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. 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.
Standardization
Firmware
Coaxial
3

2. RAID stands for _________.
Power failure
Front Side Bus.
Redundant Array of Independant (Inexpensive) Disks.
Cathode Ray Tube

3. What does RIMM stand for?
Too much voltage
TRS
800 x 600
RAMBUS Inline Memory Module - Comes in 184 and 232-pin slot

4. The actual speed of the CPU is governed by a _______ setting called the clock rate.
BIOS
TRS
VGA/SVGA monitor
Speaker

5. What does SODIMM stand for?
800 x 600
Small Outline DIMM
5.25
9

6. 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.
BIOS
USB Type A
tasks or 'Threads'
verifying data integrity.

7. An example of a device that uses a low-density (two-row) male DB-15 connector.
B-9 serial
Joystick
Dynamic and Static - Dynamic - loses info in the absence of power. Static - retains info like a hard drive.
ECC

8. PGA stands for
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.
Line Grid Array
PS/2-style mouse
Pin Grid Array

9. Software that has been permanently placed in a hardware component. An example is a BIOS chip.
RJ-45
Firmware
Firewire 6-pin
9-pin serial

10. How many pins is a MICRODIMM DIMM?
Synchronous Dynamic RAM. Data transfer is timed to the system clock. DDR replaced 168 SDRAM
Storage
Firmware
144

11. Multicore CPUs share a common ____ _____ _____. Which can cause traffic bottlenecks as competing cores communicate on the main system bus.
Single Inline Memory Module - has 30 or 72 contacts on only one side.
240
9
Front Side Bus.

12. Video cameras (most common) Less commonly - similar devices that use USB connectors such as printers or external drives
charged coupled device (CCD)
Firewire 6-pin
DB-15
DB-25 parallel

13. Number of Pins for Drives: 1. PATA - ATA - IDE - or EIDE
the motherboard
3
40 or 80
ATX - BTX - Micro ATX - ITX - NLX - and LPX

14. The physical components that work together to make a computer system or network: - Keyboard - mouse - monitor - printer - Connectors and cables - Drives - Circuit boards
VGA/SVGA monitor
Hardware
PCIe - PCI - AGP - ESIA - and ISA
Power failure

15. Level one cache is located on ___________.
1. jumper 2. dip switch 3. push button switch 4. and configured with a separae SCSI BIOS
34
BIOS
the CPU

16. Spike
verifying data integrity.
a mini DIN Tip Sleeve Ring (TSR) 3.5 millimeter jack
Coaxial
Very Brief time (milliseconds) of too much voltage

17. What are the 4 main types of storage?
CMOS
240
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.
they plug into the motherboard to allow further expansion. 1. Magnetic Disk 2. Tape 3. Laser 4. Solid State Flash

18. 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.
CMOS
Standardization
240

19. A working PC is a combination of many different parts - also called a Field-Replaceable Unit (FRU) - can be replaced when faulty or upgraded to provide additional functionality.
Componentization
Coaxial
USB Type A
Single Inline Memory Module - has 30 or 72 contacts on only one side.

20. The event of a program being loaded - retrieved - transmitted - or executed. Major components include: - CPU (Central Processing Unit) - RAM
PS/2-style mouse
Firewire 6-pin
Processing
Small Outline DIMM

21. CPUS: What is CISC?
Complex -Instruction - Set - Chips - Used in General Purpose PCs
a mini DIN Tip Sleeve Ring (TSR) 3.5 millimeter jack
BIOS
DB-15

22. 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)
Joystick
Software
Pin Grid Array
800 x 600

23. What is the formal name of the 'headphone jack'?
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.
DB-25 parallel
a mini DIN Tip Sleeve Ring (TSR) 3.5 millimeter jack
34

24. Ethernet network
Storage
RJ-45
charged coupled device (CCD)
Error Correction Code.

25. RAID 1+0 and 0+1 require ____ disks which are two disks that are striped and then mirrored or vise vera.
CMOS
800 x 600
4
Synchronous Dynamic RAM. Data transfer is timed to the system clock. DDR replaced 168 SDRAM

26. Number of Pins for Drives: 4. FDD
Serial
34
charged coupled device (CCD)
tasks or 'Threads'

27. What are the 5 Expansion Slot types - Daughter Boards or Riser Boards?
Coaxial
PCIe - PCI - AGP - ESIA - and ISA
detects and fixes corrupt data in 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.

