin plastic disk coated with iron oxide. Data is retrieved or recorded on the surface of the disk through a slot on the envelope. Floppy disk is removable from the drive. Floppy disk is available in three sizes; 8 inch, 5 — inch and 3 – inch.

Magnetic Tape
These tapes are made of a plastic film-type material coated with magnetic materials to store data permanently. Data can be read as well as recorded. It is usually 12.5 mm to 25 mm wide and 500 m to 1200 m long. These can store data in a sequential manner.
The data stored in magnetic tape is in the form of tiny segments of magnetised and demagnetised portion on the surface of the material. Magnetic tapes are durable, can be written, erased and re-written. Magnetic tapes hold the maximum data, which can be accessed sequentially.

Compact Disk
It is the most popular and the least expensive type of optical disk. A CD (Compact Disk) is capable of being used as a data storage device alongwith storing of digital audio. The files are stored on this particular contiguous sectors.
CDs are categorised into three main types as follows

  • CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory)
  • CD-R (Compact Disk- Recordable)
  • CD-RW (Compact Disk- Rewritable)

Digital Video Disk
DVD is also known as Super Density Disk (SDD) or Digital Versatile Disk (DVD). A DVD (Digital Video Disk) is an optical disk storage media manufactured by Philips, Sony, Toshiba and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than compact disks while having the same dimensions.
Depending upon the disk type, DVD can store several Gigabytes of data (4.7 GB-17.08 GB).
DVDs are primarily used to store music or 6 movies and can be played back on your television or the computer too. They are not rewritable media.
DVDs come in three varieties as follows

  • DVD-ROM(Digital Video Disk-Read Only Memory)
  • DVD-R (DVD-Recordable)
  • DVD-RW (DVD-Rewritable)

The rate at which data is written to disk or +;   read from disk is called data transfer rate.
GQ Root directory is the main folder of disk. It 4j contains information about all folders on the ill disk.
Hard disk is a fixed disk, i.e. cannot be t removed from the drive.

Blu-ray Disk
It is an optical disk storage medium designed to recapture the data normally in DVD format. Blu-ray disks (BD) contain 25 GB (23.31 GB) per layer space. The name Blu-ray disk refers to the blue laser used to read the disk, which allows information to be stored at a greater density than the longer- wavelength red laser used in DVDs. Blu-ray can hold almost 5 times more data than a single layer DVD.
The variations in the formats are as follows

  • BD-ROM (Read only)
  • BD-R (Recordable)
  • BD-RW (Rewritable)
  • BD-RE (Rewritable)

Pen/Thumb Drive
Pen drive is also known as flash drive. A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory (key memory) with a portable USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface. USB flash drives are typically removable, rewritable and much smaller than a floppy disk.
Today, flash drives are available in various storage capacities as 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, 4GB, 16GB upto 64 GB. They are widely used as an easy and small medium to transfer and store the information from their computer.

Memory Cards
These are the data storage devices in a clip shaped which can store the data in it. They are commonly used in many electronic devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop computers.
They are small, re-recordable, easily portable and very light weighted.
Secondary Memory Device and their Storage Method and Capacity

Secondary
Memory Device		 Storage
Method		 Capacity
Floppy Disk (5.25 inch) Magnetic 1.2 MB
Floppy Disk (3.5 inch) Magnetic 1.44 MB
Floppy Disk (8 inch) Magnetic 80 KB to 242 KB
CD-ROM Optical 640 MB to 680 MB
DVD-ROM Optical 4.7 GB to 17 GB
Pen Drive Solid State 1GB to 512 GB
Magnetic Tape Magnetic upto 1 TB

Basic Units of Memory Measurements

1 Bit =       Binary Digit (o or 1)
8 Bits =        1 Byte = 2 Nibble
1024 Bytes =        1 KB (KiloByte)
1024 KB =        1 MB (MegaByte)
1024 MB =        1 GB(Giga Byte)
1024 GB =        1 TB(Tera Byte)
1024 TB =        1 PB(Peta Byte)
1024 PB =       1 EB(Exa Byte)
1024 EB =        1 ZB(Zetta Byte)
1024 ZB =        1 YB (Yotta Byte)
1024 YB =        1 (Bronto Byte)
1024 Brontobyte =        1 (Geop Byte)

QUESTION BANK

1. Which of the following can hold maximum data?

  1. Optical disk
  2. Floppy disk
  3. Magnetic disk inside
  4. Magnetic tape
  5. None of the above

2. Which storage device is mounted on ‘reels’?

  1. Floppy disk
  2. Hard disk
  3. Magnetic tapes
  4. CD-ROM
  5. None of these

3. Which of the following is not an access mode?

  1. Random
  2. Sequential
  3. Continuous
  4. Direct
  5. All of these

4. Frequently-accessed information is held in

  1. hard drive
  2. cache memory
  3. flash memory
  4. read only memory
  5. None of the above

5. In order to reproduce sound a compact disk (CD) audio player uses a

  1. quartz crystal
  2. titanium needle
  3. laser beam
  4. barium titanate ceramic
  5. None of the above

6. Unit of storage capacity is

  1. meters
  2. bit
  3. bus
  4. cubicmeter
  5. None of these

7. Which of the following is nd’t a ROM?

  1. PROM
  2. EPROM
  3. EEPROM
  4. EDPROM
  5. None of these

8. Dynamic RAM consumes ………. power and ………. than static RAM.

  1. more, faster
  2. more, slower
  3. less, slower
  4. less, faster
  5. None of the above

9. Magnetic tape is not practical for applications where data must be quickly recalled because tape is

  1. a random access medium
  2. a sequential access medium
  3. a read only medium
  4. fragile and easily damaged
  5. an expensive storage medium

10. 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

11. 1 mega byte is equal to

  1. 1000 KB
  2. 1024 kb
  3. 1024 KB
  4. 1000 kb
  5. 1 million bits

12. ………. is the smallest memory measurement unit.

  1. Bit
  2. Nibble
  3. Byte
  4. Mega
  5. Zetta

13. The highest unit of information, computer can understand and process, is known as a

  1. exa byte
  2. zetta byte
  3. yotta byte
  4. bronto byte
  5. geop byte

14. The size of any word/number in a computer is measured in

  1. bits
  2. bytes
  3. meter
  4. litre
  5. None of these

15. Which of the following statements is valid?

  1. 1 KB = 1024 bits
  2. 1 MB = 2048 bits
  3. 1 MB = 1000 kilobits
  4. 1 KB = 1000 bytes
  5. 1 MB = 1024 kilobits

16. A collection of 8 binary digits 0’s or l’s in a string format is known as

  1. bit
  2. byte
  3. kilobyte
  4. kilobit
  5. megabyte

17. All of the following are examples of storage devices except.

  1. Hard disk drives
  2. Printers
  3. Floppy disk drive
  4. Drives
  5. None of these

18. Permanent instructions that the computer uses when it is turned ON and that cannot be changed by other instructions are contained in

  1. ROM
  2. RAM
  3. ALU
  4. SRAM
  5. None of these

19. Which is representative of the size of the memory?

  1. Storage capacity
  2. Access modes
  3. Access time
  4. Permanence storage
  5. Physical storage

20. Which of the following storage media provides sequential access only?

  1. Floppy disk
  2. Magnetic disk
  3. Magnetic tape
  4. Optical disk
  5. None of these

21. On a CD-RW you can

  1. read and write information
  2. only read information
  3. only write information
  4. read, write and rewrite information
  5. None of the above

22. Internal storage is also called main

  1. memory
  2. area
  3. screen
  4. unit
  5. None of these

23. What is called the permanent memory built into your computer?

  1. RAM
  2. ROM
  3. CPU
  4. CD-ROM
  5. None of these

24. An area of computer that temporarily holds data waiting to be processed is

  1. CPU
  2. memory
  3. storage
  4. file t.
  5. None of these

25. Data on a floppy disk is recorded in rings called

  1. sectors
  2. ringers
  3. rounders
  4. tracks
  5. segments

26. Tape drive provides ………. access to data.

  1. timely
  2. sporadic
  3. random
  4. sequential
  5. None of these

27. Where is data saved permanently?

  1. Memory
  2. Storage
  3. CPU
  4. Printer
  5. None of these

28. How many bits make a half byte?

  1. 2
  2. 4
  3. 6
  4. 8
  5. None of these

29. A track location that cuts across all platters is called a

  1. cylinder
  2. spindle
  3. diskette
  4. platters
  5. sectors

30. The concentric circles on the floppy disk are further divided into

  1. tracks
  2. sectors
  3. cylinders
  4. circles
  5. None of these

31. Which of the following storage devices can be used for storing large backup data?

  1. Floppy disk
  2. Hard disk
  3. Magnetic tape
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

32. Which statement is correct?

  1. Directories can be kept inside a file
  2. Files cannot be kept inside a directory
  3. 1 millisec = 103 sec
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

