Question 1

________ enables devices and controllers to transfer blocks of data to and from main memory directly.

Accepted Answer

A)  Programmed I/O 
B)  Direct memory access (DM
A)  
C)  Interrupt-driven I/O 
D)  Pipelining 
A)  Programmed I/O 
B)  Direct memory access (DM
A)  
C)  Interrupt-driven I/O 
D)  Pipelining B

Question 2

Data stored on ________ media (i.e., caches) vanishes when the computer is turned off, whereas ________ media (i.e., hard disks) preserve data when no power is present.

Accepted Answer

A)  persistent, volatile 
B)  volatile, persistent 
C)  random-access, sequential-access 
D)  dynamic, static 
A)  persistent, volatile 
B)  volatile, persistent 
C)  random-access, sequential-access 
D)  dynamic, static B

Question 3

As manufacturers develop new memory technologies, the speed and capacity of memory tend to ________, while the cost per storage unit tends to ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  increase, increase 
B)  increase, decrease 
C)  decrease, increase 
D)  decrease, decrease 
A)  increase, increase 
B)  increase, decrease 
C)  decrease, increase 
D)  decrease, decrease B

Question 4

An ODBC driver is a piece of middleware that:

Accepted Answer

A)  hides the details of connecting an application to databases of several common database formats. 
B)  handles retrieving information from a database as requested by an application. 
C)  both a and b 
D)  neither a nor b 
A)  hides the details of connecting an application to databases of several common database formats. 
B)  handles retrieving information from a database as requested by an application. 
C)  both a and b 
D)  neither a nor b

Question 5

Which of the following statements about dynamic linking is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  References to external functions are not resolved until a process issues calls to the functions. 
B)  A dynamically linked program must be relinked when a library that is uses is modified. 
C)  Shared library code can be stored separately from other program code. 
D)  Dynamic linking saves space on secondary storage, as only a single copy of a shared library must be stored. 
A)  References to external functions are not resolved until a process issues calls to the functions. 
B)  A dynamically linked program must be relinked when a library that is uses is modified. 
C)  Shared library code can be stored separately from other program code. 
D)  Dynamic linking saves space on secondary storage, as only a single copy of a shared library must be stored.

Question 6

Which of the following events does not occur when a plug-and-play device is attached to a computer?

Accepted Answer

A)  The device uniquely identifies itself to the operating system. 
B)  The device indicates to the operating system the resources and services it requires to function properly. 
C)  The device identifies the driver it requires to function. 
D)  The device notifies the user that it is ready to use. 
A)  The device uniquely identifies itself to the operating system. 
B)  The device indicates to the operating system the resources and services it requires to function properly. 
C)  The device identifies the driver it requires to function. 
D)  The device notifies the user that it is ready to use.

Question 7

Specifying elementary computer operations with English-like abbreviations forms the basis of ________ languages.

Accepted Answer

A)  Assembly languages 
B)  High-level languages 
C)  Mid-level languages 
D)  Machine languages 
A)  Assembly languages 
B)  High-level languages 
C)  Mid-level languages 
D)  Machine languages

Question 8

The ________ chip, typically located on the mainboard, stores instructions for basic hardware initialization and management.

Accepted Answer

A)  bootstrap 
B)  firmware 
C)  basic input/output system (BIOS) 
D)  device driver 
A)  bootstrap 
B)  firmware 
C)  basic input/output system (BIOS) 
D)  device driver

Question 9

Translator programs called ________ convert high-level language programs into machine language.

Accepted Answer

A)  assemblers 
B)  compilers 
C)  interpreters 
D)  none of the above 
A)  assemblers 
B)  compilers 
C)  interpreters 
D)  none of the above

Question 10

What is the role of the lexical analyzer in a compiler?

Accepted Answer

A)  The lexical analyzer groups tokens in a program's source code into syntactically correct statements. 
B)  The lexical analyzer separates the source code into tokens (e.g., keywords, identifiers, operators and punctuation). 
C)  The lexical analyzer converts syntactic structures into instructions. 
D)  The lexical analyzer attempts to optimize the efficiency of the code. 
A)  The lexical analyzer groups tokens in a program's source code into syntactically correct statements. 
B)  The lexical analyzer separates the source code into tokens (e.g., keywords, identifiers, operators and punctuation). 
C)  The lexical analyzer converts syntactic structures into instructions. 
D)  The lexical analyzer attempts to optimize the efficiency of the code.

Question 11

What is the role of a computer system's clock generator?

Accepted Answer

A)  It keeps track of the current date and time. 
B)  It provides power for the computer's internal clock. 
C)  It sets the frequency at which buses in the system transfer data. 
D)  Both a and c 
A)  It keeps track of the current date and time. 
B)  It provides power for the computer's internal clock. 
C)  It sets the frequency at which buses in the system transfer data. 
D)  Both a and c

Question 12

Which of the following hardware components are required to execute instructions in a general-purpose computer?

Accepted Answer

A)  mainboard 
B)  processor 
C)  main memory 
D)  all of the above 
A)  mainboard 
B)  processor 
C)  main memory 
D)  all of the above

Question 13

From the user's point of view, plug-and-play devices that are added to the system typically are ready to use ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  after restarting the computer 
B)  after manually configuring the operating system to identify the device 
C)  immediately, with little or no user interaction 
D)  after logging off and logging back onto the system 
A)  after restarting the computer 
B)  after manually configuring the operating system to identify the device 
C)  immediately, with little or no user interaction 
D)  after logging off and logging back onto the system

Question 14

Objects have ________, such as color, size and weight; and they perform ________, such as moving, sleeping or drawing.

