Exam Chapter 9 Practice Questions
Name___________________________________

TRUE/FALSE.  Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false. 

1) 

Computers understand only two states: on and off 

1) 

_______ 

2) 

The binary numbering system is a base-6 numbering system. 

2) 

_______ 

3) 

The binary numbering system can represent all of the numbers that the base-10 numbering system can. 

3) 

_______ 

4) 

In the ASCII code, the letter "A" and the letter "a" have the same value. 

4) 

_______ 

5) 

The first computers used vacuum tubes as switches. 

5) 

_______ 

6) 

The binary numbering system cannot represent decimals. 

6) 

_______ 

7) 

Gaming systems like the Xbox 360 and Wii have a high-speed processor. 

7) 

_______ 

8) 

A CPU and a GPU are both attached to the motherboard of a single system. 

8) 

_______ 

9) 

A video card can include two GPUs. 

9) 

_______ 

10) 

Video cards can have their own RAM. 

10) 

______ 

11) 

Apple computers have been redesigned to use Intel CPUs. 

11) 

______ 

12) 

The system clock is built into an expansion card. 

12) 

______ 

13) 

Clock speed is measured in hertz. 

13) 

______ 

14) 

NRAM uses less power than DRAM. 

14) 

______ 

15) 

MRAM uses carbon nanotubes to store data. 

15) 

______ 

16) 

NRAM uses electrical charges to store data. 

16) 

______ 

17) 

SRAM is faster than DRAM. 

17) 

______ 

18) 

The typical kind of DRAM used in a basic home computer is dual-channel DDR2. 

18) 

______ 

19) 

Cache memory comes in levels 1-10. 

19) 

______ 

20) 

Level 3 cache is optional for most computers. 

20) 

______ 

21) 

Cache memory does not affect the performance of the CPU. 

21) 

______ 

22) 

The most expensive and fastest memory in the computer is ROM. 

22) 

______ 

23) 

Word size refers to the maximum length of words that can be stored in RAM. 

23) 

______ 

24) 

RAM is volatile, or temporary, memory. 

24) 

______ 

25) 

Another name for a local bus is back side bus. 

25) 

______ 

26) 

When adding a piece of hardware to your computer, you may have to add an expansion card to extend the bus to the motherboard. 

26) 

______ 

27) 

In bus width, the wider the bus is, the slower the data is sent. A more narrow bus streamlines the data. 

27) 

______ 

28) 

The term "bit" is a combination of the words "big" and "digit." 

28) 

______ 

29) 

Pipelining will allow a four-stage processor to run four times as fast. 

29) 

______ 

30) 

The number of stages a pipeline can have is dependent entirely on design decisions. 

30) 

______ 

31) 

Two completely separate CPU chips on one motherboard is referred to as a multi-core design. 

31) 

______ 

32) 

SDRAM is faster than DRAM. 

32) 

______ 

33) 

On computers with Level 3 cache, the CPU checks this area for instructions and data after it looks in Level 1 and Level 2 cache, but before it makes the longer trip to RAM.  

33) 

______ 

34) 

As an end user of computer programs, you do nothing special to use cache memory. 

34) 

______ 

MULTIPLE CHOICE.  Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 

35) 

A(n) __________ is found in one of two states, off or on. 

35) 

______ 

A) 

integrated circuit 

B) 

binary switch  

C) 

electrical switch 

D) 

vacuum tube 

36) 

The __________ consists of just two numbers: 0 and 1. 

36) 

______ 

A) 

binary language 

B) 

ASCII code 

C) 

Unicode system 

D) 

hexadecimal numbering system 

37) 

The earliest computers used __________ as  switches. 

37) 

______ 

A) 

cathode ray tubes 

B) 

vacuum tubes 

C) 

electrically charged plates 

D) 

transistors 

38) 

__________ was put into use in 1945 and took up 1,800 square feet of floor space. 

38) 

______ 

A) 

IBM Blue 

B) 

Apple's Adam 

C) 

Pentium I 

D) 

ENIAC 

39) 

A(n) __________ is material that can transmit or prohibit the flow of electricity. 

39) 

______ 

A) 

transistor 

B) 

integrated circuit 

C) 

resistor 

D) 

semiconductor 

40) 

A __________ is an electrical switch that is built out of layers of a semiconductor material. 

40) 

______ 

A) 

transistor 

B) 

vacuum tube 

C) 

resistor 

D) 

capacitor 

41) 

The base-10 number system is also called  

41) 

______ 

A) 

binary notation. 

