Certified Computing Professional (CCP) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is the purpose of the Banker's Algorithm?

To schedule processes based on their burst time
To allocate memory pages using a FIFO strategy
To detect memory leaks in running processes
To avoid deadlock by ensuring the system stays in a safe state (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To avoid deadlock by ensuring the system stays in a safe state

The Banker's Algorithm is a deadlock avoidance technique that grants resources only if the resulting state is safe.

Question 2: What is the average-case time complexity for searching in a balanced binary search tree (BST)?

O(n)
O(n log n)
O(1)
O(log n) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: O(log n)

A balanced BST halves the search space at each level, yielding O(log n) average-case search time.

Question 3: Which abstract data type operates on a FIFO (First In, First Out) principle?

Queue (Correct answer)
Graph
Stack
Heap

Correct answer: Queue

A queue processes elements in FIFO order — the first element enqueued is the first dequeued.

Question 4: In database design, what is a surrogate key?

A composite key made of two natural attributes
A system-generated, meaningless unique identifier (Correct answer)
A foreign key that references another table
A key derived from the business data itself

Correct answer: A system-generated, meaningless unique identifier

A surrogate key is an artificially generated identifier (e.g., auto-increment integer) with no business meaning.

Question 5: What SQL keyword prevents duplicate rows from appearing in a query result?

NOT NULL
UNIQUE
GROUP BY
DISTINCT (Correct answer)

Correct answer: DISTINCT

SELECT DISTINCT eliminates duplicate rows from the result set, returning only unique combinations of the specified columns.

Question 6: In the context of tcp/ip & osi model layers, what role does continuous professional development play for CCP practitioners?

It serves primarily as a networking opportunity with no practical benefit
It ensures practitioners remain current with evolving standards, technologies, and best practices (Correct answer)
It is optional and only needed for career advancement
It is required only during the first year of certification

Correct answer: It ensures practitioners remain current with evolving standards, technologies, and best practices

Continuous professional development is essential in tcp/ip & osi model layers because it ensures CCP practitioners remain current with evolving standards, technologies, and best practices, maintaining competency throughout their careers.

Question 7: Under which cloud model is the customer responsible for identity and access management (IAM) of their application users?

SaaS only
PaaS only
IaaS only
IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS (Correct answer)

Correct answer: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS

Across all cloud service models, the customer retains responsibility for managing their own user identities and access controls within the service.

Question 8: Which of the following is a fundamental principle of iaas, paas & saas models as it applies to Certified Computing Professional?

Prioritizing speed of completion over accuracy and compliance
Avoiding documentation to streamline workflow efficiency
Relying solely on personal experience without reference to guidelines
Systematic evaluation and adherence to established industry standards (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Systematic evaluation and adherence to established industry standards

A fundamental principle of iaas, paas & saas models in Certified Computing Professional is the systematic evaluation and adherence to established industry standards, which ensures consistency, quality, and regulatory compliance across all professional activities.

Question 9: What is data warehousing primarily designed for?

Managing live customer orders
Analytical reporting and decision support (Correct answer)
Real-time transaction processing
Storing unstructured multimedia files

Correct answer: Analytical reporting and decision support

A data warehouse consolidates historical data from multiple sources to support complex analytical queries and business intelligence.

Question 10: Which type of disaster recovery site is fully equipped and operational, ready to take over immediately?

Mirror site
Hot site (Correct answer)
Cold site
Warm site

Correct answer: Hot site

A hot site is a fully operational duplicate of the primary site that can take over immediately with little to no downtime.

Question 11: What is the key length used by AES-256?

512 bits
192 bits
256 bits (Correct answer)
128 bits

Correct answer: 256 bits

AES-256 uses a 256-bit key, which is the longest standard key size for AES and provides the highest security level of the AES variants.

Question 12: In the context of relational & nosql database design, what role does continuous professional development play for CCP practitioners?

It is optional and only needed for career advancement
It is required only during the first year of certification
It ensures practitioners remain current with evolving standards, technologies, and best practices (Correct answer)
It serves primarily as a networking opportunity with no practical benefit

Correct answer: It ensures practitioners remain current with evolving standards, technologies, and best practices

Continuous professional development is essential in relational & nosql database design because it ensures CCP practitioners remain current with evolving standards, technologies, and best practices, maintaining competency throughout their careers.

Question 13: Which metric measures the average time a system operates before experiencing a failure?

SLA (Service Level Agreement)
RTO (Recovery Time Objective)
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) (Correct answer)
MTTR (Mean Time To Recovery)

Correct answer: MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)

MTBF quantifies system reliability by calculating the average operational time between failures, helping organizations predict maintenance needs.

Question 14: How does adding a cryptographic salt to a password before hashing defend against rainbow table attacks?

It increases the password length, making brute-force infeasible
It encrypts the hash output using the salt as a symmetric key
It ensures each password produces a unique hash even if two users have the same password (Correct answer)
It applies multiple rounds of hashing to slow down attackers

Correct answer: It ensures each password produces a unique hash even if two users have the same password

A random salt is appended to the password before hashing, making precomputed rainbow tables useless because the same password with different salts produces entirely different hashes.