33. Which of the following is not an example of storage device?

  1. CD
  2. Floppy
  3. Hard disk
  4. RAM
  5. DVD

34. Today the common form of RAM is built with

  1. transistors
  2. vacuum tubes
  3. semi conductors ICs
  4. super conductors ICs
  5. None of the above

35. The advantage of DRAM is

  1. it is cheaper than SRAM
  2. it can store more than that of SRAM
  3. it is faster than SRAM
  4. data can be erased easily in it as compared to SRAM
  5. None of the above

36. Where do you save the data that, 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 the above

37. Which of the following is a correct definition of volatile memory?

  1. It does retain its contents at high temperatures
  2. It is to be kept in air-tight boxes
  3. It loses its contents on failure of power supply
  4. It does not lose its contents on failure of power supply
  5. None of the above

38. One thousand bytes represent a

  1. megabyte
  2. gigabyte
  3. kilobyte
  4. terabyte
  5. None of these

39. Which of the following is/are example(s) of magnetic storage media?

  1. Zip disk
  2. CD-ROM
  3. Floppy disk
  4. DVD
  5. Both ‘1’ and ‘3’

40. Which of the following has the largest storage capacity for removable media?

  1. Floppy disk
  2. CD-ROM
  3. DVD
  4. Partitioned space
  5. None of the above

41. When you turn ON the computer, the boot routine will perform

  1. RAM test
  2. disk drive test
  3. memory test
  4. power-on self test
  5. None of these

42. A flat metallic disk that contains a large amount of permanently stored information read optically, is called a

  1. monitor
  2. ALU
  3. CD-ROM
  4. RAM
  5. None of these

43. 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

44. The term bit is short for [SBI Clerk 2009]

  1. megabyte
  2. binary language
  3. binary digit
  4. binary number
  5. None of these

45. The term……. refers to data storage systems that make it possible for a computer or electronic device to store and retrieve data.  [SBI PO 2010]

  1. retrival technology
  2. input technology
  3. output technology
  4. storage technology
  5. None of these

46. The primary device that a computer uses to store information is [Punjab & Sind Bank Clerk 2010]

  1. TV
  2. storehouse
  3. desk
  4. hard drive
  5. None of these

47. A removable magnetic disk that holds information is                      [SBI PO 2010]

  1. floppy disk
  2. hard drive
  3. monitor
  4. portable
  5. None of these

48. Which of the following is an example of optical disk? [Allahabad Bank PO 2011]

  1. Digital versatile disks
  2. Magnetic disks
  3. Memory disks
  4. Data bus disks
  5. None of the above

49. The CD-ROM drive is used to [Allahabad Bank PO 2011]

  1. play compact disks
  2. play music
  3. install software
  4. control digital information
  5. None of the above

50. Information stored in RAM need to be  [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. check
  2. refresh periodically
  3. modify
  4. detecting errors
  5. None of these

51. The storage device used to compensate for the difference in rates of flow of data from one device to another is termed as [SBI PO 2011]

  1. chip
  2. channel
  3. floppy
  4. call
  5. buffer

52. Virtual memory is [SBI Clerk 2011]

  1. an extremely large main memory
  2. an extremely large secondary memory
  3. an illusion of extremely large main memory
  4. a type of memory used in super computers
  5. None of the above

53. The computer abbreviation KB usually means     [IBPS PO 2011]

  1. keyblock
  2. kernelboot
  3. keybyte
  4. ketbit
  5. kilobyte

54. A byte can represent any number between 0 and     [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. 2
  2. 255
  3. 256
  4. 1024
  5. 1025

55. The term ‘gigabyte’ refers to [IBPS PO 2012]

  1. 1024 bytes
  2. 1024 kilobytes
  3. 1024 megabytes
  4. 1024 gigabytes
  5. None of these

56. Which of the following memory chip is faster? [SBI Clerk 2012]

  1. There is no certainty
  2. DRAM
  3. SRAM
  4. RAM
  5. None of these

57. Cache and main memory will not be able to hold their contents when the power is OFF. They are  [Allahabad Bank PO 2012]

  1. dynamic
  2. static
  3. volatile
  4. non-volatile
  5. faulty

58. Full form of MB is [SBI Clerk 2012]

  1. microbytes
  2. megabytes
  3. minibytes
  4. millibytes
  5. kilobit

59. Memory is made up of [SBI Clerk 2012]

  1. set of wires
  2. set of circuits
  3. large number of cells
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

60. Floppy disks are organised as [IBPS PO 2012]

  1. files
  2. heads and folders
  3. tracks and sectors
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

61. ………. is the ability of a device to ‘jump’ directly to the requested data. [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. Sequential access
  2. Random access
  3. Quick access
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

62. The ……. is the amount of data that a storage device can move from the storage to the computer per second.  [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. data migration rate
  2. data digitising rate
  3. data transfer rate
  4. data access rate
  5. None of the above

63. Both the ALU and control section have special purpose storage locations, called   [SSC CHSL 2012]

  1. address
  2. registers
  3. accumulators
  4. bus

64. The capacity of 3.5 inch floppy disk is   [SBI Clerk 2012]

  1. 1.40 MB
  2. 1.44 GB
  3. 1.40 GB
  4. 1.45 MB
  5. 1.44 MB

65. Where are programs and data to be used by the computer available? [SSC FCI 2012]

  1. Processing unit
  2. Output
  3. Storage
  4. Input

66………… acts as temporary high speed holding area between the memory and the CPU thereby improving processing capabilities. [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. ROM
  2. RAM
  3. Temporary memory
  4. Cache memory
  5. Flash memory

67. How many bytes are there in one gigabyte?  [SSC FCI 2012]

  1. 103 bytes
  2. 106 bytes
  3. 109 bytes
  4. 1012 bytes

68. Which of the following is the smallest measure of storage?           [SBI Clerk 2012]

  1. Terra byte
  2. Gigabyte
  3. Kilobyte
  4. Megabyte
  5. Byte

69. A byte is a collection of [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. four bits
  2. six bits
  3. eight bits
  4. ten bits
  5. twelve bits

70. Kilobyte equals to how many bytes?   [SBI Clerk 2012]

  1. 1000
  2. 1035
  3. 100
  4. 1008
  5. 1024

71. Which of the following statements is/are true?                [RBI Grade B 2012]

  1. Cache memories are bigger than RAM
  2. Cache memories are smaller than RAM
  3. ROM are faster than RAM
  4. Information in ROM can be written by users
  5. None of the above

72. What is the main folder on a storage device [RBI Grade B 2012]

  1. Root directory
  2. Interface
  3. Device driver
  4. Platform
  5. Main directory

73. DVD refers to [SSC MTS 2013]

  1. Digital Video Developer
  2. Digital Video Device
  3. Digital Video Disk
  4. None of the above

74. USB refers to [SSC MTS 2013]

  1. a storage device
  2. a processor
  3. a port type
  4. a serial bus standard

75. A disk’s content that is recorded at the time of manufacture and that cannot be changed or erased by the user is [IBPS Clerk 2013]

  1. memory-only
  2. write-only
  3. once-only
  4. run-only
  5. read-only

76. The ………… indicates how much data a particular storage medium can hold. [IBPS Clerk 2013]

  1. storage
  2. access
  3. capacity
  4. memory
  5. None of these

77. A directory within a directory is called  …………  [IBPS Clerk 2013]

  1. mini directory
  2. junior directory
  3. sub directory
  4. part directory
  5. None of these

78. Storage media such as CD read and write information using…….. [RBI Grade B 2014]

  1. a laser beam of red light
  2. magnetic dots
  3. magnetic strips
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

79. CD-ROM is an example of    [RBI Grade B 2014]

  1. input device
  2. output device
  3. Both input & output
  4. pointing device
  5. None of the above

80. The hard drive is normally located  [SBI PO 2014]

  1. next to the printer
  2. plugged into the back of the computer
  3. underneath the monitor
  4. on top of the CD-ROM
  5. inside the system base unit

81. A DVD is an example of a(n) [SBI Clerk 2014]

  1. optical device
  2. output device
  3. hard disk
  4. solid state storage device
  5. None of these

82. Which of the following is correct sequence of smallest to largest unit of storage size?  [SBI PO 2014]

  1. Petabyte, Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terabyte
  2. Kilobyte, Megabyte, Terabyte, Petabyte, Gigabyte
  3. Megabyte, Terabyte, Gigabyte, Kilobyte, Petabyte
  4. Kilobyte, Megabyte, Petabyte, Terabyte, Gigabyte
  5. Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terabyte, Petabyte

83. Which is not a storage device? [SBI PO 2013, 14, IBPS Clerk 2014]

  1. Floppy Disk
  2. Printer
  3. DVD
  4. Hard Disk
  5. CD

84. The most common storage device for the personal computer is the [SBI Clerk 2014]

  1. floppy disk
  2. USB personal computer
  3. mainframe
  4. a laptop
  5. None of the above

