Homework Lance
4.1 True/False Questions
1) Hardware includes electronic components that are used to input, process, output, and store data.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 106
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
2) A printer is an example of an input hardware device.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 106
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
3) A UPC reader is an example of an input device.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 106
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
4) The CPU stores results of computations on the hard drive.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
5) The random access memory is called the main memory of a computer.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
6) The CPU of a computing device stores data and programs.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
7) Magnetic disks used in computers is an example of main memory.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
8) Universal Serial Bus connecters are used to connect input devices to computers.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
9) Bytes cannot be used to measure sizes of noncharacter data.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 108
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 1
10) When running a program or processing data, the computer first transfers the program or data from disk to the CPU.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
11) Program instructions are moved to the CPU from the main memory through data channels.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
12) The CPU stores frequently used instructions in the data channel.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
13) Program instructions for programs such as Microsoft Excel, are stored in the main memory of a computer.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
14) Main memory of the computer contains a block of data and instructions for the operating system.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
15) Main memory does not use memory swapping when multiple programs are running.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
16) When you work on a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel, the program is loaded into the main memory for processing.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
17) The operating system controls a computer’s resources.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 1
18) A 64-bit processor is needed to effectively utilize more than 4GB of memory.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 110
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
19) The cache and main memory of computers are used for nonvolatile storage.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 110
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
20) Volatile memory devices can store data without using external power.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 110
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
21) Magnetic and optical disks are nonvolatile memory devices.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 110
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
22) Users employ client computers rather than servers, for applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and database access.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 110
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
23) Servers are generally accessed from other computers and they have limited video displays.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 111
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
24) Server farms are used for sites with large numbers of users.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 111
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
25) Application programs create and manage the user interfaces in a computer.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 111
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
26) Client and server computers need to use the same operating system to form a network.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
27) Application programs are written to use a particular operating system.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
28) Microsoft Windows works only on processors from Intel and companies that make processors that conform to the Intel instruction set.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
29) Most server computers can function without an operating system as they are controlled by other computers.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
30) Unix is primarily used in powerful computers used in engineering and computer-assisted design.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 115
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
31) Linux is a version of Unix that was developed by the open source community.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 115
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
32) With a site license, a company pays a flat fee to install a software on all of its computers.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 116
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
33) With PC virtualization, a personal computer hosts several versions of the same operating system.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 116
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
34) With server virtualization, a server computer hosts two or more different operating systems.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 117
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
35) Horizontal-market application softwares serve the needs of a specific industry.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
36) Microsoft Excel is an example of a vertical-market application.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
37) A thin client is a client-server application that requires nothing more than a browser.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
38) A thick-client application is an application program that must be preinstalled on the client.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
39) Thin client applications need special client software for its effective functioning.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 119
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
40) Firmware is computer software that is installed into devices such as printers and print servers.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 120
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
41) Custom developed software is less risky compared to other forms of software development.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 120
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 2
42) Organizations should buy a site license to use open source software.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 121
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 3
43) Users should load firmware into the corresponding device’s memory when using it.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 121
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 2
44) Open source software is usually created through voluntary programming.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 121
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 3
45) The general public can edit the open source software though they do not have access to the source code of the program.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 123
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 3
46) Microsoft Office is an example of a closed source project.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 123
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 3
47) Data conversion cost is an example of a developmental cost.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 124
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 4
48) Procedure maintenance costs are considered developmental costs in information systems.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 124
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 4
49) Business managers make decisions on the specifications of server hardware.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 125
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 4
50) Managers should prepare budgets before defining the base requirements of an information system.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 126
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 4
4.2 Multiple Choice Questions
1) Which of the following devices is used during the processing stage of computing?
A) UPC reader
B) main memory
C) printer
D) bar code scanner
Answer: B
Page Ref: 106
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
2) Which of the following is an input hardware device?
A) plotter
B) bar code scanner
C) projector
D) printer
Answer: B
Page Ref: 106
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
3) Which of the following is an output device?
A) video camera
B) projector
C) mouse
D) bar code scanner
Answer: B
Page Ref: 106
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
4) The ________ is called the “brain” of the computer.
A) random access memory
B) read only memory
C) storage hardware
D) central processing unit
Answer: D
Page Ref: 107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
5) Which of the following devices is an example of an output hardware device?