Question 15: Which algorithm is the foundation of RSA encryption's security?

The difficulty of solving discrete logarithm problems
The difficulty of factoring large prime numbers (Correct answer)
The difficulty of reversing SHA-256 hashes
The difficulty of breaking elliptic curve equations

Correct answer: The difficulty of factoring large prime numbers

RSA's security relies on the computational difficulty of factoring the product of two large prime numbers back into its prime factors.

Question 16: Which technology replicates data to a secondary location in real time to support near-zero RPO?

Synchronous replication (Correct answer)
Scheduled batch transfer
Tape rotation
Asynchronous replication

Correct answer: Synchronous replication

Synchronous replication writes data simultaneously to both primary and secondary locations, ensuring zero or near-zero data loss but requiring low-latency links.

Question 17: What is the best-case time complexity of Bubble Sort when an early-exit optimization is used?

O(log n)
O(n²)
O(n) (Correct answer)
O(n log n)

Correct answer: O(n)

With an early-exit flag, Bubble Sort detects a fully sorted array in one pass and terminates, achieving O(n) best-case.

Question 18: What is the role of an information system in an organization?

Support business processes and decision making (Correct answer)
Only store employee records.
Create social media posts.
Develop desktop wallpapers.

Correct answer: Support business processes and decision making

The role of an information system (IS) in an organization is to collect, process, store, and distribute information to support business operations and facilitate decision-making. IS helps streamline processes, enhance communication, and provide valuable insights for strategic planning and problem-solving. By leveraging data, information systems enable organizations to operate more efficiently and effectively.

Question 19: In cryptography, what does the term 'key derivation function (KDF)' refer to?

An algorithm that generates public/private key pairs from random seeds
A method for splitting a single key into multiple shares
A protocol for exchanging keys securely over an untrusted network
A function that derives one or more cryptographic keys from a master secret or password (Correct answer)

Correct answer: A function that derives one or more cryptographic keys from a master secret or password

A KDF takes a secret value such as a password or master key and derives one or more strong cryptographic keys using techniques like PBKDF2, bcrypt, or HKDF.

Question 20: A DDoS attack floods a web server, making it unreachable to legitimate users. Which CIA property is most directly violated?

Accountability
Integrity
Availability (Correct answer)
Confidentiality

Correct answer: Availability

A DDoS attack targets availability by overwhelming resources so legitimate users cannot access the system.

Question 21: What is the time complexity of interpolation search in the best case on uniformly distributed data?

O(log log n) (Correct answer)
O(log n)
O(1)
O(n)

Correct answer: O(log log n)

Interpolation Search achieves O(log log n) on uniformly distributed sorted data by estimating the probe position proportionally.

Question 22: What is steganography in the context of information security?

Hiding data within other non-secret data to conceal its existence (Correct answer)
Converting data into an unreadable format using keys
Encrypting data using a symmetric algorithm
Compressing data to reduce transmission overhead

Correct answer: Hiding data within other non-secret data to conceal its existence

Steganography hides secret information within ordinary, non-secret files (such as images or audio) so that the existence of the hidden message is concealed.

Question 23: Which type of encryption uses the same key for both encryption and decryption?

Symmetric encryption (Correct answer)
Asymmetric encryption
Public-key encryption
Hybrid encryption

Correct answer: Symmetric encryption

Symmetric encryption uses a single shared secret key for both encrypting and decrypting data, making it fast but requiring secure key distribution.

Question 24: Which type of JOIN returns only the rows that have matching values in both tables?

LEFT OUTER JOIN
FULL OUTER JOIN
INNER JOIN (Correct answer)
RIGHT OUTER JOIN

Correct answer: INNER JOIN

An INNER JOIN returns only records where there is a match in both joined tables.

Question 25: In the context of data mining, 'classification' refers to:

Grouping similar records into clusters without predefined labels
Assigning records to predefined categories based on attributes (Correct answer)
Detecting unusual data points that deviate from the norm
Summarizing large datasets into compact statistics

Correct answer: Assigning records to predefined categories based on attributes

Classification algorithms train on labeled data to predict the category of new records, such as spam vs. not-spam.

Question 26: Which quality assurance method is most commonly applied in iaas, paas & saas models to verify that CCP professional standards are being met?

Annual reviews conducted exclusively by non-technical management
Structured audits, peer reviews, and performance metrics aligned with industry benchmarks (Correct answer)
Informal self-assessment without external validation
Relying on client satisfaction surveys as the sole measure of quality

Correct answer: Structured audits, peer reviews, and performance metrics aligned with industry benchmarks

Structured audits, peer reviews, and performance metrics aligned with industry benchmarks are the most effective quality assurance methods in iaas, paas & saas models, providing objective, measurable evidence that CCP standards are consistently met.

Question 27: Which backup strategy involves copying only the files that have changed since the last full backup?

Mirror backup
Incremental backup (Correct answer)
Full backup
Differential backup

Correct answer: Incremental backup

Incremental backup copies only data changed since the last backup of any type, minimizing storage use but requiring multiple sets for restoration.

