Download ChAPTER Answers to End-of

Instructor’s Manual Materials to Accompany
COMPUTERS ARE YOUR FUTURE
CHAPTER 4
SYSTEM SOFTWARE
CHAPTER ANSWERS TO END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS
Matching
1. operating system
i
2. multitasking operating system
d
3. Linux
g
4. dialog box
k
5. GUI
n
6. disk scanning program
b
7. emergency disk
l
8. interrupts
f
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Chapter 4: System Software
9. kernel
e
10. foreground application
h
11. file manager
m
12. driver
c
13. icon
o
14. backup software
a
15. disk defragmentation program
j
Multiple Choice
1. Which kind of software enables a computer and its peripheral devices to function smoothly?
a. application
b. system
c. defragmentation
d. file management
b
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Chapter 4: System Software
2. Which of the following is NOT typically handled by the operating system?
a. managing applications
b. managing input and output devices
c. publishing Web pages
d. interacting with the user
c
3. What type of memory is created if RAM is full?
a. read-only memory
b. on-the-fly memory
c. add-on memory
d. virtual memory
d
4. Which version of Windows is designed for PDAs?
a. Windows CE
b. Windows NT
c. Windows ME
d. Windows PDA
a
5. Which of the following is a key component of a graphical user interface?
a. command words
b. icons
c. keyboard
d. virtual memory
b
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Chapter 4: System Software
6. Which operating system is considered to be the easiest for beginners?
a. Mac OS X
b. Linux
c. Windows XP
d. UNIX
a
7. What term describes the central part of the operating system that starts applications, manages devices
and memory, and performs other essential functions?
a. master
b. kernel
c. general
d. boss
b
8. Which of the following operating systems is ideally suited for a networked corporate environment?
a. Windows XP
b. Linux
c. Windows NT
d. Windows CE
c
9. If your computer fails to start normally, you may need to use which of the following?
a. emergency disk
b. system utility
c. file utility
d. nonemergency disk
a
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Chapter 4: System Software
10. Which acronym is used to describe the part of the system software that equips the computer with the
instructions needed to accept keyboard input and display information on the screen?
a. POST
b. LINUX
c. BIOS
d. CMOS
c
Fill in the Blank
1. ___________ user interfaces are the most popular interfaces.
GUI
2. When multiple programs are running on a computer, the one currently in use is the ___________
application.
foreground
3. If an operating system uses virtual memory when memory is full, the operating system starts storing
parts of memory in a(n) ___________ ___________ on the hard drive.
swap file
4. Files can be located by using the ___________ utility.
search
5. Unlike Windows 95 and Windows 98, ___________ is specifically designed for client/server
systems.
Windows NT
6. ___________ is a free and powerful operating system that brings all the maturity and sophistication
of UNIX to the PC.
Linux
7. If a file's data is not stored in contiguous locations on a disk, then the user should run a ___________
to increase the computer's efficiency.
defragmenter
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Chapter 4: System Software
8. ___________ software protects a computer from viruses.
Antivirus
9. A(n) ___________ ___________ is used to copy and delete files.
file manager
10. ___________ ___________ ___________ are programs that can reduce the size of a file by as much
as 80 percent without harming the data.
File compression utilities
11. A(n) ___________ is a single file that contains two or more files.
archive
12. A(n) ___________ ___________ is a portion of a disk that is unable to store data reliably.
bad sector
13. ___________ is a special type of memory that is used to store essential startup configuration options.
CMOS
14. ___________ is an operating system for Intel-based PCs that uses a command-line user interface.
MS-DOS or DOS
15. ___________ ___________ ___________ enable a single user to work with two or more applications
at the same time.
Multitasking operating systems
Short Answer
1. Explain the purpose of the power-on self-test (POST). In addition to a computer system, do you know of any
other systems that perform a POST?
The purpose of the POST is to check if the computer and associated peripherals are working correctly. It is at
this point that the computer may display messages, such as no mouse present, keyboard stuck, etc. Newer cars
equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS) perform a POST to make sure the braking system is
functioning.
2. Which operating system is installed on your computer or the computer that you use most often? Do you know
if it is a legitimate copy? Visit www.microsoft.com and locate your operating system. Now use the search
box to search for the term "legitimate." Read one or more articles on operating system software legitimacy.
Students’ answers may vary.
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Chapter 4: System Software
3. What are the advantages of multitasking? Describe the multitasking that happens during one of your typical
computer sessions. How would things be different if you could run only one program at a time?
Multitasking means that more than one application program can run at one time. For example, a wordprocessing program can print the current document while a spreadsheet program is loading a new file.
Computing would be much more cumbersome; users would have to complete tasks one at time rather than
starting another task while the system completes the previous task.
4. What is the purpose of a device driver? Have you ever had to install a device driver when connecting a new
peripheral device to a computer? If you did, what was the device? Was the driver supplied by the operating
system or by the device's manufacturer?
Device drivers contain information about the specific brand and model of a peripheral. These are programs
that act like translators between the device and the programs that use the device. Commonly installed
peripheral devices include printers, disk drives, mice, keyboards, monitors, modems, sound cards, or video
capture cards. If the device is a common, popular one, the drivers probably will be supplied by the operating
system. Otherwise, the device manufacturer supplies the drives.
5. Explain the differences between a full backup and an incremental backup. Which peripheral devices are
commonly used for backups? Have you ever lost important files because you did not back them up? If you
have done a backup, did you copy the entire disk or just selected files? When was the last time you performed
a backup?
When a full backup is performed, a copy of the entire disk is made. When an incremental backup is
performed, only selected files are copied. Usually files created or changed during a specified time interval are
the only ones that are copied when performing an incremental backup. For a small number of small files,
floppy disks can be used. However, for larger backups, zip disks, Jaz disks, CD-R (DVD±R) discs, or CDRW (DVD±RW) discs are usually used. For very high-capacity disks, a second physical disk can be used.
Answers concerning lost files, backups, and frequency will vary.
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