A) overhead projector
B) keyboard
C) mouse
D) bar code scanner
Answer: A
Page Ref: 107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
6) Main memory is also known as ________.
A) cache memory
B) random access memory
C) read-only memory
D) optical memory
Answer: B
Page Ref: 107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
7) Which of the following devices is an example of a storage hardware device?
A) universal serial bus
B) central processing unit
C) optical disk
D) random access memory
Answer: C
Page Ref: 107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
8) Bits are used for computer data because they ________.
A) do not support multiple voltage levels
B) are easy to represent electronically
C) are used in common calculations
D) do not function as switches in networks
Answer: B
Page Ref: 107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
9) Bits are grouped into 8-bit chunks called ________.
A) switches
B) strings
C) bytes
D) nibbles
Answer: C
Page Ref: 108
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 1
10) A ________ is equivalent to 1,024 bytes.
A) gigabyte
B) kilobyte
C) terabyte
D) megabyte
Answer: B
Page Ref: 108
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 1
11) 10 TB is equivalent to ________ Gigabytes.
A) 10,240
B) 1,000
C) 1,024
D) 102.4
Answer: A
Page Ref: 108
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 1
12) To run a program or process data, the computer first transfers the program or data from disk to the ________.
A) cache memory
B) main memory
C) input device
D) central processing unit
Answer: B
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
13) Instructions are moved from main memory to the CPU via the ________.
A) data channel
B) random access memory
C) cache memory
D) magnetic disk
Answer: A
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
14) Which of the following refers to a program that controls the computer’s resources?
A) operating system
B) cache
C) data channel
D) application program
Answer: A
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
15) The CPU keeps frequently used instructions in the ________.
A) nonvolatile memory
B) main memory
C) cache
D) hard disk
Answer: C
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
16) If there is not enough memory for a newly requested program, the operating system will remove something to place the just-requested program into the vacated space. This process is called ________.
A) random memory access
B) rotational delay
C) memory swapping
D) defragmentation
Answer: C
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
17) When using volatile memory, the ________.
A) processor heats up during operation
B) files are stored permanently
C) processing becomes very slow
D) contents are lost when power is off
Answer: D
Page Ref: 110
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
18) Which of the following memory devices is volatile in nature?
A) magnetic disk
B) cache
C) hard drive
D) optical disk
Answer: B
Page Ref: 110
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
19) Which of the following is a nonvolatile memory device?
A) optical memory device
B) main memory
C) hard drive
D) random access memory
Answer: A
Page Ref: 110
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
20) Users employ client computers for ________.
A) processing Web sites
B) administering public networks
C) creating public networks
D) word processing
Answer: D
Page Ref: 110
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
21) Users employ servers for ________.
A) processing spreadsheets
B) accessing documents
C) accessing database
D) processing shared databases
Answer: D
Page Ref: 111
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
22) Identify a key difference between a client computer and a server computer.
A) Servers are faster and usually have multiple central processing units.
B) Client computers should always be connected to a public network.
C) Servers can function without random access memory.
D) Client computers do not have software that enables them to connect to a network.
Answer: A
Page Ref: 111
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
23) Which of the following terms refers to a collection of servers?
A) server database
B) server farm
C) portal
D) data server
Answer: B
Page Ref: 111
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
24) Server farms are used when ________.
A) performing activities that are not complicated
B) the website has large numbers of users
C) the client computers are limited in number
D) an incompatible operating system is used in the client computer
Answer: B
Page Ref: 111
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
25) Which of the following is a program that controls the computer’s resources?
A) application program
B) server farm
C) firmware
D) operating system
Answer: D
Page Ref: 111
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
26) A client operating system is a program that ________.
A) controls the client computer’s resources
B) is processed on client computers
C) is processed on server computers
D) controls the server computer’s resources
Answer: A
Page Ref: 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
27) Server application programs are programs that ________.
A) control the client computer’s resources
B) are processed on client computers
C) are processed on server computers
D) control the server computer’s resources
Answer: C
Page Ref: 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
28) Which of the following is an example of an application program?
A) Microsoft Word
B) Unix
C) Linux
D) Windows
Answer: A
Page Ref: 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
29) Which of the following is a function of an application program?
A) allocating main memory to programs
B) performing memory swapping
C) accessing a customer database
D) allocating resources to a computer
Answer: C
Page Ref: 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
30) ________ are commands that the central processing unit can process.
