Note! Answer sheet!

Computers and Software Engineering A, 15 credits, DV006A

Example Midterm Exam
Time: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Place: 51:525A
Duration: 3 hours

Exam aids: This is a closed-book exam. The only student materials allowed are pencils,
erasers and an English-Chinese dictionary.

General Instructions: Write your answers on separate sheets of paper and do not write your
answers on the pages of the exam. Start each section of the exam on a new sheet of paper.
Write on only one side of each answer sheet and put your name at the top of each answer
sheet. If the question is unclear to you, explain the ambiguity and your interpretation of the
question in your answer. Try to answer all of the exam questions and use illustrations in order
to get partial credit for the question. However, if the question asks for exactly two responses,
do not answer with three or more alternative answers.
Note that some of the questions related to Chapter 2 (Data Manipulation) refer to
Appendix 1: language description table on the last page of this exam.

Scoring: There are a total of 75 questions and a maximum of 100 points in this exam. At least
50% of the maximum number of points must be scored in order to get a passing grade. The
ECTS scale will be used on all passing grades (i.e., grades of A, B, C, D and E will be given).
The questions are not listed in order of difficulty.

GOOD LUCK!

Section 1. Questions with Multiple Choice Answers (There are 25 questions

in this section each worth 1 point apiece.)
Answer these questions with only one letter!

Chapter One (Data Representation)

1.1 Which of the following Boolean operations produces the output 1 for the fewest number of
input patterns?

A. AND B. OR C. XOR

ANSWER: A

1.2 What is the result of the binary operation 11110000 XOR 01010101?

A. 01010000 B. 10100101 C. 00000101 D. 11110101

ANSWER: B

1.3 Which of the following bit patterns represents the decimal integer value 22?
 A. 00011010 B. 00010111 C. 00010110 D. 00010010

ANSWER: C

1.4 Assuming that each of the following bit patterns originally had even parity, which one
contains an error?

A. 10110100 B. 11000011 C. 00011000 D. 10001001

ANSWER: D

1.5 How many bits are there in a Unicode character?

A. 8 B. 12 C. 16 D. 24

ANSWER: C

Chapter Two (Data Manipulation)

1.6 Which of the following is not contained in a CPU?

A. Instruction register B. Program counter

C. General-purpose register D. Memory cell

ANSWER: D

1.7 Which of the following instructions (as described in the Appendix 1: language description
table) changes the contents of a memory cell?

A. 10AB B. 20AB C. 30AB D. 40AB

ANSWER: C

1.8 Which of the following instructions (as described in the Appendix 1: language description
table) places 00000000 in register A?

A. 1A00 B. 2A00 C. 3A00 D. 200A

ANSWER: B

1.9 Which of the following instructions (as described in the Appendix 1: language description
table) changes the contents of register 7?

A. 4077 B. 4075 C. 4057 D. 37BB

ANSWER: C
1.10In which of the following locations is information most readily available for manipulation
by the CPU?

A. General-purpose registers B. Main memory C. Mass storage

ANSWER: A
Chapter Three (Operating Systems)

1.11Which of the following components of an operating system maintains the directory

system?

A. Device drivers B. File manager C. Memory manager

ANSWER: B

1.12Which of the following components of an operating system handles the details associated
with particular peripheral equipment?

A. Device drivers B. File manager C. Memory manager

ANSWER: A

1.13Execution of an operating system is initiated by a program called the

A. Window manager B. Scheduler C. Bootstrap

ANSWER: C

1.14The end of a time slice is indicted by the occurrence of a signal called

A. An interrupt B. A semaphore C. A login

ANSWER: A

1.15Which of the following events is detrimental to an operating system’s performance?

A. Deadlock B. Interrupt C. Booting

ANSWER: A

Chapter Four (Networks and the Internet)

1.16Which of the following is not a protocol used in the basic TCP/IP software hierarchy?

A. POP3 B. UDP C. TCP D. IP

ANSWER: A

1.17Which layer of the TCP/IP hierarchy reassembles messages as their pieces arrive at the
destination?

A. Application B. Transport C. Network D. Link

ANSWER: B
1.18Which layer of the TCP/IP hierarchy directs message segments through the Internet so that
they get closer and closer to their destination?

