,Business Driven Information Systems, 6e (Baltzan)
Appendix A Hardware and Software Basics
1) Volatility is a protected memory space created by the CPU allowing the computer to create
virtual machines.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Virtualization is a protected memory space created by the CPU allowing the
computer to create virtual machines.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
2) Complex instruction set computer chips limits the number of instructions the CPU can execute
to increase processing speed.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Reduced instruction set computer (RISC. chips limit the number of instructions the
CPU can execute to increase processing speed.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
3) A computer is an electronic device operating under the control of instructions stored in its own
memory that can accept, manipulate, and store data.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: A computer is an electronic device operating under the control of instructions
stored in its own memory that can accept, manipulate, and store data.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
1
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written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
,4) The central processing unit (CPU) (or microprocessor) is the actual hardware that interprets
and executes the program (software) instructions and coordinates how all the other hardware
devices work together.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: The central processing unit (CPU) (or microprocessor) is the actual hardware that
interprets and executes the program (software) instructions and coordinates how all the other
hardware devices work together.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
5) The arithmetic-logic unit includes instructions and literally tells the other hardware devices
what to do, based on the software instructions.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: The control unit interprets software instructions and literally tells the other
hardware devices what to do, based on the software instructions.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
6) The control unit performs all arithmetic operations (for example, addition and subtraction) and
all logic operations.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: The arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) performs all arithmetic operations (for example,
addition and subtraction) and all logic operations.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
2
Copyright 2019 © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
,7) Gigahertz is the number of millions of CPU cycles per second.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Megahertz (MHz) is the number of millions of CPU cycles per second.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
8) Megahertz is the number of billions of CPU cycles per second.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Gigahertz (GHz) is the number of billions of CPU cycles per second.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
9) Complex instruction set computer (CISC) chips, which is a type of CPU that can recognize as
many as 100 or more instructions, enough to carry out most computations directly.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Complex instruction set computer (CISC) chips, which is a type of CPU that can
recognize as many as 100 or more instructions, enough to carry out most computations directly.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
3
Copyright 2019 © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
,10) Complex instruction set computer chips limit the number of instructions the CPU can
execute to increase processing speed.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Reduced instruction set computer (RISC) chips limit the number of instructions the
CPU can execute to increase processing speed.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
11) Primary storage is the computer's main memory, which consists of the random access
memory (RAM), cache memory, and read-only memory (ROM) that is directly accessible to the
CPU.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Primary storage is the computer's main memory, which consists of the random
access memory (RAM), cache memory, and read-only memory (ROM) that is directly accessible
to the CPU.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
12) Random access memory (RAM) is the computer's primary working memory, in which
program instructions and data are stored so that they can be accessed directly by the CPU via the
processor's high-speed external data bus.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Random access memory (RAM) is the computer's primary working memory, in
which program instructions and data are stored so that they can be accessed directly by the CPU
via the processor's high-speed external data bus.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
4
Copyright 2019 © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
,13) Volatility refers to a device's ability to function with or without power. RAM is volatile,
meaning it must have constant power to function; its contents are lost when the computer's
electric supply fails.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Volatility refers to a device's ability to function with or without power. RAM is
volatile, meaning it must have constant power to function; its contents are lost when the
computer's electric supply fails.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
14) Cache memory is a small unit of ultra-fast memory that is used to store recently accessed or
frequently accessed data so that the CPU does not have to retrieve this data from slower memory
circuits such as RAM.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Cache memory is a small unit of ultra-fast memory that is used to store recently
accessed or frequently accessed data so that the CPU does not have to retrieve this data from
slower memory circuits such as RAM.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
15) Random access memory is the portion of a computer's primary storage that does not lose its
contents when one switches off the power.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Read-only memory (ROM) is the portion of a computer's primary storage that does
not lose its contents when one switches off the power.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
5
Copyright 2019 © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
,16) ROM is nonvolatile, meaning it does not require constant power to function. ROM contains
essential system programs that neither the user nor the computer can erase. Since the computer's
internal memory is blank during start-up, the computer cannot perform any functions unless
given start-up instructions.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: ROM is nonvolatile, meaning it does not require constant power to function. ROM
contains essential system programs that neither the user nor the computer can erase. Since the
computer's internal memory is blank during start-up, the computer cannot perform any functions
unless given start-up instructions.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
17) Flash memory is a special type of rewritable read-only memory (ROM) that is compact and
portable.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Flash memory is a special type of rewritable read-only memory (ROM) that is
compact and portable.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
18) Memory cards contain high-capacity storage that holds data such as captured images, music,
or text files.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Memory cards contain high-capacity storage that holds data such as captured
images, music, or text files.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
6
Copyright 2019 © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
,19) Memory sticks provide nonvolatile memory for a range of portable devices including
computers, digital cameras, MP3 players, and PDAs.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Memory sticks provide nonvolatile memory for a range of portable devices
including computers, digital cameras, MP3 players, and PDAs.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
20) Secondary storage consists of equipment designed to store large volumes of data for long-
term storage.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Secondary storage consists of equipment designed to store large volumes of data
for long-term storage.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
21) A megabyte (MB or M or Meg) is roughly 1 million bytes.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: A megabyte (MB or M or Meg) is roughly 1 million bytes.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
7
Copyright 2019 © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
,22) Magnetic medium is a secondary storage medium that uses magnetic techniques to store and
retrieve data on disks or tapes coated with magnetically sensitive materials.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Magnetic medium is a secondary storage medium that uses magnetic techniques to
store and retrieve data on disks or tapes coated with magnetically sensitive materials.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
23) Memory stick is an older secondary storage medium that uses a strip of thin plastic coated
with a magnetically sensitive recording medium.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: Magnetic tape is an older secondary storage medium that uses a strip of thin plastic
coated with a magnetically sensitive recording medium.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
24) A hard drive is a secondary storage medium that uses several rigid disks coated with a
magnetically sensitive material and housed together with the recording heads in a hermetically
sealed mechanism.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: A hard drive is a secondary storage medium that uses several rigid disks coated
with a magnetically sensitive material and housed together with the recording heads in a
hermetically sealed mechanism.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
8
Copyright 2019 © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
, 25) An input device is equipment used to capture information and commands.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: An input device is equipment used to capture information and commands.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
26) Adaptive computer devices are input devices designed for special applications for use by
people with different types of special needs.
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Adaptive computer devices are input devices designed for special applications for
use by people with different types of special needs.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
27) An input device is equipment used to see, hear, or otherwise accept the results of information
processing requests.
Answer: FALSE
Explanation: An output device is equipment used to see, hear, or otherwise accept the results of
information processing requests.
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Six Major Categories of Hardware
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Outcome: A.1 Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example
of each.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Gradable: automatic
9
Copyright 2019 © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.