CHAPTER 2:

ENCODING SCHEMES AND NUMBER SYSTEM

CHAPTER BLUEPRINT PLAN FOR FINAL EXAM

VSA SA LA E TOTAL
1 MARK 2 MARKS 3 MARKS 5 MARKS
1 MCQ --- 1 1 09 MARKS

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MCQ

1. What is the base value of the binary number system?

- A. 2
- B. 8
- C. 10
- D. 16
- Answer: A. 2

2. Which encoding scheme is used to represent characters of almost all

languages of the world?
- A. ASCII
- B. ISCII
- C. UTF-8
- D. UNICODE
- Answer: D. UNICODE
 3. How many bits are used in the ASCII encoding scheme?
- A. 7 bits
- B. 8 bits
- C. 16 bits
- D. 32 bits
- Answer: A. 7 bits

4. What is the hexadecimal equivalent of the binary number (1010 1100 . 0101
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1100)2?
- A. AC.5C
- B. B4.3E
- C. A2.C5
- D. D8.7F
- Answer: A. AC.5C

5. Which standard encoding scheme was developed in India during the mid-
1980s?
- A. ASCII
- B. ISCII
- C. UNICODE
- D. UTF-8
- Answer: B. ISCII

6. What is the binary representation of the ASCII code for the character 'A'?
2
- A. 1000001
 - B. 1010100
- C. 1100001
- D. 1110001
- Answer: A. 1000001

7. How many different characters can be encoded using 7-bit ASCII code?
- A. 64
- B. 128

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- C. 256
- D. 512
- Answer: B. 128

8. Which number system is used to simplify binary coded representation by

grouping 3 bits?
- A. Binary
- B. Decimal
- C. Octal
- D. Hexadecimal
- Answer: C. Octal

9. What is the binary equivalent of the decimal number 122?

- A. 1111100
- B. 1111001
- C. 1111010 3

- D. 1110110
 - Answer: C. 1111010

10. What is the primary advantage of using hexadecimal notation?

- A. Easier to remember than binary
- B. Uses fewer bits than binary
- C. Both A and B
- D. None of the above
- Answer: C. Both A and B
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11. What is the base value of the octal number system?

- A. 2
- B. 8
- C. 10
- D. 16
- Answer: B. 8

12. What is the decimal equivalent of the octal number (514)8?

- A. 336
- B. 328
- C. 340
- D. 342
- Answer: D. 336

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13. Which encoding scheme is known for representing text in Indian languages?
- A. ASCII
 - B. ISCII
- C. UNICODE
- D. UTF-8
- Answer: B. ISCII

14. How many bits are in a byte?

- A. 4
- B. 8

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- C. 16
- D. 32
- Answer: B. 8

15. What does UTF-8 stand for?

- A. Unicode Transformation Format - 8 bit
- B. Unicode Text Format - 8 bit
- C. Uniform Text Format - 8 bit
- D. Universal Text Format - 8 bit
- Answer: A. Unicode Transformation Format - 8 bit

16. Which encoding scheme retains all 128 ASCII codes and uses the rest for
additional characters?
- A. ASCII
- B. ISCII
- C. UNICODE 5

- D. UTF-8
 - Answer: B. ISCII

17. What is the hexadecimal value for the binary number

(11111111,00000000,00000000)?
- A. (FF,00,00)
- B. (F0,0F,0F)
- C. (00,FF,00)
- D. (FF,FF,00)
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- Answer: A. (FF,00,00)

18. What is the binary equivalent of the ASCII value for the character 'D'?
- A. 1000100
- B. 1010001
- C. 1100001
- D. 1110100
- Answer: A. 1000100

19. What is the hexadecimal representation of the memory address

1100000011110001?
- A. C0F1
- B. D1F2
- C. C2E1
- D. B0A1
- Answer: A. C0F1
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20. How many bits are required for representing each color in RGB color
coding?
- A. 8 bits
- B. 16 bits
- C. 24 bits
- D. 32 bits
- Answer: C. 24 bits