A. Application B. Transport C. Network D. Link

ANSWER: C

1.19Which layer of the TCP/IP hierarchy is responsible for obtaining the correct URL
(Uniform Resource Locator) for a message’s destination?

A. Application B. Transport C. Network D. Link

ANSWER: A

1.20Which of the following identifies the application to which a message arriving from the
Internet should be given?

A. Protocol B. Port number C. Domain D. Hop count

ANSWER: B

Chapter Five (Algorithms)

1.21Which of the following is an activity?

A. Algorithm B. Program C. Process

ANSWER: C

1.22Which of the following is a representation?

A. Algorithm B. Program C. Process

ANSWER: B

1.23Which of the following Java statements is guaranteed to loop at least one time?

A. for B. while C. do-while

ANSWER: C

1.24When searching within the list

Lewis, Maurice, Nathan, Oliver, Pat, Quincy, Roger, Stan, Tom

which of the following entries will be found most quickly using the sequential search
algorithm?

A. Lewis B. Pat C. Tom

ANSWER: A
1.25When searching within the list

Lewis, Maurice, Nathan, Oliver, Pat, Quincy, Roger, Stan, Tom

which of the following entries will be found most quickly using the binary search algorithm?

A. Lewis B. Pat C. Tom

ANSWER: B
Section 2. Fill-in-the-blank/Short-answer Questions (There are 25 questions
in this section each worth 2 points apiece.)
Answer these questions with words, numbers and/or sentences.
Chapter One (Data Representation)

2.1 Represent the bit pattern 1011010010011111 in hexadecimal notation.

ANSWER: B49F

2.2 A7DF is the hexadecimal representation for what bit pattern?

ANSWER: 1010 0111 1101 1111

2.3 How many different bit patterns can be formed if each must consist of exactly 6 bits?

ANSWER: 64

2.4 Describe how a computer can produce an incorrect answer when performing numerical
computations even though it has not malfunctioned.

ANSWER: Most students will probably refer to overflow and truncation errors.

2.5 If a term paper consisted 40 pages, each containing 40 lines of 100 symbols each (counting
each space as a symbol), was to be encoded using Unicode, how many bytes of storage
space would be required?

ANSWER: 320,000 bytes (160,000 symbols times 2 bytes per symbol)

Chapter Two (Data Manipulation)

2.6 If register 0 contains the pattern 01101001 before executing the instruction A003 (see the
language description table), what bit pattern will be in register 0 after the instruction is
executed?

ANSWER: 00101101

2.7 Write the answer to each of the following logic problems.

10101010 10101010 10101010

AND 11110000 OR 11110000 XOR 11110000

ANSWER: 10100000, 11111010, and 01011010

2.8 Encode each of the following commands in terms of the machine language described in
Appendix 1: language description table.

A. LOAD register 7 with the value A5.

B. LOAD register 7 with the contents of the memory cell at address A5.
 C. ADD the contents of registers 5 and 6 as thought they were values in two’s
complement notation and leave the result in register 4.

D. OR the contents of registers 5 and 6, leaving the result in register 4.

ANSWER: A. 27A5 B. 17A5 C. 5456 (or 5465) D. 7456 (or 7465)

2.9 What is the difference between a conditional jump instruction and an unconditional jump
instruction?

ANSWER: A conditional jump instruction will result in a “jump” to another location only
under certain conditions whereas an unconditional jump instruction will result in a “jump” to
another location under all conditions.

2.10Using the machine language described in the language description table, write a sequence
of instructions that will place the pattern FF in the memory cell at address A0.

ANSWER: 2XFF, 3XA0 (where X can be any register but must be the same in both
instructions)

Chapter Three (Operating Systems)

2.11 A ______________ is a set of instructions. In contrast, a ________________ is the

activity of executing those instructions.

ANSWER: program, process

2.12List three popular operating systems.

ANSWER: Possible answers include: UNIX, LINX, and Microsoft’s Windows series

2.13List four resources whose access an operating system should coordinate.

ANSWER: Possible answers include: Memory space, mass storage space, printers, space in
process table, CPU time, and many more

2.14What is the difference between a process that is waiting as opposed to a process that is
ready?

ANSWER: A process that is waiting would not be able to advance if given a time slice
(perhaps because it is waiting for a peripheral device to complete a task) whereas a process
that is ready would be able to continue execution if given a time slice.

2.15Explain the difference between application software and system software.