Accepted Answer

A)  properties, actions 
B)  properties, attributes 
C)  methods, actions 
D)  actions, properties 
A)  properties, actions 
B)  properties, attributes 
C)  methods, actions 
D)  actions, properties

Question 15

Which of the following is a true statement about middleware?

Accepted Answer

A)  Middleware enables communication between computers in distributed systems. 
B)  Middleware permits applications to run on heterogeneous computer platforms. 
C)  Middleware simplifies application development, as developers do not need to know the implementation details of the middleware. 
D)  all of the above 
A)  Middleware enables communication between computers in distributed systems. 
B)  Middleware permits applications to run on heterogeneous computer platforms. 
C)  Middleware simplifies application development, as developers do not need to know the implementation details of the middleware. 
D)  all of the above

Question 16

In what ways do processors support operating system services?

Accepted Answer

A)  To create a secure system, processors often implement protection mechanisms by preventing processes from accessing privileged instructions. 
B)  Most processors provide mechanisms for memory protection and memory management. 
C)  Processors inform the operating system of events such as program execution errors and changes in device status 
D)  all of the above 
A)  To create a secure system, processors often implement protection mechanisms by preventing processes from accessing privileged instructions. 
B)  Most processors provide mechanisms for memory protection and memory management. 
C)  Processors inform the operating system of events such as program execution errors and changes in device status 
D)  all of the above

Question 17

Input to the linker can include which of the following items?

Accepted Answer

A)  object modules 
B)  load modules 
C)  control statements 
D)  all of the above 
A)  object modules 
B)  load modules 
C)  control statements 
D)  all of the above

Question 18

Why is hard disk storage much slower to access than main memory?

Accepted Answer

A)  Accessing data on a hard disk requires mechanical movement of the read/write head. 
B)  Disks are located farther from a system's processors. 
C)  Disks must be access via a hardware controller. 
D)  all of the above 
A)  Accessing data on a hard disk requires mechanical movement of the read/write head. 
B)  Disks are located farther from a system's processors. 
C)  Disks must be access via a hardware controller. 
D)  all of the above

Question 19

________ is the process of integrating the various modules referenced by a program into a single executable unit.

Accepted Answer

A)  Parsing 
B)  Loading 
C)  Linking 
D)  Compiling 
A)  Parsing 
B)  Loading 
C)  Linking 
D)  Compiling

Question 20

Which of the following is not a serial interface?

Accepted Answer

A)  USB 
B)  IEEE 1394 (FireWire or iLink) 
C)  SCSI 
D)  none of the above 
A)  USB 
B)  IEEE 1394 (FireWire or iLink) 
C)  SCSI 
D)  none of the above

Exam 2: Understanding Computer Systems and Programming Concepts

________ enables devices and controllers to transfer blocks of data to and from main memory directly.

Data stored on ________ media (i.e., caches) vanishes when the computer is turned off, whereas ________ media (i.e., hard disks) preserve data when no power is present.

As manufacturers develop new memory technologies, the speed and capacity of memory tend to ________, while the cost per storage unit tends to ________.

An ODBC driver is a piece of middleware that:

Which of the following statements about dynamic linking is false?

Which of the following events does not occur when a plug-and-play device is attached to a computer?

Specifying elementary computer operations with English-like abbreviations forms the basis of ________ languages.

The ________ chip, typically located on the mainboard, stores instructions for basic hardware initialization and management.

Translator programs called ________ convert high-level language programs into machine language.

What is the role of the lexical analyzer in a compiler?

What is the role of a computer system's clock generator?

Which of the following hardware components are required to execute instructions in a general-purpose computer?

From the user's point of view, plug-and-play devices that are added to the system typically are ready to use ________.

Objects have ________, such as color, size and weight; and they perform ________, such as moving, sleeping or drawing.

Which of the following is a true statement about middleware?

In what ways do processors support operating system services?

Input to the linker can include which of the following items?

Why is hard disk storage much slower to access than main memory?

________ is the process of integrating the various modules referenced by a program into a single executable unit.

Which of the following is not a serial interface?

Exploring Operating Systems and Distributed Computing: a Comprehensive Overview

Understanding Processes and Threads in Operating Systems

Exploring Semaphores and Multithreading in Operating Systems

Exploring Thread Synchronization and Mutual Exclusion in Java

Concurrency and Deadlock in Database Systems: Exploring Monitor Implementation and Thread Synchronization in Java

Operating System Scheduling and Deadlock Prevention: a Comprehensive Guide

Understanding Processor Scheduling and Memory Management in Operating Systems

Memory Management in Operating Systems: Segmentation, Paging, and Strategies for Efficiency

Memory Management and Address Translation in Operating Systems

Memory Management and Page Replacement Strategies in Operating Systems

Disk Storage and Raid Technology

Understanding File Systems and Database Systems: a Comprehensive Overview

Exploring Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking in Computer Systems

Understanding Multiprocessor Organizations and System Performance

Understanding the Layers of the TCP/IP Protocol Stack

Understanding Distributed Systems and Operating Systems

Exploring Distributed File Systems and Grid Computing With NFS, AFS, Coda, and JXTA

Security Threats and Solutions in Cryptography and Access Control

Exploring the Linux Operating Systems Features and Functionality

In-Depth Analysis of Windows XP

Filters

Data stored on media (i.e., caches) vanishes when the computer is turned off, whereas media (i.e., hard disks) preserve data when no power is present.

As manufacturers develop new memory technologies, the speed and capacity of memory tend to , while the cost per storage unit tends to .

Objects have , such as color, size and weight; and they perform , such as moving, sleeping or drawing.