A) Recursive functions
B) Instruction sets
C) Operational bits
D) Application programs
Answer: B
Page Ref: 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
31) Which of the following is the operating system designed by Apple?
A) Android
B) Unix
C) Linux
D) Mac OS
Answer: D
Page Ref: 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
32) ________ is a version of Unix that was developed by an open source community.
A) Symbian OS
B) Android
C) Linux
D) Mac OS
Answer: C
Page Ref: 115
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
33) Linux is an example of a(n) ________.
A) open source operating system
B) mobile operating system
C) user community
D) application software that creates documents
Answer: A
Page Ref: 115
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
34) Which of the following is a mobile operating system licensed by Google?
A) Blackberry OS
B) Symbian
C) Android
D) Windows mobile
Answer: C
Page Ref: 116
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
35) When you buy an operating system for your personal computer, you are actually buying a software ________.
A) copyright
B) upgrade
C) patent
D) license
Answer: D
Page Ref: 116
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
36) Virtualization is the process by which ________.
A) a single server is used to host the operations of a work station
B) many computers are used to control a server
C) one computer hosts the appearance of many computers
D) a single operating system is licensed for multiple computers
Answer: C
Page Ref: 116
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
37) With ________, a personal computer, such as a desktop or portable computer, hosts several different operating systems.
A) PC virtualization
B) parallel computing
C) cloud computing
D) grid computing
Answer: A
Page Ref: 116
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
38) Ronald runs both Windows 7 and Linux on his desktop computer. This process is called ________.
A) PC virtualization
B) server virtualization
C) cloud computing
D) desktop virtualization
Answer: A
Page Ref: 116
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
39) With server virtualization, a server computer hosts ________.
A) multiple operating systems
B) one or more server computers
C) virtual host operating systems
D) databases that contain information about servers
Answer: B
Page Ref: 117
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
40) Programs that perform business functions such as general ledger and accounting are known as ________.
A) application software
B) system software
C) firmware
D) operating systems
Answer: A
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 2
41) Which of the following terms refers to the process of a single server hosting many versions of desktop operating systems?
A) PC virtualization
B) cloud computing
C) desktop virtualization
D) server virtualization
Answer: C
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
42) A spreadsheet program is an example of a(n) ________.
A) vertical-market application
B) operating system
C) firmware
D) horizontal-market application
Answer: D
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
43) Which of the following is an example of a vertical-market software?
A) inventory tracking software for an auto manufacturer
B) at-home tax preparation software
C) Adobe suite used by graphic designers
D) Microsoft PowerPoint used to create a presentation
Answer: A
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
44) DenTimes, a software package for dentists, is an example of a(n) ________.
A) horizontal-market software
B) vertical-market software
C) generic market software
D) one-of-a-kind application
Answer: B
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
45) A client-server application that requires nothing more than a browser is called a ________.
A) thick-client application
B) desktop application
C) firmware
D) thin-client application
Answer: D
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
46) An application that requires support beyond a browser on the user’s computer is known as a(n) ________.
A) thick-client application
B) cloud application
C) open source program
D) thin-client application
Answer: A
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
47) ________ is installed in special, read-only memory in devices like printers or communication devices.
A) Vertical-market software
B) Application software
C) Firmware
D) Operating system
Answer: C
Page Ref: 120
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 2
48) Which of the following statements is true of firmware?
A) The software is coded differently from other software.
B) Users do not need to load firmware into the devices’ memory.
C) Firmware is the same as system cache.
D) Firmware cannot be changed or upgraded.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 121
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 2
49) Which of the following is an open source browser?
A) Internet Explorer
B) Ubuntu
C) Firefox
D) Apache
Answer: C
Page Ref: 121
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 3
50) Which of the following is an example of an open source operating system?
A) MS Office
B) Apache
C) MySQL
D) Ubuntu
Answer: D
Page Ref: 121
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 3
51) The term “open source” means that the source code of the program is ________.
A) less stable and platform dependent
B) available to the public
C) available for licensing if desired
D) available only to carefully vetted contractors
Answer: B
Page Ref: 123
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 3
52) Source code is computer code ________.
A) as written by humans
B) that is not understandable by humans
C) that is represented as bits and bytes
D) as processed by a computer
Answer: A
Page Ref: 123
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 3
53) Machine code ________.
A) is written in high-level languages
B) cannot be modified by humans
C) is usually written by humans
D) is the simplest mode of communicating with computers
Answer: B
Page Ref: 123
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 4
54) Which of the following statements is true of closed source projects?
