Test your basic knowledge |

Comptia A +: Hardware

Subjects : certifications, comptia-a-+, it-skills

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. An area of memory that holds recently-accessed data.
DB-25
Cache
Componentization
5.25

2. Multicore CPUs share a common ____ _____ _____. Which can cause traffic bottlenecks as competing cores communicate on the main system bus.
they plug into the motherboard to allow further expansion. 1. Magnetic Disk 2. Tape 3. Laser 4. Solid State Flash
Speaker
Front Side Bus.
DSD and SSD (DSD - Dynamic State Drives SSD - Solid State Drives)

3. 10Base-5 Ethernet and game ports use this cable
DB-15
Cache
Front Side Bus.
Very Brief time (milliseconds) of too much voltage

4. Video cameras (most common) Less commonly - similar devices that use USB connectors such as printers or external drives
Processing
BIOS
Software
Firewire 6-pin

5. A type of memory that loses data when the power is no longer supplied to the component.
DB-15
Error Correction Code.
Volatile
DB-15

6. How many pins is a SODIMM DDR2 DIMM?
Very Brief time (milliseconds) of too much voltage
2048 x 1536
200
1600 x 1200

7. Parity is a method of ____________. It is used when the reliability of the data is more important than the speed at which it is written or read. When the data is read or received - the bytes should still be even. If not - the data is corrupt.
verifying data integrity.
RAMBUS Inline Memory Module - Comes in 184 and 232-pin slot
Complex -Instruction - Set - Chips - Used in General Purpose PCs
the CPU

8. What are the 5 Expansion Slot types - Daughter Boards or Riser Boards?
Input
Cache
PCIe - PCI - AGP - ESIA - and ISA
240

9. QXGA is ____x____
B-9 serial
Input
2048 x 1536
Componentization

10. An example of a device that uses a TRS connector.
Input
Speaker
DB-25 parallel
Random Access Memory (RAM)

11. What does SIMM stand for?
Single Inline Memory Module - has 30 or 72 contacts on only one side.
34
verifying data integrity.
144

12. Number of Pins for Drives: 2. SCSI
50 - 68 - or 80
Storage
B-9 serial
9

13. What does RIMM stand for?
Pin Grid Array
RAMBUS Inline Memory Module - Comes in 184 and 232-pin slot
Componentization
Standardization

14. Printers
order Boot sequence - Integrated devices - drive controllers - power supply settings
Line Grid Array
DB-25 parallel
Networking and Communications

15. Surge
9-pin serial
discharge the capacitors by touching and connecting the phase with the ground plug and then the neutral to the ground plug with an insulated screwdriver or pliers.
Too much voltage
Hardware

16. What is VRAM used for?
charged coupled device (CCD)
video ram for the use of the Graphic Processing Unit (GPU). Not related to Virtual RAM.
Volatile
4

17. RAID stands for _________.
1600 x 1200
Redundant Array of Independant (Inexpensive) Disks.
ATX - BTX - Micro ATX - ITX - NLX - and LPX
USB Type A

18. How many pins is a DDR DIMM?
184
the CPU
Firewire 6-pin
144

19. Before sending a power supply to the recycling facility...
Standardization
Space on the HD that the RAM uses as an overflow area and as a backup copy of the contents in case of power failure.
discharge the capacitors by touching and connecting the phase with the ground plug and then the neutral to the ground plug with an insulated screwdriver or pliers.
Very Brief time (milliseconds) of too much voltage

20. XGA is ____x_____
Volatile
DB-25
1024 x 786
Random Access Memory (RAM)

21. Computer programs that perform specific tasks include: - Operating System- Program applications - Hardware drivers (special programs that tell the operating system how to use the hardware)
they plug into the motherboard to allow further expansion. 1. Magnetic Disk 2. Tape 3. Laser 4. Solid State Flash
CMOS
Speaker
Software

22. SDRAM sands for _______.
3
Synchronous Dynamic RAM. Data transfer is timed to the system clock. DDR replaced 168 SDRAM
Cache
Standardization

23. What are the 4 main types of storage?
VGA/SVGA monitor
Dynamic and Static - Dynamic - loses info in the absence of power. Static - retains info like a hard drive.
Processing
they plug into the motherboard to allow further expansion. 1. Magnetic Disk 2. Tape 3. Laser 4. Solid State Flash

24. What is the formal name of the 'headphone jack'?
PS/2-style mouse
a mini DIN Tip Sleeve Ring (TSR) 3.5 millimeter jack
PCIe - PCI - AGP - ESIA - and ISA
Standardization

25. The event of a program being loaded - retrieved - transmitted - or executed. Major components include: - CPU (Central Processing Unit) - RAM
Processing
RJ-45
4
Line Grid Array