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21. Which encoding scheme is a superset of ASCII?
- A. UTF-8
- B. ISCII
- C. UNICODE
- D. EBCDIC
- Answer: C. UNICODE

22. What is the full form of ASCII?

- A. American Standard Code for Information Interchange
- B. American System Code for Information Interchange
- C. American Standard Code for Internet Interchange
- D. American System Code for Internet Interchange
- Answer: A. American Standard Code for Information Interchange

23. What is the base value of the decimal number system?

- A. 2 7

- B. 8
 - C. 10
- D. 16
- Answer: C. 10

24. Which encoding scheme provides a unique number for every character,
irrespective of the device or operating system?
- A. ASCII
- B. ISCII
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- C. UNICODE
- D. UTF-8
- Answer: C. UNICODE

25. What is the decimal equivalent of the hexadecimal number (4D9)16?

- A. 1234
- B. 1241
- C. 1249
- D. 1257
- Answer: C. 1241

26. Which number system uses base 16?

- A. Binary
- B. Decimal
- C. Octal
8 - D. Hexadecimal
- Answer: D. Hexadecimal
27. What is the octal equivalent of the binary number (10101100.01011)2?
- A. 254.26
- B. 245.36
- C. 234.25
- D. 255.46
- Answer: A. 254.26

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29. Which encoding scheme is used for compact representation of color codes?
- A. ASCII
- B. ISCII
- C. UNICODE
- D. Hexadecimal
- Answer: D. Hexadecimal

30. What is the decimal equivalent of the binary number (1010111)2?

- A. 85
- B. 87
- C. 89
- D. 91
- Answer: B. 87

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31. How many characters can be represented using an 8-bit encoding scheme?
- A. 128
 - B. 256
- C. 512
- D. 1024
- Answer: B. 256

32. What is the full form of ISCII?

- A. Indian Script Code for Information Interchange
- B. Indian System Code for Information Interchange
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- C. Indian Standard Code for Internet Interchange

- D. Indian System Code for Internet Interchange
- Answer: A. Indian Script Code for Information Interchange

33. What is the base value of the hexadecimal number system?

- A. 2
- B. 8
- C. 10
- D. 16
- Answer: D. 16

34. Which encoding scheme is used to represent more characters beyond the
basic ASCII set?
- A. UTF-8
- B. ISCII
10 - C. UNICODE
- D. EBCDIC
 - Answer: C. UNICODE

35. What is the binary equivalent of the hexadecimal number (3A7)16?

- A. 1101100
- B. 1100111
- C. 1010101
- D. 1110111
- Answer: D. 1110111

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36. What is the octal equivalent of the decimal number (76)10?
- A. 104
- B. 112
- C. 114
- D. 116
- Answer: C. 114

37. How many different characters can be represented using 8-bit encoding?
- A. 128
- B. 256
- C. 512
- D. 1024
- Answer: B. 256

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38. What is the full form of UNICODE?
- A. Universal Code for Information Interchange
 - B. Uniform Code for Information Interchange
- C. Unified Code for Information Interchange
- D. None of the above
- Answer: C. Unified Code for Information Interchange

39. Which number system is used for efficient representation of IP addresses?

- A. Binary
- B. Decimal
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- C. Octal
- D. Hexadecimal
- Answer: D. Hexadecimal

40. What is the base value of the binary number system?

- A. 2
- B. 8
- C. 10
- D. 16
- Answer: A. 2

41. What is the binary equivalent of the decimal number (65)10?

- A. 1000001
- B. 1000010
- C. 1100101
12
- D. 1100110
- Answer: A. 1000001
42. What is the decimal equivalent of the octal number (23)8?
- A. 18
- B. 19
- C. 20
- D. 21
- Answer: C. 19

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43. Which encoding scheme can represent over a million characters?
- A. ASCII
- B. ISCII
- C. UNICODE
- D. UTF-8
- Answer: C. UNICODE

44. What is the binary equivalent of the ASCII value for the character 'C'?
- A. 1000011
- B. 1000100
- C. 1000111
- D. 1001000
- Answer: A. 1000011

