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Summary Practice Questions Information Management Exam
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Practice Questions Information Management Exam
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Answers to Study Questions IMChapter 1
1. What are the five components that make up an information system?
a. hardware, software, data, people, process
2. What are three examples of information system hardware?
a. There are a number of possible answers: a PC, a printer, a mouse, tablets, mobile phones, etc.
3. Microsoft Windows is an example of which component of information systems?
a. It is an operating system, which is a part of the software component.
4. What is application software?
a. Software that does something useful.
5. What roles do people play in information systems?
a. The text includes examples such as helpdesk support, systems analyst, programmer, and CIO.
6. What is the definition of a process?
a. A process is a series of steps undertaken to achieve a desired outcome or goal.
7. What was invented first, the personal computer or the Internet (ARPANET)?
a. The Internet was activated in 1969; the personal computer was introduced in 1975.
8. In what year were restrictions on commercial use of the Internet first lifted? When were eBay and Amazon
founded?
a. Restrictions were lifted in 1991, Amazon was founded in 1994, and eBay was founded in 1995.
9. What does it mean to say we are in a “post-PC world”?
a. The personal computer will no longer be the primary way that people interact and do business.
10. What is Carr’s main argument about information technology?
a. That information technology is just a commodity and cannot be used to gain a competitive advantage.
Chapter 2
1. Write your own description of what the term information systems hardware means.
a. Answers will vary, but should say something about information systems hardware consisting of the physical
parts of computing devices that can actually be touched.
2. What is the impact of Moore’s Law on the various hardware components described in this chapter?
a. The student should pick one of the components and discuss the impact of the fact that computing doubles in
speed every two years. Most devices are getting smaller, faster, cheaper, and this should be indicated in the
answer.
3. Write a summary of one of the items linked to in the “Integrated Computing” section.
a. The student should write a summary of one of the linked articles.
4. Explain why the personal computer is now considered a commodity.
a. The PC has become a commodity in the sense that there is very little differentiation between computers, and
the primary factor that controls their sale is their price.
5. The CPU can also be thought of as the _____________ of the computer.
a. brain
6. List the following in increasing order (slowest to fastest): megahertz, kilohertz, gigahertz.
a. kilohertz, megahertz, gigahertz
7. What is the bus of a computer?
a. The bus is the electrical connection between different computer components.
8. Name two differences between RAM and a hard disk.
a. RAM is volatile; the hard disk is non-volatile. Data access in RAM is faster than on the hard disk.
9. What are the advantages of solid-state drives over hard disks?
a. The main advantage is speed: an SSD has much faster data-access speeds than a traditional hard disk.
10. How heavy was the first commercially successful portable computer?
a. The Compaq PC was 28 pounds.
, Chapter 3
1. Come up with your own definition of software. Explain the key terms in your definition.
a. A variety of answers are possible, but should be similar to the definition in the text: Software is the set of
instructions that tell the hardware what to do. Software is created through the process of programming.
2. What are the functions of the operating system?
a. The operating system manages the hardware resources of the computer, provides the user-interface
components, and provides a platform for software developers to write applications.
3. Which of the following are operating systems and which are applications: Microsoft Excel, Google Chrome,
iTunes, Windows, Android, Angry Birds.
a. Microsoft Excel (application), Google Chrome (application), iTunes (application), WIndows (operating
system), Android (operating system), Angry Birds (application)
4. What is your favorite software application? What tasks does it help you accomplish?
a. Students will have various answers to this question. They should pick an application, not an operating
system. They should be able to list at least one thing that it helps them accomplish.
5. What is a “killer” app? What was the killer app for the PC?
a. A killer app is application software that is so useful that people will purchase the hardware just so they can
run it. The killer app for the PC was the spreadsheet (Visicalc).
6. How would you categorize the software that runs on mobile devices? Break down these apps into at least
three basic categories and give an example of each.
a. There are various ways to answer this question. Students should identify that there are mobile operating
systems and mobile apps. Most likely, students will break down mobile apps into multiple categories: games,
GPS, reading, communication, etc.
7. Explain what an ERP system does.
a. An ERP (enterprise resource planning) system is a software application with a centralized database that is
implemented across the entire organization.
8. What is open-source software? How does it differ from closed-source software? Give an example of each.
a. Open-source software is software that makes the source code available for anyone to copy and use. It is free
to download, copy, and distribute. Closed-source software does not make the source code available and
generally is not free to download, copy, and distribute. There are many examples of both, such as: Firefox (open
source), Linux (open source), iTunes (closed source), Microsoft Office (closed source).
9. What does a software license grant?
a. Software licenses are not all the same, but generally they grant the user the right to use the software on a
limited basis. The terms of the license dictate users’ rights in detail.
10. How did the Y2K (year 2000) problem affect the sales of ERP systems?
a. Organizations purchased ERP software to replace their older systems in order to avoid any problems with the
year 2000 in their software.
Chapter 4
1. What is the difference between data, information, and knowledge?
a. Data are the raw bits and pieces of facts and statistics with no context. Data can be quantitative or
qualitative. Information is data that has been given context. Knowledge is information that has been
aggregated and analyzed and can be used for making decisions.
2. Explain in your own words how the data component relates to the hardware and software components of
information systems.
a. There are numerous answers to this question, but all should be variations on the following: Data is processed
by the hardware via software. A database is software that runs on the hardware. Hardware stores the data,
software processes the data.
3. What is the difference between quantitative data and qualitative data? In what situations could the number
42 be considered qualitative data?
a. Quantitative data is numeric, the result of a measurement, count, or some other mathematical calculation.
Qualitative data is descriptive. The number 42 could be qualitative if it is a designation instead of a
measurement, count, or calculation. For example: that player’s jersey has number 42 on it.
4. What are the characteristics of a relational database?
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