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DSST Introduction To Computing

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. System
For a computer to be able to take advantage of dual core or quad core technology - the installed ________ __________ has to support it.
A template is a ____________ document often provided with word processing software.
In everyday life - we generally use a base ___ system - meaning that we have 10 digits to choose from when we are expressing a number (i.e. 0 through 9).
Programmers use assembly languages to write ______ software.

2. Application
A database index contains a list of keys and each key provides a pointer to the ______ that contains the rest of the fields related to that key.
___________ and security are MS Windows' two major weaknesses.
Software designed to solve a specific problem is called ___________ software.
VoIP stands for ______ over Internet Protocol.

3. Repetitive
A _________ is a graphical representation of a series of steps needed to solve a problem.
_____________ people is one important way to protect software and data.
File compression is a method of removing __________ elements of a file causing the file to require less storage space and less time to transmit.
MAC addresses are set from the factory and cannot be ________ by the network admin.

4. DRM
An example of parallel processing is when several ___________ work together sharing memory on the same task.
A ________ is a unit of measurement equaling 1024 bytes of data.
____ is used by copyright holders to prevent piracy of their products but can be inconvenient to legitimate users.
Examples of keywords include READ - ______ - IF - and THEN

5. Off
ROM chips contain data that is nonvolatile - meaning that this data is not lost when the computer is turned ____.
The ______ is a marker on the monitor which indicates where the next character will appear.
Read-Only Memory chips contain fixed computer start up instructions - are loaded at the factory - and are ___________.
Output is the result of ___________.

6. Before
The process of converting cyphertext to plaintext is ___________
Personal computers are also called ______________.
_______ are computer depictions of humans often found in computer games and training software.
Using a technology called pipelining - the processor can start executing an instruction ______ the previous instruction completes.

7. Benchmarks
With a ______ implementation - parts of the new system are implemented separately.
Tests run by laboratories to compare the overall speed of microprocessors are called __________.
_______ errors can be found with a debugger.
A MAC address is a series of numbers assigned by the manufacturer to a _________ ________ card at the factory.

8. Syntax
____ is the communications protocol used by your browser to connect with web servers and display web pages on your computer.
Like hubs - switches have multiple ______.
Lettered ______ headings appear across the top frame of the spreadsheet.
_______ errors can be found with a debugger.

9. Fourth
One ___________ is one thousandth of a second.
______ generation computers were microprocessor based.
Messages are divided into equal size packets and shipped over the network on a first come first _______ basis.
What part of the URL http://instantcert.com/landing.html is the top level domain? ___

10. Specific
Productivity software is designed to help people work more ___________.
____ is an internet protocol used to make phone calls over the internet.
The columns are called _______.
Passwords are often encrypted using a hash function - which is a function that takes a string of characters of any length and converts it into a string of a ________ length.

11. Letters
A single hard drive could be partitioned and labeled with multiple drive ________.
The process of converting cyphertext to plaintext is ___________
Word processing software is used to create - edit - print - format and store ____.
A megabyte is often abbreviated as ___.

12. Cyberspace
__________ includes the Web - chat rooms - blogs - member based services - conference calls and automatic teller machines (ATMs).
The most common user interface for UNIX systems is the ________ ____ interface.
DHCP stands for Dynamic Host _______________ Protocol.
An _________ slot is a slot on the motherboard where the user can plug in an expansion card.

13. Transistors
Integrated circuits were able to do the work of thousands of _____________ or vacuum tubes on a single miniature chip.
A program or instruction book that helps users learn how to use a product by taking the user through a series of _____ is called a tutorial.
In MS PowerPoint - the slide sorter view displays __________ of each slide - allowing you to change the order of your presentation.
_______________ is used to restore the file to its original condition by replacing the repeated patterns that were removed during file compression.

14. Network
Common expansion cards include ________ cards - graphic cards - and memory cards.
ENIAC was the first ____________ electronic computer in the United States.
____ is used by copyright holders to prevent piracy of their products but can be inconvenient to legitimate users.
The most common type of database used on PCs is the relational database in which data is organized into related ______.

15. Research
Such information includes information related to company finances - _________ - products and procedures.
Syntax refers to the _______ in which computer programming commands must be entered.
Using components or labor from outside suppliers is called ___________.
Programmers use assembly languages to write ______ software.

16. Hash
UNIVAC was the first commercially successful _______ computer.
To convert seconds to milliseconds - _________ by 1000 (i.e. 5 seconds is equal to 5 -000 milliseconds).
One use of an intranet is to allow employees to access and exchange company _____ needed to do their jobs.
A hash function uses an algorithm to transform a given string of letters into a string that represents the original string (known as a _____).

17. Byte
Micropayments are __________ payments for internet transactions as small as 25 cents.
______ ____________ software allows scheduling of events - management of costs and allocation of resources associated with a project.
The CPU consists of the control unit - the arithmetic/logic unit (ALU) and the _________ (high speed storage areas).
A unit of measure equaling 8 bits is a ____.

