Chapter #1

Essay Questions
1.

What does the term "online" mean?

2.

What network is sometimes referred to as "the mother of all networks?"

3.

What is the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web?

4.

What term is used for the nonphysical terrain created by computers and communications systems?

5.

What is the difference between cyberspace and the internet?

6.

What is a network?

7.

What is a local area network?

8.

What type of computer is best suited for weather forecasting?

9.

What type of computer is best suited for a person who travels frequently?

10. What is the unit for measuring the speed at which a chip processes information?
11. What kind of software category do Windows 7, Unix, and Linux belong to?
12. What is the difference between data and information?
13. What is the main difference between primary storage and secondary storage?
14. What advantage does a CD have over a hard disk?
15. What is "the cloud"?

Ch#02
1. What is the difference between baseband transmission and broadband transmission?
2. What is the difference between download and upload?
3. State the principal disadvantage of using a telephone modem to connect to the Internet?
4. State the advantages and disadvantages of using a digital subscriber line (DSL) service.
5. List some means of Internet connection.
6. What is an Internet service provider (ISP)?
7. What is an IP (Internet Protocol) address?
8. What is Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)?
9. What is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)?
10. How can a user subscribe to a listserv?

11. List some rules of netiquette.

12. What is a web portal?
13. What are the four types of web search tools available?
14. How would you distinguish spoofing, phishing, and pharming?

Ch#3
Essay Questions
1. What is the difference between system software and application software?
2. What is the difference between a release and a version?
3. What is the difference between shareware and freeware?
4. What is the difference between a tutorial and documentation?
5. What is the difference between a cold boot and a warm boot?
6. List the five important features of operating systems.
7. What is a parent directory?
8. What are device drivers?
9. What are utility programs?
10.

What is Apple Macintosh's primary contribution to computer development?

Ch#4
Essay Questions
1. What is the difference between ASCII binary code and EBCDIC binary code?
2. What are the ways to speed up data between memory and the CPU?
3. What is the difference between a serial port and a parallel port?

4. What is the difference between a surge protector and a voltage regulator?

5. What is the difference between graphics cards and sound cards?
6. What is the difference between tracks and sectors?
7. Why is the Blu-ray disk considered the next-generation optical disk?
8. What are three disadvantages of magnetic-strip cards?

Ch#5
Essay Questions
1. What is input hardware?
2. What is output hardware?
3. What is a dumb terminal?
4. What is an intelligent terminal?
5. What is an Internet terminal?
6. What do source data-entry devices do?
7. How does a flatbed scanner work?
8. What do bar-code readers do?
9. What does an optical mark recognition device do?
10. How does a magnetic-ink character recognition device work?
11. How does an optical character-recognition device work?
12. How is a fax modem different from a dedicated fax machine?
13. What does a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) board do?
14. How does a digital camera capture and store images?
15. How does a speech-recognition system work?

16. What is a sensor?

17. How do radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags work?
18. What is the difference between frame-grabber video card and full-motion video card?
19. What is the difference between a sound board and a MIDI board?
20. What is the difference between an active-matrix display and a passive-matrix display?
21. How do repetitive stress injuries occur?
22. What causes carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)?
23. What causes computer vision syndrome (CVS)?
24. What is Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)?
25. What is the purpose of ergonomics?

Ch#6
Essay Questions
1. How do analog and digital devices interpret electrical signals?
2. What is the primary purpose of the modem?
3. What are the main differences between a WAN, a MAN, and a LAN?
4. What is a personal area network (PAN)?
5. What is a home automation network?
6. What are some of the uses and limitations of GPS?
7. Basically, how does Wi-Fi work?
8. What are four ways in which viruses and worms get passed?
9. Name at least five ways to minimize virus attacks.
10. List at least five rules for creating good passwords.