COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 25TH NOVEMBER 2012 EXAMINATION PAPER

SECTION A SECTION B Answer all questions from this section. Each question requires ONE (1) answer only. Answer all questions from this section. Each question requires THREE (3) answers. Answer any THREE (3) questions from this section. SECTION C Clearly cross out surplus answers. Failure to do this will result in only the first THREE (3) answers being marked.

Time Allowed: 2.5 Hours

Any reference material brought into the examination room must be handed to the invigilator before the start of the examination. Calculators ARE allowed in this examination.

SECTION A ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS IN THIS SECTION ALL QUESTIONS ARE WORTH 1 MARK Marks QUESTION 1 Which of the following is a characteristic of a LAN? a) it is located on one site only b) it makes use of public data communications systems c) it is operated by an outside organisation d) it covers a wide geographical area 1

QUESTION 2 Which of the following is the earliest and most primitive type of operating system? a) multi access b) single process/single user c) Multiprocessing d) Distributed

QUESTION 3 One method of storing numbers in a computer is to store the values 0-9 in four bit groups. This method is called: a) octal b) unicode c) ASCII d) BCD

QUESTION 4 Which of the following pairs of values could be properly stored as boolean data? a) male/female b) paid/not paid c) Monday/Tuesday d) tea/coffee

QUESTION 5 A temporary file is created after one stage of processing to be used in the next stage. It is deleted when processing is complete. This file is known as a: a) work file b) transaction file c) master file d) security file

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Computer Technology December 2012 Final NCC Education Ltd 2012

QUESTION 6 Marks A table is used to locate a record in a file. The first column contains the record key to be looked up. 1 The second column contains a pointer to the required data. This file is called: a) a transaction file b) an indexed sequential file c) a linked list d) a random access file QUESTION 7 In the OSI network reference model, which layer is immediately adjacent to the physical layer? a) transport layer b) data link layer c) session layer d) network layer QUESTION 8 Which of the following defines the rules that determine how packets are transferred from one host to another in the internet? a) IP b) TCP c) UDP d) DNS QUESTION 9 Look at the following email address: fred@nccedu.com Which of the following is the email's domain name? a) fred b) nccedu c) fred@nccedu d) nccedu.com QUESTION 10 Which of the following is suitable for lossy compression in order to reduce file size? a) a photograph b) a computer program c) a text document d) a spreadsheet file

Total 10 Marks

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Computer Technology December 2012 Final NCC Education Ltd 2012

SECTION B ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS IN THIS SECTION ALL QUESTIONS ARE WORTH 3 MARKS Marks QUESTION 11 Which THREE (3) of the following are examples of systems programs? a) compiler b) cruise controller c) linker d) web browser e) virus scanner f) interpreter QUESTION 12 Choose THREE (3) true statements from the list. Users of a multi-access, interactive system: a) must be placed in a queue b) must be protected from each other c) do not require access to a server d) must be allocated equal processor time e) must be given a fast response f) are likely to behave unpredictably QUESTION 13 Which THREE (3) of the following require a real time operating system? a) utility bill processing b) airline reservations c) an autopilot d) a compiler e) a linker f) a process control system QUESTION 14 Which THREE (3) of the following are stages in the conversion of a negative denary (decimal) number to its two's complement binary equivalent? a) find the binary equivalent of the positive denary number b) shift all the bits one place left c) subtract 1 d) change all the 1s to 0 and the 0s to 1 e) add 1 f) change the most significant bit to 0 QUESTION 15 Convert the denary (decimal) number 123 to: a) hexadecimal b) octal c) binary 3

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Computer Technology December 2012 Final NCC Education Ltd 2012

QUESTION 16 Marks Which THREE (3) of the following are stages in the retrieval of a record from a hashed random 3 access file? a) the record key is converted to a disk address b) the first half of the file is searched c) the relevant disk address is accessed d) the mid point of the file is calculated e) the first record in the file is accessed f) the disk is searched until the required record or a blank record is found QUESTION 17 Which THREE (3) of the following are stages in a connection mode communication session? a) connection establishment b) data transfer c) packet creation d) destination determination e) router access f) connection release QUESTION 18 Which THREE (3) of the following are true statements about a packet switching network? a) they include much redundancy b) they are less reliable than circuit switched networks c) they cannot use wireless technology d) they are only found in LANs e) they require the use of routers f) packets may be sent from source to destination by different routes QUESTION 19 Which THREE (3) of the following help to prolong battery life in a mobile device? a) use a smaller screen b) reduce screen brightness c) shut down apps that are not in use d) charge the battery regularly e) reduce the amount of RAM f) use WiFi instead of wired connections QUESTION 20 Which THREE (3) of the following are benefits to a business working with a database? a) data is entered once only b) data is always correct c) data integrity is improved d) data redundancy is avoided e) data entry is automated f) all data is accessible to all staff

Total 30 Marks

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Computer Technology December 2012 Final NCC Education Ltd 2012

SECTION C ANSWER ANY THREE QUESTIONS FROM THIS SECTION QUESTION 21 a) i) Distinguish between a program and a process. ii) A program is loaded into memory on two occasions. Explain why the two instances of the same program may contain differences. iii) A process may be in one of three states. Describe each of these three states. iv) State TWO (2) methods by which processes may communicate. v) Describe what a Process Control Block (PCB) is. b) Explain the purpose of a scheduler. 2 4 6 2 3 3

Total 20 Marks QUESTION 22 a) i) Explain what is meant by an incremental file backup. 2 ii) Explain the advantages of incremental file backups compared with other methods of file 2 backup. b) Describe how a quick sort is performed. 6 c) i) Explain what is meant by a fixed length record. 2 ii) Explain the advantages of storing data in fixed length records instead of variable length 4 records. d) i) Explain what is meant by a transaction file 2 ii) Explain what is meant by a master file. 2 Total 20 Marks QUESTION 23 a) i) List FOUR (4) software tools that are used in the development of computer programs. ii) List FOUR (4) reasons why software maintenance is carried out. iii) Name and describe THREE (3) categories of software maintenance. b) Describe the role of the business analyst in software development. 4 4 6 6

Total 20 Marks QUESTION 24 a) i) ii) iii) iv) b) i) ii) Describe how a message is sent on a token ring network. Describe the layout of an ethernet network. Explain why data collisions occur on an ethernet network. Explain how an ethernet network overcomes the problem of data collisions. Explain why organisations sometimes use WiFi to connect devices instead of cable. State FOUR (4) disadvantages of using WiFi to connect devices on a network. 4 2 1 6 3 4

Total 20 Marks

END OF PAPER
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Computer Technology December 2012 Final NCC Education Ltd 2012