Test your basic knowledge |

Technology In Action - 2

Subjects : it-skills, literacy
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. 'A physical address - similar to a serial number on an appliance - that is assigned to each network adapter; it is made up of six 2-digit characters such as 01:40:87:44:79:A5.'






2. A hardware device that uses lasers or light to read from - and maybe even write to - CDs - DVDs - or Blu-ray discs.






3. The ability of an operating system to perform more than one process at a time.






4. A small - joystick-like nub that enables you to move the cursor with the tip of your finger.






5. 'The mechanism that retrieves (reads) and records (writes) the magnetic data to and from a data disk. They move from the outer edge of the spinning platters to the center - up to 50 times per second.'






6. The process by which humans or computer software provide organizational structure to a computer's contents.






7. Software that facilitates the communication between a device and the operating system.






8. 'A device that reads information from a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card-like access card (such as a student ID card); card readers are easily programmed by adding authorized ID card numbers - Social Security numbers - and so on.'






9. A mouse with a rollerball on top instead of on the bottom. Because you move the trackball with your fingers - it doesn't require much wrist motion - so it is considered healthier for your wrist than a traditional mouse.






10. A software holding area for printing jobs.






11. A device that amplifies your wireless signal to get it out to parts of your home that are experiencing poor connectivity.






12. The set of techniques used in processing and retrieving information.






13. A device that allows you to capture sound waves - such as those created by your voice - and transfer them to digital format on your computer.






14. Programs you can use to design interactive Web pages without knowing any HyperText Markup Language (HTML) code.






15. A Windows utility that removes unnecessary files from the hard drive.






16. A measure of processing speed equal to 1 million hertz.






17. An expansion card that provides the computer with a connection to the internet via conventional phone lines.






18. A port to which a CRT monitor connects.






19. 'A device that enables the computer (or peripheral) to communicate with the network using a common data communication language - or protocol.'






20. A device such as a monitor - printer - or keyboard that connects to the system unit through ports.






21. The process of installing only those features of a software program that a user wants on the hard drive.






22. A unit of computer storage equal to approximately 1 million bytes.






23. A measure of the greatest amount of light showing when a monitor is displaying pure white; measured as candelas per square meter (cd/m^2) or nits.






24. A network that uses the Ethernet protocol as the means (or standard) by which the nodes on the network communicate.






25. 'Small blocks of memory - located directly on and next to the central processing unit (CPU) chip - that act as holding places for recently or frequently used instructions or data that the CPU accesses the most. When these instructions or data are sto






26. The set of programs that enables a computer's hardware devices and application software to work together; it includes the operating system and utility programs.






27. 'The process of identifying a computer user - based on a login or username and password. The computer system determines whether the computer user is authorized and what level of access is to be granted on the network.'






28. A device that absorbs a signal so that it is not reflected back onto parts of the network that have already received it.






29. A special numerical code that prioritizes requests from various devices. These requests then are placed in the interrupt table in the computer's primary memory.






30. 'An electronic filing system best used for larger and more complicated groups of data that require more than one table and the ability to group - sort - and retrieve data and generate reports.'






31. The actual speed of data transfer that is achieved. It is usually less than the data transfer rate and is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).






32. A picture on a computer display that represents an object such as a software application or a file or folder.






33. 'The set of minimum storage - memory capacity - and processing standards recommended by the software manufacturer to ensure proper operation of a software application.'






34. Impact of read/write head against magnetic platter of the hard drive; often results in data loss.






35. DVD format in which data can only be read and not written.






36. 'A method of optical storage for digital data - developed for storing high-definition media. It has the largest storage capacity of all optical storage options.'






37. 'A group of two or more computers (or nodes) that are configured to share information and resources such as printers - files - and databases.'






38. An expansion card that enables a computer to connect other computers or to a cable modem to facilitate a high-speed internet connection.






39. Any of the main files of an operating system.






40. A large - expensive computer that supports hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously and executes many different programs at the same time.






41. Is a device that combines the functions of a printer - scanner - copier - and fax into one machine






42. 'Programs for managing finances - such as Intuit's Quicken and Microsoft Money - which include electronic checkbook registers and automatic bill payment tools.'






43. The language computers use to process data into information - consisting of only the values 0 and 1.






44. A compact audio-video interface standard that carries both high-definition video and uncompressed digital audio.






45. System software that controls hardware devices.






46. The process of sending jobs formerly performed in the U.S. to other countries.






47. A cable that transmits data at close to the speed of light along glass or plastic fibers.






48. The process of swapping data or instructions that have been placed in the swap file for later use back into active random access memory (RAM). The contents of the hard drive's swap file then become less active data or instructions.






49. A specially designed computer chip that resides inside another device - such as a car. These self-contained computer devices have their own programming and typically neither recieve input from users nor interact with other systems.






50. A device similar to a switch in an Ethernet network. It takes the place of a wireless network adapter and helps relay data between network nodes.