Chapter 1

Question 1

What is a Program?

Answer 1

A set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a task. Ex: Microsoft Word

Question 2

What is Hardware?

Answer 2

Physical devices or components that make a computer

Question 3

List the five major components of a computer system.

Answer 3

CPU
Main Memory (RAM)
SSD
Input Devices
output Devices

Question 4

What part of the computer actually runs programs?

Answer 4

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Question 5

What part of the computer serves as a work area to store a program and its data while the program is running?

Answer 5

Random-Access Memory (RAM)

Question 6

What part of the computer holds data for long periods of time, even when there is no power to the computer?

Answer 6

Secondary Storage Devices (SSD)

Question 7

What part of the computer collects data from people and from other devices?

Answer 7

Input Devices

Question 8

What part of the computer formats and presents data for people or other devices?

Answer 8

Output Devices

Question 9

What fundamental set of programs control the internal operations of the computer’s hardware?

Answer 9

Operating Systems

Question 10

What do you call a program that performs a specialized task, such as a virus scanner, a file compression program, or a data backup program?

Answer 10

Utility Programs

Question 11

Word processing programs, spreadsheet programs, email programs, web browsers, and game programs below to what category of software?

Answer 11

Application Software

Question 12

What amount of memory is enough to store a letter of the alphabet or a small number?

Answer 12

Byte

Question 13

What do you call a tiny “switch” that can be set to either on or off?

Answer 13

Bits

Question 14

In what numbering system are all numeric values written as sequences of 0s and 1s?

Answer 14

Binary

Question 15

What is the purpose of ASCII?

Answer 15

It was created to translate the binary language to characters that humans and computers can both read and understand.

Question 16

What encoding scheme is extensive enough to represent the characters of many of the languages in the world?

Answer 16

Unicode

Question 17

What do the terms “digital data” and “digital devices” mean?

Answer 17

Digital data is data that is stored as binary, whereas digital devices is any device that works with binary data

Question 18

How many bits are in a byte?

Answer 18

Eight bits

Question 19

A CPU understands instructions that are written only in what language?

Answer 19

Machine language which has an underlying binary structure

Question 20

A program has to be copied into what type of memory each time the CPU executes it?

Answer 20

RAM

Question 21

When a CPU executes the instructions in a program, it is engaged in what process?

Answer 21

Fetch-decode-execute cycle

Question 22

What is assembly language?

Answer 22

A low-level language that uses mnemonics to translate machine language for programmers, ex: mul = multiply

Question 23

What type of programming language allows you to create powerful and complex programs without knowing how the CPU works?

Answer 23

High-level language

Question 24

What do you call a program that translates a high-level language program into a separate machine language program?

Answer 24

A compiler

Question 25

What do you call a program that both translates and executes the instructions in a high-level language program?

Answer 25

Interpreter

Question 26

What type of mistake is usually caused by a misspelled keyword, a missing punctuation character, or the incorrect use of an operator?

Answer 26

Syntax Error