28. An example of firmware.
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.
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.
4
BIOS

29. BIOS allows you to do 4 things - what are they?
800 x 600
ATX - BTX - Micro ATX - ITX - NLX - and LPX
order Boot sequence - Integrated devices - drive controllers - power supply settings
9-pin serial

30. Number of Pins for Drives: 3. SATA
ATX - BTX - Micro ATX - ITX - NLX - and LPX
7 or 15 (powered)
Networking and Communications
184

31. A serial mouse connects to a computer with this connector.
Too much voltage
Small Outline DIMM
9-pin serial
Front Side Bus.

32. What does ECC do?
USB Type A
detects and fixes corrupt data in RAM.
charged coupled device (CCD)
3

33. Joystick or MIDI device (game port) - High Density DB-15 - VGA/SVGA monitor - 6-pin Mini-DIN - PS/2-style keyboard or mouse - By convention - purple connectors are used for the keyboard - and green connectors are used for the mouse.
DB-15
Synchronous Dynamic RAM. Data transfer is timed to the system clock. DDR replaced 168 SDRAM
34
9

34. 10Base-5 Ethernet and game ports use this cable
5.25
Error Correction Code.
Small Outline DIMM
DB-15

35. Level two cache is located on _______.
the motherboard
PCIe - PCI - AGP - ESIA - and ISA
video ram for the use of the Graphic Processing Unit (GPU). Not related to Virtual RAM.
Very brief time (milliseconds) of too little voltage

36. A special RAM chip powered and maintained by a small battery that holds basic configuration data a computer needs to start.
RJ-11
2048 x 1536
CMOS
a mini DIN Tip Sleeve Ring (TSR) 3.5 millimeter jack

37. Multiple core allow the PC to simultaneously process multiple ______.

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183

38. Speaker or microphone - Common color codes for connectors are: Red = Mic In - Blue = Line In - Green = Line Out
TRS
Synchronous Dynamic RAM. Data transfer is timed to the system clock. DDR replaced 168 SDRAM
Componentization
Cathode Ray Tube

39. What is a Sag?
Speaker
PS/2-style mouse
34
Very brief time (milliseconds) of too little voltage

40. How many pins is a SODIMM DDR2 DIMM?
Software
200
9-pin serial
ECC

41. ZIF stands for ______.
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.
charged coupled device (CCD)
RJ-45
240

42. Serial mouse or external modem
DB-15
ECC
50 - 68 - or 80
B-9 serial

43. Parallel devices connect to this connector.
34
BIOS
200
DB-25

44. The process of sending data to the computer. These devices include: - Mouse - Keyboard - Touchscreen
RJ-11
2048 x 1536
Input
DSD and SSD (DSD - Dynamic State Drives SSD - Solid State Drives)

45. What does CRT stand for?
Cathode Ray Tube
CMOS
Dynamic and Static - Dynamic - loses info in the absence of power. Static - retains info like a hard drive.
7 or 15 (powered)

46. What is DVD-RAM? and how is it used?

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183

47. 10Base-2 Ethernet uses this cable.
Network communications
Coaxial
TRS
200

48. What are the two types of RAM?
the motherboard
Dynamic and Static - Dynamic - loses info in the absence of power. Static - retains info like a hard drive.
they plug into the motherboard to allow further expansion. 1. Magnetic Disk 2. Tape 3. Laser 4. Solid State Flash
B-9 serial

49. Number of Pins for Drives: 2. SCSI
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.
removable chips on the motherboard
DB-25 parallel
50 - 68 - or 80

50. QXGA is ____x____
PCIe - PCI - AGP - ESIA - and ISA
Front Side Bus.
800 x 600
2048 x 1536