Question 28: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'copy-on-write' (COW) in process forking?

Pages are copied only when the child process exits
The OS copies all parent pages to the child before fork() returns
Both parent and child share read-only pages until one modifies a page, triggering a copy (Correct answer)
The child process writes its data to disk before the parent resumes

Correct answer: Both parent and child share read-only pages until one modifies a page, triggering a copy

COW defers copying a page until either process writes to it, reducing the overhead of process creation.

Question 29: Which of the following attacks most directly threatens data integrity?

SQL injection modifying database records (Correct answer)
Denial-of-service flooding a server
Phishing to steal login credentials
Eavesdropping on encrypted traffic

Correct answer: SQL injection modifying database records

SQL injection that modifies database records directly violates integrity by altering stored data without authorization.

Question 30: Which data structure is best suited for implementing breadth-first search (BFS) in a graph?

Heap
Stack
Queue (Correct answer)
Priority Queue

Correct answer: Queue

BFS uses a queue to explore vertices level by level, processing each neighbor before moving deeper.

Question 31: What is the role of a data dictionary (system catalog) in a DBMS?

To store metadata describing the structure of the database (Correct answer)
To replicate data across multiple server nodes
To cache frequently executed queries for performance
To store the actual user data in compressed format

Correct answer: To store metadata describing the structure of the database

The data dictionary holds metadata—descriptions of tables, columns, data types, constraints, and access rights—used by the DBMS itself.

Question 32: Which term describes the process of testing disaster recovery plans through simulation without actually switching over production systems?

Parallel test
Full interruption test
Checklist review
Tabletop exercise (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Tabletop exercise

A tabletop exercise is a discussion-based session where team members walk through a disaster scenario verbally to identify gaps without disrupting operations.

Question 33: What is the primary purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in project management?

To schedule task dependencies
To decompose project deliverables into manageable components (Correct answer)
To assign personnel to tasks
To estimate project costs

Correct answer: To decompose project deliverables into manageable components

A WBS hierarchically decomposes the total project scope into smaller, manageable work packages.

Question 34: What does RPO (Recovery Point Objective) represent?

Maximum tolerable data loss measured in time (Correct answer)
The cost of data restoration
The geographic location of backup systems
The number of recovery sites required

Correct answer: Maximum tolerable data loss measured in time

RPO defines the maximum age of data that must be recovered from backup storage for normal operations to resume after a failure.

Question 35: In the Spiral SDLC model, which activity distinguishes it most from other models?

Explicit risk analysis at each iteration (Correct answer)
Sequential phase execution
Continuous stakeholder deployment
Fixed-length sprints

Correct answer: Explicit risk analysis at each iteration

The Spiral model's defining characteristic is its repeated risk analysis at each cycle, making it ideal for high-risk, large-scale projects.

Question 36: In a client-server database architecture, where is the DBMS engine typically located?

In a cloud-only environment
On the server (Correct answer)
Embedded in each application
On every client machine

Correct answer: On the server

In client-server architecture, the DBMS engine runs on the server and processes queries sent by client applications.

Question 37: Which component ensures security in a database system?

Security module (Correct answer)
Report generator.
Backup utility.
Query processor.

Correct answer: Security module

The security module in a database system is specifically designed to enforce security policies. It controls user access, manages permissions, and ensures data confidentiality and integrity by preventing unauthorized actions. This component is crucial for protecting sensitive information within the database.

Question 38: Mean Time To Recovery (MTTR) measures:

The cost per hour of system downtime
The average time required to restore a failed system to full operation (Correct answer)
The probability of a system failing within a given period
The average time between system failures

Correct answer: The average time required to restore a failed system to full operation

MTTR is the average elapsed time from when a failure occurs until the system is fully operational again, used to evaluate the efficiency of recovery processes.

Question 39: What is key escrow in cryptography?

A method to split a key into multiple shares requiring cooperation to reconstruct
An algorithm for securely distributing symmetric keys over public networks
A technique for generating keys from passwords using PBKDF2
A system where encryption keys are held by a trusted third party for authorized recovery (Correct answer)

Correct answer: A system where encryption keys are held by a trusted third party for authorized recovery

Key escrow is the practice of depositing encryption keys with a trusted third party so they can be recovered by authorized entities such as law enforcement or an employer.

Question 40: In a binary tree, a node with no children is called a:

Root
Branch
Parent
Leaf (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Leaf

A leaf node is a node in a binary tree that has no left or right child.

Question 41: A hash table resolves collisions using chaining by storing colliding elements in a:

Sorted array at each bucket
Stack at each bucket
Binary tree at each bucket
Linked list at each bucket (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Linked list at each bucket

Chaining stores all keys that hash to the same bucket in a linked list attached to that bucket.

Question 42: Which addressing mode uses the operand value directly embedded within the instruction itself?

Base-relative addressing
Immediate addressing (Correct answer)
Indirect addressing
Register addressing

Correct answer: Immediate addressing

Immediate addressing embeds the actual data value directly in the instruction, requiring no additional memory access to fetch the operand.

Question 43: What is the purpose of a feasibility study in systems analysis?