45. What is the hexadecimal representation of the binary number

(110110101011)2? 13

- A. DAB
 - B. DBA
- C. DBB
- D. DAA
- Answer: A. DAB

46. How many bits are used in a UNICODE encoding scheme?

- A. 8 bits
- B. 16 bits
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- C. 24 bits
- D. 32 bits
- Answer: D. 32 bits

47. Which number system is commonly used in computer programming?

- A. Binary
- B. Decimal
- C. Octal
- D. Hexadecimal
- Answer: A. Binary

48. What is the binary equivalent of the hexadecimal number (2F)16?

- A. 101111
- B. 110010
- C. 111100
14
- D. 110111
- Answer: A. 101111
49. What is the octal equivalent of the binary number (1101011)2?
- A. 153
- B. 154
- C. 155
- D. 156
- Answer: A. 153

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50. What is the binary representation of the ASCII code for the character 'B'?
- A. 1000001
- B. 1000010
- C. 1000011
- D. 1000100
- Answer: B. 1000010

2-Mark Questions and Answers

1. What is encoding?
o Encoding is the mechanism of converting data into an equivalent cipher
using a specific code.
2. Explain the significance of the code value 65 for the key "A."
o The code value 65 is used for the key "A" due to standard encoding
schemes like ASCII, where each letter, numeral, and symbol is assigned
a unique code. This standardization allows for consistency across 15
different keyboards.
3. Define ASCII.
 o ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is an
encoding scheme developed in the early 1960s to standardize character
representation so that computers could communicate with each other.
Initially, it used 7 bits to represent characters, allowing for 128 different
characters.
4. How many bits does ASCII use to represent characters?
o ASCII initially used 7 bits to represent characters.
5. How is the ASCII value of the key 'A' represented in binary?
o The ASCII value of the key 'A' is 65, which is represented in binary as
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1000001.
6. What is ISCII?
o ISCII (Indian Script Code for Information Interchange) is an 8-bit code
representation for Indian languages, developed in the mid-1980s in
India. It retains all 128 ASCII codes and uses the rest of the codes for
additional Indian language character sets.
7. How many bits does ISCII use to represent characters?
o ISCII uses 8 bits to represent characters.
8. Why was the Unicode standard developed?
o The Unicode standard was developed to incorporate all the characters
of every written language in the world, allowing for text created using
one encoding scheme to be recognized by machines using different
encoding schemes.
9. What is the range of values for the Unicode encoding scheme?
o Unicode is a superset of ASCII, and the values 0–128 have the same
characters as in ASCII. The Unicode range is extensive and includes all

16 the characters of every written language.

10. Explain the term "cipher."
 o A cipher means something converted to a coded form to hide or conceal
it from others. It is also called encryption, where the content is converted
to a cipher and sent to the receiver who can decrypt it to get back the
actual content.
11. What is the binary equivalent of the decimal number 65?
o The binary equivalent of the decimal number 65 is 1000001.

12. How is the character 'अ' represented in hexadecimal?

o The character 'अ' is represented in hexadecimal as 0905.

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13. Name any two Unicode encoding schemes.
o Two commonly used Unicode encoding schemes are UTF-8 and UTF-
16.
14. What is the radix of a number system?
o The radix of a number system is the base value, which is the number of
unique digits, including zero, used to represent numbers. For example,
the radix of the decimal number system is 10, and for the binary number
system, it is 2.
15. How does the computer interpret keys pressed on a keyboard?
o When a key on the keyboard is pressed, it is internally mapped to a
unique code, which is then converted to binary for the computer to
understand.
16. What is the decimal value of the ASCII code for the character 'D'?
o The decimal value of the ASCII code for the character 'D' is 68.
17. How many characters can a 7-bit ASCII code represent?
o A 7-bit ASCII code can represent 128 different characters.
18. Explain the importance of standard encoding schemes.
17
o Standard encoding schemes are important because they allow for
consistency and compatibility across different devices, operating
 systems, and software applications. They enable different machines to
recognize and interpret the same text.
19. What is the main limitation of the ASCII encoding scheme?
o The main limitation of the ASCII encoding scheme is that it can only
encode the character set of the English language, making it insufficient
for representing characters from other languages

