COMPUTER STUDIES PAPER 1 - 2017 KITUI MOCK EXAMINATION

SECTION A (40 MARKS) 

Answer all the questions in this section in the spaces provided

1. State the two functions of the control unit. (2 marks)

2. Explain four reasons which make microcomputers suitable for personal computing work. (2 marks)

3. State the functions of the following keyboard key combinations. (3 marks)
   1. CTRL + ESC
   2. ALT + F4
   3. CTRL + ALT + DEL

4. Distinguish between an integrated software and a software suite. (2 marks)

5. Differentiate between embedded computers and dedicated computers. (2 marks)

6. Give three reasons why a company may prefer a tailor made software over off the shelf software. (3 marks)

7. Explain the function of the following registers. (2 marks)
   1. Instruction registers
   2. Address registers

8.  
   1. Explain how a computer system can be protected from intruders.  (2 marks)
   2. State any two laws governing protection of information. (2 marks)

9.  
   1. What is the meaning of graphics as used in word processing?  (1 mark)
   2. Give two sources of graphics in the computer.  (2 marks)
10.  
    1. State the cursor action when the following keyboard keys are pressed.   (2 marks)
       1. Delete ke
       2. Insert key
       3. Pgup (page up) key
       4. Pgdwn (page down) key

11. Identify the parts of the following e-mail address labeled A, B, C and D. (4 marks)
    

12.  
    1. What is a search engine?     (1 mark)
    2. Give four examples of search engines you know.  (2 marks)

13.  
    1. Define the following terms as used in a worksheet.   (2 marks)
       1. Columns
       2. Rows
    2. Distinguish between absolute cell reference and relative cell reference.   (2 marks)

14.  
    1. State one data processing file.       (1 mark)
    2. Explain the function of the file named above in 14 (a).   (2 marks)
15. Give one reason to the growth of communication industry in Kenya. (1 mark)

SECTION B: (60 MARKS)

Answer question 16 and any other three questions from this section

16.  
    1. List two examples of;
       1. Third generation languages.  (2 marks)
       2. Object oriented languages. (2 marks)
    2. Define        (2 marks)
       1. Object code
       2. Source code
    3. Differentiate between a compiler and an interpreter. (2 marks)
    4. A car rental firm leases its cars for Kshs. 2500.00 per day. The manager gives a discount based on the number of days that the car is rented. If the rental period is greater than or equals to 7 days then a 25% discount is given. Write a pseudocode to accept a car number and the rental period, and calculate the total amount earned by the company when a car is leased.  (7 marks)

17.  
    1. State three parameters that determines the magnitude of a number. (3 marks)
    2. Using two’s complement, show how the arithmetic below would be carried out on a 8 - bit computer system (+54) – (+29).  (5 marks)
    3. Using one’s complement, perform the following binary arithmetic leaving the answer in decimal  (5 marks)
       1101₂ – 100101₂
    4. Differentiate between a word and a word length.  (2 marks)

18. 1. State the meaning of the following operating systems terms:
       1. Interrupt    (1 mark)
       2. Trouble shooting. (1 mark)
       3. Clock speed.   (1 mark)
    2. Differentiate the following.    (4 marks)
       1. Disk compression and disk defragmentation.                                                                     
       2. Disk partitioning and disk formatting.                                                                                
    3. The operating system has several functions in a computer.
       Explain how the operating system performs the following functions.                    
       1. Error handling     (3 marks)
       2. Resource control and allocation    (3 marks)
    4. Computer can fail to work due to problems associated with operating system.
       Explain how the following problems can be corrected.    (2 marks)
       1. Runtime problems
       2. Corrupted registry

19.  
    1. Giving examples, differentiate between hard system and soft system. (4 marks)
    2. Explain the following system characteristics. (2 marks)
       1. System control.
       2. Sub-systems
    3.  
       1. What is a closed system?      (1 mark)
       2. Give three characteristics of a closed system. (2 marks)
       3. Why is feedback necessary in a system?   (2 marks)
    4. Draw a diagram to show a system that is controlled through feedback.  (4 marks)

20.  
    1. Define the term Multiplexing as used in networking. (1 mark)
    2. Describe the following signal wave properties.  (3 marks)
       1. Frequency of a wave
       2. Wavelength
       3. Amplitude
    3. Use a diagram to distinguish between ring and star network topologies.  (2 marks) 
    4. Give one advantage and one disadvantage of each of (c) above.  (4 marks)
    5.  
       1. What is virtual reality?  (1 mark)
       2. Describe four essential equipment to achieve virtual reality.  (4 marks)