To determine whether a proposed system is technically, economically, and operationally viable (Correct answer)
To define the system's database schema
To write the detailed design specification
To conduct user acceptance testing

Correct answer: To determine whether a proposed system is technically, economically, and operationally viable

A feasibility study assesses technical, economic, legal, operational, and scheduling factors to determine if a project should proceed.

Question 44: The space complexity of an adjacency list representation for a graph with V vertices and E edges is:

O(V + E) (Correct answer)
O(V²)
O(E²)
O(V × E)

Correct answer: O(V + E)

An adjacency list stores each vertex once and each edge once (or twice for undirected), giving O(V + E) space.

Question 45: Which topology connects every node directly to every other node?

Ring
Mesh (Correct answer)
Bus
Star

Correct answer: Mesh

A full mesh topology creates a direct point-to-point link between every pair of nodes in the network.

Question 46: What distinguishes a hash function from encryption?

Hashing is a one-way function with no decryption key (Correct answer)
Hashing requires two parties to share a key
Hashing is faster than encryption
Hashing uses larger keys than encryption

Correct answer: Hashing is a one-way function with no decryption key

Hashing is a one-way function designed to be irreversible; there is no key and the original data cannot be recovered from the hash.

Question 47: In graph theory, a graph where all edges have a direction is called a:

Weighted graph
Cyclic graph
Undirected graph
Directed graph (digraph) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Directed graph (digraph)

A directed graph (digraph) has edges with a specific direction, represented by arrows from one vertex to another.

Question 48: What does RTO (Recovery Time Objective) define in a disaster recovery plan?

The amount of data that can be lost in a disaster
The cost of recovering from a disaster
The maximum acceptable downtime before systems must be restored (Correct answer)
The frequency of backup operations

Correct answer: The maximum acceptable downtime before systems must be restored

RTO is the maximum acceptable length of time that a system can be offline before the outage causes unacceptable business impact.

Question 49: The ACM Code of Ethics requires computing professionals to avoid harm. Which of the following best exemplifies this principle?

Choosing the fastest algorithm for performance
Disclosing a known software vulnerability to protect users (Correct answer)
Documenting code thoroughly
Using open-source software to reduce costs

Correct answer: Disclosing a known software vulnerability to protect users

Disclosing known vulnerabilities aligns with the ethical obligation to avoid harm by protecting users from preventable security risks.

Question 50: Which property of a cryptographic hash function ensures that two different inputs cannot produce the same hash output?

Key diffusion
Collision resistance (Correct answer)
Avalanche effect
Preimage resistance

Correct answer: Collision resistance

Collision resistance means it is computationally infeasible to find two different inputs that produce the same hash output.

Question 51: What is the primary purpose of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)?

To schedule routine maintenance windows
To document all IT assets and their replacement costs
To define employee roles during non-emergency operations
To ensure critical business operations continue during and after a disaster (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To ensure critical business operations continue during and after a disaster

A BCP outlines procedures and strategies to ensure essential business functions remain operational or resume quickly after a disruptive event.

Question 52: Which property of relational databases ensures that a committed transaction remains persistent even after a system failure?

Durability (Correct answer)
Consistency
Isolation
Atomicity

Correct answer: Durability

Durability, the 'D' in ACID, guarantees that once a transaction is committed, its effects are permanently recorded even in the event of a crash.

Question 53: What is the time complexity of accessing an element by index in an array?

O(log n)
O(n²)
O(1) (Correct answer)
O(n)

Correct answer: O(1)

Arrays provide O(1) random access because elements are stored at contiguous memory addresses.

Question 54: Which of the following best describes a 'warm site' in disaster recovery?

A cloud snapshot updated every 24 hours
A facility with hardware pre-installed but requiring data restoration before use (Correct answer)
A fully operational duplicate data center
An empty building with only power and cooling

Correct answer: A facility with hardware pre-installed but requiring data restoration before use

A warm site has hardware and network connectivity in place but lacks current data, requiring restoration from backups before normal operations can resume.

Question 55: Which indexing structure is most efficient for range queries on numerical data in relational databases?

Hash index
B-tree index (Correct answer)
Full-text index
Bitmap index

Correct answer: B-tree index

B-tree indexes store data in sorted order, making them ideal for range queries since rows within a range can be traversed sequentially.

Question 56: In a relational database context, what does ACID stand for?

Access, Control, Integrity, Distribution
Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability (Correct answer)
Atomicity, Concurrency, Isolation, Distribution
Access, Consistency, Integration, Durability

Correct answer: Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability

ACID stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability — the four properties that guarantee reliable database transactions.

Question 57: What is a primary key in a database table?

A key used for backups.
A special password.
A column used for sorting only.
A field that uniquely identifies each row in a table (Correct answer)

Correct answer: A field that uniquely identifies each row in a table

A primary key is a special relational database table column (or combination of columns) designated to uniquely identify each record (row) in that table. It ensures that every row can be distinctly referenced, which is crucial for maintaining data integrity and establishing relationships with other tables. This uniqueness is fundamental for database organization.

