SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Question 1
Ken Gregory is the systems administrator at Marymount High School. Ken wants to set up
a new computer lab. He has been asked by the principal to prepare a report that will show
the requirements for the computers and other equipment to be purchased for a new
computer lab. The required report must include a well-organized spreadsheet outlining all
the needs of the lab, and the expected costs in terms of equipment. The incomplete
spreadsheet is shown below:

(a) Cell A1 is formatted across the columns for effective presentation.

(i) State the name of the formatting feature used to achieve this. (2 marks)
Merge and centre

(ii) Write the text for the formula to be inserted in E4 to calculate the TOTAL cost for
the smartboard. (2 marks)
= (B4*C4)-(B4*D4)

(iii) Write the text for the function to be inserted in E16 to calculate the TOTAL
EXPECTED COSTS. (2 marks)
= SUM (E4:E15)

(iv) Write a function that would insert the average cost per unit of an item in cell B18.
(2 marks)
=AVERAGE(C4:C15)

(v) Write a function that would insert the maximum item cost in cell B19. (2 marks)
 = MAX(C4:C15)
(vi) Ken wishes to order/arrange his worksheet by the "Item Description" he has in
ascending order, which feature of Excel will allow him to accomplish this task?
Sorting

(vii) You are required in column F to indicate which items are discounted and which
items are not discounted. Type an if function that you would insert in cell F4 to
output "Discount" if the discount amount is greater than 0, otherwise output "No
Discount".
=IF(D4>0, “Discount”, “No Discount”)

(viii) Ken Gregory is tasked with preparing a report which must include details
regarding the loan information. Which function in a spreadsheet application is
commonly used to calculate the payment amount for a loan with a fixed interest rate
and term?
PMT function

(b) What is the main difference between absolute and relative cell addressing in
spreadsheet applications?
a) Absolute cell addressing always refers to a fixed cell, while relative cell
addressing adjusts the cell reference based on its relative position.
b) Absolute cell addressing is used for calculations involving multiple worksheets,
while relative cell addressing is used within a single worksheet.
c) Absolute cell addressing allows for conditional formatting, while relative cell
addressing is used for data validation.
d) Absolute cell addressing requires the use of macros, while relative cell addressing
is a standard feature of spreadsheet applications.

(c) In a spreadsheet application, when would you typically use absolute cell addressing?
a) When you want to refer to a cell that will always stay the same, regardless of
where the formula is copied or moved.
b) When you want to reference a cell based on its relative position to another cell.
c) When you want to perform calculations involving multiple worksheets within the
same workbook.
d) When you want to apply formatting rules based on certain conditions.

(d) How does relative cell addressing behave when a formula is copied or moved to
different cells?
a) The cell references in the formula adjust automatically based on their relative
position to the new location.
b) The cell references in the formula remain fixed and do not change.
c) The formula is not affected by the cell references and remains the same regardless
of its location.
d) The cell references in the formula change randomly, leading to potential errors in
calculations.

(e) Which type of cell addressing is commonly used to create formulas that can be easily
replicated across multiple cells?
a) Relative cell addressing
b) Absolute cell addressing
c) Mixed cell addressing
 d) Dynamic cell addressing

Question 2
The national census collects data on persons in a household. The data are collected on a
paper-based form and then entered into a database. Data are collected in the following
categories:
● The number of persons in the household e.g. 4
● Date of birth e.g. 12/10/2007
● Educational level e.g. Tertiary
● Current employment e.g. unemployed

(a) Describe how a user could confirm that data on the paper-based form are exactly equal to
the copy of the data in the database. (2 marks)
● Proof-reading - This involves a person comparing the entered data in
the database with the original paper forms to identify and correct any
discrepancies.

● Double data entry will involve two separate persons independently

entering the data into the database, and any differences between the
two entries are investigated and resolved by referring back to the paper
forms.

N.B. The proof reading method would be the most efficient and less costly
one to use based on the given scenario.

(b) Explain EACH of the following as it relates to the census above.

(i) One range check that could be used to validate any item of data collected.
Category of data: Date of Birth
Explanation of check: Range check ensures that the persons are born
between a certain year.

OR

Category of data: Number of persons in the household

Explanation of check: Range check ensures that the number of persons
in the household falls within a valid range of at least 1 to at most 10
persons.
(2 marks)

(ii) One reasonableness check that could be used to validate any item of data collected.
Category of data: Number of persons in a household
Explanation of check: Reasonableness check ensures that the data
entered makes sense and is not unrealistic values.

OR
 (iii) One reasonableness check that could be used to validate any item of data
collected.
Category of data: Date of Birth
Explanation of check: Reasonableness check ensures that the date of
birth is not a future year based on the current year.
(2 marks)

(iv) One data type check that could be used to validate any item of data collected.
Category of data: Educational Level
Explanation of check: Data type check ensures that only one type of data
e.g.text is entered for the field and not numbers.
(2 marks)

(v) One consistency check that could be used to validate any item of data collected.
Category of data: Date of Birth
Explanation of check: Consistency check ensures that the Date of Birth
matches the educational level or current employment of the person as
a person who is very young cannot have a high educational level or be
employed.

OR

(vi) One consistency check that could be used to validate any item of data
collected.
Category of data: Current Employment
Explanation of check: Consistency check ensures that the current
employment matches the educational level as someone who is
unemployed would not likely have tertiary education.
(2 marks)

Question 3
Jay will need to set up a wired network to facilitate communication between the computer systems
across two countries.