85. The thick, rigid metal plotters that are capable of retrieving information at a high rate of speed are known as [SBI Clerk 2014]

  1. hard disks
  2. SAN
  3. soft disks
  4. flash memory
  5. None of these

86. A‘bit’refers to [SBI Clerk 2014]

  1. a form of storage
  2. a value equal to a kilobyte
  3. a value equal to a megabyte
  4. the smallest unit of digital information
  5. the same things as a pixel

87. Hard disk devices are considered  ……….. storage.       [SBI Clerk 2014]

  1. flash
  2. temporary
  3. worthless
  4. non-volatile
  5. non-permanent

88. Which of the following are advantages of CD-ROM as a storage media? [RBI Grade B 2014]

  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 to
  3. CD-ROMs make less errors than magnetic media
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

89. ………….. is approximately a million bytes. [SBI PO 2014]

  1. gigabyte
  2. kilobyte
  3. megabyte
  4. terabyte
  5. None of these

90. Virtual memory allocates hard disk space to supplement the immediate, functional memory capacity of what?               [SBI PO 2014]

  1. ROM
  2. EPROM
  3. The registers
  4. Extended memory
  5. RAM

91. ……… is having more memory addresses than are physically available. [SBI PO 2014]

  1. Virtual memory
  2. System software
  3. Application software
  4. RAM
  5. Vertical memory

92. What does the computer abbreviation ‘MB’ used for?    [IBPS Clerk 2014]

  1. Megabit
  2. Millionbytes
  3. Megabytes
  4. Millionbit
  5. Microbytes

93. The amount of memory (RAM or ROM) is    measured in                  [SBI PO 2014]

  1. bytes
  2. bits
  3. megabytes
  4. megabits
  5. hertz

94. Which media has the ability to have data/information stored (written) on them by users more than once?[RBI Grade B 2014]

  1. CD-R disks
  2. CD-RW disks
  3. Zip disks
  4. Opti disks
  5. CD-RW disks and Zip disks

95. Volatility is a property of [RBI Grade B 2014]

  1. computer networks
  2. ROM
  3. disk
  4. software
  5. RAM

96. Which of the following is a temporary primary memory? [RBI Grade B 2014]

  1. PROM
  2. RAM
  3. ROM
  4. EPROM
  5. None of these

97. ‘FDD’ stands for [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. Floppy Drive Detector
  2. Floppy Drive Demodulator
  3. Floppy Disk Drive
  4. Floppy Demodulator Disk
  5. None of the above

98. Which type of memory gets lost when you switch OFF?                [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. ROM
  2. RAM
  3. Cache
  4. Dynamic
  5. Static

99. Which of the following has the smallest storage capacity?           [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. Zip disk
  2. Hard disk
  3. Floppy disk
  4. Data cartridge
  5. CD

100. Which of the following is the high speed memory which compensates the gap in speeds of processor and main memory? [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. Cache
  2. PROM
  3. EPROM
  4. SRAM
  5. None of these

101. Which of the following is not true about RAM? [IBPS PO 2015, IBPS Clerk 2014]

  1. RAM is the same as hard disk storage.
  2. RAM is a temporary storage area.
  3. RAM is volatile.
  4. RAM is a primary memory.
  5. Other than those given as options

102. The data storage hierarchy consists of  [IBPS PO 2015]

  1. Bits, Bytes, Records, Fields, Files and Databases
  2. Characters, Fields, Records, Files and Databases
  3. Bytes, Bits, Fields, Records, Files and Databases
  4. Bits, Bytes, Fields, Records, Files and Databases
  5. Other than those given as options

103. Which of the following is the largest unit of storage?       [SBI PO 2015]

  1. GB
  2. KB
  3. MB
  4. TB
  5. None of these

104. Decreasing the amount of space required to store data and programs is accomplished by [IBPS PO 2015]

  1. crashing
  2. disk caching
  3. RAID
  4. file compression
  5. other than those given as options

105. What is the difference between a CD-ROM and CD-RW?                    [IBPS PO 2015]

  1. They are the same—just two different terms used by different manufactures.
  2. A CD-ROM can be written to and a CD-RW cannot.
  3. Other than those given as options
  4. A CD-ROM holds more information than a CD-RW.
  5. A CD-RW can be written to but a CD-ROM can only be read from.

106. ……….. are used to measure both computer memory (RAM) and storage capacity of Floppy disks, CD-ROM drives and Hard drives.           [SBI Clerk 2015]

  1. Bytes
  2. Bites
  3. Octal numbers
  4. Hexadecimal numbers
  5. Binary numbers

107. What is the temporary storage memory chips that form the computers primary work space? The contents are lost if power is disrupted.            [SBI Clerk 2015]

  1. Outputs
  2. Windows
  3. ROM
  4. Hard drive memory
  5. RAM

108. Compact disk that can store approximately650-800 MB of data or 74-80 min of music are                [SBI Clerk 2015]

  1. zip disks
  2. 2 CD-ROM
  3. video cards
  4. pressing machines
  5. floppy diskettes

109. One nibble is equivalent to   [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. 2 bits
  2. 4 bits
  3. 8 bits
  4. 32 bits
  5. None of these

110. The most frequently used instructions of a computer program are likely to be fetched from     [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. the hard   disk
  2. cache memory
  3. RAM
  4. registers
  5. PROM

111. Why RAM is so called? [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. Because it is read and write memory
  2. Because it is a volatile memory
  3. Because it can be selected directly for storing and retrieving data and instructions of any location of chip
  4. Because it is a non-volatile memory
  5. None of the above

112. How many kilobytes make a megabyte? [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. 128
  2. 1024
  3. 256
  4. 512
  5. 64

113. The main directory of a disk is called the directory.                          [IBPS PO 2015]

  1. Network
  2. Folder
  3. Root
  4. Other than those given as options
  5. Program

114. When you first turn ON a computer, the CPU is preset to execute instructions stored in the      [IBPS PO 2015]

  1. RAM
  2. flash memory
  3. ROM
  4. CD-ROM
  5. ALU

115. Which of the following disks can be read only?                             [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. DVD-R
  2. DVD-ROM
  3. DVR-RW
  4. CD-R
  5. None of these

116. A …………… is approximately one billion bytes. [IBPS Clerk 2014, SBI PO 2015]

  1. kilobyte
  2. bit
  3. gigabyte
  4. megabyte
  5. None of the above

117. …….. is the process of dividing the disk into tracks and sectors.                     [ SBI PO 2015]

  1. Tracking
  2. Formatting
  3. Crashing
  4. Allotting
  5. None of the above

118. The clock rate of a processor is measured in [IBPS PO 2015]

  1. megabytes or gigabytes
  2. milliseconds
  3. megahertz or gigahertz
  4. nanoseconds
  5. microhertz

119. The difference between memory and storage is that memory is  …….. and storage is  ………                  [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. temporary; permanent
  2. permanent; temporary
  3. slow; fast
  4. non-volatile; volatile
  5. None of the above

120. Instructions and memory address are represented by                [IBPS Clerk 2015]

  1. character code
  2. binary codes
  3. binary word
  4. parity bit
  5. None of these

121. Expansion cards are inserted into

  1. slots [IBPS Clerk 2015]
  2. peripheral devices
  3. the CPU
  4. the back of the computer
  5. None of the above

122. Which among the following is another name for a gorup of 4 dits   [IBPS PO 2016]

  1. Nibble
  2. Byte
  3. Kilo Byte
  4. Mega Byte
  5. Peta Byte

123. How many bits are equal to one byte ?  [SSC CGL 2016]

  1. 8
  2. 6
  3. 7
  4. 2

ANSWERS

computer-awareness-study-material-computer-memory-5

Computer Awareness Study Material – Computer Hardware

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Computer Awareness Study Material – Computer Hardware

Computer Awareness Study MaterialBanking AwarenessMarketing Aptitude

Computer hardware refers to the physical components of a computer that can be seen and touched by the user. By the use of these hardware devices, it made very easy for the computer for processing its data, store and retrieve. Hardware is one of the basic and necessary part of a computer system. Computer hardware also includes communication bus, ports, input devices, output devices, etc.

