Deck 4: The Components of the System Unit

Question 1

____ is the most widely used coding scheme used to represent data.

A) American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
B) Unicode
C) Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)
D) Multicode

Answer 1

A

Question 2

One gigahertz (GHz) equals one ____ ticks of the system clock per second.

A) thousand
B) million
C) billion
D) trillion

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Intel's ____ is designed to enhance digital entertainment through a home computer.

A) Turion 64
B) Opteron
C) Itanium 2
D) Viiv technology

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The ____ processor(s) is/are ideal for workstations and low-end servers.

A) Pentium
B) Celeron
C) Xeon and Itanium
D) Acceleron and Celerium

Question 5

On ____, the electronic components and most storage devices are part of the system unit and other devices, such as the keyboard, mouse, and monitor, normally occupy space outside the system unit.

A) desktop personal computers
B) notebook computers
C) mobile devices
D) all of the above

Question 6

____ is used primarily on mainframe computers and high-end servers.

A) American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
B) Unicode
C) Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)
D) Multicode

Question 7

Figure 4-1 In the machine cycle steps illustrated in Figure 4-1, ____ is the process of obtaining a program instruction or data item from memory.

A) fetching
B) decoding
C) executing
D) storing

Question 8

Figure 4-1 In the machine cycle steps illustrated in Figure 4-1, the term ____ refers to the process of translating instructions into signals the computer can execute.

A) fetching
B) decoding
C) executing
D) storing

Question 9

Memory stores ____.

A) the operating system and other system software
B) application programs that carry out a specific task
C) the data being processed and the resulting information
D) all of the above

Question 10

Some computer and chip manufacturers use the term ____ to refer to a personal computer processor chip.

A) microprocessor
B) parallel processor
C) coprocessor
D) perpendicular processor

Question 11

____ is a coding scheme capable of representing almost all of the world's current written languages, as well as classic and historical languages.

A) American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
B) Unicode
C) Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)
D) Multicode

Question 12

Parallel processing ____.

A) is used by supercomputers for applications such as weather forecasting
B) divides a problem into portions
C) requires special software
D) all of the above

Question 13

Figure 4-1 In the machine cycle steps illustrated in Figure 4-1, ____ is the process of carrying out commands.

A) fetching
B) decoding
C) executing
D) storing

Question 14

The greater the number of transistors in a processor chip, the ____ the chip.

A) less complex and powerful
B) less complex but more powerful
C) more complex but less powerful
D) more complex and powerful

Question 15

A(n) ____ is the basic storage unit in memory.

A) byte
B) address
C) kilobyte
D) RAM

Question 16

The cases of the system unit, sometimes called the ____, is made of metal or plastic and protects the internal electronic components from damage.

A) form factor
B) chassis
C) motherboard
D) chip

Question 17

Each tick of the system clock equates to a ____.

A) clock shot
B) clock spring
C) clock rhythm
D) clock cycle

Question 18

Less expensive, basic PCs use a brand of Intel processor(s) called the ____.

A) Pentium
B) Celeron
C) Xeon and Itanium
D) Acceleron and Celerium

Question 19

A ____ is equal to exactly 1,024 bytes, but computer users often round it down to 1,000 bytes to simplify memory and storage definitions.

A) kilobyte (KB or K)
B) megabyte (MB)
C) gigabyte (GB)
D) terabyte (TB)

Question 20

Most high-performance PCs use some type of ____ processor(s).

A) Pentium
B) Celeron
C) Xeon and Itanium
D) Acceleron and Celerium

Question 21

Current processors include advanced transfer cache, a type of ____ built directly on a processor chip.

A) L1 cache
B) L2 cache
C) L3 cache
D) L4 cache

Question 22

A FireWire port, previously called an IEEE 1394 port, is ____.

A) similar to a USB port in that it can connect multiple types of devices that require faster data transmission speeds
B) a special high-speed parallel port that allows users to attach peripherals such as disk drives and printers
C) a special type of serial port that connects the system unit to a musical instrument
D) an alternative to IrDA that uses radio waves to transmit data between two devices

Question 23

Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) chips are faster than DRAM chips because they ____.

A) transfer data twice for each clock cycle
B) are synchronized to the system clock
C) do not have to be re-energized as often
D) use pipelining techniques

Question 24

____ is the most common type of volatile memory.

A) ROM
B) Flash memory
C) CMOS
D) RAM

Question 25

A nanosecond (abbreviated ns) is one ____ of a second.

A) thousandth
B) millionth
C) billionth
D) trillionth

Question 26

Rambus DRAM (RDRAM) chips are another type of DRAM chips that are much faster than SDRAM chips because they ____.

A) transfer data twice for each clock cycle
B) are synchronized to the system clock
C) do not have to be re-energized as often
D) use pipelining techniques

Question 27

____ is built directly into a processor chip and usually has a very small capacity.

A) L1 cache
B) L2 cache
C) L3 cache
D) L4 cache

Question 28

Generally, home users running Windows Vista and using basic application software such as word processing should have at least ____ MB of RAM.