Question 58: In UML, which diagram type is used to show the sequence of messages exchanged between objects over time?

Class diagram
Sequence diagram (Correct answer)
Use case diagram
State machine diagram

Correct answer: Sequence diagram

A UML sequence diagram shows object interactions arranged in time sequence, illustrating how operations are carried out.

Question 59: Which of the following is NOT typically included in a PaaS offering?

Database management services
Application deployment pipelines
Development frameworks and tools
Physical server procurement and maintenance (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Physical server procurement and maintenance

PaaS abstracts physical infrastructure away from customers; physical server procurement and maintenance is handled by the cloud provider, not offered as a PaaS feature.

Question 60: The 3-2-1 backup rule states you should have:

3 RPOs, 2 RTOs, 1 BIA
3 sites, 2 hot and 1 cold
3 backups per day, 2 onsite, 1 encrypted
3 copies of data, on 2 different media, with 1 stored offsite (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 3 copies of data, on 2 different media, with 1 stored offsite

The 3-2-1 rule recommends three total copies of data stored on two different types of media with one copy kept offsite for disaster protection.

Question 61: Which graph representation uses a 2D matrix to indicate edges between vertices?

Adjacency matrix (Correct answer)
Adjacency list
Edge table
Incidence matrix

Correct answer: Adjacency matrix

An adjacency matrix uses an n×n boolean (or weighted) matrix where entry [i][j] indicates an edge from vertex i to vertex j.

Question 62: Which RAID level provides disk mirroring with no parity, offering full redundancy?

RAID 0
RAID 6
RAID 1 (Correct answer)
RAID 5

Correct answer: RAID 1

RAID 1 mirrors data across two drives, so if one fails the other contains an identical copy, providing full redundancy at the cost of 50% storage efficiency.

Question 63: A decision support system (DSS) differs from a transaction processing system (TPS) primarily because a DSS:

Runs exclusively on mainframe hardware
Only stores historical data with no query capability
Supports unstructured or semi-structured managerial decisions (Correct answer)
Processes high-volume, repetitive, structured transactions

Correct answer: Supports unstructured or semi-structured managerial decisions

A DSS is designed to help managers analyze data and make complex, often ad hoc decisions, unlike TPS which handles routine operational transactions.

Question 64: Which attack exploits the mathematical relationship between a public key and its certificate to impersonate a trusted entity?

Replay attack
Man-in-the-middle attack using a forged or rogue certificate (Correct answer)
Side-channel timing attack
Brute-force key attack

Correct answer: Man-in-the-middle attack using a forged or rogue certificate

A man-in-the-middle attack using a rogue certificate intercepts communications by presenting a forged certificate trusted by the victim, allowing the attacker to impersonate the legitimate server.

Question 65: When documenting activities related to cia triad & security controls, which practice is considered essential for CCP certification holders?

Maintaining comprehensive records that include procedures, observations, results, and any anomalies (Correct answer)
Recording only outcomes while omitting the methods and processes used
Completing documentation only when requested by auditors or supervisors
Keeping documentation in personal notes that are not accessible to other team members

Correct answer: Maintaining comprehensive records that include procedures, observations, results, and any anomalies

Comprehensive documentation that includes procedures, observations, results, and any anomalies is essential in cia triad & security controls. This supports quality assurance, enables peer review, and satisfies regulatory and audit requirements.

Question 66: Which cipher is theoretically unbreakable when used correctly because its key is as long as the message and used only once?

Vigenère cipher
One-time pad (Correct answer)
Blowfish cipher
Caesar cipher

Correct answer: One-time pad

The one-time pad is provably unbreakable when the key is truly random, at least as long as the message, secret, and never reused.

Question 67: A vulnerability assessment differs from a penetration test in that it:

Requires physical access to target systems
Simulates a real attacker attempting to breach the system
Is performed only by external third parties
Identifies and classifies vulnerabilities without attempting to exploit them (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Identifies and classifies vulnerabilities without attempting to exploit them

Vulnerability assessments scan and categorize security weaknesses, while penetration tests go further by actively exploiting vulnerabilities to measure real-world impact.

Question 68: A cold site in disaster recovery is best described as:

A facility with power and connectivity but no pre-installed hardware or data (Correct answer)
A mobile recovery unit
A facility fully mirroring the primary data center
A cloud-based backup solution

Correct answer: A facility with power and connectivity but no pre-installed hardware or data

A cold site provides only the basic infrastructure (power, HVAC, connectivity) and requires equipment installation and data restoration before use.

Question 69: Which NoSQL database type is best suited for storing and querying highly connected data such as social networks?

Graph database (Correct answer)
Key-value store
Document store
Column-family store

Correct answer: Graph database

Graph databases use nodes and edges to represent and traverse relationships, making them optimal for highly connected data like social networks.

Question 70: Which asymmetric key operation is used to create a digital signature?

Hashing the message with the recipient's private key
Encrypting the message with the sender's public key
Decrypting the message with the recipient's public key
Encrypting a hash of the message with the sender's private key (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Encrypting a hash of the message with the sender's private key

A digital signature is created by hashing the message and then encrypting that hash with the sender's private key, allowing anyone with the public key to verify authenticity.