Input Devices
An input device can be defined as an electro mechanical device that allows the user to feed data into the computer for analysis and storage and to give commands to the computer. The data is entered into the main memory through the input devices. They accept instructions from the user and convert the accepted instructions into the machine language.
Some of the commonly used input devices are described below

Keyboard
It is one of the most common input devices. The user can type text and command using this device. The layout of the keyboard was borrowed from the regular typewriter with some additional keys. Keyboard is used to enter data or information in a computer system, which may be in numeric form or alphabetic form.
When key is pressed, keyboard interacts with a keyboard controller and keyboard buffer.
Keyboard controller stores the code of pressed key in keyboard buffer. There are different types of keyboard such as QWERTY, DVORAK and AZERTY.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware-1

Types of Keys on Keyboard
The keys are categorised under the following groups

  • Alphanumeric Keys include the alphabet keys (A, B, C,…. Z) and number keys (0,1, 2, 3,9).
  • Numeric Keys are located at the right hand side of the keyboard. They consist of digits and mathematical operators.
  • Function Keys are the programmable keys, i.e. the programs can assign some specific actions. They are numbered from FI to F12.
  • Cursor Control Keys include four direc­tional (left, right, up, down) arrow keys that are arranged in a inverted T formation between the alphanumeric and numeric keypad. Above the arrow keys there are four more keys to control the cursor. These are as follows
  • Home It is used to return the cursor to the beginning of the line or the beginning of a document.
  • End It moves the cursor to the end of line.
  • Page Up When it is pressed, the page view will be moved up one page and cursor goes to the back page.
  • Page Down When it is pressed, the page view will be moved down one page and cursor goes to the next page.
  • Other Keys A keyboard contains some other keys such as follows
  • Control Key It performs a special operation with the combination of other keys.
  • Enter Key It is used to finish an entry and begin the new entry in a document.
  • Shift Key Some keys on the keyboard like numeric keys have a symbol printed on their upper portion. Shift key is used to print these symbols. There are two shift keys on a keyboard.
  • Escape Key (Esc) It allows a user to cancel or abort operations, which are executing at present. It opens Start menu with the combination of Ctrl key.
  • Backspace Key It is used to erase anything typed.
  • Delete Key It is used to erase information from the computer’s memory and characters on the screen.
  • Caps Lock Key It is used to type the alphabet in capital letters. It enables or disables all the letters from being typed in capital letters. When this key is enable, the alphabet would be in capital letters and when it is disabled, the alphabet would be in small letters.
  • Num Lock Key It is used to enable and disable the numeric keypad.
  • Windows Key It is used to open the Start Menu.
  • Spacebar Key It provides a space between two words. It is the longest key on the keyboard.
  • Tab Key It is used to move the cursor over to the right to a pre-set point. In Word document, tab is used to indent a paragraph.

Pointing Devices
A pointing device is used to communicate with the computer by pointing to the locations on the monitor. Movements of the pointing device are echoed on the screen by movements of the pointer. Some commonly used pointing devices are mouse, trackball, joystick, light pen, touch screen, etc.
Some of them are as follows

Mouse
It is a small handheld device having two buttons on its upper side and also has a small wheel between these buttons. It is a pointing device which provides a means to input data and commands in graphic form by selecting through moving an arrow called pointer on monitor. The mouse may be used to position the cursor on !   screen, move an object by dragging or select an object by clicking.
There are three types of mouse as follows

  • Wireless mouse
  • Mechanical mouse
  • Optical mouse

There are four actions of mouse as follows

  • Click or Left Click It selects an item on the screen.
  • Double Click It is used to open a document or program.
  • Right Click It displays a list of commands on the screen. Right clicking is used to access the properties of selected object.
  • Drag and Drop It is used to move an item on the screen.

Trackball
It is another pointing device which is an alternative to a mouse.
Trackball is also used to control cursor movements and the actions on a computer screen. It is generally built in laptop, since there is no space for the mouse to move on the laptop. Trackball is used on CAD/CAM workstations and sometimes seen on computerised special purpose workstations such as radar consoles in an air-traffic control room and sonar equipment on a ship or submarine.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware2

Joystick
It is a device that moves in all directions and controls the movement of the cursor. Joysticks are used in flight simulators, CAD/ CAM system, etc.
A joystick is similar to a mouse except that the movement of cursor on screen stops working as soon as user stop moving the mouse. But with a joystick, the pointer continues moving in the previously pointing direction.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware-3

Light Pen
It is a handheld electro-optical pointing device, which is used for making drawings, graphics and for menu selection. The pen contains a photocell in a small tube. It senses the light from the screen when it becomes closer and generates a pulse. It is used to especially in Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). It is very useful in identifying a specific location on the screen. However, it does not provide any information when it held over a blank part of the screen.

Touch Screen
It is an input device that accepts input when the user places a fingertip on the computer screen. Touch screens have an infrared beam that criss-cross the surface of screen. The ability to interact directly with a display typically indicates the presence of a touch screen. Touch screen is generally used in applications like ATM, hospitals, airline reservation, supermarkets, etc.

Digitizers and Graphic Tablets
Graphic tablets have special commands to convert drawings, photos, etc to digital signal. It allows artists to create handmade images and graphical images with motion Graphic Tablet and action.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware-4

Barcode Reader
It is an input device used for reading printed barcodes (Universal Product Code) available on product to be sold. A barcode reader emits a beam of light which reflects off the barcode image. A light sensitive detector in the barcode reader identifies the barcode image by recognising special bars at both the ends of the image.
Once code is identified, it is converted into a numeric code. A perfect example of a barcode reader, use in a super market where barcode scanner reads the price of a product.
A barcode is a machine readable representation of information in the form of stripes of dark and light ink.

Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
OMR is the process of detecting the presence of intended marked responses. OMR is mainly used to detect marks on a paper. It uses a beam of light that is reflected on the paper with marks, to capture presence and absence of data (marks).
The OMR reader interprets the pattern of marks into a data record and sends this to the computer for storage, analysis and reporting. OMR is widely used to read the answer of objective type tests, voting applications and other evaluation studies.

computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware-5
Optical Character Reader (OCR)
OCR is a technique for the scanning of a printed page, translating it and then using the OCR software to recognise the image as ASCII text that is editable. It translates the array of dots into text that the computer can interpret as words and letters. OCR is widely used technique for acquiring the textual data from image. It is used in many applications such as telephone bills, electricity bills, insurance premium, etc.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware-6

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)
MICR reads the characters by examining their shapes in a matrix form and the information is then passed on to the computer. The characters are printed using a special ink, which contains iron particles that can be magnetised.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware-7                                                                                           Cheque Format
It is generally used in banks to process the cheques for recognising the magnetic encoding numbers printed at the bottom of a cheque.

Smart Card Reader
It is a device which is used to access the microprocessor of a smart card. There are two kinds of smart cards; Memory cards and Microprocessor cards. Memory cards are the cards which contain only non-volatile memory storage components and some specific security logic. Microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made-up of plastic, generally PVC. Smart cards are used in large companies and organisations for stronger security authentication.

Biometric Sensor
It is a device which recognises physical or behavioural traits of the individual. Biometric sensors are mainly used for the security purpose and for marking attendance of employees/students in organisations/institutions. As biometric sensors are working with accuracy so these are widely used in security purpose also.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware-8

Scanner
It is used to convert the data and image on paper into the digital form. Scanner is an optical input device and uses light as an input source to convert an image into an electronic form that can be stored on the computer. Scanners can be used for storing the documents in their original form that can be modified and manipulated later on.
The most common types of scanners are as follows

  • Handheld Scanners They are very small which can be held in a hand. These are less expensive and less wide. Hence, in order to scan a single page image, multiple passes are required. But their handiness is a major advantage of handheld scanner.
  • Flatbed Scanners They are large and more expensive scanners that create higher quality images. Flatbed scanners have a flat surface on which the printed image to be scanned, is placed. These scanners can scan a page in a single pass.
  • Drum Scanners They are medium size scanners with a rolling drum. The sheet is fed through the scanners so that the drum rolls over the entire sheet to be scanned (just as the sheets are fed in a fax machine).

Microphone (Mic)
We can send input to the computer through a special manual input device called microphone or mic. A mic converts the received sound into computer’s format, which is called Digitised Sound or Digital Audio.
To convert a voice into digital form, you need an additional hardware known as Sound Card. Sound is used most often in multimedia, where we can make our presentations more attractive using recorded narration, music or sound effects.
A microphone can be attached to a computer to record sound. Now-a-days, microphones are also being used with speech recognition software. This means that we do not have to type, rather just have to speak and the spoken words appear in our document.

Webcam (Web Camera)
It is a video capturing device. Webcam is a digital camera attached to computers and can be used for video conferencing or online chatting, etc. A camera connected to a computer allows anyone, those are connected to the Internet, to view either a still picture or motion video of a user or other object.
Now-a-days, Webcams are either embedded into the display with laptop computers or connected via USB or firewire port or Wi-Fi to the computer.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware-9
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware-10

Output Devices
An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of data processing carried out by an information processing to the outside world.
The output may be viewed on a computer monitor, heard through speakers, printed on printers, etc.
The output produced by the output devices can be of the following forms.

Monitor
It is also known as Visual Display Unit (VDU).
The monitor is provided alongwith the computer to view the display result. A monitor is of two kinds; mono-chrome display monitor and colour display monitor.
A monochrome display monitor uses only one colour to display text and colour display monitor can display 256 colours at a time. An image on the monitor is created by a configuration of dots, also known as pixels. The clarity of image depends on three factors which are as follows

  • Resolution of Screen Resolution refers to the number of pixels in horizontal and vertical directions. The resolution of monitor is higher when the pixels are closer together.
  • Dot Pitch It refers to the diagonal distance between two coloured pixels. The smaller the dot pitch, the better the resolution.
  • Refresh Rate It is the number by which per second. The higher the refresh rate, the more solid the image looks on the screen.

