GREAT ZIMBABWE UNIVERSITY

GARY MAGADZIRE SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE AND

NATURAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

MAIN EXAMINATION PAPER

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE: PART 1 SEMESTER 1;

BACHELOR OF COMMERCE: PART 1 SEMESTER 1/ PART 1 SEMESTER 2;
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCES: PART 1 SEMESTER 2/ PART 2 SEMESTER 1;
BACHELOR OF ARTS: PART 1 SEMESTER 1/ PART 1 SEMESTER 2;
BACHELOR OF EDUCATION: PART 1 SEMESTER 1/ PART 1 SEMESTER 2;
BACHELOR OF LAW: PART 1 SEMESTER 1
MODULE TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS AND
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES
MODULE CODE: ICCT100
DATE: NOVEMBER 2017
TIME: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS
Answer all questions in Section A, any two questions from Section B and any one question from
Section C.
Section C should be answered on a supplementary exam booklet.

Page 1 of 10
Section A

1) Word 'RAM' stands for

a) Random Access Memory

b) Read Access Memory
c) Read Arithmetic Memory
d) Random Arithmetic Memory

2) Devices that accept data from outside computer and transfer into CPU are called

a) input devices
b) digital devices
c) analogue devices
d) truth table peripherals

3) Central Processing Unit (CPU) consists of

a) control unit
b) arithmetic and logic unit
c) memory
d) all of above

4) To find materials on the shelf in the library, you need the

a. The ISBN number
b. The title
c. The call number
d. None of the above

5) Place where large amounts of data are stored outside central processing unit is called

a) backing store
b) peripherals
c) control unit
d) AL unit

6) A search engine is best described as

a. A device that allows the computer to be connected to a phone line.
b. A web site or software that offers searching capabilities.
c. The brains of a personal computer.
d. An electronic “booster” you can install for quicker searchers.

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7) Which of the following controls the process of interaction between the user and the operating
system?

a) User interface
b) Language translator
c) Platform
d) Screen saver

8) ..........is a combination of hardware and software that facilitates the sharing of information
between computing devices.

a) Network
b) Peripheral
c) Expansion board
d) Digital device

9) Which of the following statements is true?

a) Minicomputer works faster than Microcomputer

b) Microcomputer works faster than Minicomputer
c) Speed of both the computers is the same
d) The speeds of both these computers cannot be compared with the speed of advanced

10) What type of resource is most likely to be a shared common resource in a computer
Network?

a) Printers
b) Speakers
c) Floppy disk drives
d) Keyboards

11) Which device is required for the Internet connection?

a) Joystick
b) Modem
c) CD Drive
d) NIC Card

12) What is a light pen?

a) A Mechanical Input device

b) Electronic input device
c) Optical input device
d) Optical output device

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13) Which is NOT true about scholarly journals:

a. Their articles usually have documentation such as footnotes and references

b. Their articles are often peer-reviewed
c. Their articles are usually authored by journalists
d. None of the above

14) Information literacy is a term that best applies to:

a. Learners engaging in one to one learning situations

b. Librarians designing interactive instruction tools
c. Students enhancing their information technology skills
d. Students learning to improve their research skills

15) WAN stands for

a) Wap Area Network

b) Wide Area Network
c) Wide Array Net
d) Wireless Area Network

16) Junk e-mail is also called

a) Spam
b) Sniffer script
c) Spoof
d) Spool

17) Hackers

a) All have the same motive

b) Break into other people's computers
c) May legally break into computers as long as they do not do any damage
d) Are people who are allergic to computers

18) A computer cannot 'boot' if it does not have the

a) Compiler
b) Operating System
c) Loader
d) Assembler

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19) The amount of vertical space between lines of text in a document is called

a) Double-space
b) Line spacing
c) Single space
d) Vertical spacing

20) First page of Website is termed as-

a) Homepage
b) Index
c) JAVA script
d) Bookmark

21) Peer-reviewed journal articles are:

a. Pre-selected for an appropriate reading level
b. Written by academic scholars
c. Positively rated by book reviewers
d. None of the above

22) What characteristic of read-only memory (ROM) makes it useful?

a) ROM information can be easily updated.

b) Data in ROM is non-volatile, that is, it remains there even without electrical power.
c) ROM provides very large amounts of inexpensive data storage.
d) ROM chips are easily swapped between different brands of computers.