Question 71: Which property of a binary heap ensures the parent node's key is always greater than or equal to its children's keys?

Balanced property
Max-heap property (Correct answer)
Min-heap property
BST property

Correct answer: Max-heap property

The max-heap property states that every parent node has a key ≥ its children, placing the maximum at the root.

Question 72: A Business Impact Analysis (BIA) primarily identifies:

Critical business functions and the impact of their disruption (Correct answer)
Network vulnerabilities and attack vectors
Hardware replacement costs
Employee performance metrics during crises

Correct answer: Critical business functions and the impact of their disruption

A BIA identifies critical business processes and evaluates the financial and operational impact of their disruption to prioritize recovery efforts.

Question 73: What is the purpose of an index in a relational database?

To speed up data retrieval operations (Correct answer)
To encrypt sensitive columns
To store backup copies of rows
To enforce referential integrity

Correct answer: To speed up data retrieval operations

Indexes create a separate data structure that allows the DBMS to locate rows faster without scanning the entire table.

Question 74: Which traversal visits a binary tree's left subtree, then the root, then the right subtree?

Post-order
In-order (Correct answer)
Pre-order
Level-order

Correct answer: In-order

In-order traversal (Left → Root → Right) visits nodes in ascending order for a binary search tree.

Question 75: Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Bucket Sort?

It requires input in a known range
It distributes elements into buckets
It is a comparison-based sort (Correct answer)
It can achieve O(n) average time

Correct answer: It is a comparison-based sort

Bucket Sort is a non-comparison-based sort that distributes elements into buckets and sorts each bucket individually.

Question 76: What cryptographic concept ensures that a sender cannot later deny having sent a message?

Availability
Integrity
Non-repudiation (Correct answer)
Confidentiality

Correct answer: Non-repudiation

Non-repudiation, typically achieved through digital signatures, prevents a sender from denying authorship of a message they signed.

Question 77: What does a 'context switch' involve at the CPU hardware level?

Saving and restoring the CPU register state (program counter, registers, flags) to switch between processes (Correct answer)
Reassigning CPU cores between running threads
Flushing all cache levels and reloading from main memory
Switching the CPU from kernel mode to user mode

Correct answer: Saving and restoring the CPU register state (program counter, registers, flags) to switch between processes

A context switch saves the current process's CPU state (registers, program counter, flags) to memory and loads a previously saved state for the next process to run.

Question 78: A project manager is using the RAD (Rapid Application Development) model. Which feature most characterizes this approach?

Fixed-scope contracts with minimal change accommodation
Heavy emphasis on prototyping and active user involvement throughout development (Correct answer)
Formal sign-off required before moving between phases
Strict sequential phases with detailed upfront planning

Correct answer: Heavy emphasis on prototyping and active user involvement throughout development

RAD relies heavily on rapid prototyping and continuous user feedback to quickly develop and refine software through iterative cycles.

Question 79: What is a rainbow table attack?

A side-channel attack that measures electromagnetic emissions
An attack that exploits collisions in public key certificates
A precomputed table of hash values used to reverse hash functions and recover passwords (Correct answer)
An attack that cycles through every possible key combination

Correct answer: A precomputed table of hash values used to reverse hash functions and recover passwords

A rainbow table is a precomputed lookup table that maps hash values back to their plaintext inputs, allowing rapid password recovery without brute-force computation.

Question 80: What is a stored procedure in a relational database?

An external script that connects to the database via ODBC
An automatic backup mechanism
A constraint that enforces data integrity
A precompiled set of SQL statements stored and executed on the server (Correct answer)

Correct answer: A precompiled set of SQL statements stored and executed on the server

A stored procedure is a named, precompiled block of SQL code saved in the database and executed by calling its name.

Question 81: In Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), what is the role of a Certificate Authority (CA)?

To generate private keys for end users
To encrypt all network traffic between parties
To store private keys in a secure hardware module
To issue and sign digital certificates that bind public keys to identities (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To issue and sign digital certificates that bind public keys to identities

A Certificate Authority issues digital certificates and digitally signs them to bind a public key to an entity's identity, establishing trust in the PKI.

Question 82: What does the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol accomplish?

It authenticates users via digital certificates
It encrypts data using a shared symmetric key
It generates random keys for block cipher algorithms
It allows two parties to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel without prior contact (Correct answer)

Correct answer: It allows two parties to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel without prior contact

Diffie-Hellman allows two parties to jointly derive a shared secret key over an unsecured channel without ever transmitting the secret itself.

Question 83: What is the primary purpose of the EXPLAIN command in SQL?

To list all indexes on a table
To display the table schema and constraints
To validate SQL syntax without executing the query
To show the query execution plan chosen by the optimizer (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To show the query execution plan chosen by the optimizer

EXPLAIN (or EXPLAIN ANALYZE) displays the execution plan the query optimizer selects, helping developers identify performance bottlenecks and optimize queries.

Question 84: What is Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) in the context of TLS?