The popular type of monitors are as follows
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
It is a typical rectangular shaped monitor that you see on a desktop computer. The CRT works in a same way as a television.
It works by moving an electron beam back and forth across the back of the screen. A screen covered with a fine layer of phosphorescent elements, called phosphores.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
These screens are used in laptops and notebook sized PCs. A special type of liquid is sandwiched between two plates. It is a thin, flat and light weight screen made up of any number of color or monochrome pixels arranged in front of a light source.

Liquid/Light Emitted Diode (LED)
It is an electronic device that emits light when electrical current is passed through it. LEDs usually produces red light, but today’s LEDs can produce RGB (Red, Green and Blue) light, and white light as well.

3-D Monitor
It is a television that conveys depth perception to the viewer. 3-D describes an image that provides the perception of length. When 3-D images are made interactive then user feels involved with the scene and this experience is called virtual reality.

Thin Film Transistor (TFT)
TFT and Active-Matrix LCD (AMLCD) is a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). With active-matrix displays, each pixel is controlled by one to four transistors that can make the screen faster, brighter, more colorful than passive-matrix and capable of being viewed at different angles.
Because of this improved technology, active-matrix screens are often more expensive but better quality than a passive-matrix display.

Printers
A printer prints information and data from the computer onto a paper. It can print documents in color as well as in black and white. The quality of a printer is determined by the clarity of a print.
The speed of a printer is measured in Characters Per Second (CPS), Lines Per Minute (LPM) and Pages Per Minute (PPM). Printer resolution is a numerical measure of print quality that is measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI).

Printers are divided into two basic categories
Impact Printers
This type of printer strikes paper and ribbon together to form a character, like a typewriter. Impact printer can print a character or an entire line at a time.
They use pins or hammers that pressed an inked ribbon against the paper. They are less expensive, fast and can make multiple copies with multipart paper.
There are four types of impact printer

  • Dot Matrix Printer It forms characters using rows of pins which impact the ribbon on top of the paper therefore also called pin printers.
  • Dot matrix printers print one character at a time. It prints characters and images as a pattern of dots.
  • These printers are slow, noisy and are not commonly used for personal computers anymore. Many dot matrix printers are bi­directional, that is they can print the characters from either direction, i.e. left or right.
  • Daisy Wheel Printer In daisy wheel printers, characters are fully formed on the petals, like typewriter keys. Daisy wheel printers produce high resolution output and are more reliable than dot matrix.
  • Line Printer It is a high-speed printer capable of printing an entire line of text at once instead of one or more characters at a time.
  • These are impact shaped character printers which print one line at a time. Print quality of line printer is not high.
  • Drum Printer An old line printer technology that uses formed character images around a cylindrical drum as its printing mechanism. When the desired character for the selected position rotated around the hammer line, the hammer hit the paper from behind and pushed it into the ribbon and onto the character.

Non-Impact Printer
This type of printer uses electrostatic chemicals and inkjet technologies. They do not hit or impact a ribbon to print. It can produce high quality graphics and often a wide variety of fonts than impact printers.
There are following types of non-impact printer

  • Inkjet Printer It is a printer that places extremely small droplets of ink onto paper to create an image.
  • It sprays ink onto paper to form characters and prints high quality text and graphics.
  • Thermal Printer It uses heat on chemically treated paper to form characters. Fax. machines that use rolls of paper are also of thermal printers type. It is relatively slow, expensive and requires special paper.
  • Laser Printer It provides the highest quality text and images for personal computer. They can print in different fonts that is, type styles and sizes.
  • Laser printer uses laser beam onto photo sensitive surface for printing. It prints high quality graphics and more expensive than impact printers.
  • Electromagnetic Printer Electrographic or electro-photographic printers are very fast printers and they fall under the category of page printers.
  • The electrographic technology have developed from the paper copier technology.
  • Electrostatic Printer These printers are generally used for large format printing.
  • They are favoured by large printing shops because of their ability to print fast and making low cost.

Plotter
It is an output device that uses a pen, pencil, marker or other writing tools for making vector graphics.
A plotter is a special kind of output channel like a printer, that produces images on pager. They are mainly used to produce large drawings or images such as construction plans, blueprints for mechanical objects, AUTOCAD, CAD/CAM, etc.
Plotters usually come in two designs as follows

  • Flat Bed Plotter These plotters are of small size to be kept on table with restriction of paper size.
  • Drum Plotter These plotters are of big size using rolls of paper of unlimited length. .

Speaker
It is an output device that receives sound in the form of electric current. It needs a sound card connected to a CPU, that generates sound via a card.
These are used for listening music, for being audible in seminars during presentations, etc. Computer speakers are the speakers which are attached internally or externally to a computer system.

Headphones
These are a pair of small loudspeakers or less commonly a single speaker, held close to a user’s ears and connected to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player or portable media player. They are also known as stereo phones, headsets or cans.

Projector
It is an output device, which is used to project information from a computer onto a large screen, so it can be viewed by a large group of people simultaneously. Projectors are widely used for classroom training or conference holes with a large audience. It provides a temporary output display.

Input/Output Port
The peripheral devices can be connected to computer in several ways. Input/Output ports are the external interfaces that are used to connect input and output devices like printer, monitor and joystick to computer.
The I/O devices are connected to the computer via the serial and parallel ports, Universal Serial Bus (USB), firewire ports, etc.

Parallel Port
It is an interface for connecting eight or more data wires. The data flows through the eight wires simultaneously. They can transmit eight bits of data in parallel. As result, parallel ports provide high speed data transmission. Parallel port is used to connect printer to the computer.

Serial Port
It transmits one bit of data through a single wire. Since, data is transmitted serially as single bits. Serial ports provide slow speed data transmission. Serial port is used to connect external modems, plotters, barcode reader, etc.

Universal Serial Bus (USB)
It is a common and popular external port available with computers. Normally, two to four USB ports are provided on a PC. USB also has the plug and play feature, which allows devices ready to be run.

Firewire
It is used to connect audio and video multimedia devices like video camera. Firewire is an expensive technology used for large data movement. Hard disk drive and new DVD drives connect through firewire. It has data transfer rate of upto 400 MB/sec.

QUESTION BANK

1. Which of the following produces high quality output?

  1. Impact printer
  2. Non-impact printer
  3. Plotter
  4. Both ‘1’ and ‘2’
  5. Non-plotter

2. A barcode reader is an example of

  1. processing device
  2. storage device
  3. input device
  4. output device
  5. None of these

3. What type of device is a digital camera?

  1. Input
  2. Output
  3. Software
  4. Storage
  5. I/O

4. Laser printers belong to

  1. line printer
  2. page printer
  3. band printer
  4. dot matrix printer
  5. None of these

5. A device, which is used for making drawings graphics and for menu selection.

  1. Keyboard
  2. Mouse
  3. Touch screen
  4. Trackball
  5. Light Pen

6. Dot matrix is a type of

  1. tape
  2. printer
  3. disk
  4. bus
  5. None of these

7. Pointing device includes the following except

  1. mouse
  2. pen input
  3. trackball
  4. keyboard
  5. joystick

8. To move to the beginning of a line of text, press the…… key.

  1. Page up
  2. Shift
  3. Home
  4. Enter
  5. None of these

9. Which of the following is not an output device?

  1. Scanner
  2. Printer
  3. Flat screen
  4. LCD
  5. Plotter

10. Drum printer is an example of

  1. input
  2. output
  3. processing
  4. storage
  5. None of these

11. The impact printers are

  1. dot matrix
  2. drum
  3. inkjet
  4. Both‘1’and‘2’
  5. None of these

12. Resolution of laser printer is specified in terms of

  1. DPI
  2. LPM
  3. CPM
  4. PPM
  5. None of these

13. The output devices make it possible to

  1. view or print data
  2. store data
  3. scan data
  4. input data
  5. None of these

14. Dot matrix printer is

  1. unidirectional
  2. bi-directional
  3. sequential
  4. random
  5. None of these

15. A device that makes copies and reproduces text and images is called

  1. CPU
  2. memory
  3. printer
  4. scanner
  5. joystick

16. All of the following are examples of input device except

  1. scanner
  2. mouse
  3. keyboard
  4. printer
  5. None of these

17. The…. key will launch the Start button.

  1. Esc
  2. Shift
  3. Window
  4. Shortcut
  5. None of these

18. Spacebar is used for

  1. giving space
  2. deleting space
  3. moving next line
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

19. Results are obtained from computer through its

  1. input unit
  2. ALU unit
  3. CU unit
  4. output unit
  5. All of these

20. A hardware device which converts data into meaningful information is called

  1. protector
  2. output device
  3. input device
  4. program
  5. processor

21. A joystick allows movements is which angle.

  1. 30°
  2. 60°
  3. 90°
  4. 240°
  5. 360°

22. Which of the following printers, are you sure, will not to use if your objective is to print on multi carbon forms?

  1. Daisy wheel
  2. Dot matrix
  3. Laser
  4. Thermal
  5. All of these

23. The most familiar output device for the micro computers is

  1. screen
  2. TV
  3. printer
  4. monitor
  5. None of these

24. The four functional components of a digital computer are-input device, output device and

  1.  CPU, CU
  2. ALU, memory
  3. CPU, memory
  4. ALU, CU
  5. All of these

25. The most common input devices include

  1. monitor and keyboard
  2. monitor and mouse
  3. mouse and keyboard
  4. printer and mouse
  5. None of the above

26. The most widely used input device is

  1. mouse
  2. keyboard
  3. modem
  4. monitor
  5. None of these

27. …….. can make it eaiser to play games.

