Basic Computer
65 Questions
Basic Computer MCQs — Practice & Prepare
✅ Correct answer: Latin
The word 'computer' comes from the Latin verb 'computare,' meaning 'to calculate' or 'to reckon' — reflecting the machine's original purpose as a calculating device.
✅ Correct answer: computer system
Input, processing, and output devices working together — along with storage — form what is called a computer system, the complete functional unit that carries out computing tasks.
✅ Correct answer: Input, Process, Output, Storage
The correct order of a computer's four major functions is Input (data entry) → Process (computation) → Output (results) → Storage (saving data for later use).
✅ Correct answer: processing
Processing is the step where raw, collected data is transformed and organized into meaningful information that can be used and understood.
✅ Correct answer: thinking
A computer can accept input, process data, and produce output, but it cannot genuinely 'think' — it only follows programmed instructions without independent reasoning or consciousness.
✅ Correct answer: Addition
A computer can perform arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, and division, but it obviously cannot perform a physical task like baking a cake — that requires a machine with physical actuators, not just computation.
✅ Correct answer: processing
Part numbers, descriptions, and quantities ordered are all raw data fed into a system to be processed — turning such details into usable order records is a processing task.
✅ Correct answer: very fast and can store huge amount of data
Computers are extremely fast and can store vast amounts of data, making them highly efficient for large-scale tasks — this speed and storage capacity are among their biggest practical benefits.
✅ Correct answer: data
Data refers to raw, unprocessed facts and figures with no context or meaning by themselves; it becomes 'information' only after being organized and processed.
✅ Correct answer: Data
The data processing cycle refers to the complete sequence — input, processing, output, and storage — that data passes through as a computer handles it, matching option (5) 'Data' in this context (referring to the overall data cycle).
✅ Correct answer: Information
Information is data that has been organized, structured, and presented in a meaningful, useful way — unlike raw data, information can be directly understood and acted upon.
✅ Correct answer: software
Software refers to the programs, instructions, and data used to operate and run a computer, as distinct from hardware, which is the physical machinery itself.
✅ Correct answer: instructions
Instructions are the specific steps and commands that tell a computer what to do — whether responding to a typed question or reacting to a mouse click on an icon.
✅ Correct answer: Digital
Digital computers work by processing data in the form of binary digits (0s and 1s), performing calculations through discrete, step-by-step operations rather than continuous signals.
✅ Correct answer: Hybrid
Hybrid computers, combining analog and digital processing, are commonly used in hospital equipment like ECG and dialysis machines, where continuous physical signals (like heart activity) need to be measured and then processed digitally.
✅ Correct answer: All of these
Computers are used extensively across countless sectors, including banking, education, and offices, reflecting how deeply integrated computing technology has become in nearly every field of modern life.
✅ Correct answer: abacus
The abacus, used since ancient times for counting and simple arithmetic using beads on rods, is widely considered the earliest known calculating device.
✅ Correct answer: Both 'A' and 'B'
The abacus can be used to perform both addition and subtraction (and with skilled use, more complex operations), making it a versatile early calculating tool despite its simplicity.
✅ Correct answer: Rabdologia
Napier's calculation technology, using numbered rods for multiplication and division, is called Rabdologia (from the Greek for 'rod reckoning'), commonly known today as Napier's Bones.
✅ Correct answer: adding machine
The Pascaline, invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642, is also known as an adding machine, since it was designed primarily to perform addition and subtraction to help with his father's tax calculations.