(i) List THREE types of transmission media that could be used to facilitate the communication.
Three types of wired media based on the scenario is: Twisted Pair, Coaxial, Fibre Optic
(3 marks)
(ii) Identify the transmission media in (b) (i) which would be MOST appropriate for use in the scenario
described.
The most appropriate transmission media would be fiber optic cables because they offer
high-speed data transmission, low signal loss, and can span long distances
(1 mark)
(iii) Which network device is responsible for connecting multiple devices in a local area
network (LAN) and sending data to the intended destination based on MAC addresses?
a) Network bridge
b) Router
c) Switch
d) Modem
e) Network interface card
(iv) Which network device connects multiple network segments or LANs together, allowing
them to communicate with each other?
a) Network bridge
b) Router
c) Switch
d) Modem
e) Network interface card

(v) Which network device is responsible for forwarding data packets between different
networks based on IP addresses?
a) Network bridge
b) Router
c) Switch
d) Modem
e) Network interface card

(vi) Outline one benefit and one disadvantage of a Local Area Network (LAN)
One major benefit of a Local Area Network (LAN) is the ability to share resources,
while a disadvantage is the limited coverage area.

Question 4

W ………………………………………………………………………………………

(a) State the best suited data type for the examples provided below.
1. real
2. integer
3. string
4. Character

(b) Write an algorithm to perform the following sequence of tasks:

1. read two numbers x and y
2. add the two numbers and place the result in z
3. subtract y from x and place the result in j
4. print all four numbers (4
marks)

Algorithm Add_subtract
declare x, y, z, j as integer
Start
Print “Please enter two numbers”
read x, y
 z ← x+y
j ← x-y
Print “The four numbers are”, x, y, z, j
Stop

Question 5 (See Below)

Field Name Datatype

Item Short text

Cost Currency

Barcode Short text

 1. The primary key would be barcode
2. A suitable size is 6, because there are six characters for the barcode

3.
Item Cost Barcode

Water $4.00 DC68A2

4. The table is sorted by Barcode in descending order

6. Write the correct type of application software based on the description in the table:

General Purpose, Customized, Custom Written, Special Purpose

Description Type of Software

This software is used by individuals in a Special Purpose

particular field

This software is used by anyone to General Purpose

complete various tasks

This software is build for a specific Custom Written

business e.g. Krispy Kreme

This software has be modified to include Customized

special features
7. Match the type of application or system software to their correct feature in the table
below by writing the letter for the type of software beside the correct feature in the answer
column:

Type of Software Feature Answer

A. Operating System An application software that enables B

the creation, editing, and formatting of
text documents.

B. Word Processing A system software that detects, D

Software prevents, and removes malicious
software from a computer system.

C. Utility Software A system software that provides a A

platform for running and managing
computer programs.

D. Antivirus Software A system software that performs C

specific tasks such as file
management, disk formatting, and
system maintenance.

8. Which type of user interface relies on graphical elements such as icons, menus, and
windows to interact with the user?
a) Command Driven
b) Touch Screen
c) GUI (Graphical User Interface)
d) VR (Virtual Reality)

9. What type of user interface requires the user to input commands or instructions using
text-based commands?
a) Touch Screen
b) GUI (Graphical User Interface)
c) Command Driven
d) VR (Virtual Reality)

10. Which user interface allows users to interact with a system by directly touching and
manipulating the screen?
a) Command Driven
b) GUI (Graphical User Interface)
c) VR (Virtual Reality)
d) Touch Screen
Question 11

(a) Write a pseudocode algorithm to calculate the total cost of a product to include the
tax rate of 15%, based on the user being prompted to input the quantity and unit
price. You are also required to prompt the user for their name. Display the total cost
after tax is added along with the user’s name in the same output statement.

(b) Match the following instructions in column 1 to the correct flowchart shape by placing the
letter in column 2 in the table below. The shapes can be used multiple times based on the
given instructions. Also indicate the type of instructions in the third column e.g. Input,
Output, Processing/assignment or N/A

A B C

Instructions Correct Symbols Type of instructions

1. Sales_tax ← t_rate*sales_amt

2. Read sales_amt, t_rate

3. Print “Please enter Sales amount and Tax

rate”

4. Start

5. Tsales ← sales_amt + sales_tax

6. Print “ The total sales is $”, tsales

Question 12
(a) Which generation of mobile networks introduced digital cellular technology and
enabled the use of SMS (Short Message Service)?
2G

(b) Which generation of mobile networks introduced packet-switched data services and
allowed for mobile internet browsing?
3G

(c) What is LTE and in which mobile generation was it introduced?

4G

Question 13

(i) Name the components labelled at E, A, F and D

E- Input
A - Memory
 F - Output
D - Storage

(ii) Outline two examples of devices that falls under the component labelled E and identify
ONE way in which each device can be used
● Keyboard: is used to enter text, commands, and other data into a computer
system by pressing keys.
● Scanner: is used to convert physical documents, images, or objects into
digital format, allowing them to be stored, manipulated, or transmitted
electronically.
● Mouse: allows users to control the movement of the cursor for selecting,
clicking, dragging, and interacting with icons.
● Microphone:captures sound waves and converts them into electrical signals.