A) Only users and developers are allowed to alter the source code in closed source projects.
B) Anyone can obtain the source code for a closed source project.
C) Only trusted programmers are allowed to make changes to a closed source project.
D) Programmers alter or add to closed source code based on their interests and goals.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 123
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 3
55) Which of the following is an example of a closed source project?
A) Firefox
B) Android
C) Microsoft Office
D) Ubuntu
Answer: C
Page Ref: 123
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 3
56) Which of the following is a development cost of an information system?
A) software support costs and fees
B) hardware maintenance fees
C) data conversion costs
D) labor costs of using the system
Answer: C
Page Ref: 124
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 4
57) Which of the following is an operational cost of an information system?
A) software licensing fees
B) data acquisition costs
C) initial training costs
D) design and documentation costs
Answer: B
Page Ref: 124
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 4
58) An organization purchases server and client computers to build an information system. This is an example of a(n) ________ cost.
A) developmental
B) switching
C) routine
D) maintenance
Answer: A
Page Ref: 124
AACSB: Use of Information Technology; Analytic Skills
Difficulty: Moderate
Chapter LO: 4
59) In most cases, a business manager has no role in the specification of a ________.
A) client computer’s operating system
B) server computer’s budget
C) server computer’s hardware
D) client computer’s monitor type
Answer: C
Page Ref: 125
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 4
60) Which of the following is the first step in preparing a departmental hardware budget?
A) considering the budget in context of competitive strategy
B) identifying the likely changes in workload
C) determining the base requirements of the system
D) forecasting the changes in the number if employees
Answer: C
Page Ref: 125-126
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 4
4.3 Essay Questions
1) Describe the various components of hardware and provide examples.
Answer: Hardware consists of electronic components and related gadgetry that input, process, output, and store data according to instructions encoded in computer programs or software. Typical input hardware devices are the keyboard, mouse, document scanners, and bar-code (Universal Product Code) scanners like those used in grocery stores.
Processing devices include the central processing unit (CPU), which is sometimes called “the brain” of the computer. The CPU works in conjunction with main memory. The CPU reads data and instructions from memory, and it stores results of computations in main memory. Main memory is sometimes called RAM, for random access memory. Output hardware consists of video displays, printers, audio speakers, overhead projectors, and other special-purpose devices, such as large flatbed plotters. Storage hardware saves data and programs. Magnetic disk is by far the most common storage device, although optical disks such as CDs and DVDs also are popular.
Page Ref: 106-107
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
2) Describe how data is represented in computers.
Answer: Computers represent data using binary digits, called bits. A bit is either a zero or a one. Bits are used for computer data because they are easy to represent electronically. Bits are grouped into 8-bit chunks called bytes. For character data, such as the letters in a person’s name, one character will fit into one byte. Bytes are used to measure sizes of noncharacter data as well. A kilobyte, abbreviated K, is a collection of 1,024 bytes. A megabyte, or MB, is 1,024 kilobytes. A gigabyte, or GB, is 1,024 megabytes, and a terabyte, or TB, is 1,024 gigabytes.
Page Ref: 107-108
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Chapter LO: 1
3) Briefly describe the functioning of a computer.
Answer: The CPU is the most important part in a computer. To run a program or process data, the computer first transfers the program or data from disk to main memory. Then, to execute an instruction, it moves the instruction from main memory into the CPU via the data channel or bus. The CPU has a small amount of very fast memory called a cache. The CPU keeps frequently used instructions in the cache. Main memory of the computer contains program instructions for Microsoft Excel, Adobe Acrobat, and a browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox). It also contains a block of data and instructions for the operating system (OS), which is a program that controls the computer’s resources. Main memory is too small to hold all of the programs and data that a user might want to process. Consequently, the CPU loads programs into memory in chunks. If the user opens another program or needs to load more data, the operating system will direct the CPU to attempt to place the new program or data into unused memory. If there is not enough memory, it will remove something and then it will place the just-requested program or data into the vacated space. This process is called memory swapping.
Page Ref: 109
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
4) What are the differences between volatile and nonvolatile memory? Give an example of each. Why is this important to know in a business?