  1. mouse
  2. joystick
  3. keyboard
  4. pen
  5. None of these

28. Computer keyboard is an example of

  1. memory device
  2. input device
  3. output device
  4. Both ‘2’ and ‘3’
  5. All of the above

29. Which statement is true about memory card?

  1. This card contains volatile memory
  2. This card contains non-volatile memory
  3. This can be used for video conferencing
  4. This device used for reading printed barcodes
  5. None of the above

30. Computer gets…… with the help of mouse, joystick or keyboard.

  1. insert
  2. delete
  3. input
  4. output
  5. instructions

31. An example of a processing device would be

  1. a magnetic ink reader
  2. a tablet PC
  3. special function cards
  4. scanners
  5. external

32. It is the name given to main computer equipment and its peripheral devices.

  1. Software
  2. Hardware
  3. Operating system
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

33. Which of the following is an input device that, when moved by the user on a flat surface, causes a pointer on the screen to move accordingly?

  1. Wand reader
  2. Mouse
  3. Keyboard
  4. Bartode reader
  5. Scanner

34. Computer system consists

  1. internal device
  2. eripheral device
  3. software
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

35. Pick the odd one.

  1. Mouse
  2. Scanner
  3. Printer
  4. Keyboard
  5. Light pen

36. Large amounts of cheques are processed by using

  1. OCR
  2. MICR
  3. OMR
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

37. ………. ports provide slow speed data transmission.

  1. Serial
  2. Parallel
  3. Firewire
  4. USB
  5. External

38. After a picture has been taken with a digital camera and processed appropriately, the actual print of the picture is considered

  1. data
  2. output
  3. input
  4. the process
  5. None of these

39. You can use the Tab key to the

  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

40. The pattern of printed lines on most products are called

  1. prices
  2. OCR
  3. scanners
  4. barcodes
  5. None of these

41. In MICR, C stands for

  1. code
  2. colour
  3. computer
  4. character

42. The OCR recognises the ……… of the characters with the help of light source.

  1. size
  2. shape
  3. colour
  4. used ink
  5. None of these

43. 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

44. The rate at which scanning is repeated in a CRT is called

  1. refresh rate
  2. esolution
  3. pitch
  4. bandwidth
  5. None of these

45.  Which of the following groups consists of only input devices?

  1. Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor
  2. Mouse, Keyboard, Printer
  3. Mouse, Keyboard, Plotter
  4. Mouse, Keyboard, Scanner
  5. None of the above

46. A parallel port is most often used by a

  1. printer
  2. monitor
  3. mouse
  4. external storage device

47. The higher the resolution of a monitor, the

  1. larger the pixels
  2. less clear the screen is
  3. further apart the pixels
  4. closer together the pixels
  5. None of the above

48. In laser printers, printing is achieved by deflecting laser beam on to…….. surface of a drum.

  1. magnetised
  2. photosensitive
  3. magnetic
  4. Either ‘1’ or ‘2’
  5. None of these

49. Trackball is an example of a/an

  1. programming device
  2. pointing device
  3. output device
  4. software device
  5. printing device

50. Which is the best position for operating the mouse?

  1. Tail away from the user
  2. Tail towards the user
  3. Tail facing the right
  4. Tail facing the left
  5. None of the above

51. Which of these is a pointing and draw device? 

  1. Mouse
  2. Scanner
  3. Printer
  4. CD-ROM
  5. Keyboard

52. An example of peripheral equipment is

  1. printer
  2. CPU
  3. spreadsheet
  4. microcomputer
  5. ALU

53. Which of the following is not a hardware?

  1. Processor chip
  2. Printer
  3. Mouse
  4. Java

54. The transfer of data from a CPU to peripheral devices of computer is achieved through

  1. interfaces
  2. buffer memory
  3. modems
  4. I/O ports

55. It is a video capturing device 

  1. webcam
  2. microphone
  3. monitor
  4. mouse
  5. scanner

56. A….. is used to read handwritten of printed text to make a digital image that is stored in memory. 

  1. printer
  2. laser beam
  3. scanner
  4. touchpad
  5. None of these

57. What type of devices are computer speakers or headphones?      

  1. Input
  2. Input/Output
  3. Software
  4. Storage
  5. Output

58. Speed of line printer is limited by the speed of       

  1. paper movements
  2. cartridge used
  3. length of paper
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

59. The ………. may also be called the screen or monitor.           

  1. printer
  2. scanner
  3. hard disk
  4. display

60. USB refers to 

  1. a storage device
  2. a processor
  3. a port type
  4. a serial bus standard

61. The OCR is used for the preparation of

  1. electricity bills
  2. insurance premium
  3. telephone bills
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

62. What are the units used to count the speed of a printer?                      

  1. CPM
  2. DPI
  3. PPM
  4. BIT
  5. None of these

63. A hard copy would prepared on a

  1. line printer
  2. dot matrix printer
  3. plotter
  4. type writer terminal
  5. All of these

64. First computer mouse was built by

  1. Douglas Engelbart
  2. William English
  3. Oaniel Coogher
  4. Robert Zawacki

65. ……… printer cannot print more than one character at a time.       

  1. Line
  2. Daisy wheel
  3. Laser
  4. Dot matrix

66. Peripheral devices such as printers and monitors are considered to be  ………….

  1. hardware
  2. software
  3. data
  4. information
  5. source code

67. Soft copy refers to ………..

  1. printed output
  2. digitizing
  3. music sounds
  4. screen output
  5. None of these

68. What refers to a set of characters of a particular design? 

  1. Keyboard
  2. Calligraphy
  3. Stensil
  4. Type base
  5. Formation

69. The computer monitor is which type of device?           

  1. Input
  2. Output
  3. Software
  4. Both ‘1’ and ‘2’
  5. None of these

70. Which is not an item of hardware?

  1. An MP3 file
  2. A keyboard
  3. A mouse
  4. Both ‘1’ and ‘2’
  5. None of these

71. What type of device is a computer mouse?

  1. Storage
  2. Output
  3. Input
  4. Input/output
  5. Software

72. …….. devices convert human-understandable data and programs into a form that the computer can process.

  1. Printing
  2. Output
  3. Solid state
  4. Monitor
  5. Input

73. A joystick is primarily used to/for ………..

  1. control sound on the screen
  2. computer gaming
  3. enter text
  4. draw pictures
  5. print text”

74. Line printer speed is specified in terms of

  1. LPM (Lines per minute)
  2. CPM (Characters per minute)
  3. DPM
  4. Any of the above
  5. None of the above

75. The example of non-impact printers are

  1. Laser-Dot matrix
  2. Inkjet-Laser
  3. Inkjet-Dot matrix
  4. Dot matrix
  5. None of these

76. Which one is not impact printers option?

  1. Laser printer
  2. Dot matrix
  3. Daisy wheel
  4. Either ‘2’ and ‘3’
  5. None of these

77. The CRT is…….. in shape.

  1. circular
  2. rectangular
  3. eclipse
  4. conical
  5. None of these

78. CRT is a 

  1. hollow tube
  2. vacuum tube
  3. long tube
  4. round tube
  5. None of the above

79. Printer is an example of 

  1. output device
  2. input device
  3. processing device
  4. storage device
  5. None of the above

80. What type of device is a computer monitor?

  1. Software
  2. Processing
  3. Storage
  4. Input
  5. Output

81. Keyboard and  ……. are the examples of input device.         

  1. monitor
  2. modem
  3. printer
  4. mouse
  5. CPU

82. A (n) …….. device is any hardware component that allows you to enter data and instructions into a computer?

  1. interaction
  2. input
  3. communications
  4. output
  5. terminal

83. The …….. format reduces an audio file to about one-tenth of its original size, while preserving much of the original quality of the sound. 

  1. DOC
  2. PNG
  3. GIF
  4. MP3
  5. VMEG

84. ……… can interpret voice data into words that can be understood by the computer.

