SG: Ch 3: Peripherals and Connectors

Question 1

You are installing peripherals on a new computer. Which of the following devices provides both input and output?

A. Webcam

B. Projector

C. Touch screen

D. KVM switch

Answer 1

C. Touch screen

A touch screen provides video output, and users can touch the screen to provide input as well. A webcam is for video input, and a projector is for video output. A KVM switch lets users connect one keyboard, video, and mouse set to multiple computers and switch between them.

Question 2

What kind of peripheral is used to read credit cards to initiate financial transactions? (Choose all that apply.)

A. Barcode reader

B. Signature pad

C. Magnetic reader

D. Chip reader

Answer 2

C. Magnetic reader

D. Chip reader

Magnetic readers and chip readers can read credit and debit card information to initiate a financial transaction. Barcode readers read barcodes on packages. Signature pads allow for the digital input of someone’s signature.

Question 3

Which of the following is not an example of a connector for a standard peripheral input device?

A. 1/8” jack

B. Molex

C. D-sub

D. USB

Answer 3

B. Molex

Peripherals most often use USB today, but they can also use D-sub connectors (rarely), and audio devices such as microphones and speakers use 1/8” jacks. Molex connectors are power connectors for PATA hard drives and optical drives.

Question 4

What type of pointing device features a ball and buttons on the top and a flat, steady surface on the bottom?

A. Mouse

B. Touch pad

C. Trackball

D. Track pad

Answer 4

C. Trackball

A trackball is a sort of stationary upside-down mouse that has the ball for movement detection on the top of the device along with the keys. The ball is actuated by the thumb or fingers, not by moving the device along a flat surface or mouse pad. Trackballs are ideal where desk space is limited. Touch pads feature a touch-sensing surface with no ball for movement, while track pad is a more rare term meaning the same.

Question 5

Why might you use a KVM switch?

A. You have multiple Ethernet devices that need to communicate with one another.

B. You need to be able to switch the voltage supplied to a particular device.

C. You have a printer that is not attached to the network but you want multiple computers to be able to print to it.

D. You have more than one server and don’t want to buy certain external peripherals separately for each.

Answer 5

D. You have more than one server and don’t want to buy certain external peripherals separately for each.

KVM switches are ideal when you have multiple computers situated near one another and do not want to commit the extra desk space to each computer having its own keyboard, mouse, and monitor. KVMs are not designed for Ethernet devices or printers, and do not switch voltage.

Question 6

You are installing a new video card that has an HDMI port. Which of the following is true about HDMI cables? (Choose all that apply.)

A. They can transmit analog or digital signals.

B. They can transmit audio as well as video.

C. They are not used to connect to projectors.

D. They can use HDMI or mini-HDMI connectors.

Answer 6

B. They can transmit audio as well as video.

D. They can use HDMI or mini-HDMI connectors.

HDMI cables transmit digital video and audio signals. They can be used to connect to projectors or monitors. HDMI cables can have standard HDMI connectors, mini-HDMI connectors, or micro-HDMI connectors.

Question 7

How do you connect a DVI-A interface on a peripheral to a DVI-D interface on the computer?

A. With a DVI-I cable

B. With a cable that is terminated on one end with a DVI-A connector and on the other end with a DVD-D connector

C. You wouldn’t interconnect those two interfaces

D. With a standard DVI cable

Answer 7

C. You wouldn’t interconnect those two interfaces

Such a connection should not be made. DVI-I cables act like universal cables; they can connect two DVI-A interfaces or two DVI-D interfaces with adapters. Natively, they are used to connect two DVI-I interfaces, both of which are configured as either analog or digital. They are unable to convert the analog signal to a digital one, however. Analog and digital DVI interfaces are too disparate to interconnect.

Question 8

VGA cables use what type of signal between the adapter and monitor?

A. Digital

B. Analog

C. Composite

D. Compressed

Answer 8

B. Analog

VGA signals are analog, uncompressed, component signals that carry all of the video information for all three components of the original RGB signal. VGA signals are not digital, composite, or compressed.

Question 9

You are interested in purchasing a new monitor and notice the contrast ratio specification. What does that refer to?

A. The ratio of luminance between the darkest and lightest colors that can be displayed

B. A term that was used with LCDs but is not a valid specification for OLEDs

C. The ratio of luminance between two adjacent pixels

D. A feature that changes based on the resolution setting

Answer 9

A. The ratio of luminance between the darkest and lightest colors that can be displayed

Contrast ratio is a selling point for LCDs and is relevant for all monitor types, including OLEDs. Higher contrast ratios mean the monitor displays darker blacks and brighter whites. The measure of luminance between adjacent pixels is known as contrast, not contrast ratio. Contrast ratio is not dependent upon resolution.

Question 10

You are attaching an external hard drive to a computer with USB 2.0 ports. The user is concerned about data transfer speed. What is the maximum speed of USB 2.0?

A. 480 Mbps

B. 5 Gbps

C. 10 Gbps

D. 20 Gbps

Answer 10

A. 480 Mbps

USB 2.0 has a maximum speed of 480 Mbps. USB 3.0 is 5 Gbps; USB 3.1 is 10 Gbps; and USB 3.2 is 20 Gbps.

Question 11

You want to enhance your display capabilities. Which of the following is possible to do with multi-monitor settings?