3-Mark Questions and Answers

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1. Describe the process of encoding a key pressed on a keyboard.

o When a key is pressed on a keyboard, it is internally mapped to a unique
code by the encoding scheme being used. This code is then converted
into binary for the computer to understand. For example, if the key 'A'
is pressed, the ASCII code 65 is generated and converted to binary as
1000001..
2. Explain how the word 'DATA' is encoded using ASCII and converted to
binary.
o The word 'DATA' is encoded using ASCII as follows:
▪ 'D' = 68 = 1000100 in binary
▪ 'A' = 65 = 1000001 in binary
▪ 'T' = 84 = 1010100 in binary
▪ 'A' = 65 = 1000001 in binary
▪ Therefore, 'DATA' in binary is 1000100 1000001 1010100
1000001..
18 3. Discuss the significance of ASCII in the early 1960s.
 o In the early 1960s, ASCII was significant as it standardized the
representation of characters in computers, allowing for consistent
communication between different machines and systems. ASCII used 7
bits to represent characters, providing 128 unique codes for letters,
numerals, and symbols, thus enabling the basic exchange of text
information..
4. How does ISCII facilitate the use of Indian languages on computers?
o ISCII facilitates the use of Indian languages on computers by providing
an 8-bit code representation for Indian languages while retaining all 128

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ASCII codes. This allows for the inclusion of additional character sets
required for various Indian scripts, enabling the accurate representation
and processing of Indian languages on digital platforms.
5. Compare ASCII and ISCII in terms of character representation.
o ASCII is a 7-bit encoding scheme that represents 128 unique characters,
including letters, numerals, and symbols. ISCII, on the other hand, is an
8-bit encoding scheme that retains all 128 ASCII codes and uses the
additional codes to represent characters from Indian languages. Thus,
ISCII expands upon ASCII to accommodate the diverse scripts of India.
6. Explain the concept of Unicode and its importance.
o Unicode is a universal encoding standard designed to incorporate all the
characters of every written language in the world. It extends beyond the
limitations of ASCII and ISCII, allowing for the consistent encoding,
representation, and handling of text. This is important for ensuring that
text can be correctly displayed and interpreted across different platforms
and devices, supporting global communication and data exchange.
7. How is the Unicode standard different from ASCII and ISCII? 19
o Unicode differs from ASCII and ISCII in its scope and range. While
ASCII is limited to 128 characters and ISCII extends to 256 characters
 to include Indian scripts, Unicode encompasses a vast range of
characters from virtually all written languages, making it a more
comprehensive and universal encoding standard. This allows Unicode
to support global text processing and exchange seamlessly.
8. What are the main features of the Unicode standard?
o The main features of the Unicode standard include:
▪ Wide Character Range: Supports characters from all written
languages.
▪ Consistency: Ensures that text appears the same across different
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systems.
▪ Compatibility: Compatible with earlier encoding schemes like
ASCII.
▪ Flexibility: Provides multiple encoding forms (e.g., UTF-8,
UTF-16) to suit different applications and storage requirements.
9. Describe the process of converting a decimal number to binary.
o The process of converting a decimal number to binary involves
repeatedly dividing the decimal number by 2 and recording the
remainder. This process is continued until the quotient is zero. The
binary equivalent is obtained by reading the remainders in reverse order.
For example, to convert the decimal number 65 to binary:
▪ 65 ÷ 2 = 32 remainder 1
▪ 32 ÷ 2 = 16 remainder 0
▪ 16 ÷ 2 = 8 remainder 0
▪ 8 ÷ 2 = 4 remainder 0
▪ 4 ÷ 2 = 2 remainder 0
▪ 2 ÷ 2 = 1 remainder 0
20
▪ 1 ÷ 2 = 0 remainder 1
▪ Reading the remainders in reverse order gives 100000.
10. What are the different number systems mentioned in the document?
o The document mentions several number systems, including:
▪ Decimal (Base 10): Uses digits 0-9.
▪ Binary (Base 2): Uses digits 0 and 1.
▪ Octal (Base 8): Uses digits 0-7.
▪ Hexadecimal (Base 16): Uses digits 0-9 and letters A-F.
11. How does Unicode support multiple languages?
o Unicode supports multiple languages by providing a unique code for
every character in each written language. This comprehensive encoding