B) 

hexadecimal notation. 

C) 

decimal notation. 

D) 

unary notation. 

42) 

The base-2 number system is also called 

42) 

______ 

A) 

binary notation. 

B) 

hexadecimal notation. 

C) 

decimal notation. 

D) 

unary notation. 

43) 

The base-16 number system is also called 

43) 

______ 

A) 

binary notation. 

B) 

hexadecimal notation. 

C) 

decimal notation. 

D) 

unary notation. 

44) 

Using 8 bits, the __________ code can represent the 26 uppercase letters and the 26 lowercase letters in the English language and punctuation symbols as well as special characters. 

44) 

______ 

A) 

EBCDIC 

B) 

unary 

C) 

ASCII 

D) 

hexadecimal 

45) 

Most of today's personal computers use __________ to represent each letter or character as an 8-bit binary code. 

45) 

______ 

A) 

Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange Code 

B) 

Unicode 

C) 

American Standard Code for Information Interchange 

D) 

Binary 

46) 

It takes __________ bits to make a byte. 

46) 

______ 

A) 

8 

B) 

16 

C) 

24 

D) 

32 

47) 

The __________ connects all of a system's electric components: the CPU, memory, expansion slots, and electrical paths that connect these components. 

47) 

______ 

A) 

motherboard 

B) 

transistor board 

C) 

adapter board 

D) 

microprocessor board 

48) 

The CPU is considered to be the __________ of the computer. 

48) 

______ 

A) 

liver 

B) 

heart 

C) 

lungs 

D) 

brains 

49) 

The PowerPC G5 processor was originally designed for the 

49) 

______ 

A) 

Xbox. 

B) 

Apple computer. 

C) 

Nintendo Wii. 

D) 

Windows operating system. 

50) 

__________ is measured in hertz and refers to how quickly a processor can work. 

50) 

______ 

A) 

Clock speed 

B) 

A kernel cycle 

C) 

Register speed 

D) 

ROM speed 

51) 

MRAM stands for 

51) 

______ 

A) 

Magnetic Read Access Memory. 

B) 

Mega Random Access Memory. 

C) 

Metallic Random Access Memory. 

D) 

Magnorestorative Random Access Memory. 

52) 

MRAM uses __________ to store data. 

52) 

______ 

A) 

electrical charges 

B) 

titanium plates 

C) 

magnetic plates 

D) 

carbon nanotubes 

53) 

NRAM uses __________ to store data. 

53) 

______ 

A) 

neutron platelettes 

B) 

carbon nanotubes 

C) 

electrical charges 

D) 

magnetic plates 

54) 

Hyperthreading __________ than multi-core technology. 

54) 

______ 

A) 

is slower  

B) 

is faster  

C) 

uses a smaller chip  

D) 

is better at multitasking  

55) 

A graphics processing unit is specialized to handle 

55) 

______ 

A) 

3D graphics. 

B) 

more intensive calculations than a CPU. 

C) 

only processes for gaming consoles. 

D) 

processes when the CPU is overworked. 

56) 

Which of the following statements is FALSE concerning multi-core technology? 

56) 

______ 

A) 

It uses two or more processors on the same chip.  

B) 

It is slower than hyperthreading. 

C) 

It uses its own resources 

D) 

Is is an improvement on hyperthreading. 

57) 

The multistep process that a CPU follows for each instruction it encounters is called 

57) 

______ 

A) 

the CPU cycle. 

B) 

the instruction cycle. 

C) 

the processor cycle. 

D) 

the machine cycle. 

58) 

All of the following are steps in the CPU machine cycle EXCEPT 

58) 

______ 

A) 

fetch. 

B) 

decode. 

C) 

generate. 

D) 

store. 

59) 

A system clock is built into the 

59) 

______ 

A) 

hard drive. 

B) 

motherboard. 

C) 

expansion card. 

D) 

bus. 

60) 

The proper sequence of actions in a machine cycle is 

60) 

______ 

A) 

fetch → decode → execute → store. 

B) 

fetch → execute → decode → store. 

C) 

decode → fetch → execute → store. 

D) 

execute → decode → store → fetch. 

61) 

The __________ of the CPU manages the on/off switches inside the CPU. 

61) 

______ 

A) 

microprocessor 

B) 

control unit 

C) 

transistors 

D) 

ALU 

62) 

Clock speed is measured in 

62) 

______ 

A) 

seconds. 

