Test your basic knowledge |

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. Kilobyte
A ________ is a unit of measurement equaling 1024 bytes of data.
Messages are divided into equal size packets and shipped over the network on a first come first _______ basis.
The bandwidth of a channel which carries digital data is typically measured in ____ ____ _________ (bps).
A data communications network that connects personal computers within a limited geographical area is called a ___.

2. Two
Public key encryption uses ___ keys.
Examples of OOP languages include C++ and _____.
Paint - photo _______ - and drawing software are all examples of graphics software.
Proprietary information about a company concerns information a __________ might find valuable.

3. Administrators
A _____ _______ is a program that is disguised as an innocent program to gain control of your computer.
Database ______________ create - maintain - and supervise the day to day operation of databases.
The CPU consists of the control unit - the arithmetic/logic unit (ALU) and the _________ (high speed storage areas).
Overclocking is popular with computer gamers but can be dangerous as components may _________ and be damaged or catch fire.

4. Encrypted
MIDI is a protocol used to communicate between electronic _______ instruments and the devices that control and manage them.
A message that has not been _________ is called plaintext.
A computer resource is any component required to perform ____.
The goal is to overload the target server or network by suddenly bombarding it with thousands or even millions of _________ - making it unable to respond to requests from legitimate users.

5. Temporary
EarthLink - AT&T - and Road Runner are all examples of ISPs (Internet __________________).
_______ errors can be found with a debugger.
RAM - which stands for Random Access Memory - stores __________ data which is waiting to be stored - processed - or output - and this data is lost if the computer is turned off.
The easiest way to reduce exposure to cellphone _________ is to use a headset.

6. Business
The ALU is an area of the CPU optimized to handle _____ calculations (i.e. Add and Subtract) as well as logic comparisons (i.e. AND - NOT - and OR).
Analytical graphics are also called _________ graphics and make sales figures and economic trends easier to understand.
CIO stands for _______ ____________ Officer.
Micropayments allow customers to purchase goods and services for amounts so small as to be impractical for ________ _____ transactions.

7. Providers
A __________ file uses a uniform format to store data for each person or thing in the file.
Backbone connections are supplied by internet backbone __________ such as GTE - Sprint - UUNET and AT&T.
In PowerPoint - the _____ _____ view presents the slides in the order in which the audience will view them.
Paint - photo _______ - and drawing software are all examples of graphics software.

8. Tables
_____ memory drives plug into the computer's USB ports and have memory capacities of up to several gigabytes.
System software includes device drivers - utility programs - and the __________ system.
The most common type of database used on PCs is the relational database in which data is organized into related ______.
A device ______ is system software used by the computer to control peripheral devices.

9. Organize
Common syntax errors include incorrect or missing punctuation - _________ errors - and omitting keywords.
The main circuit board of the computer is called the ___________.
Databases use structured files to _________ data.
MAC addresses are set from the factory and cannot be ________ by the network admin.

10. Employment
Sending out __________ looking emails which attempt to solicit passwords or financial information is known as phishing.
An organization that provides internet access is called an ___.
The _______ ______ would be 'instantcert.com'; the top level domain just refers to the part after the period.
A job search agent is an automated program that searches one or more __________ databases and notifies you when it finds leads that match your search criteria.

11. Operating
An _________ slot is a slot on the motherboard where the user can plug in an expansion card.
FTP can be used on any _______ network such as a LAN or the Internet and is compatible with any operating system.
By holding down the ctrl - alt - and del keys - ________ OS will open the task manager which displays a list of active processes.
_________ systems were first used in second generation computers.

12. Windows

13. Operating system
____ and RPG-I are examples of fourth generation languages.
For a computer to be able to take advantage of dual core or quad core technology - the installed ________ __________ has to support it.
Public key encryption is used to transmit credit card data in secure e-commerce transactions and it is also used for secure ______.
In PowerPoint - the _____ _____ view presents the slides in the order in which the audience will view them.

14. Protocol
By using a _______________ utility - files on a disk are rearranged so that they are stored in contiguous clusters.
A computer uses a ____ system (base 2). That means that it only has 2 digits to choose from (i.e. 0 and 1).
Note that the URL starts by indicating what _________ should be used to access the page (HTTP).
In a relational database - a ___ field is used to sort data.

15. Widget
SSL (Secure _______ Layer) and TLS are protocols used to create a secure connection between a computer and a website.
A disk _________ is a section of a hard drive that is treated as a separate storage unit.
If an operating system attaches a special significance to a symbol - you won't be able to use it in a ________.
A desktop ______ appears on the computer desktop and is a specialized utility that looks like a control and displays information.