A) 64
B) 128
C) 256
D) 512

Question 29

A ____ houses RDRAM chips.

A) DIMM (dual inline memory module)
B) SIMM (single inline memory module)
C) RIMM (Rambus inline memory module)
D) CIMM (Cantus inline memory module)

Question 30

A ____ equals approximately 1 billion bytes.

A) kilobyte (KB or K)
B) megabyte (MB)
C) gigabyte (GB)
D) terabyte (TB)

Question 31

A network card ____.

A) enhances the audio-generating capabilities of a personal computer by allowing sound to be input through a microphone and output through external speakers or headphones
B) converts computer output into a signal that travels through a cable to the monitor, which displays an image on the screen
C) connects computers through telephone or cable television lines
D) connects other computers and peripherals

Question 32

Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM) chips are even faster than SDRAM chips because they ____.

A) transfer data twice for each clock cycle
B) are synchronized to the system clock
C) do not have to be re-energized as often
D) use pipelining techniques

Question 33

A modem card ____.

A) enhances the audio-generating capabilities of a personal computer by allowing sound to be input through a microphone and output through external speakers or headphones
B) converts computer output into a signal that travels through a cable to the monitor, which displays an image on the screen
C) connects computers through telephone or cable television lines
D) connects other computers and peripherals

Question 34

The COM port (short for communications port) on the system unit is one type of ____.

A) serial port
B) parallel port
C) USB port
D) SCSI port

Question 35

A ____ is equal to approximately 1 million bytes.

A) kilobyte (KB or K)
B) megabyte (MB)
C) gigabyte (GB)
D) terabyte (TB)

Question 36

A video card, also called a graphics card, ____.

A) enhances the audio-generating capabilities of a personal computer by allowing sound to be input through a microphone and output through external speakers or headphones
B) converts computer output into a signal that travels through a cable to the monitor, which displays an image on the screen
C) connects computers through telephone or cable television lines
D) connects other computers and peripherals

Question 37

____ is a cache separate from the processor chip on the motherboard.

A) L1 cache
B) L2 cache
C) L3 cache
D) L4 cache

Question 38

A sound card ____.

A) enhances the audio-generating capabilities of a personal computer by allowing sound to be input through a microphone and output through external speakers or headphones
B) converts computer output into a signal that travels through a cable to the monitor, which displays an image on the screen
C) connects computers through telephone or cable television lines
D) connects other computers and peripherals

Question 39

A ____ has pins on opposite sides of the circuit board that connect together to form one set of contacts.

A) DIMM (dual inline memory module)
B) SIMM (single inline memory module)
C) RIMM (Rambus inline memory module)
D) CIMM (Cantus inline memory module)

Question 40

Instead of port, the term ____ sometimes is used to identify audio and video ports.

A) bus
B) hub
C) bay
D) jack

Question 41

Some computer professionals measure a processor's speed according to the number of ____ it can process.

A) GHz
B) MIPS
C) MHz
D) KB

Question 42

The processor relies on a small quartz crystal circuit called the ____ clock to control the timing of all computer operations.

A) system
B) master
C) unit
D) control

Question 43

The ____ unit is a case that contains electronic components of the computer used to process data.

A) system
B) master
C) control
D) base

Question 44

Notebook computers ____.

A) can run on batteries or standard power supply
B) are less expensive than a desktop computer with similar capabilities
C) have no video, serial, parallel, or FireWire ports
D) all of the above

Question 45

The PCI bus is ____.

A) the most common and slowest expansion bus
B) a bus designed by Intel to improve the speed with which 3-D graphics and video transmit
C) a high-speed expansion bus that connects higher speed devices
D) a bus that eliminates the need to install cards into expansion slots

Question 46

The USB (universal serial bus) and FireWire bus are ____.

A) the most common and slowest expansion buses
B) buses designed to improve the speed with which 3-D graphics and video transmit
C) high-speed expansion buses that connect higher speed devices
D) buses that eliminate the need to install cards in expansion slots

Question 47

Bluetooth technology is ____.

A) similar to a USB port in that it can connect multiple types of devices that require faster data transmission speeds
B) a special high-speed parallel port that allows users to attach peripherals such as disk drives and printers
C) a special type of serial port that connects the system unit to a musical instrument
D) an alternative to IrDA that uses radio waves to transmit data between two devices

Question 48

With ____, the processor begins fetching a second instruction before it completes the machine cycle for the first instruction.

A) clocking
B) multi-core processing
C) pipelining
D) recatching

Question 49

The ____ board is the main circuit board of the system unit.

A) control
B) system
C) master
D) index

Question 50

A SCSI port is ____.

A) similar to a USB port in that it can connect multiple types of devices that require faster data transmission speeds
B) a special high-speed parallel port that allows users to attach peripherals such as disk drives and printers
C) a special type of serial port that connects the system unit to a musical instrument
D) an alternative to IrDA that uses radio waves to transmit data between two devices

Question 51

The first step in cleaning a computer is ____.