B) 

minutes. 

C) 

hertz. 

D) 

bits per second (bps). 

63) 

Cache memory is all of the following EXCEPT 

63) 

______ 

A) 

located close to the CPU. 

B) 

very fast memory. 

C) 

categorized by levels 1, 2, and 3. 

D) 

easy to add to an existing computer system. 

64) 

Which of the following types of memory is optional on most computers? 

64) 

______ 

A) 

level 1 cache 

B) 

level 2 cache 

C) 

level 3 cache 

D) 

RAM 

65) 

Which programming language uses a string of 1s and 0s? 

65) 

______ 

A) 

machine language 

B) 

assembly language 

C) 

ADA 

D) 

C++ 

66) 

A specific set of commands understandable by the CPU is called the 

66) 

______ 

A) 

instruction set. 

B) 

clock cycle. 

C) 

program instructions. 

D) 

instruction code. 

67) 

All of the commands in an instruction set are written in a language that is easier for humans to work with, called 

67) 

______ 

A) 

machine language 

B) 

assembly language 

C) 

ADA 

D) 

C++ 

68) 

In a CPU, the __________ refers to the commands that a CPU knows how to complete. 

68) 

______ 

A) 

rules set 

B) 

processing set 

C) 

CPU set 

D) 

instruction set 

69) 

In a 64-bit processor, the 64 refers to the __________ size. 

69) 

______ 

A) 

RAM 

B) 

word 

C) 

processor 

D) 

letter 

70) 

In a CPU, the purpose of the ALU is to: 

70) 

______ 

A) 

calculate and perform logical operations. 

B) 

direct the flow of instructions. 

C) 

store information to the cache. 

D) 

fetch the initial instruction. 

71) 

__________ refers to the time it takes to locate instructions and make them available to the CPU. 

71) 

______ 

A) 

Location time 

B) 

Access time 

C) 

Fetch time 

D) 

Process time 

72) 

Access time is measured in billionths of a second, or 

72) 

______ 

A) 

milliseconds. 

B) 

microseconds. 

C) 

seconds. 

D) 

nanoseconds. 

73) 

The least expensive and most simplistic type of RAM is 

73) 

______ 

A) 

DRAM. 

B) 

DDR SRAM. 

C) 

GDDR-4. 

D) 

DDR2 RAM. 

74) 

The __________ are on the motherboard and run between the components connected to the computer via the motherboard. 

74) 

______ 

A) 

expansion buses 

B) 

local buses 

C) 

RAM buses 

D) 

ROM buses 

75) 

The number of bits that a bus can carry at one time is referred to as the bus 

75) 

______ 

A) 

height. 

B) 

width. 

C) 

depth. 

D) 

measurement. 

76) 

A __________ is a group of computers that work collaboratively on complex problems using specialized software. 

76) 

______ 

A) 

computing cluster 

B) 

collaboration cluster 

C) 

computing group 

D) 

collaboration group 

77) 

The ability to work on more than one instruction during the four stages of processing is called 

77) 

______ 

A) 

expanding. 

B) 

stacking. 

C) 

pipelining. 

D) 

staging. 

78) 

The most powerful type of computer is a 

78) 

______ 

A) 

smartphone. 

B) 

notebook. 

C) 

desktop PC. 

D) 

supercomputer. 

79) 

The use of multiple processors working together on one large problem is called 

79) 

______ 

A) 

inline processing. 

B) 

parallel processing. 

C) 

group processing. 

D) 

expansion processing. 

80) 

The binary number system uses the numbers 

80) 

______ 

A) 

0 through 9. 

B) 

1 through 10. 

C) 

0 and 1. 

D) 

1 and 2.. 

81) 

The decimal number system uses the numbers 

81) 

______ 

A) 

0 through 9. 

B) 

1 through 10. 

C) 

0 and 1. 

D) 

1 and 2.. 

82) 

The hexadecimal number system uses the numbers 

82) 

______ 

A) 

0 through 9. 

B) 

1 through 10. 

C) 

0 through 9 and letters A-F. 

D) 

0 through 15. 

83) 

CPU stands for 

83) 

______ 

A) 

computer processing unit. 

B) 

computing process unit. 

C) 

central process unit. 

D) 

central processing unit. 

84) 

ALU stands for 

84) 

______ 

A) 

arithmetic logic unit. 

