Quiz 10

Question 1

In 2001 Swedish appliance maker Electrolux introduced a domestic robotic __________________________.

Answer 1

vacuum cleaner

Question 2

The phrase “digital divide” refers to the situation where
A) the prices of computers are kept artificially high in order to keep them out of the hands of people in Third World countries.
B) only stockholders in high-tech companies can get rich in the new economy.
C) the U.S. government prevents information technology from being exported to “unfriendly” countries.
D) some people have access to information technology and others do not.
E) users of Macintosh computers are at a disadvantage compared to users of Windows computers.

Answer 2

D) some people have access to information technology and others do not.

Question 3

In medieval England, when wages went up,
A) students dropped out of school to take up jobs.
B) more children joined the labor force.
C) workers put in fewer hours.
D) more women …, more children …, students dropped …
E) more women joined the labor force.

Answer 3

C) workers put in fewer hours.

Question 4

In 1997 IBM supercomputer Deep Blue
A) replaced John O’Leary as Chief Financial Officer of IBM.
B) defeated world chess champion Gary Kasparov in a six-game match.
C) proved the existence of God.
D) designed the Pentium chip.
E) drove a minivan across the United States.

Answer 4

B) defeated world chess champion Gary Kasparov in a six-game match.

Question 5

Globalization is
A) the process of creating a worldwide network of businesses and markets.
B) the creation of international computer networks.
C) the way that stock exchanges stay open 24 hours a day.
D) the adoption of global Internet standards.
E) the adoption of English as the language of business.

Answer 5

A) the process of creating a worldwide network of businesses and markets.

Question 6

The process of creating a worldwide network of businesses and markets is called _______________________.

Answer 6

globalization

Question 7

Artificial intelligence is the field of computer science and engineering that focuses on ways to get machines to exhibit
A) consciousness.
B) philosophical insights.
C) ethical behavior.
D) scientific breakthroughs.
E) intelligent behavior.

Answer 7

E) intelligent behavior.

Question 8

When one store stays open late to gain an advantage, its competitors begin to stay open late, too. At this point the first store is no better off than it was before, but now every store has additional expenses. This illustration is an example of what Frank and Cook call a
A) struggle for parity.
B) virtual conflict.
C) positional arms race.
D) market economy.
E) capitalistic marathon.

Answer 8

C) positional arms race.

Question 9

Productivity in the United States doubled between 1948 and 1990. This productivity increase translated into a higher ______________________ for the average American.

Answer 9

standard of living

Question 10

The percentage of American workers involved in the ____________________ industry has dropped from 35 percent in 1947 to 10 percent in 2009.

Answer 10

manufacturing

Question 11

According to Max Weber, the growth of capitalism was stimulated by a new attitude toward work brought about by
A) the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.
B) the Protestant Reformation.
C) the American Revolution.
D) the Industrial Revolution.
E) the English Civil War.

Answer 11

B) the Protestant Reformation.

Question 12

One way automation can lead to the creation of new jobs is by
A) consuming fewer resources, thus improving the environment.
B) None of these is true. Automation always causes a net loss of jobs.
C) producing products quicker, thus shortening the work week.
D) All of these
E) reducing the price of a product, thus increasing people’s real income.

Answer 12

E) reducing the price of a product, thus increasing people’s real income.

Question 13

The first people to adopt a new technology are those who have more money. As the technology matures, its price drops dramatically, enabling more people to acquire it. This process is called ___________________________________.

Answer 13

technological diffusion

Question 14

The process by which a new technology is assimilated into a society is called
A) cultural relativism.
B) globalization.
C) receptivity index.
D) IT leverage.
E) technological diffusion.

Answer 14

E) technological diffusion.

Question 15

A personal AI is
A) a machine conscious of its own existence.
B) a software program, not an actual physical object.
C) a computer capable of beating human beings at games such as chess.
D) an intelligent machine inexpensive enough for an individual to purchase it.
E) an intelligent machine devoted to serving an individual human being.

Answer 15

A) a machine conscious of its own existence.

Question 16

Many software jobs are moving from the United States to India because India has many qualified computer programmers and _____________________________.

Answer 16

salaries are lower, cost savings

Question 17

In some markets a few top performers receive a disproportionate share of the rewards. Frank and Cook call this phenomenon
A) the winner-take-all effect.
B) socialism.
C) liberalism.
D) inevitable.
E) capitalism.

Answer 17

A) the winner-take-all effect.

Question 18

Supply-chain automation
A) All of these
B) None of these
C) links computers at different companies.
D) is one way Dell Computer keeps its costs low.
E) streamlines organizations by eliminating transactional middlemen.

Answer 18

A) All of these

Question 19

According to the Encyclopedia of Computer Science, a “programmable machine that either in performance or appearance imitates human activities” is called a
A) mechano.
B) transformer.
C) deltoid.
D) robot.
E) computer.

Answer 19

D) robot.

Question 20

An arrangement where employees spend a significant portion of their work day at a distance from the employer or traditional place of work is called _________________.

Answer 20

telework

Question 21

Productivity in the United States doubled between 1945 and 1990. However, the work week didn’t get shorter because
A) taxes doubled between 1945 and 1990.
B) corporate downsizing reduced the number of people in the workforce.
C) income taxes were raised.
D) the standard of living increased.
E) the pay of CEOs skyrocketed.

Answer 21

D) the standard of living increased.

Question 22

Manufacturing employment in the United States peaked
A) None of these is true. Manufacturing employment in the United States continues to increase.
B) in 1979.
C) in 1959.
D) in 1999.
E) during World War II.

Answer 22

B) in 1979.

Question 23

In 2011 a program named Watson running on an IBM supercomputer
A) won the World Crossword Puzzle Championship sponsored by The New York Times.
B) passed the Turing Test in a competition sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery.
C) decoded the human genome for the first time..
D) defeated the two most successful human Jeopardy! champions in a three-game match.
E) became the first computer program to take the job of a software engineer.

Answer 23

D) defeated the two most successful human Jeopardy! champions in a three-game match.