23) An encyclopedia can be used for:

a. Basic information on a topic.
b. Word definitions.
c. Finding quotes.
d. Finding word synonyms

24) 1 Byte =?

a) 8 bits
b) 4 bits
c) 2 bits
d) 9 bits

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25) An area of a computer that temporarily holds data waiting to be processed is..........

a) CPU
b) Memory
c) Storage
d) File

26) .......... is computer software designed to operate the computer hardware and to provide
platform for running other software

a) Application software
b) System software
c) Software
d) Operating system

27) ............. provides process and memory management services that allow two or more tasks,
jobs, or programs to run simultaneously

a) Multitasking
b) Multithreading
c) Multiprocessing
d) Multicomputing

28) The difference between people with access to computers and the Internet and those without
this access is known as the:

a) Digital divide
b) Internet divide
c) Web divide
d) E-illiteracy

29) Why is it unethical to share copyrighted files with your friends?

a) It is not unethical, because it is legal.

b) It is unethical because the files are being given for free.
c) Sharing copyrighted files without permission breaks copyright laws.
d) It is not unethical because the files are being given for free.

30) Collecting personal information and effectively posing as another individual is known as the
crime of:

a) Spooling.
b) Spoofing
c) Identity theft.
d) Hacking.

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31) A keyword search will
a. Search only titles.
b. Work even if you spell a word wrong.
c. Search title, contents, and subject areas.
d. Search reference material only.

32) Which is potentially the most current or up-to-date source of information on any topic?
a. An biographical source
b. A reference book
c. A hard copy of a magazine
d. An article or information from an electronic database

33) Which three things should you consider when evaluating a website?
a. Navigation, structure and format
b. Layout, Graphics and Publisher
c. Authority, purpose and currency
d. None of the above

34) Hardware or software designed to guard against unauthorized access to a computer network
is known as a(n):

a) Hacker-proof program.
b) Hacker-resistant server.
c) Firewall.
d) Encryption safe wall

35) A Boolean Search uses the terms

a. Author, Date, Title
b. And, Or, Not.
c. Always, Sometimes, Never.
d. Except, If…then.

36) A graphical user interface (GUI):

a) Is character-based and does not use any graphics.

b) Gives the ability to create other software.
c) Allows users to interact with the computer using graphic images.
d) All of the above

37) Convert the number (51)10 to a number in base 2

a) 1100112
b) 111112

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 c) 100012
d) 1100102

38) Conversion of a octal number 638 to its decimal number is

a) 5110
b) 6110
c) 5710
d) 5310
39) In order to correctly reference information obtained from a print book, which of the
following is needed?
a. URL, date, article title, database name
b. Author, date, title, place of publication, IP address
c. Author, date, title, place of publication, publisher
d. Search engine used, date updated, IP address

40) Which is the best strategy when you find too much information?
a. Broaden your question
b. Narrow your question
c. Change your topic
d. Only use the first few results

Section B
Answer any two questions from this section

Question B1
a) i) A student wishes to store data on an optical storage medium. List any two optical
media. [2]
ii) State one advantage and one disadvantage of using optical media when compared to
fixed hard discs. [2]
b) Explain the functions of the following components of a computer system
i) ALU, [2]
ii) Control Unit, [2]
c) Explain the difference between volatile and non-volatile memory. [4]
d) Describe any four functions of an operating system. [8]
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Question B2
a) A sales rep is creating a slide show describing a new product on her laptop.
i. State the software that she is using. [1]

ii. Describe the hardware device that she will need to connect to her laptop to beam
the slide show to her audience. [2]
b) She has been advised that it could be easier to use a blog rather than create a slide
show. State one advantage and one disadvantage of using a blog. [2]
c) State and explain any two advantages of using a mobile phone rather than using a PC
to access the Internet. [4]
d) A teacher wants to send a school magazine to parents. Discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of sending it by email over delivering it by hand. [8]
e) State the use of the following functions in MS Excel
i) SUM [1]
ii) COUNT [1]
iii) AVERAGE [1]

Question B3
a) List two health problems that may be caused by the prolonged use of computers. [2]
b) State three measures of safe guarding computer systems against threats and hazards.
Describe how each measure helps in safeguarding computer systems. [6]
c) i) Define the term computer networks. [2]
ii) State the two main types of computer networks. [2]
d) Describe any two types/categories of computers, stating where they are commonly used.
[4]
e) International companies may use video conferencing instead of face to face meetings.
Describe two advantages to a company of using videoconferencing. [4]

Page 9 of 10
Section C
Answer any one question from this section on a separate supplementary answer booklet.

Question C1
a. Discuss at least five qualities of an Information Literate individual. [10]
b. Journals are useful sources of research information. Discuss the advantages of using this
type of information. [10]

Question C2
In relation to characteristics of an Information Literate Individual, discuss what is meant by:
a. Recognise the need for information – timely (as a basis for intelligent decision-making).
[4]
b. Identify potential source (s) of information – from a vast available. [4]
c. Develop successful and effective search strategies. [4]
d. Evaluate information obtained meaningfully. [4]
e. Organise information obtained effectively for practical application, or in critical thinking
and problem-solving situations. [4]

Question C3
a. List and explain five advantages of multimedia resources. [10]
b. List and explain three terms used in the evaluation of information sources. [6]
c. Distinguish between Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy. [4]

END OF PAPER

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