  1. Speech input hardware
  2. Speech recognition software
  3. Word recognition software
  4. Talking software
  5. Other than those given as options

85. USB in data cables stands for

  1. Unicode Smart Bus
  2. Universal Structural Bus
  3. Unicode Serial Bus
  4. Universal Smart Bus
  5. Universal Serial Bus

86. Which of the following is hardware?

  1. Assembler
  2. Server
  3. Compiler
  4. Interpreter
  5. Operating System

87. What does MICR stand for?

  1. Magnetic Ink Character Register
  2. Magnetic Ink Code Reader
  3. Magnetic Ink Code Register
  4. Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
  5. Magnetic Ink Cases Reader

88. Which of the following is an example of an input device?     

  1. Monitor
  2. Scanner
  3. Printer
  4. CD
  5. Speaker

89. Which of the following could be digital input devices for computers?

  1. Digital camcorder
  2. Microphone
  3. Scanner
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

90. The most common method of entering text and numerical data into a computer system is through the use of a   

  1. plotter
  2. scanner
  3. printer
  4. keyboard
  5. None of these

91. A scanner scans 

  1. pictures
  2. text
  3. Both pictures and text
  4. Neither pictures nor text
  5. None of the above

92. Dumb terminals have terminals and

  1. mouse
  2. speakers
  3. keyboard
  4. mouse or speakers
  5. None of these

93. ………….. provides hard copy output on paper.

  1. Mouse
  2. Keyboar
  3. LCD monitor
  4. Scanne
  5. Printer

94. ………. is the standard input device of most computers. 

  1. Scanner
  2. Joystick
  3. Speaker
  4. Microphone
  5. Keyboard

95. ……….. connects the CPU to various internal components and to expansion cards for graphics and sound. 

  1. RAM
  2. Internal buses
  3. BIOS
  4. Chip set
  5. ROM

96. Any component of the computer you can see and touch is 

  1. software
  2. peripheral
  3. storage
  4. CPU
  5. hardware

97. 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

98. External devices such as printers, keyboards and modems are known as

  1. add-on devices
  2. peripheral
  3. extra hardware devices
  4. PC expansion slot add-ons
  5. special buys

99. 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

100. Which one of the following input device is user-programmable?     

  1. Dumb terminal
  2. Smart terminal
  3. VDT
  4. Intelligent terminal
  5. All of these

101. Peripheral devices such as printers and monitors are considered to be

  1. data
  2. software
  3. hardware
  4. information
  5. None of the above

102. The devices which store information and that are used by computer for its functioning are called

  1. input devices
  2. output devices
  3. software devices
  4. storage devices
  5. None of these

103. Which among the following is the smallest unit in an image in a computer screen?

  1. Unit
  2. Pixel
  3. Array
  4. Resolution
  5. Clip

ANSWERS

computer-awareness-study-material-computer-hardware-11

Computer Awareness Study Material – Computer Architecture

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Computer Awareness Study Material – Computer Architecture

Computer architecture deals with the functional behavior of a computer system as viewed by a programmer. It can also be described as the logical structure of the system unit that housed electronic components. The computer architecture forms the backbone for building successful computer systems.
computer-awareness-study-material-computer-architecture-1

Components of Computer
A computer consists of following main components

  1. Input/Output (I/O) Unit Central Processing Unit
  2. Memory Unit

Input Unit
The computer accepts coded information through input unit by the user. It is a device that is used to give required information to the computer, e.g. keyboard, mouse, etc.
An input unit performs the following functions

  • It accepts the instructions and data from the user.
  • It converts these instructions and data in computer in acceptable format.
  • It supplies the converted instructions and data to the computer system for further processing.

Output Unit
This unit sends the processed results to the user. It is mainly used to display the desired result to the user as per input instruction, e.g. video monitor, printer and plotter, etc.
The following functions are performed by an output unit

  • It accepts the results produced by the computer which are in coded form and hence cannot be easily understood by us.
  • It converts these coded results to human acceptable, form.
  • It supplies the converted results to the user.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)
It consists of set of registers, arithmetic logic unit and control unit, which together interpret and execute instructions in assembly language.
The primary functions of the CPU are as follows

  • The CPU transfers instructions and input data from main memory to registers, i.e. internal memory.
  • The CPU executes the instructions in the stored sequence.
  • When necessary, CPU transfers output data from registers to main memory.

Central Processing Unit is often called the brain of computer. The CPU is fabricated as a single Integrated Circuit (1C) and is also known as microprocessor.
A CPU controls all the internal and external devices and performs arithmetic and logic operations.
The CPU consists of following main sub-systems

Arithmetic Logic Unit
ALU contains the electronic circuitry that executes all arithmetic and logical operations on the available data.
ALU uses registers to hold the data that is being processed.
Most ALUs can perform the following operations

  • Logical operations (AND, NOT, OR, XOR)
  • Arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division).
  • Bit-shifting operations (shifting or rotating a word by a specified number of bit to the left or right with or without sign extension).
  • Comparison operations (=, <, <=,>,> =)

Registers
These are special purpose and high speed temporary memory units. Registers are not referenced by their address, but are directly accessed and manipulated by the CPU during execution. Registers store data, instructions, address and intermediate results of processing.
The number and size of registers vary from processor to processor.

Control Unit
CU coordinates with the input and output devices of a computer. It directs the computer to carry out stored program instructions by communicating with the ALU and the registers. It organises the processing of data and instructions.
The basic function of control unit is to fetch the instruction stored in the main memory, identify the operations and the devices involved in it and accordingly generate control signals.

Microprocessor
The microprocessor is the controlling element in a computer system and is sometimes referred to as the chip. Microprocessor is the main hardware that drives the computer. It is a large Printed Circuit Board (PCB), which is used in all electronic systems such as computer, calculator, digital system, etc. The speed of CPU depends upon the type of microprocessor used.

  • Intel 4004 was the first microprocessor made by Intel in 1971 by scientist Ted Hoff and engineer Frederico Faggin.
  • Some of the popular microprocessors are Intel core i7, Intel, Dual core, Pentium IV, etc.

Memory Unit
This unit is responsible to store programs or data on a temporary or permanent basis. It has primary memory (main memory) and secondary memory (auxiliary memory). The input data which is to be processed is brought into main memory before processing.
The needed instruction for processing and any kind of intermediate results are also stored in primary memory. Together with these, the final output is also stored in primary memory before transferring it to the output unit. Another kind of memory is referred as secondary memory of a computer system. This unit is used to permanently store data, programs and output. This unit does not deal directly with CPU.

Motherboard
The main circuit board contained in any computer is called a motherboard. It is also known as the main board or logic board or system board or planar board. The biggest piece of silicon housed in the system unit of a computer is motherboard.
All the other electronic devices and circuits of computer system are attached to this board like, CPU, ROM , RAM, expansion slots, PCI slots and USB ports. It also includes controllers for devices like the hard drive, DVD drive, keyboard and mouse. In other words, motherboard makes everything in a computer work together.

Interconnection of Units
CPU sends data, instructions and information to the components inside the computer as well as to the peripheral devices attached to it.
In other wouds, A bus is a set of wires used for interconnection, where each wire can carry one bit of data. In other words, bus is a set of electronic signal pathways that allows information and signals to travel between components inside or outside of a computer.
A computer bus can be divided into two types
1. Internal Bus The internal bus connects components inside the motherboard like, CPU and system memory. It is also called the system bus.
Internal bus includes following buses

  • The command to access the memory or the I/O device is carried by the control bus.
  • The address of I/O device or memory is carried by the address bus. The data to be transferred is carried by the data bus.

2. External Bus The external bus connects the different external devices; peripherals, expansion slots, I/O ports and drive connections to the rest of computer. It is also referred to as the expansion bus.

Instruction Cycle
The instruction cycle represents the sequence of events that takes place as an instruction is read from memory and executed.
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A simple instruction cycle consists of the following steps

  1. Fetching the instruction from the memory.
  2. Decoding the instruction for operation.
  3. Executing the instruction.
  4. Storing in memory.

In above steps, step 1 and 2 instructions are same and known as fetch cycle and step 3 and 4 instructions are different and known as execute cycle.

Instructions Format
Computer understands instructions only in terms of 0’s and l’s, which is called the machine language. A computer program is a set of instructions that describe the steps to be performed for carrying out a computational task. The processor must have two inputs; instructions and data.
The instructions tell the processor what actions are needed to be performed on the data. An instruction is further divided into two parts; operation (op-code) and operand. The op-code represents action that the processor must execute and the operand defines the parameters of the action and depends on the operation.
Machine cycle is defined by the time, that takes to fetch two operands from registers and performs the ALU operation and stores the result in a register.
Pipelining improves execution speed by putting the execution steps of several instructions into parallel.
Sockets are the connecting points of chip on the motherboard.
Load instruction is used for loading data into CPU accumulator register from memory.

