MERU UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

P.O. Box 972-60200 – Meru-Kenya.

Tel: +254 (0)799529958, +254 (0)799529959, +254 (0)712524293
Website: www.must.ac.ke Email: info@must.ac.ke
University Examinations 2019/2020

FIRST YEAR, SPECIAL/SUPPLEMENTARY EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY , BACHELOR OF BUSINESS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, BACHELOR OF COMPUTER SECURITY AND
FORENSICS, BACHELOR OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY ,BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND BACHELOR OF INFORMATION SCIENCE

CIT 3200: OPRATING SYSTEMS

DATE: JANUARY 2021 TIME: 2 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer question one and any other two questions.

QUESTION ONE (30 MARKS)

a) Describe the various computer generations taking into account the key hardware and
software technologies used. (8 Marks)
b) Draw a block diagram to illustrate the basic organization of computer system and explain
the functions of various units. (8 Marks)
c) Explain any four basic operations performed by any computer system. ( 4 Marks)

QUESTION TWO (20 MARKS)

a) Discuss whether a dos based application could be used when windows starts up(6 Marks)
b) Explain four factors should one consider when buying a storage unit of a computer
system. (6 Marks)
c) Briefly explain different components of windows and how to start windows(8 Marks)

QUESTION THREE (20 MARKS)

a) Briefly explain the process or steps to copy a file or a folder? (10 Marks)

Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2015 Certified

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b)

b) Explain what you understand by “word processing” (5 Marks)

c) Discuss four impacts of computer use on society. (5 Marks)

QUESTION FOUR (20 MARKS)

a) Perform the following base conversions; (6 Marks)

(i) 121 decimal to binary
(ii) 691 decimal to octal
(iii) 7A hex to decimal
b) Explain the steps you could take to change the name of a file or folder. (4 Marks)
c) With an aid of diagram, describe the concept of memory hierarchy , explain how it
improves computer performance. (10 Marks)

QUESTION FIVE (20 MARKS)

a) Outline any three goals of an Operating System. (6 Marks)

b) Describe how the cache memory enhances the computer performance (4 Marks)
c) List and explain any two replacement policies in cache memory. (4 Marks)
d) Describe any three of the key components of the Operating System (6 Marks)

Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2015 Certified

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