B) 

adding logic and usability. 

C) 

alter, load, and use. 

D) 

alternate load usage. 

85) 

Many high-end server systems employ a __________ design, in which there are two completely separate CPU chips on one motherboard. 

85) 

______ 

A) 

multi-core  

B) 

multiprocessor 

C) 

parallel 

D) 

dual-processor 

86) 

__________ is the set of memory chips located on the motherboard that stores data and instructions that cannot be changed or erased. 

86) 

______ 

A) 

Level 1 cache 

B) 

Dynamic RAM 

C) 

ROM 

D) 

Level 2 cache 

SHORT ANSWER.  Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question. 

87) 

Match the following terms to their meanings:

I.	binary notation	A.	base-16 number system
II.	decimal notation	B.	base-10 number system
III.	hexadecimal notation	C.	base-2 number system 

87)  

_____________ 

88) 

Match the following terms to their meanings:

I.	EBCDIC	A.	16-bit code, quickly becoming standard around the world
II.	ASCII	B.	8-bit code used primarily by older mainframes
III.	UNICODE	C.	8-bit standard code used in the United States 

88)  

_____________ 

89) 

Match the following terms to their meanings:

I.	CPU	A.	used in computers that perform intensive calculations
II.	motherboard	B.	circuit board with paths to other components of
			the computer
III.	multi-core technology	C.	fast memory located in and dedicated to the processor
IV.	hyperthreading	D.	allows a processor to start a new instruction before
			completing a previous one
V.	cache memory	E.	often referred to as the brains of computer 

89)  

_____________ 

90) 

Match the following terms to their meanings:

I.	machine cycle	A.	Necessary work is performed by the CPU.
II.	fetch	B.	process of breaking down the instruction into steps the
			CPU knows
III.	decode	C.	retrieving the instruction from memory
IV.	process	D.	The result is saved while the next instruction processing begins.
V.	store	E.	steps performed on every instruction that arrives at the CPU 

90)  

_____________ 

91) 

Match the following terms to their meanings:

I.	register	A.	one billion clock ticks per second
II.	clock cycle	B.	controls when the CPU moves from one stage of the
			machine cycle to the next
III.	gigahertz	C.	measures how many processes occur per second
IV.	system clock	D.	memory locations in the CPU for processed instructions
V.	clock speed	E.	constant speed that sets the pace for the computer 

91)  

_____________ 

92) 

Match the following terms to their meanings:

I.	RAM	A.	built on the CPU or right beside the CPU, on the motherboard
II.	cache	B.	volatile memory that may be contained in the CPU
III.	level 1 cache	C.	volatile memory plugged into the motherboard
IV.	level 2 cache	D.	built into the CPU, meant to store recently processed commands
V.	level 3 cache	E.	included optionally for PCs, but when included is accessed
			prior to RAM 

92)  

_____________ 

93) 

Match the following terms to their meanings:

I.	instruction set	A.	time it takes for a device to find and access data
			and instructions
II.	assembly language	B.	executed by the CPU
III.	machine language	C.	the number of bits a computer can work with
			at one time; standard is 32 or 64
IV.	word size	D.	uses simple instructions, such as ADD or DIV
V.	access time	E.	a series of 1s and 0s that can be understood by
			the computer 

93)  

_____________ 

94) 

Match the following terms to their meanings:

I.	bus	A.	allows a range of different expansion cards
II.	MRAM	B.	a path between components connected to the motherboard
III.	expansion bus	C.	uses magnetic plates to store data
IV.	DIMM	D.	the number of bits that can be sent along a path at one time
V.	bus width	E.	circuit boards that house RAM 

94)  

_____________ 

95) 

Match the following fields to the related computer technology.

I.	AGP	A.	a 32-bit circuit board that houses RAM
II.	EISA	B.	the most basic type of RAM
III.	SIMM	C.	an older type of bus used to connect mice, modems and
			sound cards
IV.	DRAM	D.	expansion board (for example, a video card or sound card)
V.	PCI	E.	port used to rapidly transport 3-D graphics 

95)  

_____________ 

96) 

Match the following fields to the related computer technology.

I.	pipelining	A.	a large network of computers, with each computer working
			on a portion of the same problem simultaneously
II.	hyperthreading	B.	a powerful computer used by mathematicians for complex
			problem solving
III.	parallel processing	C.	a way of processing up to four tasks at one time; developed
			by Intel
IV.	dual processors	D.	Allows a CPU to process more than one instruction at one time
V.	supercomputer	E.	two processors installed on one motherboard 

96)  

_____________ 

97) 

__________ is a block of memory that is built onto the CPU chip for the storage of data or commands that have just been used. 

