SECTIONS I and II

TECHNICAL AND GENERAL PROFICIENCIES

ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS.

SECTION I - 30 marks
1. (a) Name the hardware component of a computer that performs EACH of the following functions:
(i) Directs internal operations within the CPU

(ii) Stores programs and data that are currently being used by the CPU

(iii) Stores instructions that are used during the boot-up process ( 3 marks)

b) State TWO factors that affect the quality of the display on a monitor. ( 2 marks)

Total 5 marks

2. (a) Choose ONE appropriate method of data entry for EACH of the following situations or applications:

(i) Production of CD-ROM based text from existing books

(ii) Marking multiple choice examination scripts
(iii) Entering sound into the computer ( 3 marks)

(b) Briefly describe how the following types of printers generate hardcopy output:

(i) Dot-matrix

(ii) Thermal

(iii) Ink-jet ( 3 marks)

Total 6 marks

3. List TWO advantages and TWO disadvantages of an integrated software package over a collection of separate
applications packages running under a common operating environment.
(4 marks)

Total 4 marks

4. (a) State the binary and BCD representation for 187. ( 2 marks)
 (b) Using eight-bit, two's complement binary numbers, compute 11-7. ( 2 marks)

Total 4 marks

5. a) What is the difference between a command-line interface and a graphical-user interface?

( 2 marks)

b) State TWO advantages of installing more than one operating systems on a stand-alone
microcomputer. ( 2 marks)

Total 4 marks

6. (a) List TWO advantages and TWO disadvantages of using a network in place of
stand-alone computers. ( 4 marks)

(b) You have one diskette that you use to store files related to the work you do for school,
your club and home. Describe an efficient way to organize the various files on your
diskette. (2 marks)
(c) You boot-up your computer but nothing is displayed on the monitor. List TWO things
you would do to troubleshoot the problem. ( 1 mark )
Total 7 marks

SECTION II - 30 marks

7. (a) A small company is interested in setting up an Internet cafe to allow users to make cheap, 'voice-to-voice',
overseas, telephone calls over the Internet. Apart from computers and Internet access:
(i) What peripheral device must be attached to EACH computer?
(ii) What component must be present in the system unit of EACH computer?

(iii) What financial transaction MUST the Internet cafe make before calls can be
provided to its customers? (3 marks)

(b) (i) What is a search engine?

(ii) Why is a search engine useful when surfing the net? ( 2 marks)

Total 5 marks

8. (a) As part of a project to modernize the police force in a country, computers and related equipment have been installed
in the Intelligence Unit of the police force and all staff in the unit have been trained to use computers. State THREE
uses of the computers in the Intelligence Unit. (3 marks)

(b) State THREE different computer-related crimes and identify TWO measures that should be put in place to
prevent them. ( 5 marks)

Total 8 marks
9. (a) (i) What is meant by the terms'CAD'and'CAM'?
(ii) Why are CAD and CAM usually integrated? (4 marks)
(b) Outline THREE typical functions which a network manager would have to undertake
in order to maintain a LAN-based system. ( 3 marks)

Total 7 marks

10. (a) For information to be useful, it must be organized. List TWO other qualities that the
information must have to make it useful. ( 2 marks)

(b) List THREE measures you would take to ensure that your computer system is protected
from viruses. ( 3 marks)

(c) Briefly explain the difference between 'backing up' and 'archiving' of data.
(2 marks)

(d) The election office has a large amount of vital and sensitive information. Describe
THREE steps that should be taken to protect the data against deliberate theft or
corruption. ( 3 marks)

Total 10 marks

SECTION III - 30 marks

PROGRAMMING ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS.

11. Write pseudocode to calculate the cost of importing a car. First a tax of 2% of the original
cost of the car is added to the cost of the car to give a landing cost. Then, if the car is 5 years
or less a transportation tax of 15% of the original cost of the car is charged. If the car is older
than 5 years, the transportation tax is 20%. The final cost of importing the car is calculated by
adding the transportation tax to the landing cost.
Suggested Response

landingCost 0
transportTax 0
importCost 0

PRINT “What is the original cost of the car?”

INPUT originalCost

landingCost originalCost + (originalCost * 0.02)

PRINT “How old is the car?”

INPUT age
 IF age >5 THEN
transportTax originalCost * 0.2
ELSE
transportTax originalCost * 0.15
ENDIF

importCost landingCost + transportTax

Total 4 marks

12. (a) Write a structured algorithm to perform the following:

 Prompt the user to input two numbers and a character. A choice of a character
'A'for Add, or'S'for subtract is to be used.
 According to the character input, printout the sum, or difference of the two numbers.
Suggested Response

(QBasic program)

(a) Print “Enter two numbers”

Input A, B

Print “Enter ‘A’ to add or ‘S’ to subtract the numbers”

Input CHOICE$

If CHOICE$ = “A” then

SUM = A + B
Print SUM
End If
If CHOICE$ = “S” then
DIFFERENCE = A – B
Print DIFFERENCE
End If

( 9 marks)
(b) Modify the algorithm so that it keeps repeating until zero is entered for both numbers,
and a space for the character. Do not re-write the code.

Do

Print “Enter two numbers,”

Input A, B
Print “Enter ‘A’ to add or ‘S’ to subtract the numbers”
Input CHOICE$

If CHOICE$ = “A” then

SUM = A + B
Print SUM
End If
If CHOICE$ = “S” then
DIFFERENCE = A – B
Print DIFFERENCE
End If
 Print “Enter ZERO for both numbers and a SPACE for choice, to end input”

Loop Until ((A = 0) AND (B = 0) AND (CHOICE$ = “ “))

(5 marks)
Total 14 Marks

13. (a) What levels of programming languages are represented below:

(i) Rl: 110011

(ii) R2: SELECT NAME FROM LIST
(iii) R3: MUL6, 2
(i) Machine-level language
(ii) Fourth Generation Language (4GL)
(iii) Second Generation or Assembly language
(3 marks)
(b ) Give ONE advantage of using each of the following:
(i) an interpreter
(ii) a compiler. (4 marks)

(b) An interpreter: It displays feedback immediately as it finds errors which the programmer can correct before the next line of code is
translated.

A compiler: It translates an entire program and stores the object code for subsequent execution.

Total 7 marks

14. Consider the following pattern:

Example: A + B is equivalent to +AB
The pattern places the operator (+ in the example above) BEFORE its operands (the A and B).
Correct the following equations if necessary:
(i) X/Y = / X / Y ( 1 mark)
(ii) A - (B*C) = - A* BC ( 2 marks)

(iii) (A*A*A) = A*AA ( 2 marks)

Total 5 marks

Suggested Response

(i) /XY

(ii) No correction necessary

(iii) *A*AA