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system ensures that text can be correctly displayed and processed in any
language, facilitating global communication and data exchange.
Unicode includes scripts from various languages, allowing for
consistent representation across different platforms.
12. Explain the concept of a number system with examples.
o A number system is a way of representing numbers using a specific set
of digits and a base (radix). Examples include:
▪ Decimal (Base 10): Uses digits 0-9 (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
9).
▪ Binary (Base 2): Uses digits 0 and 1 (e.g., 0, 1, 10, 11, 100).
▪ Octal (Base 8): Uses digits 0-7 (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).
▪ Hexadecimal (Base 16): Uses digits 0-9 and letters A-F (e.g., 0,
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F).
13. Discuss the advantages of using Unicode over other encoding schemes.
o The advantages of using Unicode over other encoding schemes include:
▪ Universal Compatibility: Supports characters from all
languages, ensuring consistent text representation globally. 21
▪ Flexibility: Provides various encoding forms (UTF-8, UTF-16)
suitable for different storage and processing needs.
 ▪ Backward Compatibility: Includes the ASCII character set,
ensuring compatibility with older systems.
▪ Extensibility: Can be expanded to include new characters as
needed, accommodating the evolution of written languages.
14. How is the binary value of a character obtained from its ASCII code?
o The binary value of a character is obtained from its ASCII code by
converting the decimal ASCII value to binary. For example, the ASCII
value of 'A' is 65, which is represented in binary as 1000001. This
conversion involves repeatedly dividing the ASCII value by 2 and
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recording the remainders, then reading them in reverse order..

15. What are the common issues with non-standard encoding schemes?
o Common issues with non-standard encoding schemes include:
▪ Incompatibility: Different systems may interpret the same text
differently, leading to display errors.
▪ Limited Character Sets: May not support all characters needed
for global communication.
▪ Data Corruption: Text may become unreadable if encoding
schemes are not properly handled.
▪ Interoperability Issues: Challenges in sharing data between
systems using different encoding standards.
16. Explain the significance of the hexadecimal number system in encoding.
o The hexadecimal number system is significant in encoding because it
provides a more compact representation of binary data. Each
hexadecimal digit represents four binary digits (bits), making it easier
to read and write large binary numbers. It is commonly used in computer
22 science for memory addresses, color codes in web design, and other
applications where binary data needs to be represented concisely.
17. Describe how special symbols are encoded using ASCII.
 o Special symbols are encoded using ASCII by assigning them unique
codes within the 128-character set. For example, the dollar sign ($) has
an ASCII code of 36, the exclamation mark (!) has an ASCII code of
33, and the ampersand (&) has an ASCII code of 38. These codes are
then converted to binary for computer processing.
18. How does Unicode handle characters from different languages?
o Unicode handles characters from different languages by assigning each
character a unique code point. This allows Unicode to represent a vast
array of characters from various scripts, ensuring that text can be

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accurately displayed and processed in any language. Unicode includes
a comprehensive set of characters, symbols, and control codes needed
for global text representation.
19. What is the role of encoding schemes in computer communication?
o The role of encoding schemes in computer communication is to ensure
that text and data can be consistently and accurately represented,
transmitted, and interpreted between different systems and devices.
Encoding schemes like ASCII, ISCII, and Unicode provide standardized
codes for characters, enabling interoperability and preventing data
corruption during communication.
20. Explain the term 'radix' with reference to number systems.
o The term 'radix' refers to the base of a number system. It is the number
of unique digits, including zero, used to represent numbers in that
system. For example:
▪ Binary: Radix 2, uses digits 0 and 1.
▪ Decimal: Radix 10, uses digits 0-9.
▪ Octal: Radix 8, uses digits 0-7. 23
 ▪ Hexadecimal: Radix 16, uses digits 0-9 and letters A-F. The
radix determines how numbers are constructed and interpreted
in each system.
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