Codebusters Test Curriculum Framework 2

Question 1

In the Codebusters Science Olympiad event, which cipher uses a 5x5 grid of letters where I and J share one cell?

Accepted Answer

Playfair cipher

Answer

Vigenère cipher

Answer

Rail fence cipher

Answer

Caesar cipher

Question 2

When analyzing a monoalphabetic substitution cipher in Codebusters, which letter in English plaintext has the highest expected frequency?

Accepted Answer

E

Answer

A

Answer

T

Answer

S

Question 3

Which Codebusters cipher type encrypts by writing the message along multiple diagonal rails and reading off row by row?

Accepted Answer

Rail fence cipher

Answer

Columnar transposition

Answer

Route cipher

Answer

Grille cipher

Question 4

In the Codebusters curriculum, an 'aristocrat' differs from a 'patristocrat' primarily because:

Accepted Answer

It retains the original word spacing from the plaintext

Answer

It uses a keyword to generate the cipher alphabet

Answer

It uses numbers instead of letters for ciphertext

Answer

It requires a Vigenère tableau to solve

Question 5

The Vigenère cipher is considered polyalphabetic because it:

Accepted Answer

Encrypts each letter using a different Caesar shift based on a repeating keyword

Answer

Uses multiple cipher wheels simultaneously

Answer

Changes the cipher alphabet after every 26 letters

Answer

Requires two separate keys to encrypt a message

Question 6

In Codebusters scoring, what is the primary advantage of completing a timed question (with a bonus) over a non-timed question?

Accepted Answer

Timed completions earn additional bonus points on top of the base score

Answer

Timed completions earn triple points

Answer

Only timed questions count toward the final team score

Answer

Timed questions cannot be penalized for wrong answers

Question 7

Which mathematical concept is fundamental to the RSA encryption algorithm sometimes referenced in advanced Codebusters problems?

Accepted Answer

Prime factorization of large numbers

Answer

Matrix multiplication

Answer

Polynomial long division

Answer

Fibonacci sequences