IT 342 MIDTERM EXAM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS
Bus - Answers - A subsystem that is used to connect computer components and
transfer data between them.
May be parallel or serial. Parallel transmit data across multiple wires. Serial transmit
data in bit-serial format.
CPU (Central Processing Unit) - Answers - Unit which performs most of the processing
inside a computer
Has two components:
Control Unit: extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): handles arithmetic and logical operations
Socket - Answers - Software in an operating system that connects an application with a
network protocol.
Endpoint for interprocess communication(IPC) within the operating system(OS)
Clock - Answers - The amount of time between two pulses of an oscillator
A single increment of the CPU *** during which the smallest unit of processor activity is
carried out.
ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) - Answers - A major component of the central processing
unit of a computer system
Does all processes related to arithmetic and logic operations that need to be done on
instruction words
FPU (floating point unit) - Answers - An integrated circuit which handles all
mathematical operations that have anything to do with floating point numbers or
fractions
Flags - Answers - One or more data bits used to store binary values as specific program
structure indicators
A component of a programming language's data structure
Decoder - Answers - The instruction that the CPU fetches from memory is converted
into signals that control other parts of the CPU.
, Assembler - Answers - A type of computer program that interprets software programs
written in assembly language into machine language, code and instructions that can be
executed by a computer
Enables software and application developers to access, operate and manage a
computer's hardware architecture and components
Compiler - Answers - A software program that transforms high-level source code that is
written by a developer in a high-level programming language into a low level object
code (binary code) in machine language, which can be understood by the processor
Pipeline - Answers - Refers to the logical queue that is filled with all the instructions for
the computer processor to process in parallel
Hyperthreading - Answers - A hardware technique where each processor simulates two
(or more) virtual processors, alternating between them on a cycle-by-cycle basis
Superscalar - Answers - So many cores that the problem-solving is exponential rather
than linear
Referee - Answers - A role of the OS: The OS must manage the resources shared
between different applications on the same physical machine
Glue - Answers - A role of the OS: The OS provides a set of common services that
facilitate sharing among applications
Illusionist - Answers - A role of the OS: The OS provides an abstraction of physical
hardware to simplify application design
Abstraction - Answers - Act of representing essential features without including the
background details or explanations
Fairness - Answers - Partitioning of shared resources between users or applications
either equally or balanced according to some desired priorities
CUI (command-line user interface) - Answers - Allows the user (client) to issue
commands as one or more lines of text (referred to as command lines) to a program
GUI (Graphical User Interface) - Answers - An interface through which a user interacts
with electronic devices such as computers, hand-held devices and other appliances.
This interface uses icons, menus and other visual indicator (graphics) representations to
display information and related user controls, unlike text-based interfaces, where data
and commands are in text.
ANSWERS
Bus - Answers - A subsystem that is used to connect computer components and
transfer data between them.
May be parallel or serial. Parallel transmit data across multiple wires. Serial transmit
data in bit-serial format.
CPU (Central Processing Unit) - Answers - Unit which performs most of the processing
inside a computer
Has two components:
Control Unit: extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): handles arithmetic and logical operations
Socket - Answers - Software in an operating system that connects an application with a
network protocol.
Endpoint for interprocess communication(IPC) within the operating system(OS)
Clock - Answers - The amount of time between two pulses of an oscillator
A single increment of the CPU *** during which the smallest unit of processor activity is
carried out.
ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) - Answers - A major component of the central processing
unit of a computer system
Does all processes related to arithmetic and logic operations that need to be done on
instruction words
FPU (floating point unit) - Answers - An integrated circuit which handles all
mathematical operations that have anything to do with floating point numbers or
fractions
Flags - Answers - One or more data bits used to store binary values as specific program
structure indicators
A component of a programming language's data structure
Decoder - Answers - The instruction that the CPU fetches from memory is converted
into signals that control other parts of the CPU.
, Assembler - Answers - A type of computer program that interprets software programs
written in assembly language into machine language, code and instructions that can be
executed by a computer
Enables software and application developers to access, operate and manage a
computer's hardware architecture and components
Compiler - Answers - A software program that transforms high-level source code that is
written by a developer in a high-level programming language into a low level object
code (binary code) in machine language, which can be understood by the processor
Pipeline - Answers - Refers to the logical queue that is filled with all the instructions for
the computer processor to process in parallel
Hyperthreading - Answers - A hardware technique where each processor simulates two
(or more) virtual processors, alternating between them on a cycle-by-cycle basis
Superscalar - Answers - So many cores that the problem-solving is exponential rather
than linear
Referee - Answers - A role of the OS: The OS must manage the resources shared
between different applications on the same physical machine
Glue - Answers - A role of the OS: The OS provides a set of common services that
facilitate sharing among applications
Illusionist - Answers - A role of the OS: The OS provides an abstraction of physical
hardware to simplify application design
Abstraction - Answers - Act of representing essential features without including the
background details or explanations
Fairness - Answers - Partitioning of shared resources between users or applications
either equally or balanced according to some desired priorities
CUI (command-line user interface) - Answers - Allows the user (client) to issue
commands as one or more lines of text (referred to as command lines) to a program
GUI (Graphical User Interface) - Answers - An interface through which a user interacts
with electronic devices such as computers, hand-held devices and other appliances.
This interface uses icons, menus and other visual indicator (graphics) representations to
display information and related user controls, unlike text-based interfaces, where data
and commands are in text.