A protocol extension that prevents man-in-the-middle attacks on TLS handshakes
A property ensuring that compromise of long-term keys does not expose past session keys (Correct answer)
An algorithm that generates keys resistant to quantum computer attacks
A guarantee that session keys are never stored on disk

Correct answer: A property ensuring that compromise of long-term keys does not expose past session keys

PFS ensures that each session uses an ephemeral key derived independently, so that even if the server's long-term private key is later compromised, previously recorded sessions remain protected.

Question 85: Differential backup differs from incremental backup in that it:

Copies all data changed since the last full backup, regardless of intermediate backups (Correct answer)
Compresses data more aggressively than incremental backups
Copies only data changed since the last backup of any type
Runs less frequently than incremental backups

Correct answer: Copies all data changed since the last full backup, regardless of intermediate backups

Differential backups always back up all changes since the last full backup, making restoration simpler (full + latest differential) but using more storage than incremental.

Question 86: A view in a relational database is best described as:

A virtual table based on a stored SQL query (Correct answer)
A physical copy of a table stored on disk
A backup snapshot of the database
An index on multiple columns

Correct answer: A virtual table based on a stored SQL query

A view is a named, stored SELECT statement that presents data from one or more tables without storing the data itself.

Question 87: What is the worst-case time complexity of insertion into a hash table that uses open addressing?

O(1)
O(n) (Correct answer)
O(log n)
O(n²)

Correct answer: O(n)

In the worst case (e.g., all keys hash to the same slot), open addressing degrades to O(n) as every slot must be probed.

Question 88: What is 'data vaulting' in the context of disaster recovery?

Physically locking tape drives in a fireproof safe
Encrypting data before it is written to disk
Electronically transmitting backup data to a secure offsite storage facility (Correct answer)
Testing data integrity after a backup completes

Correct answer: Electronically transmitting backup data to a secure offsite storage facility

Electronic vaulting (data vaulting) automatically transfers backup data over a network to an offsite facility, eliminating the need for physical media transport.

Question 89: What does VLAN stand for in networking?

Verified Link Access Node
Variable Length Area Node
Virtual Local Area Network (Correct answer)
Virtual Linked Address Network

Correct answer: Virtual Local Area Network

VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) logically segments a physical network into separate broadcast domains.

Question 90: What is the primary difference between stream ciphers and block ciphers?

Stream ciphers encrypt data one bit or byte at a time, while block ciphers encrypt fixed-size chunks of data (Correct answer)
Stream ciphers use asymmetric keys while block ciphers use symmetric keys
Block ciphers are always faster than stream ciphers for large data volumes
Stream ciphers are used for stored data and block ciphers for network transmission

Correct answer: Stream ciphers encrypt data one bit or byte at a time, while block ciphers encrypt fixed-size chunks of data

Stream ciphers process plaintext one bit or byte at a time using a keystream, while block ciphers operate on fixed-length groups of bits, making them suited for different use cases.

Question 91: Which SQL constraint ensures that a column value must exist as a primary key in another table?

FOREIGN KEY constraint (Correct answer)
UNIQUE constraint
CHECK constraint
NOT NULL constraint

Correct answer: FOREIGN KEY constraint

A FOREIGN KEY constraint enforces referential integrity by requiring that the column's value match a primary key in the referenced (parent) table.

Question 92: Which data structure uses a LIFO (Last In, First Out) access pattern?

Binary Tree
Stack (Correct answer)
Linked List
Queue

Correct answer: Stack

A stack follows LIFO order, meaning the last element pushed is the first one popped.

Question 93: A circular linked list differs from a standard linked list in that the last node's pointer points to the:

Null/None
Head (first) node (Correct answer)
Itself
Previous node

Correct answer: Head (first) node

In a circular linked list, the tail node's next pointer wraps back to the head, forming a continuous loop.

Question 94: A doubly linked list differs from a singly linked list in that each node has pointers to:

Both the next and previous nodes (Correct answer)
Two next nodes
The head and tail only
Every other node

Correct answer: Both the next and previous nodes

A doubly linked list maintains both a next and a previous pointer in each node, enabling bidirectional traversal.

Question 95: A priority queue dequeues elements based on:

Random selection
Assigned priority value (Correct answer)
Insertion order
Alphabetical order

Correct answer: Assigned priority value

A priority queue always removes the element with the highest (or lowest) priority value, regardless of insertion order.

Question 96: Which data structure is most appropriate for implementing an undo feature in a text editor?

Hash Table
Array
Queue
Stack (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Stack

A stack is ideal for undo because each action is pushed on the stack and the most recent action (last pushed) is reversed first.

Question 97: What is denormalization in database design?

Splitting tables to remove redundancy
Converting a relational schema to NoSQL format
Removing all foreign key constraints
Intentionally introducing redundancy to improve read performance (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Intentionally introducing redundancy to improve read performance

Denormalization deliberately adds redundant data or groups data to reduce costly joins and improve query read performance at the cost of increased storage and update complexity.

Question 98: Which scheduling algorithm can lead to starvation of low-priority processes?

First-Come First-Served
Round Robin
Shortest Job First
Priority Scheduling (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Priority Scheduling

Priority Scheduling can starve low-priority processes if high-priority processes continuously arrive.