A. Connect multiple monitors to your computer only by using a graphics adapter with two video interfaces.

B. Cause two different Desktops to merge onto the same monitor.

C. Connect two laptops together so they display the same Desktop

D. Display different parts of your Desktop on different monitors.

Answer 11

D. Display different parts of your Desktop on different monitors.

The multi-monitor feature allows two monitors to display exactly the same thing (clone) or to extend your Desktop onto the second monitor. There is no need to use one adapter to achieve this result. In fact, the two adapters don’t even have to use the same expansion-bus architecture. The two cards must, however, use the same graphics-adapter driver. Multi-monitor settings do not cause two Desktops to merge, nor do they allow two laptops to display the same Desktop.

Question 12

Which of the following have been common methods to backlight an LCD monitor? (Choose two.)

A. RGB OLEDs

B. LEDs

C. Incandescent bulbs

D. Halogen bulbs

E. Fluorescent bulbs

Answer 12

B. LEDs

E. Fluorescent bulbs

Early LCD monitors featured one or more fluorescent bulbs that were used to produce light that shone through the LCD panel. Modern LCD monitors have LED panels to generate the light, the advantage being that there is now a separate LED for each picture element instead of a common light source for the entire monitor. OLEDs do provide light, but RGB OLEDs are not used. Incandescent and halogen bulbs are not used for backlighting.

Question 13

A user with an iPhone 7 needs to charge her device and asks you to bring a cable. Which of the following connector types should you ensure that the cable has?

A. Thunderbolt

B. Lightning

C. USB-C

D. Micro-USB

Answer 13

B. Lightning

Starting with the iPhone 5, Apple products use the proprietary Lightning connector for charging and connecting peripherals. Thunderbolt connectors are on MacBooks for peripherals. iPhones do not have built-in USB connectors.

Question 14

Which of the following display interfaces is equivalent to DisplayPort with PCIe added in?

A. Thunderbolt

B. HDMI

C. DVI

D. VGA

Answer 14

A. Thunderbolt

Intel and Apple collaborated on Thunderbolt to add PCIe to VESA’s DisplayPort and to make the resulting interface smaller and less expensive to connect. HDMI, DVI, and VGA are not equivalent to DisplayPort with PCIe added in.

Question 15

What is the single, fixed resolution of an LCD called?

A. Default resolution

B. Refresh rate

C. Burned-in resolution

D. Native resolution

E. Aspect ratio

Answer 15

D. Native resolution

An LCD’s native resolution is the single, fixed resolution that provides optimal clarity. There is no default or burned-in resolution. The refresh rate is how quickly the image is re-drawn on the screen, and the aspect ratio is the ratio of the resolution.

Question 16

Which of the following connector types are capable of conducting power and transmitting data? (Choose all that apply.)

A. Lightning

B. Molex

C. USB-C

D. DB-9

E. micro-USB

Answer 16

A. Lightning

C. USB-C

E. micro-USB

USB cables and eSATA cables can transmit power and data. You will find Lightning, USB-C, and micro-USB connectors on the ends of USB cables. A Molex connector is power-only. A DB-9 is for serial cables and is data-only.

Question 17

You are installing a replacement monitor on a desktop computer. Which of the following is true regarding a monitor’s refresh rate?

A. As long as the graphics adapter can refresh the image at a particular rate, the attached monitor can accommodate that refresh rate.

B. The refresh rate is normally expressed in MHz.

C. The refresh rate is normally selected by using the controls on the front panel of the monitor.

D. As you lower the resolution, the maximum refresh rate allowed tends to increase.

Answer 17

D. As you lower the resolution, the maximum refresh rate allowed tends to increase.

As you lower the resolution, the maximum refresh rate allowed tends to increase. The refresh rate is most often expressed in cycles per second (Hz), not millions of cycles per second (MHz). You must usually select the refresh rate that you want from the display settings dialogs, not through the monitor’s built-in menu system, although the monitor can often tell you the refresh rate that you’re using. Finally, both the monitor and adapter must agree on the refresh rate you select. If either device does not support a particular refresh rate, such a rate cannot be used.

Question 18

When purchasing a projector, which of the following is the most important characteristic to consider?

A. Aspect ratio

B. Maximum resolution

C. Lumens

D. Native resolution

Answer 18

C. Lumens

When evaluating a projector, understand how many lumens it produces. You need to ensure that it will be bright enough for the environment in which it will be used. Most projectors can support multiple aspect ratios and resolutions.

Question 19

Which of the following resolutions is an example of a 16:10 aspect ratio?

A. 1280 × 1024

B. 1920 × 1200

C. 800 × 600

D. 2048 × 1536

Answer 19

B. 1920 × 1200

Dividing 16 by 10 produces a value of 1.6. Dividing the first number of a 16:10 resolution by the second number always results in 1.6. Therefore, the answer is 1920 × 1200. Resolutions with a 4:3 aspect ratio produce the value 1.33, while 5.4 resolutions such as 1280 × 1024 produce the value 1.25. 16:9 aspect ratios have a value of 1.78.

Question 20

Which of the following connector types is typically not associated with hard drive use?

A. USB-C

B. eSATA

C. DB-9

D. SCSI

Answer 20

C. DB-9

DB-9 connectors are most often used with serial cables and are not associated with hard drives. USB-C, eSATA, and SCSI are examples of connectors used with hard drives.