16. Publisher
Examples of DTP software include MS __________ and PageMaker.
EarthLink - AT&T - and Road Runner are all examples of ISPs (Internet __________________).
CSMA/CD is the Ethernet protocol that handles __________.
By holding down the ctrl - alt - and del keys - ________ OS will open the task manager which displays a list of active processes.

17. Office
______ data is data that has been converted into discrete digits such as 0s and 1s.
Improper positioning of your keyboard and mouse can cause ___.
Nowadays - cash registers have been replaced by ___ terminals.
Access (included with Microsoft _______) is an example of a popular Windows-based relational database application.

18. Guide
A wizard is an interactive computer utility that asks a user questions to _____ the user through a task.
PGP (_______ ______ Privacy) encryption software is available for free download on the web.
UNIVAC was the first commercially successful _______ computer.
The Windows registry is a database that maintains a record of installed ________ and peripheral devices - preferences - and settings.

19. Bits
Examples include _____________ identification and retina scanners.
Any electronic system that uses a ___ but is not a general purpose computer is called an embedded system.
Public domain software is not ___________ and can be copied without fear of prosecution.
The more _____ in a word - the faster the computer.

20. Circuit boards

21. Divide

22. Records
Desktop publishing software has reduced the time needed to create professional looking _______ projects.
A _________ is a limited working system - developed to test design concepts.
In a relational database - information is organized in rows and columns. Rows are called _______.
NAP stands for ________________ Point.

23. Three dimensional
________ are used to transmit data between LANs of different network topologies or network operating systems.
Virtual reality is a computer generated artificial reality which projects a person into a sensation of _____ ____________ space.
A MAC address is a series of numbers assigned by the manufacturer to a _________ ________ card at the factory.
Column headings are used to select an entire _______ with a mouse click.

24. Buffer
On a hard disk - this waiting area is called a _______.
The opposite of a variable is a _________ - which is a factor that remains the same throughout the program.
____ is the communications protocol used by your browser to connect with web servers and display web pages on your computer.
Plaintext is also called __________.

25. Artificial intelligence
Built in 1951 - UNIVAC was considerably smaller and more powerful than ______.
An electronic ______ ________ on the Internet where users conduct written discussions about a specific topic is called a newsgroup.
LISP is a programming language used primarily for creating __________ _____________ programs.
Personal computers are also called ______________.

26. CPU
If an operating system attaches a special significance to a symbol - you won't be able to use it in a ________.
A ___ ________ is software that enables a user to find and access the various parts of the Internet.
Computer resources include the ____ - RAM - storage space - and peripherals.
A _______ __________ plan is used to restore information technology functions after operations have been interrupted by an event such as a hurricane.

27. Instrument
A kilobyte is generally abbreviated as __.
MIDI stands for Musicial ___________ Digital Interface.
In programming - a _________ is a prewritten module designed for a specific task.
A virus is a program that __________ itself - either by making copies of itself or by attaching to another program.

28. Fingerprint
Examples include _____________ identification and retina scanners.
A MAC address is a series of numbers assigned by the manufacturer to a _________ ________ card at the factory.
A file extension is an optional file identifier that is separated from the main file name by a ______.
An _________ slot is a slot on the motherboard where the user can plug in an expansion card.

29. Drivers
A ____ network has no endpoints and all computers are connected in a continuous loop.
System software include device ________ - operating systems - and compilers.
A spreadsheet ________ is a built-in formula which performs common calculations.
Digital Rights Management is a collection of technologies used to limit access and use of ___________ products such as music - movies and computer games.

30. GUI
_____ data can be text - images - numbers - or sounds.
________ ________ plan and implement new or improved computer services.
VoIP stands for ______ over Internet Protocol.
The desktop is a feature of the ____ (graphic user interface) and is found in OS software like MAC OS and MS Windows.

31. Meta
A _____ is a single keystroke or command used to automatically issue a longer - predefined series of keystrokes or commands.
With a ______ implementation - parts of the new system are implemented separately.
Like hubs - switches have multiple ______.
Search agents and _____ search tools allow you to automate your search process across many sites.

32. Billion
Graphics software is designed to help users manipulate and ______ graphics.
Zipped files are _________ as part of the installation process.
A gigabyte is a unit of measurement roughly equaling one _______ bytes.
The location on a spreadsheet where a row and a column intersect is called a ____.

33. Click
Examples of information managed by ____ software include addresses - phone numbers - appointments - and to-do lists.
Each connection _____ on a network is called a node.
_______________ is used to restore the file to its original condition by replacing the repeated patterns that were removed during file compression.
Examples of an event include a key press or a mouse ______.