18. Syntax
In computer programming - ______ errors refer to typographical errors and incorrect use of the programming language.
A database index can be used to _________ data in alphabetical or numerical order.
Critics of certification exams maintain that a multiple choice test can't accurately measure a person's ability to deal with _____ ______ software and equipment.
A computer uses a ____ system (base 2). That means that it only has 2 digits to choose from (i.e. 0 and 1).

19. Widget
The hub prevents packet collisions - but if the hub goes down the _____ stops.
A _________ logger is a type of spyware that records each character you type.
A desktop ______ appears on the computer desktop and is a specialized utility that looks like a control and displays information.
A device ______ is system software used by the computer to control peripheral devices.

20. Transistors
Cache is ____ when the computer power is turned off.
Second generation computers used ___________ instead of vacuum tubes.
Utility programs are designed to help monitor and configure ________ for the computer - the operating system - or applications.
Examples of graphics file _______ include BMP - GIF - JPEG - TIFF - and PNG.

21. Cyberterrorists
In a relational database - a ___ field is used to sort data.
They are small programs which run in the ___________ and are used by devices such as modems - storage devices - mice - keyboards - monitors - printers - sound cards - network cards.
Alpha testing involves desk checking and _________.
_______________ are politically motivated hackers who attack computer systems intending to cause large scale physical or financial harm.

22. Reliable
Word processing software is used to create - edit - print - format and store ____.
Examples of cache include L1 - L2 - and L3. In all cases - cache is storage located closer to the processor than RAM and therefore can be accessed much more ________.
With a parallel implementation - the old and new systems are operated side by side until the new system is proven to be ________.
A _________ logger is a type of spyware that records each character you type.

23. Human
Messages are divided into equal size packets and shipped over the network on a first come first _______ basis.
They are for ______ use only and are ignored by the compiler when it processes the code.
Public key encryption uses ___ keys.
__________ appear as colored or underlined words on a webpag

24. CPU
A megabyte is often abbreviated as ___.
Most computer processing takes place in a component called the ___.
HTML is a set of special instructions used to create ____ _____.
A firewall is designed to protect a computer or network from _________.

25. Formats
According to security experts - _________ pose the greatest threat to their company's technology infrastructure.
Cookies can save you time by not requiring you to _______ in the same information on subsequent visits to the same website.
Examples of graphics file _______ include BMP - GIF - JPEG - TIFF - and PNG.
The columns are called _______.

26. Device
When a computer performs several tasks simultaneously - this is called ________ processing.
Common syntax errors include incorrect or missing punctuation - _________ errors - and omitting keywords.
With a relational database - users _____ records to locate and display them.
An IP address is a series of numbers used to identify a network ______.

27. Peripheral
Cache speeds up _________.
A technique for increasing the speed of computer components such as motherboards - memory - processors - and graphics cards is called ____________.
Input - output - and storage equipment that can be added to a computer to enhance its functionality are called __________ devices.
System software includes device drivers - utility programs - and the __________ system.

28. Java
Trojan horses can also carry ________ and destructive instructions.
In a peer to peer network - workstations share responsibility for processing - storage - printing - and communications tasks without a ______.
Examples of OOP languages include C++ and _____.
A firewall can be _________ or software-based or a combination of the two.

29. Record
___ - ring - and star are the three basic network topologies.
MAC addresses are set from the factory and cannot be ________ by the network admin.
A database index contains a list of keys and each key provides a pointer to the ______ that contains the rest of the fields related to that key.
HTML is a set of special instructions used to create ____ _____.

30. Reliability

31. Hypertext Transfer
A what-if analysis allows a user to change the contents of a spreadsheet cell and find out how that would change the _______ of the calculation.
The web protocol HTTP (__________ __________ Protocol) is a set of rules for exchanging information over the web.
The contents of ________ memory - which includes RAM - are lost when the power is turned off.
The system's main interface screen is called the _______ and displays icons which provide fast access to information and programs.

32. Fiber optic
A ___________ allows users to enter data in rows and columns to create financial schedules and tables arranged as a grid on a display.
_____ ______ cable transmits pulsating beams of light rather than electricity.
Search agents and _____ search tools allow you to automate your search process across many sites.
To be an algorithm - a set of rules must be unambiguous and have a clear _________ point.

33. Hypertext
One use of an intranet is to allow employees to access and exchange company _____ needed to do their jobs.
HTML (__________ Markup Language) tags are used to structure and format web pages and links to other documents.
The JPEG graphics format has built-in _____________ that can be adjusted by the user.
_____ ______ cable transmits pulsating beams of light rather than electricity.

34. Bit
A ___ is the smallest unit of data that a system can handle.
A unit of measure equaling one ______ digit is a bit.
The TCP/IP protocol breaks data up into packets - which are fixed-length blocks of data - for transmission over the network. This permits the message to be broken up into small parts which are then transmitted over separate _______ and yet all end up
A modem is a device that sends and receives data over __________ lines to and from computers.

