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. Software that provides street maps and written directions to locations.






2. Part of the operating system that enables individuals to interact with the computer.






3. The maximum speed at which data can be transmitted between two nodes on a network; usually measured in megabits per second (Mbps).






4. 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.






5. 'A type of network design in which users are not responsible for creating their own data backups or providing security for their computers; instead - those tasks are handled by a centralized server - software - and a system administrator.'






6. A small program that groups a series of commands to run as a single command.






7. A hard drive that is installed inside the system unit.






8. A port that enables the computer(or other device) to be connected to other devices or systems such as networks - modems - and the internet.






9. 'A device for transmitting data on a network. A switch makes decisions - based on the media access control (MAC) address of the data - as to where the data is to be sent.'






10. The process for loading the operating system (OS) into random access memory (RAM) when the computer is turned on.






11. A group of icons collected for easy access.






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






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






14. The pre-installed software (often trial versions) on a new computer.






15. Twisted pair cable that contains a layer of foil shielding to reduce interference.






16. 'The process that occurs after the read/write head of the hard drive locates the correct track - and then waits for the correct sector to spin to the read/write head.'






17. 'The main tool for finding - viewing - and managing the contents of your computer by showing the location and contents of every drive - folder - and file.'






18. 'In a wireless network - a device that translates the electronic data that needs to be sent along the network into radio waves and then broadcasts these radio waves to other network nodes.'






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






20. A simplified licensing scheme that enables copyright holders to grant certain rights to a work while retaining other rights.






21. A small - compact portable computer.






22. A server that keeps track of who is logging on to the network and which services on the network are available to each user.






23. 'The first job the basic input/output system (BIOS) performs - ensuring that essential peripheral devices are attached and operational. This process consists of a test on the video card and video memory - a BIOS identification process (during which t






24. System software that controls hardware devices.






25. 'A section of a hard drive platter - wedge-shaped from the center of the platter to the edge.'






26. A digit that corresponds to the on and off states of a computer's switches. A bit contains a value of either 0 or 1.






27. 'The computer's temporary storage space or short-term memory. It is located in a set of chips on the system unit's motherboard - and its capacity is measured in megabytes or gigabytes.'






28. 'An alternative to more traditional mapping software programs; easily accessible with any Internet connection and updated more frequently than offline services. Examples include MapQuest - Yahoo! Maps - Google Maps - and Google Earth.'






29. A network used to connect wireless devices (such as Bluetooth-enabled devices) in close proximity to each other.






30. A special circuit board in the system unit that contains the central processeing unit (CPU) - the memory (RAM) chips - and the slots available for expansion cards; all of the other boards (video cards - sound cards - and so on) connect to it to recie






31. A program for editing digital video.






32. A list of commands that displays on the screen.






33. A self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association that rates computer and video games according to the age appropriateness of content.






34. 'A method of data collision detection in which a node connected to the network listens (that is - has carrier sense) to determine that no other nodes are currently transmitting data signals; short for Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Dete






35. 'The backslash mark () used by Microsoft Windows and DOS in file names. Mac files use a colon (:) - and UNIX and Linux use the forward slash (/) as the path separator.'






36. A measure of the difference in light intensity between the brightest white and the darkest black colors that a monitor can produce. If the contrast ratio is too low - colors tend to fade when the brightness is adjusted to a high or low setting.






37. 'Program code made publicly available for free; it can be copied - distributed - or changed without the stringent copyright protections of proprietary software products.'






38. 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.






39. A network in which the nodes are located within a small geographic area.






40. Interface between user and computer in which the user enters commands to communicate with the computer system.






41. A mouse that uses an internal sensor or a laser to conrtol the mouse's movement. The sensor sends signals to the computer - telling it where to move the pointer on the screen.






42. The 802.11 standard for wireless data transmissions established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).






43. The percentage of time a central processing unit (CPU) is working.






44. A program that takes out redundancies in a file to reduce the file size.






45. One billion hertz






46. The study of molecules and nanostructures whose size ranges from 1 to 100 nanometers.






47. The instructions programmers write in a higher-level language.






48. 'A section of a hard drive platter - wedge-shaped from the center of the platter to the edge.'






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






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