97)  

_____________ 

98) 

__________, which is found in common sand, is the semiconductor material used to make transistors. 

98)  

_____________ 

99) 

Integrated circuits have enabled computer designers to create small yet powerful __________, which are the chips that contain a CPU. 

99)  

_____________ 

100) 

In a computer, it is impractical to use vacuum tubes as switches because of their __________, 

100)  

____________ 

101) 

The only numbers that make up the binary language are __________. 

101)  

____________ 

102) 

The binary language represents the two states of __________. 

102)  

____________ 

103) 

Binary is a base __________ number system. 

103)  

____________ 

104) 

The binary numbering system describes numbers  as the sum of powers of __________. 

104)  

____________ 

105) 

__________ notation, a base-16 numbering system, can be used on Web pages to represent color. 

105)  

____________ 

106) 

Bit is shorthand for __________. 

106)  

____________ 

107) 

ASCII stands for __________. 

107)  

____________ 

108) 

__________ is a 16-bit code defining letters, numbers, and symbols in binary format. 

108)  

____________ 

109) 

Computers describe numbers as powers of 2, which is known as the __________ number system. 

109)  

____________ 

110) 

GPU stands for __________. 

110)  

____________ 

111) 

GPUs are specialized to handle __________. 

111)  

____________ 

112) 

If your video card includes a GPU, the computer's __________ will run more efficiently. 

112)  

____________ 

113) 

The combination of the processor and the operating system is referred to as the computer's __________. 

113)  

____________ 

114) 

Expansion cards are plugged into the __________. 

114)  

____________ 

115) 

The __________ is also called the processor. 

115)  

____________ 

116) 

The PowerPC G5 processor is used in __________ computers. 

116)  

____________ 

117) 

A significant advantage to both MRAM and NRAM is that they use less __________ than current RAM technology. 

117)  

____________ 

118) 

NRAM uses __________ to store data. 

118)  

____________ 

119) 

MRAM uses __________ to store data. 

119)  

____________ 

120) 

NRAM stands for __________. 

120)  

____________ 

121) 

The DDR in DDR DRAM stands for __________. 

121)  

____________ 

122) 

In the store phase of the CPU machine cycle, the results of mathematical and logical calculations are stored in special memory areas called __________. 

122)  

____________ 

123) 

__________ are the fastest memory on your computer and are built into your CPU. 

123)  

____________ 

124) 

The first step of the CPU machine cycle is to __________ the instruction needed by the processor. 

124)  

____________ 

125) 

The system clock is built into the __________, the computer's main circuit board. 

125)  

____________ 

126) 

__________, which consists of small blocks of memory located directly on and next to the CPU chip, is a layer of storage that has faster access than RAM. 

126)  

____________ 

127) 

The __________ works like a traffic cop, directing traffic coming into the CPU. 

127)  

____________ 

128) 

The process of fetch-decode-process-store is known as the __________. 

128)  

____________ 

129) 

__________ buses are located on the motherboard and run between the CPU and main system memory. 

129)  

____________ 

130) 

The __________ bus was specialized to help move three-dimensional graphics data quickly. 

130)  

____________ 

131) 

The bus __________ determines how many bits of data can be sent along the bus at one time. 

131)  

____________ 

132) 

__________ buses connect directly to the CPU and support such devices as network cards and sound and video cards. 

132)  

____________ 

133) 

The programming language using commands such as ADD, SUB, and MOVE is called __________. 

133)  

____________ 

134) 

The number of bits a computer can process at one time is called the __________ size. 

134)  

____________ 

135) 

__________ is a type of memory that uses a transistor and capacitor to temporarily store information. 

135)  

____________ 

136) 

A(n) __________ is an electrical wire on which data travels between the computer's various components. 

136)  

____________ 

137) 

__________ is a type of memory that uses many transistors but no capacitor to temporarily store information. 

137)  

____________ 

138) 

Two completely separate CPU chips on one motherboard is referred to as a __________ design. 

138)  

____________ 

139) 

A __________ is a group of computers connected by specialized software that work together to solve complex equations. 

139)  

____________ 

140) 

__________ architectures allow several instructions to be processed at the same time. 

140)  

____________