35. Multiply
Examples of information managed by ____ software include addresses - phone numbers - appointments - and to-do lists.
A program or instruction book that helps users learn how to use a product by taking the user through a series of _____ is called a tutorial.
To convert seconds to milliseconds - _________ by 1000 (i.e. 5 seconds is equal to 5 -000 milliseconds).
If a ___________ on the bus is broken (i.e. one of the computers in the chain crashes) - the network may go down.

36. Compression
A named collection of data that exists on a storage medium such as a hard disk - floppy disk - or CD is called a ____.
When plugged into a USB port - flash memory drives show up as an external drive and are a convenient way to transport and transfer _____.
The JPEG graphics format has built-in _____________ that can be adjusted by the user.
EarthLink - AT&T - and Road Runner are all examples of ISPs (Internet __________________).

37. Fraud
Values are the actual numbers or dates entered into ______.
In word processing - the __________ for a document refers to the way text - graphics - headings - and page numbers appear on a page.
This act established financial reporting regulations to prevent corporate ______.
___ software is used to design products - maps - structures and civil engineering drawings.

38. Bell
____ is the communications protocol used by your browser to connect with web servers and display web pages on your computer.
UNIX was first developed by _____ Laboratories in 1969.
_____________ is the process of recomputing values in a spreadsheet.
The number of bits limits how big of a number can be expressed. To calculate this limit - simply do 2n - where n is the number of ____.

39. Clients
A computer's ____ size is the number of bits that the processor may process at any one time.
An organization's internal _______ network is called an intranet.
Individual computers (PCs - workstations) are called ________ and the centralized computer is called a server.
In a relational database - the _______ key holds a unique value for each record.

40. Modern
___ software is used to design products - maps - structures and civil engineering drawings.
Examples of word size in _____ computers include 16 - 32 - and 64 bits.
The prefix '_____' means a thousand.
____ is used by copyright holders to prevent piracy of their products but can be inconvenient to legitimate users.

41. Services

42. CPU
A technique for increasing the speed of computer components such as motherboards - memory - processors - and graphics cards is called ____________.
A message which has been encrypted is called __________.
Any electronic system that uses a ___ but is not a general purpose computer is called an embedded system.
The CPU consists of the control unit - the arithmetic/logic unit (ALU) and the _________ (high speed storage areas).

43. Instruction
The compiled program is saved as object code for later __________.
The BIOS (Basic ______________ System) also enables the computer to interpret keyboard commands and display characters on the monitor.
For every software _____________ - the CPU control unit carries out four basic operations known as the machine cycle.
Using components or labor from outside suppliers is called ___________.

44. Purchases
A _____ is a single keystroke or command used to automatically issue a longer - predefined series of keystrokes or commands.
This can also be called a _____ key - index - or keyword. Most database applications allow for multiple keys so that users can sort records in different ways.
Adware is spyware that tracks surfing and online _________.
Virtual reality is a computer generated artificial reality which projects a person into a sensation of _____ ____________ space.

45. Network interface
In recent years - antivirus software has been one of the most popular categories of _______ software.
A _________ ________ card (NIC) is used by a computer to transmit and receive data over a network.
Screening job applicants and limiting employee ______ to only information needed to do a specific job are examples of people controls.
Personal computers are also called ______________.

46. Publisher
Second generation computers used ___________ instead of vacuum tubes.
The motherboard contains the CPU and _______ chips as well as connections for the keyboard - mouse - and printer.
Examples of DTP software include MS __________ and PageMaker.
Embedded computers are also called microcontrollers and are small - specialized microprocessors installed in ____ and smart appliances.

47. Value
A spreadsheet _____ is any number used in a calculation.
_______ are computer depictions of humans often found in computer games and training software.
A gigabyte is a unit of measurement roughly equaling one _______ bytes.
The public key encryption software used to encrypt documents such as _____ is called PGP.

48. Disk drive
Graphics software is designed to help users manipulate and ______ graphics.
Such information includes information related to company finances - _________ - products and procedures.
A file server is a centralized computer that acts like a __________ - storing programs and data shared by users on the LAN.
Messages are divided into equal size packets and shipped over the network on a first come first _______ basis.

49. Flowchart
A _________ is a graphical representation of a series of steps needed to solve a problem.
HTML is a set of special instructions used to create ____ _____.
Examples of word size in _____ computers include 16 - 32 - and 64 bits.
____ is the communications protocol used by your browser to connect with web servers and display web pages on your computer.

50. Access
Current versions of Windows support ____ ______ up to 255 characters long.
The ____ is a set of instructions contained in ROM that tell the computer how to find the operating system and load it into RAM.
In computer programming - ______ errors refer to typographical errors and incorrect use of the programming language.
______ times for PC storage devices are measured in milliseconds.