APCSP Networks and the Internet 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the role of DNS (Domain Name System) on the internet?
- To encrypt web traffic between browsers and servers
- To translate human-readable domain names into IP addresses (Correct answer)
- To route packets between different networks
- To manage user authentication for websites
Correct answer: To translate human-readable domain names into IP addresses
DNS acts as the internet's phone book, translating domain names like 'google.com' into the numerical IP addresses computers use to communicate.
Question 2: Which characteristic of the internet's design makes it fault-tolerant?
- It uses a single high-powered central server
- It encrypts all data by default
- Packets can be rerouted through alternate paths if one path fails (Correct answer)
- It requires all devices to be connected via wired connections
Correct answer: Packets can be rerouted through alternate paths if one path fails
The internet's decentralized, redundant design allows packets to take alternate routes when a network node or connection fails, maintaining connectivity.
Question 3: What is 'latency' in a network context?
- The number of hops a packet takes
- The time delay between sending a request and receiving a response (Correct answer)
- The amount of data lost during transmission
- The maximum number of simultaneous connections
Correct answer: The time delay between sending a request and receiving a response
Latency is the time it takes for data to travel from the source to the destination, often measured in milliseconds.
Question 4: A webpage uses HTTPS instead of HTTP. What additional feature does HTTPS provide?
- Faster page load times
- Encrypted communication between browser and server (Correct answer)
- The ability to load images and videos
- Access to more internet servers
Correct answer: Encrypted communication between browser and server
HTTPS uses TLS/SSL encryption to secure the data transmitted between a browser and web server, protecting it from eavesdropping.
Question 5: What is a 'protocol' in the context of computer networking?
- A physical cable standard for connecting devices
- A hardware component that manages network traffic
- A set of rules governing how data is formatted and transmitted between devices (Correct answer)
- A type of firewall that filters network packets
Correct answer: A set of rules governing how data is formatted and transmitted between devices
A network protocol is an agreed-upon set of rules that defines how devices format, transmit, and receive data across a network.
Question 6: Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a 'denial-of-service' (DoS) attack?
- A hacker steals login credentials using a phishing email
- An attacker floods a server with requests until it cannot respond to legitimate users (Correct answer)
- Malware encrypts files and demands ransom
- An intruder intercepts and reads private network traffic
Correct answer: An attacker floods a server with requests until it cannot respond to legitimate users
A DoS attack overwhelms a server or network with excessive traffic, consuming resources until legitimate requests can no longer be served.
Question 7: What is the purpose of a subnet mask in IP networking?
- To encrypt data within a local network
- To identify which portion of an IP address refers to the network and which to the host (Correct answer)
- To block unwanted incoming connections
- To convert IP addresses to MAC addresses
Correct answer: To identify which portion of an IP address refers to the network and which to the host
A subnet mask distinguishes the network portion of an IP address from the host portion, enabling routers to determine if a destination is local or remote.
APCSP Networks and the Internet 3
What is the role of DNS (Domain Name System) on the internet?