QUESTION BANK

1. On the motherboard, the connection points for chips are referred to as

  1. slots
  2. sockets
  3. ports
  4. lines
  5. None of these

2. Internal memory in a CPU is nothing but

  1. a set of registers
  2. a set of ALU
  3. microprocessor
  4. bus
  5. None of these

3. The word ‘computer’ usually refers to the central processing unit plus

  1. external memory
  2. internal memory
  3. input devices
  4. output devices
  5. None of these

4. Which of the following is a part of central processing unit?

  1. Printer
  2. Keyboard
  3. Mouse
  4. Arithmetic Logic Unit
  5. All of the above

5. Control unit of a digital computer is often called the

  1. clock
  2. nerve centre
  3. Both ‘1’ and ‘2’
  4. IC
  5. None of the above

6. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) in a computer consists of

  1. input, output and processing
  2. control unit, primary storage and secondary storage
  3. control unit, arithmetic logic unit, memory unit
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

7. A group of bits that tells the computer to perform a specific operation is known as

  1. instruction code
  2. micro-operation
  3. accumulator
  4. register
  5. None of the above

8. ……….. are special purpose and high speed temporary memory units.

  1. registers
  2. ALU
  3. CU
  4. CPU
  5. None of these

9. Memory unit that communicates directly with the CPU is called the

  1. main memory
  2. secondary memory
  3. auxiliary memory
  4. register
  5. None of the above

10. Where does computer add and compare data?

  1. Hard disk
  2. Floppy disk
  3. CPU chip
  4. Memory chip
  5. None of these

11. Pipeline strategy is called implement

  1. instruction execution
  2. instruction prefetch
  3. instruction decoding
  4. instruction manipulation
  5. None of the above

12. When machine instructions are being executed by a computer, the instruction phase followed by the execution phase is referred to as

  1. program cycle
  2. machine instruction
  3. instruction cycle
  4. task cycle
  5. machine cycle

13. 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 the above

14. Following are names of motherboard except

  1. system board
  2. main board
  3. planar board
  4. logic board
  5. computer board

15. The central processing unit is an example of

  1. peripheral
  2. output unit
  3. software
  4. program
  5. hardware

16. Which of the following include as type of input?

  1. data
  2. programs
  3. commands
  4. user response
  5. All of these

17. …….. selects, interprets and executes instructions in a CPU.

  1. Control unit
  2. ALU
  3. Memory
  4. Storage
  5. Input unit

18. CPU retrieves its data and instructions from

  1. secondary memory
  2. auxiliary memory
  3. main memory
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

19. …….. the raw facts from which……….. is derived.

  1. Data, information
  2. Data, output
  3. Input, information
  4. Output, input
  5. Information, message

20. The address of I/O device or memory is carried by the

  1. data bus
  2. expansion bus
  3. address bus
  4. system bus
  5. None of these

21. ………… is the process of carrying out commands.

  1. Fetching
  2. Storing
  3. Decoding
  4. Executing
  5. None of these

22. Pick the one that is used for logical operations or comparisons such as less than, equal to or greater than.

  1. ALU
  2. CU
  3. Input unit
  4. MU
  5. None of these

23. The………. is responsible for decision­ making mechanisms.

  1. CPU
  2. MU
  3. ALU
  4. CU
  5. None of these

24. Which of the following components is the most essential for the computer system to work?

  1. Input system
  2. Output system
  3. Storage system
  4. Monitor
  5. CPU

25. A(n)………. device is any device that provides information, which is sent to the CPU.

  1. input
  2. output
  3. CPU
  4. memory
  5. processing

26. Which of the following controls the machine cycle?

  1. Control unit
  2. Memory unit
  3. Logic unit
  4. Arithmetic unit
  5. None of these

27. Which of the following executes the computer commands?

  1. Arithmetic unit
  2. Logic unit
  3. Both ‘1’ and ‘2’
  4. Control unit
  5. None of these

28. The machine cycle includes

  1. fetch
  2. decode
  3. execute
  4. store
  5. All of these

29. Which instruction is used for loading data into CPU accumulator register from memory?

  1. Load
  2. Storage
  3. Machine
  4. Access
  5. Cycle

30. Computations and logical operations are performed by the

  1. RAM
  2. ALU
  3. register
  4. control unit
  5. None of these

31. Who invent the first microprocessor?

  1. Vint cerf
  2. Terence Percival
  3. Heorku
  4. Ted Hoff
  5. None of the above

32. The system unit

  1. coordinates input and output devices
  2. is the container that houses electronic components
  3. is a combination of hardware and software
  4. controls and manipulates data
  5. does the arithmetic operations

33. To measure the speed of the processor,…… is used.

  1. processing speed
  2. clock speed
  3. memory
  4. unit
  5. speed measurement

34. The CPU is made up of two smaller components

  1. ALU and CU
  2. ALU and RAM
  3. RAM and ROM
  4. RAM and CU
  5. None of these

35. 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

36. It is also called the brain of the computer, is responsible for processing data.

  1. Motherboard
  2. Memory
  3. RAM
  4. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
  5. None of the above

37. Which circuit board is used in all electronic systems such as computer, calculators, digital system?

  1. Architecture
  2. Printer
  3. Value
  4. Register
  5. None of these

38. Another name for a logic chip is

  1. PROM
  2. memory
  3. microprocessor
  4. ROM
  5. RAM

39. Microprocessors can be used to make

  1. computer
  2. digital system
  3. calculators
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

40. CPU stands for 

  1. Computer Processing Unit
  2. Central Processing Unit
  3. Computer Protection Unit
  4. Central Processing Upload
  5. None of the above

41. The communication line between CPU, memory and peripherals is called a

  1. bus
  2. line
  3. media
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

42. The control unit controls other units by generating                           

  1. control signal
  2. timing signal
  3. transfer signal
  4. command signal
  5. None of these

43. The main circuit board of the system unit is

  1. computer program
  2. control unit
  3. motherboard
  4. RAM
  5. None of these

44. This component is required to process data into information and consists of integrated circuits.    

  1. Hard disk
  2. RAM
  3. CPU
  4. ROM
  5. None of these

45. Which is not an integral part of computer?

  1. CPU
  2. Mouse
  3. Monitor
  4. UPS
  5. None of these

46. The load instruction is mostly used to designate a transfer from memory to a processor register known as

  1. accumulator
  2. instruction register
  3. program counter
  4. memory address register
  5. None of the above

47. The basic goal of computer process is to convert the data into                

  1. files
  2. tables
  3. information
  4. graphs
  5. None of these

48. Arithmetic logic unit and control unit sections have special purpose locations called

  1. registers
  2. RAM
  3. BIOS
  4. I/O
  5. ROM

49. Which part of the computer is used for calculating and comparing?

  1. ALU
  2. Control unit
  3. Disk unit
  4. Modem
  5. None of these

50. The CPU comprises of control, memory and ….. units.             

  1. microprocessor
  2. arithmetic/logic
  3. output
  4. ROM
  5. input

51. ‘C’ in CPU denotes

  1. Common
  2. Central
  3. Convenient
  4. Computer
  5. Circuitry

52. A microprocessor is the brain of the computer and is also called a

  1. microchip [RBI Grade B 2014]
  2. macrochip
  3. macroprocessor
  4. calculator
  5. software

53. If a processor has a word size of 32 bits compared to a processor with a word size of 16 bits, it can                at a time.

  1. twice as much .
  2. half as much
  3. thrice as much
  4. the same amount
  5. a forth as much

54. Which of the following company developed the microprocessor?

  1. Intel
  2. IBM
  3. Microsoft
  4. Apple
  5. Google

55. What does ALU in computing denote?

  1. Application and Logic Unit
  2. Algorithm Logic Unit
  3. Arithmetic Layered Unit
  4. Arithmetic Legal Unit
  5. Arithmetic Logic Unit

56. The main circuit board in the computer that connects the parts of the computer is the

  1. motherboard
  2. father board
  3. match board
  4. hard drive
  5. special board

57. Which of the following manages computer resources? 

  1. ALU
  2. BUS
  3. Control unit
  4. I/O unit
  5. Secondary memory

58. 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 Maths work
  5. None of these

59. Which of the following is not a function of the control unit?       

  1. Read instructions
  2. Interpret instructions
  3. Execute instructions
  4. Direct operations
  5. Provide control signals

60. ………… is when the more power-hungry components, such as the monitor and the hard drive, are put in idle. 

  1. Hibernation
  2. Power down
  3. Standby mode
  4. The shutdown procedure
  5. None of these

61. The portion of the CPU that coordinates the activities of all the other computer components is the   

  1. motherboard
  2. coordination board
  3. control unit
  4. arithmetic logic unit
  5. None of these

62. Which among the following is an important circuitry in a computer system that directs the operation of the processor

  1. Memory
  2. Address Bus
  3. Accumulator
  4. ALU
  5. Control unit

63. What is the brain of the computer called?

  1. Keyboard
  2. Mouse
  3. CPU
  4. Printer

64. Processors contain a control unit and a/an :

  1. Control unit [SSC CGL 2016]
  2. Primary storage unit
  3. Input unit
  4. Arithmetic logic unit

ANSWERS

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