34. Tape drive
Unlike a hub - a ______ sends packets only to the computer that is the intended recipient.
Cyberspace is the world of communications in general; it includes wired and wireless communications - as well as the _________.
Commands written for a specific CPU or microprocessor are ____ _____ languages.
A _____ _____ is an example of a sequential access device; it retrieves data by starting at the beginning of the tape and reading each record until the required data is found.

35. Million
Cookies can save you time by not requiring you to _______ in the same information on subsequent visits to the same website.
The central computer is called a ____.
Forging an email ______'s name is called spoofing.
A megabyte is a unit of measurement roughly equaling one _______ bytes.

36. Punctuation
_______ errors can be found with a debugger.
___________ programming rules are called syntax.
With a ______ implementation - parts of the new system are implemented separately.
A gigabyte is a unit of measurement roughly equaling one _______ bytes.

37. 255
For example - the largest number an 8-bit variable can hold is ____ (2 to the power of 8 equals 256 - but a computer starts at 0 - so it can express anywhere from 0 through 255).
CIO stands for _______ ____________ Officer.
In MS PowerPoint - the slide sorter view displays __________ of each slide - allowing you to change the order of your presentation.
The BIOS (Basic ______________ System) also enables the computer to interpret keyboard commands and display characters on the monitor.

38. Commands
If an operating system attaches a special significance to a symbol - you won't be able to use it in a ________.
The toolbar displays menus and icons of commonly used ________ and options.
All the physical equipment in a computer system is called ________.
_____ ___ is a collection of photos and drawings designed to be inserted in documents.

39. Constant
Drawings created with CAD (Computer Aided _______) software are 3D and can be rotated to view all sides.
Multimedia authoring software combines video - text - animation - graphics and sound to create __________ multimedia applications.
In a _____________ LAN - individual computer users share the services of a centralized computer.
The opposite of a variable is a _________ - which is a factor that remains the same throughout the program.

40. Security
This UNIX-based kernel also contributes to stronger _________.
A computer resource is any component required to perform ____.
In the same year - they released the ________ computer.
Common syntax errors include incorrect or missing punctuation - _________ errors - and omitting keywords.

41. Transistors
Cookies can save you time by not requiring you to _______ in the same information on subsequent visits to the same website.
Second generation computers used ___________ instead of vacuum tubes.
Examples of OOP languages include C++ and _____.
A field contains the smallest unit of meaningful data and can therefore be called the basic ________ block for a structured file or database.

42. High level
_____ _____ languages are based on human languages and include C - C++ and FORTRAN.
Disposal of _______ is a major environmental problem caused by information technology.
In recent years - antivirus software has been one of the most popular categories of _______ software.
In computer programming - ______ errors refer to typographical errors and incorrect use of the programming language.

43. MB
A megabyte is often abbreviated as ___.
Examples of random access storage include computer hard disk drives - RAM - ____ _____ - floppy drives and CD-ROM drives.
A ___________ allows users to enter data in rows and columns to create financial schedules and tables arranged as a grid on a display.
With a ______ implementation - parts of the new system are implemented separately.

44. Requests
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.
The computer's main ______ typically consists of high speed RAM which stores instructions and data.
Adware is spyware that tracks surfing and online _________.
The goal is to overload the target server or network by suddenly bombarding it with thousands or even millions of _________ - making it unable to respond to requests from legitimate users.

45. Operating system

46. Intel
When a computer performs several tasks simultaneously - this is called ________ processing.
MIDI stands for Musicial ___________ Digital Interface.
Mac OS X was rewritten for _____ architecture in 2006 and has a reputation for being an easy to use - reliable - and secure operating system.
Small pictures on the desktop that represent documents - procedures and programs are called _____.

47. Permission

48. Before
The opposite of a variable is a _________ - which is a factor that remains the same throughout the program.
A _____ _______ is a program that is disguised as an innocent program to gain control of your computer.
The information on a ROM chip _____ be altered by the user.
Using a technology called pipelining - the processor can start executing an instruction ______ the previous instruction completes.

49. Bulletin board
________ are used to transmit data between LANs of different network topologies or network operating systems.
The easiest way to reduce exposure to cellphone _________ is to use a headset.
First generation computers used _______ _____ to store individual bits of data.
An electronic ______ ________ on the Internet where users conduct written discussions about a specific topic is called a newsgroup.

50. Chief Information
CIO stands for _______ ____________ Officer.
Examples of operating systems include ________ - Linux - Unix - and Macintosh OS.
Telephone lines have traditionally been _______.
Examples of keywords include READ - ______ - IF - and THEN