26. How many pins is a DDR2 DIMM?
Very brief time (milliseconds) of too little voltage
240
RAMBUS Inline Memory Module - Comes in 184 and 232-pin slot
1024 x 786

27. BIOS allows you to do 4 things - what are they?
Zero Insertion Force. a physical interface that lets you set the CPU into the array - and then use actuate a lever to make actual contact.
Network communications
CMOS
order Boot sequence - Integrated devices - drive controllers - power supply settings

28. Printer - Scanner - Camera - Printer - Mouse - Keyboard - External CD-ROM drive - MP3 player - PDA
Space on the HD that the RAM uses as an overflow area and as a backup copy of the contents in case of power failure.
its used as 'Endlessly' rewritable and used primarily as surveillance camera footage.
USB Type A
184

29. The act of keeping or maintaining data. These devices include: - Hard disk drive - Floppy disk drive - Optical drives (CD-ROM - DVD) - Flash drive
Storage
USB Type A
Firewire 6-pin
Firmware

30. What does ECC do?
9
PS/2-style mouse
detects and fixes corrupt data in RAM.
Processing

31. Both Parity and _______ decrease efficiency - but increase reliability in RAM.
9-pin serial
ECC
DB-15
50 - 68 - or 80

32. External modems most commonly connect to this port.
Front Side Bus.
Serial
verifying data integrity.
Volatile

33. LGA stands for ______.
Error Correction Code.
Cathode Ray Tube
Line Grid Array
1024 x 786

34. Serial ports have this many pins.
Firewire 6-pin
34
video ram for the use of the Graphic Processing Unit (GPU). Not related to Virtual RAM.
9

35. Number of Pins for Drives: 4. FDD
PS/2-style mouse
34
2048 x 1536
the CPU

36. What are the 6 form factors of motherboards?
Speaker
charged coupled device (CCD)
DSD and SSD (DSD - Dynamic State Drives SSD - Solid State Drives)
ATX - BTX - Micro ATX - ITX - NLX - and LPX

37. Ethernet network
USB Type A
Componentization
5.25
RJ-45

38. The actual speed of the CPU is governed by a _______ setting called the clock rate.
BIOS
7 or 15 (powered)
Volatile
Radial Lines

39. CPUs: What is RISC?
240
Synchronous Dynamic RAM. Data transfer is timed to the system clock. DDR replaced 168 SDRAM
Reduced Instruction - Set - Chips - Used in data collection - sensors - routers - and graphics processors.
DB-25 parallel

40. What does SODIMM stand for?
1600 x 1200
Small Outline DIMM
Reduced Instruction - Set - Chips - Used in data collection - sensors - routers - and graphics processors.
Speaker

41. The physical components that work together to make a computer system or network: - Keyboard - mouse - monitor - printer - Connectors and cables - Drives - Circuit boards
Hardware
Joystick
BIOS
PS/2-style mouse

42. Parallel devices connect to this connector.
Too much voltage
Synchronous Dynamic RAM. Data transfer is timed to the system clock. DDR replaced 168 SDRAM
ECC
DB-25

43. What does LCD stand for?
1024 x 786
Complex -Instruction - Set - Chips - Used in General Purpose PCs
Liquid Crystal Display
CMOS

44. What is Virtual RAM?
Space on the HD that the RAM uses as an overflow area and as a backup copy of the contents in case of power failure.
Random Access Memory (RAM)
charged coupled device (CCD)
Componentization

45. Components from many different manufacturers are interchangeable. As long as the component meets the standards - you can be reasonably confident that it will work in the system.
detects and fixes corrupt data in RAM.
CMOS
144
Standardization

46. An example of a device that uses a low-density (two-row) male DB-15 connector.
Joystick
RAMBUS Inline Memory Module - Comes in 184 and 232-pin slot
Volatile
tasks or 'Threads'

47. A special RAM chip powered and maintained by a small battery that holds basic configuration data a computer needs to start.
Zero Insertion Force. a physical interface that lets you set the CPU into the array - and then use actuate a lever to make actual contact.
ATX - BTX - Micro ATX - ITX - NLX - and LPX
CMOS
a mini DIN Tip Sleeve Ring (TSR) 3.5 millimeter jack

48. A temporary data storage location that can be read from and written to.
7 or 15 (powered)
Reduced Instruction - Set - Chips - Used in data collection - sensors - routers - and graphics processors.
DB-15
Random Access Memory (RAM)

49. Number of Pins for Drives: 3. SATA
5.25
Joystick
7 or 15 (powered)
1600 x 1200

50. UXGA is _____x_____
Cache
a mini DIN Tip Sleeve Ring (TSR) 3.5 millimeter jack
1600 x 1200
Firmware