ANSWER: System software provides the infrastructure required by the application software. It
includes the operating system and utilities. Application software provides the unique
functionality required to perform the particular tasks for with the computer is used. Examples
include word processors, spreadsheet systems, database systems, and image processing
systems.

Chapter Four (Networks and the Internet)

2.16List three network topologies.

ANSWER: star, ring, and bus

2.17What are two protocols for implementing the transport level in the “TCP/IP hierarchy”?

ANSWER: TCP and UDP

2.18Rewrite the URL below in your answer sheet and underline the portion that identifies the
classification of the registered top-level domain in which the pertinent Web server resides.
Draw a rectangle around the portion that indicates the directory path the server should
follow to find the designated document.

http://batcave.metropolis.com/heroes/superheroes/batpage.html

ANSWER: Underline: com, rectangle: heroes/superheroes

2.19Many people use the terms Internet and world-wide web interchangeably. What is the
difference between the Internet and the world-wide web?

ANSWER: The Internet is the infrastructure used by the world-wide web. That is, the world-
wide web is only one application of the Internet. Other applications include email, ftp, and
telnet.

2.20Draw a sketch showing how the following HTML document would appear on the
computer screen when displayed by a browser.

<html>
<head>
<title>This is the title</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Mud Art</h1>
</body>
</html>

ANSWER: The displayed page contains only the words “Mud Art” displayed as a major
heading. The words “This is the title” are NOT part of the displayed page.
Chapter Five (Algorithms)

2.21What sequence of values will be printed when the following instructions are executed?

X ← 5;
while (X < 7) do
(print the value of X;
 X ← X + 1)
print the value of X;
while (X > 2) do
(print the value of X;
X ← X - 2)

ANSWER: 5, 6, 7, 7, 5, 3

2.22Suppose the binary search algorithm was being used to search for the entry Tom in the list

Nathan, Oliver, Pat, Quincy, Rodger, Stan, Tom

What would be the first entry in the list to be considered? What would be the second entry in
the list to be considered?

ANSWER: A. Quincy B. Stan

2.23What would be printed if the following instructions were executed?

X ← 3;
print the value of X;
Y ← 5;
if (X < Y) then (print the value 6)
else (print the value 7)

ANSWER: 3, 6

2.24Do the following instructions define an algorithm? Explain your answer.

Write down all the positive odd integers.

Select the integer in the middle of the list.
Print the even integer that is one less than the selected odd integer.

ANSWER: No, the instructions are not executable (not effective).

2.25Identify a flaw in the control of the following loop.

X ← 3
while (X ≠ 8) do
(X ← X + 2)
ANSWER: The termination condition will never be reached because X will always be odd.
Section 3. Vocabulary (Matching) Questions (There are 25 questions in this
section each worth 1 point apiece.)
Answer these questions with the one letter of the word in the list that best
matches the description.
Chapter One (Data Representation)

3.1 An efficient way of representing bit patterns.

3.2 An international organization for establishing standards.
3.3 A means of compressing an image file by restricting the number of
colors available.
3.4 A means of compressing images by blurring the boundaries between
different colors while maintaining all brightness information.
3.5 A means of encoding music in terms of notes and instruments rather
than actual audio.

A. bit B. buffer C. pixel

D. boolean operations E. ISO F. GIF
G. address H. ANSI I. JPEG
J. hexadecimal notation K. ASCII L. Unicode
M. sector N. flip-flop O. MIDI
P. key field

ANSWER: 3.1: J, 3.2: E, 3.3: F, 3.4: I, 3.5: O

Chapter Two (Data Manipulation)

3.6 The part of a machine instruction that identifies the basic operation to be performed.
3.7 The process of fetching and executing instructions that is repeated over and over by the
CPU.
3.8 A location within a CPU for temporary data storage.
3.9 Used by the CPU to keep its place in the program being executed.
3.10 Used to synchronize the operations within a computer.

A. op-code B. pipeling C. clock

D. machine language E. stored-program concept F. status word
G. machine cycle H. program counter I. bps
J. register K. controller L. CISC
M. masking N. modem O. handshaking
P. bus Q. port R. bandwidth
S. memory-mapped I/O T. USB U. DMA

ANSWER: 3.6: A, 3.7: G, 3.8: J, 3.9: H, 3.10: C

Chapter Three (Operating Systems)

3.11 The act of performing more than one activity at the same time.
3.12 A means of communicating with a computer user by means of images rather than words.
3.13 The program first executed when a computer is turned on.
3.14 The heart of an operating system.
3.15 A signal that suspends the CPU’s current activities.

