CNM 232 MIDTERM EXAM REVIEW QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
ATA - ANSWER An abbreviation for Advanced Technology Attachment; the disk drive
standard normally referred to as Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE).
biometrics - ANSWER the science and technology of authentication of a person's
identity by measuring physiological characteristics
BIOS - ANSWER An abbreviation for basic input/output system; the collection of routines
that a PC uses to test its hardware at startup and to start the operating system
bus - ANSWER the set of physical wires used to transfer information among the
components of a personal computer
cable modem - ANSWER A hardware device that uses coaxial cables to transmit and
receive data.
CRT - ANSWER Short for cathode ray tube; the technology used in the common PC
display monitor.
digital camera - ANSWER A camera that takes photographic images electronically
rather than with film.
digital camera A camera that captures and stores images on a digital medium(also
called a camcorder)
EEPROM ANSWER An abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read-only
memory; a type of EPROM that can be erased with an electrical signal.
electrostatic discharge (ESD) ANSWER The release of static electricity from an external
source— such as human hands—into an integrated circuit, which may or may not
damage the circuit.
,EPROM ANSWER Abbreviation of erasable programmable read-only memory; a type of
memory chip that can be reprogrammed after fabrication. eSATA ANSWER an external
connector offers fast data transfer for external SATA hard drives expansion card
ANSWER A circuit board that is inserted into one of a PC's buses to add functionality.
fingerprint scanner - ANSWER A scanner that reads human fingerprints for comparison
to a database of stored fingerprint images.
FireWire - ANSWER a PC and digital video serial bus interface standard offering high
speed communications(FireWire is also known as IEEE 1394)
firmware - ANSWER software routines stored in read-only memory(ROM)
flyback transformer - ANSWER A transformer in a CRT monitor that generates up to
20,000 volts.
form factor - ANSWER the physical size and shape of a device. The term is often used to
describe the size of PC cases.
guest operating system - ANSWER the operating system running within a virtual
machine
hard drive - ANSWER a device that reads data from and writes data to one or more
inflexible platters
heat sink - ANSWER A device that absorbs and dissipates heat generated by an
electronic device, such as a microprocessor.
host operating system - ANSWER An operating system installed on a physical machine
that runs virtualization software.
IDE controller - ANSWER a disk drive standard, also called Integrated Drive Electronics
(also see ATA)
, LCD - ANSWER an abbreviation for liquid crystal display; a display that uses a liquid
compound having a polar molecular structure sandwiched between two transparent
electrodes
memory - ANSWER the space where information can be held and pulled by a computer
system
microprocessor - ANSWER central processing unit (CPU) on a single chip of silicon.
modem - ANSWER abbreviation for modulator/demodulator: a communication device
that allows a personal computer to transmit data over standard telephone lines
mouse - ANSWER a common pointing device
Network Interface Card (NIC) - ANSWER an expansion card used to connect a computer
to a local area network
optical drive - ANSWER a disk drive that reads and may write data to optical (compact)
discs
PATA - ANSWER an acronym for Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment. PATA is the
same as ATA, which was renamed when SATA was introduced
PCI Express- ANSWER a connector on a system board with 1 to 16 interface lanes, this
slot saves space on the system board
PCI slot- ANSWER a connector on a system board used to insert an adapter card
PROM- ANSWER an abbreviation for programmable read-only memory
CORRECT ANSWERS
ATA - ANSWER An abbreviation for Advanced Technology Attachment; the disk drive
standard normally referred to as Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE).
biometrics - ANSWER the science and technology of authentication of a person's
identity by measuring physiological characteristics
BIOS - ANSWER An abbreviation for basic input/output system; the collection of routines
that a PC uses to test its hardware at startup and to start the operating system
bus - ANSWER the set of physical wires used to transfer information among the
components of a personal computer
cable modem - ANSWER A hardware device that uses coaxial cables to transmit and
receive data.
CRT - ANSWER Short for cathode ray tube; the technology used in the common PC
display monitor.
digital camera - ANSWER A camera that takes photographic images electronically
rather than with film.
digital camera A camera that captures and stores images on a digital medium(also
called a camcorder)
EEPROM ANSWER An abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read-only
memory; a type of EPROM that can be erased with an electrical signal.
electrostatic discharge (ESD) ANSWER The release of static electricity from an external
source— such as human hands—into an integrated circuit, which may or may not
damage the circuit.
,EPROM ANSWER Abbreviation of erasable programmable read-only memory; a type of
memory chip that can be reprogrammed after fabrication. eSATA ANSWER an external
connector offers fast data transfer for external SATA hard drives expansion card
ANSWER A circuit board that is inserted into one of a PC's buses to add functionality.
fingerprint scanner - ANSWER A scanner that reads human fingerprints for comparison
to a database of stored fingerprint images.
FireWire - ANSWER a PC and digital video serial bus interface standard offering high
speed communications(FireWire is also known as IEEE 1394)
firmware - ANSWER software routines stored in read-only memory(ROM)
flyback transformer - ANSWER A transformer in a CRT monitor that generates up to
20,000 volts.
form factor - ANSWER the physical size and shape of a device. The term is often used to
describe the size of PC cases.
guest operating system - ANSWER the operating system running within a virtual
machine
hard drive - ANSWER a device that reads data from and writes data to one or more
inflexible platters
heat sink - ANSWER A device that absorbs and dissipates heat generated by an
electronic device, such as a microprocessor.
host operating system - ANSWER An operating system installed on a physical machine
that runs virtualization software.
IDE controller - ANSWER a disk drive standard, also called Integrated Drive Electronics
(also see ATA)
, LCD - ANSWER an abbreviation for liquid crystal display; a display that uses a liquid
compound having a polar molecular structure sandwiched between two transparent
electrodes
memory - ANSWER the space where information can be held and pulled by a computer
system
microprocessor - ANSWER central processing unit (CPU) on a single chip of silicon.
modem - ANSWER abbreviation for modulator/demodulator: a communication device
that allows a personal computer to transmit data over standard telephone lines
mouse - ANSWER a common pointing device
Network Interface Card (NIC) - ANSWER an expansion card used to connect a computer
to a local area network
optical drive - ANSWER a disk drive that reads and may write data to optical (compact)
discs
PATA - ANSWER an acronym for Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment. PATA is the
same as ATA, which was renamed when SATA was introduced
PCI Express- ANSWER a connector on a system board with 1 to 16 interface lanes, this
slot saves space on the system board
PCI slot- ANSWER a connector on a system board used to insert an adapter card
PROM- ANSWER an abbreviation for programmable read-only memory