Question 99: What is a failover cluster primarily used for?

Archiving old data to cold storage
Load balancing across multiple servers
Automatically switching to a standby system when the primary fails (Correct answer)
Encrypting data during transmission

Correct answer: Automatically switching to a standby system when the primary fails

A failover cluster monitors nodes and automatically redirects workloads to a surviving node when a failure is detected, minimizing downtime.

Question 100: Which SQL command is used to remove all rows from a table quickly without logging individual row deletions?

DELETE
DROP
REMOVE
TRUNCATE (Correct answer)

Correct answer: TRUNCATE

TRUNCATE removes all rows from a table rapidly by deallocating data pages rather than logging each row deletion.

Question 101: An organization's DR plan assigns a priority of Tier 1 to its order processing system. This means the system:

Has the lowest recovery priority due to its complexity
Requires manual recovery procedures only
Must be recovered first because it is most critical to business operations (Correct answer)
Can tolerate the longest downtime

Correct answer: Must be recovered first because it is most critical to business operations

Tier 1 in DR tiering identifies mission-critical systems that must be restored first because their outage causes immediate, severe business impact.

Question 102: Which page replacement algorithm replaces the page that has not been used for the longest period of time?

LRU (Correct answer)
Optimal
Clock
FIFO

Correct answer: LRU

Least Recently Used (LRU) evicts the page whose last access was the farthest in the past.

Question 103: A company's security team is concerned about multi-tenancy risks. Which aspect of cloud service models does this concern MOST relate to?

The geographic location of data centers
The cost of compute resources
The ability to customize applications
Sharing physical or virtual resources among multiple customers (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Sharing physical or virtual resources among multiple customers

Multi-tenancy means multiple customers share the same underlying physical or virtual infrastructure, which raises concerns about data isolation and security.

Question 104: In SSL/TLS, what does the handshake process primarily accomplish?

It compresses the data for faster transmission
It fragments large packets into smaller transmission units
It verifies that the data payload contains no malware
It negotiates cipher suites and establishes session keys for secure communication (Correct answer)

Correct answer: It negotiates cipher suites and establishes session keys for secure communication

The TLS handshake negotiates the protocol version and cipher suite, authenticates the server, and establishes a shared session key for encrypting subsequent communication.

Question 105: What distinguishes a 'reduced instruction set' (RISC) approach in terms of instruction execution time?

Most instructions are designed to execute in a single clock cycle (Correct answer)
Execution time is determined by microcode sequences
All instructions execute in a variable number of cycles based on complexity
Instructions always require multiple memory accesses

Correct answer: Most instructions are designed to execute in a single clock cycle

RISC designs target single-cycle execution for most instructions by using simple, uniform instruction formats and load/store memory access patterns, enabling efficient pipelining.

Question 106: In a pipelined CPU, what causes a 'structural hazard'?

An instruction depending on the result of a previous unfinished instruction
Two instructions requiring the same hardware resource at the same time (Correct answer)
A cache miss that stalls the entire pipeline
A branch instruction causing uncertainty about the next instruction to fetch

Correct answer: Two instructions requiring the same hardware resource at the same time

A structural hazard occurs when two or more instructions need the same physical hardware resource (like a single memory port or ALU) simultaneously, preventing their concurrent execution.

Question 107: Which security protocol provides end-to-end encryption for email including digital signatures and encryption of message bodies?

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) (Correct answer)
SMTP over TLS (STARTTLS)

Correct answer: S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)

S/MIME provides cryptographic security for email by supporting digital signing and encryption of message content, ensuring confidentiality and authenticity end-to-end.

Question 108: What is the purpose of a Message Authentication Code (MAC)?

To establish a session key between communicating parties
To encrypt a message so only the recipient can read it
To verify both the integrity and authenticity of a message using a shared secret key (Correct answer)
To compress a message before secure transmission

Correct answer: To verify both the integrity and authenticity of a message using a shared secret key

A MAC is computed using both the message content and a shared secret key, allowing the recipient to verify that the message was not tampered with and came from a legitimate sender.

Question 109: In scaled Agile frameworks, what is the purpose of a Program Increment (PI) Planning event?

To release software to production
To conduct user acceptance testing across teams
To assign individual developer tasks for the next sprint
To align multiple Agile teams on a shared mission, objectives, and dependencies for an upcoming increment (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To align multiple Agile teams on a shared mission, objectives, and dependencies for an upcoming increment

PI Planning is a cadence-based event in SAFe where all Agile Release Train teams plan together to align on objectives and identify cross-team dependencies.

Question 110: In a singly linked list, each node contains data and a pointer to which node?

The tail node
The next node (Correct answer)
The previous node
The head node

Correct answer: The next node

In a singly linked list, each node holds a reference (pointer) to the next node in the sequence.

Certified Computing Professional (CCP)

The ICCP Certified Computing Professional (CCP) validates broad computing knowledge across software engineering, data management, security, and IT management. Candidates must pass a written examination and demonstrate at least 48 months of experience in computer-based information systems.

110

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90 min

Time Limit

70%

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