Answer: Volatile memory is impermanent and nonvolatile memory is relatively permanent. This simply means that when the electric power that flows through the circuits is turned off, the data represented in the volatile memory disappears, whereas the nonvolatile memory will retain the data. The main examples are RAM, which is volatile, and ROM, which is nonvolatile. This is important to know in business so that we remember to frequently save important data.
Page Ref: 110
AACSB: Analytic Skills
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
5) Explain client and server computers.
Answer: Users employ client computers for word processing, spreadsheets, database access, and so forth. Most client computers also have software that enables them to connect to a network. It could be a private network at their company or school, or it could be the Internet, which is a public network. Servers provide some service. Some servers process email; others process Web sites; others process large, shared databases; and some provide all of these functions or other, similar functions. Server computers must be fast and they usually have multiple CPUs. They need lots of main memory and they require very large disks. Because servers are almost always accessed from another computer via a network, they have limited video displays, or even no display at all. For the same reason, many have no keyboard.
Page Ref: 110-111
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the components of an information system (IS)
Chapter LO: 1
6) Describe operating systems and application programs.
Answer: The operating system is a program that controls a computer’s resources. Some of the functions of an operating system are to read and write data, allocate main memory, perform memory swapping, start and stop programs, respond to error conditions, and facilitate backup and recovery. In addition, the operating system creates and manages the user interface, including the display, keyboard, mouse, and other devices. If you want to write a document or query a customer database, you need application programs. Application software performs a service or function. These programs must be licensed in addition to the operating system. Two things need to be kept in mind here. First, a particular version of an operating system is written for a particular type of hardware. Second, application programs are written to use a particular operating system.
Page Ref: 111; 114
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Chapter LO: 2
7) What are the main operating systems? Provide a brief overview.
Answer: The first main desktop operating system is Microsoft Windows, which is a closed source system that dominates the business world. Some version of Windows resides on more than 85 percent of the world’s desktops, and, considering just business users, the figure is more than 95 percent.
The next is also a closed source system, Mac OS. Mac OS dominated the arts and communications communities. The current version is Mac OS X. Macintosh computers are used primarily by graphic artists and workers in the arts community.
Unix, developed at Bell Labs, has been the workhorse of the scientific and engineering communities since its introduction. Unix is generally regarded as being more difficult to use than either Windows or the Macintosh.
Linux is a version of Unix that was developed by the open source community which owns it and there is no fee to use it. Linux can run on client computers, but it is most frequently used for servers, particularly Web servers.
Page Ref: 114-115
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 2
8) List the various categories of application software.
Answer: The three major categories of application software are horizontal-market, vertical-market, and one-of-a-kind application software.
Horizontal-market application software provides capabilities that are common across all organizations and industries. Word processors, graphics programs, spreadsheets, and presentation programs are all horizontal-market application software. Examples of such software are Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Vertical-market application software serves the needs of a specific industry. Examples of such programs are those used by dental offices to schedule appointments and bill patients, those used by auto mechanics to keep track of customer data and customers’ automobile repairs, and those used by parts warehouses to track inventory, purchases, and sales. Vertical applications usually can be altered or customized. One-of-a-kind application software is developed for a specific, unique need. The IRS develops such software, for example, because it has needs no other organization has.
Page Ref: 118
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Easy
Course LO: Compare and contrast different business intelligence systems
Chapter LO: 2
9) What is open source software?
Answer: Open source software is a product of a volunteer group of programmers. With open source, anyone can obtain the source code from the open source project’s Web site. Programmers alter or add to this code depending on their interests and goals. In most cases, programmers can incorporate code they find into their own projects. They may be able to resell those projects depending on the type of license agreement the project uses. It is available under the GNU general public license (GPL) agreement, which stipulates that you cannot sell the code. Examples of open source code include Linux, Firefox, and Android.
Page Ref: 121; 123
AACSB: Use of Information Technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 3
10) What are the buying decisions a business manager would make regarding purchases of hardware and software?
Answer: Most business professionals have some role in the specification of the client hardware and software they use. Business managers also play a role in the specification of client hardware and software for employees they manage. The particular role depends on the policy of the manager’s organization. Large organizations will have an IS department that is likely to set standards for client hardware and software. In medium to small organizations, policies are often less formal, and managers will need to take an active role in setting the specifications for their own and their employees’ computers.
Page Ref: 124-125
AACSB: Analytic Skills
Difficulty: Moderate
Course LO: Describe the major types of computer hardware and software used by companies
Chapter LO: 4
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