St David’s Catholic Secondary School

CXC Mock Exam 2005

Information Technology Paper 1 (Theory) 1 hrs

-SECTION I – 35 marks

Answer ALL questions in this section.

1. (a) On a diskette, each sector has 512 bytes of storage. There are 18 sectors in a track. Each side of
the disk has 80 rings. What is the total amount of storage space on the disk?(2 marks)

(b) With respect to information storage in a computer’s memory: Explain the difference between a
byte and a word. (2 marks)

(c) 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)
Total 7 marks

2. (a) Explain the difference between application software and system software. (2 marks)

(b) Give three functions of the operating system. (3 marks)

(c) Explain how graphical user interface can make an operating system easier to use than a
command line interface. (2 marks)

Total 7 marks

3. A computer user has 400 typed documents on a disk, and may need to access any one of them. These
documents concern ten different things.

(a) Give an advantage of making directories or folders in this case. (1 mark )

(b) The user can remember the date and time of making a particular file, but not the name of the file.
Explain ONE way the user can get to retrieve that file. (2 marks)
Total 3 marks

4. (a) Explain the difference between odd and parity and even parity. (2 marks)
(b) State the binary and BCD representation for 187. ( 2 marks)

(c) Using eight-bit two's complement binary numbers, compute 11-7. ( 2 marks)
Total 6 marks

5. (a) Give ONE DIFFERENCE and ONE SIMILARITY between Optical Character Recognitions and
MICR (2 marks)

(b) What is a bar code? (1 mark )

(c) Give TWO ways in which a bar code can be used in an accounting system.(2 marks)
(d) Give TWO advantages of using ready-made software compared with using custom-made
software. (2 marks)
Total 7 marks
6. (a) BRIFLY explain what is Electronic Mail. (1 mark )

(b) Give TWO differences between a LAN and a WAN (2 marks)

(c) What is meant by term ‘Broadcast Transmission’? (1 mark )

(d) BRIEFLY explain what is Newsgroup. (1 mark )

Total 5 marks
 SECTION II – 25 marks

Answer ALL questions in this section.

7. BRIEFLY sate what EACH of the following means:

(a) Internet Relay Chat

(b) Teleconferencing

(c) Search engine

(d) Web browser

Total 4 marks

8. (a) Give TWO purposes for which company can use its web site. (2 marks)

(b) A certain internet location has the following address:

http://www.icl-yes.com/students.htm
Give the significance of EACH of the parts of the URL:
http, www, icl-yes, com, students.htm (5 marks)

Total 8 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) What is encryption? (1 mark )

(b) “Physical access restrictions are better than password or encryption”: Give ONE argument in
favour of the statement given. (1marks)
(c) Give TWO methods of protecting oneself from computer viruses. (2 marks)

Total 4 marks
10. List ONE typical function/responsibility of EACH of the following:

(a) Systems Analyst

(b) Programmer
Total 2 marks

SECTION III –30 Marks

PROGRAMMING

This Section is for Technical Proficiency Candidates Only

11. Write a structured algorithm to find the sum of N integers, where the value of N is to be supplied by the
user. Each of the N integers is to be supplied by the user. (3 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.
( 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.
(5 marks)
Total 14 Marks
13. (a) Copy and complete the following trace table, for the algorithm given. Note there are seven lines
to be traced in the algorithm. (5 marks)

X Y Z
1 1 1
2

The Algorithm:
X=1
Y=1
Z=1
X=X+Y
Y=X*Y
Z=X+Y
X=X+Y
Y=X*Y
IF Z < X THEN X = Z
IF Z > X THEN Y = X
PRINT X, Y, Z

(b) What is finally printed by the algorithm? (1 mark )

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

(i) Rl: 110011

(ii) R2: SELECT NAME FROM LIST
(iii) R3: MUL6,2 (3 marks)
(b ) Give ONE advantage of using each of the following:
(i) an interpreter
(ii) a compiler. (4 marks)
Total 7 marks