A. shell B. bootstrap C. multitasking

D. time sharing E. directory path F. interactive processing
G. process H. kernel I. deadlock
J. queue K. interrupt L. GUI
M. virtual memory N. auditing software O. mutual exclusion
P. ROM Q. privilege levels

ANSWER: 3.11: C, 3.12: L, 3.13: B, 3.14: H, 3.15: K

Chapter Four (Networks and the Internet)

3.16 A notational system for indicating how a Web document is to be displayed by a browser.
3.17 A means of blocking undesired messages.
3.18 A means of connecting networks to form an internet.
3.19 A means of finding relevant information on the Web.
3.20 A means of implementing a network with the bus topology.

A. inernet B. dotted decimal C. ISP

D. domain E. URL F. firewall
G. protocol H. search engine I. packet
J. cloud K. Ethernet L. XML
M. IP address N. UDP O. FTP
P. HTML Q. IP R. router

ANSWER: 3.16: P, 3.17: F, 3.18: R, 3.19: H, 3.20: K

Chapter Five (Algorithms)

3.21 The fundamental concept in computer science.

3.22 A means of saving the result of a computation for future use.
3.23 A means of producing different actions depending on a condition.
3.24 A divide and conquer approach to problem solving.
3.25 A program segment isolated as a unit.

A. algorithm B. stepwise refinement C. pretest loop

D. pseudocode E. loop invariant F. proof of correctness
G. assignment statement H. procedure I. sequential search
J. if-then-else statement K. recursion L. primitive

ANSWER: 3.21: A, 3.22: G, 3.23: J, 3.24: B, 3.25: H

Appendix 1: language description table
 Op-
code Operand Description
1 RXY LOAD the register R with the bit pattern found in the memory cell whose address is
XY. Example: 14A3 would cause the contents of the memory cell located at
address A3 to be placed
in register 4.
2 RXY LOAD the register R with the bit pattern XY.
Example: 20A3 would cause the value A3 to be placed in register 0.
3 RXY STORE the bit pattern found in register R in the memory cell whose address is XY.
Example: 35B1 would cause the contents of register 5 to be placed in the memory
cell whose
address is B1.
4 0RS MOVE the bit pattern found in register R to register S.
Example: 40A4 would cause the contents of register A to be copied into register 4.
5 RST ADD the bit patterns in registers S and T as though they were two’s complement
representations
and leave the result in register R.
Example: 5726 would cause the binary values in registers 2 and 6 to be added and
the sum placed
in register 7.
6 RST ADD the bit patterns in registers S and T as though they represented values in
floating-point
notation and leave the floating-point result in register R.
Example: 634E would cause the values in registers 4 and E to be added as floating-
point values
and the result to be placed in register 3.
7 RST OR the bit patterns in registers S and T and place the result in register R.
Example: 7CB4 would cause the result of ORing the contents of registers B and 4
to be placed in
register C.
8 RST AND the bit patterns in register S and T and place the result in register R.
Example: 8045 would cause the result of ANDing the contents of registers 4 and 5
to be placed in
register 0.
9 RST EXCLUSIVE OR the bit patterns in registers S and T and place the result in register
R.
Example: 95F3 would cause the result of EXCLUSIVE ORing the contents of
registers F and 3 to
be placed in register 5.
A R0X ROTATE the bit pattern in register R one bit to the right X times. Each time place
the bit that
started at the low-order end at the high-order end.
Example: A403 would cause the contents of register 4 to be rotated 3 bits to the
right in a circular
fashion.
B RXY JUMP to the instruction located in the memory cell at address XY if the bit pattern
in register R
is equal to the bit pattern in register number 0. Otherwise, continue with the
normal sequence of
execution. (The jump is implemented by copying XY into the program counter
during the execute
phase.)
Example: B43C would first compare the contents of register 4 with the contents of
register 0. If
the two were equal, the pattern 3C would be placed in the program counter so that
the next
instruction executed would be the one located at that memory address. Otherwise,
nothing would
be done and program execution would continue in its normal sequence.
C 000 HALT execution.
Example: C000 would cause program execution to stop.