A) turn it off, unplug it, and unplug all cables from the ports
B) vacuum the fan on the back of the computer case
C) wipe the case with an antistatic wipe
D) open the case

Question 52

A processor contains small high-speed storage locations, called ____, that temporarily hold data and instructions.

A) indices
B) switchers
C) capacitors
D) registers

Question 53

The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) is ____.

A) the most common and slowest expansion bus
B) a bus designed to improve the speed with which 3-D graphics and video transmit
C) a high-speed expansion bus that connects higher speed devices
D) a bus that eliminates the need to install cards into expansion slots

Question 54

A(n) ____ circuit, which is etched on a computer chip, contains many microscopic pathways capable of carrying electrical current.

A) indexed
B) systematized
C) calibrated
D) integrated

Question 55

A computer ____ is a small piece of semi-conducting material, usually silicon, on which integrated circuits are etched.

A) plug
B) port
C) chip
D) roster

Question 56

A(n) ____, which is contained on an integrated circuit, can act as an electronic switch that opens or closes the circuit for electrical charges.

A) transistor
B) switcher
C) capacitor
D) resistor

Question 57

A(n) ____, which can be a peripheral or a chip, creates sound from digital instructions.

A) external bus
B) synthesizer
C) internal bus
D) audiometer

Question 58

The wider the bus, the ____ the transfer of data.

A) greater the number of transfer steps required and the slower
B) greater the number of transfer steps required and the faster
C) fewer the number of transfer steps required and the slower
D) fewer the number of transfer steps required and the faster

Question 59

Together, four operations (fetching, decoding, executing, and storing) comprise a(n) ____ cycle.

A) baseline
B) machine
C) registration
D) pipelined

Question 60

____ are installed in internal bays.

A) CD drives
B) Floppy disk drives
C) Zip drives
D) Hard disk drives

Question 61

A method known as ____ processing uses multiple processors simultaneously to execute a single program or task.

A) parallel
B) binary
C) multi-core
D) main core

Question 62

Some RAM chips, flash memory chips, and other types of memory chips use ____ technology because it provides high speeds and consumes little power.

A) EEPROM
B) CPROM
C) BIOS
D) CMOS

Question 63

Unlike a serial port, a(n) ____ port is an interface that connects devices by transferring more than one bit at a time.

A) parallel
B) USB
C) IEEE
D) FireWire

Question 64

A(n) ____ digit is the smallest unit of data the computer can process.

A) absolute
B) relative
C) binary
D) unary

Question 65

A(n) ____ joins a cable to a peripheral.

A) link
B) access joint
C) port
D) connector

Question 66

A(n) ____ port is a type of interface that connects a device to the system unit by transmitting data one bit at a time.

A) serial
B) USB
C) FireWire
D) parallel

Question 67

When 8 bits are grouped together as a unit, they form a(n) ____.

A) key
B) cache
C) index
D) byte

Question 68

Figure 4-3 A ____ slot is a socket on the motherboard that can hold an adapter card like the one in Figure 4-3.

A) reading
B) expansion
C) serial
D) parallel

Question 69

____ memory does not lose its contents when power is removed from the computer.

A) Volatile
B) Nonvolatile
C) Cached
D) Pipelined

Question 70

The ____ system is a number system that has just two unique digits, 0 and 1, called bits.

A) unary
B) binary
C) Unicode
D) ASCII

Question 71

A(n) ____ is the point at which a peripheral attaches to or communicates with the system unit so it can send data or receive information from the computer.

A) signal receptor
B) analog
C) port
D) baseline

Question 72

Most of today's computers improve processing time with ____, which stores frequently used instructions and data.

A) PROM
B) pipes
C) cache
D) indices

Question 73

____ refers to memory chips storing permanent data and instructions.

A) ROM
B) RAM
C) PRAM
D) MRAM

Question 74

A(n) ____ chip is a blank ROM chip onto which a programmer can write permanently.

A) EEPROM
B) PROM
C) CMOS
D) CMIS

Question 75

Because a heat sink consumes a lot of space, a smaller device called a heat ____ cools processors in notebook computers.

A) offshoot
B) compressor
C) payload
D) pipe

Question 76

____ time is the amount of time it takes the processor to read data, instructions, and information from memory.

A) Access
B) Meter
C) Processing
D) Connection

Question 77

A variation of the PROM chip, called a(n) ____ chip, allows a programmer to erase the microcode with an electrical signal.

A) CMOS
B) BIOS
C) EEPROM
D) CPROM

Question 78

____ cache is a type of cache that helps speed the processes of a computer because it stores frequently used instructions and data.

A) Programmable
B) Real-time
C) Read-only
D) Memory

Question 79

Each byte resides temporarily in a location in memory, called a(n) ____.

A) address
B) location
C) register
D) keycode

Question 80

A(n) ____ processor is a chip with two or more separate processors.

A) parallel
B) compressed
C) multi-core
D) binary