Computer Literacy and Basic IT Skills Flashcards

Which component temporarily stores the data and programs the CPU is actively using, and loses its contents when the computer is turned off?

Answer: Random access memory (RAM)

RAM is volatile working memory, so its contents are cleared when power is removed.

A user wants to connect a laptop to an external monitor and carry both video and audio over one cable. Which port is the most common choice?

Answer: HDMI

HDMI carries digital video and audio over one cable, while VGA is analog video only.

What is the main reason an SSD is usually faster than a traditional HDD?

Answer: It uses flash memory with no moving parts

SSDs read and write data electronically with flash memory, so there is no mechanical seek time.

In the binary measurement system that operating systems traditionally use, how many megabytes (MB) are in 1 gigabyte (GB)?

Answer: 1,024

In binary units, 1 GB = 1,024 MB, since each step up is a power of 2 (2^10).

Which of the following is an INPUT device?

Answer: Scanner

A scanner converts physical documents into digital data and sends it into the computer.

What is the main job of a computer's BIOS or UEFI firmware?

Answer: Initializing hardware and starting the boot process

BIOS/UEFI tests and initializes hardware at power-on, then hands control to the operating system loader.

Which component is mainly responsible for rendering images, video, and 3D graphics?

Answer: Graphics processing unit (GPU)

The GPU is built to process visual data in parallel and output it to the display.