Chapter 6 System Software Question Bank

Chapter 6 System Software

Multiple Choice Questions

(U04C06L01Q001)
An executing program plus all allotted resources is called
A. an element.
B. a procedure.
C. a module.
D. a process.
Answer
D

(U04C06L01Q002)
Which of the following functions is NOT provided by a File System manager?
A. formatting and copying disks
B. checking the amount of used and free space
C. checking the files for computer viruses
D. copying, renaming, deleting, moving and sorting files
Answer
C

(U04C06L01Q003)
Which of the following statements about Linux is INCORRECT?
A. an open-source OS
B. can be expanded by contributors
C. low demand on hardware resources
D. number of users almost the same as that of Windows
Answer
D

(U04C06L01Q004)
Which of the following systems is NOT a true operating system?
A. DOS
B. Windows 3.1
C. Windows 98
D. Windows ME
Answer
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Chapter 6 System Software Question Bank

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Chapter 6 System Software Question Bank

(U04C06L01Q005)
After adding a new hardware to the computer or re-installing the operating system, we
must install
A. BIOS
B. utility software
C. device application
D. device driver
Answer
D

(U04C06L01Q006)
Which of the following is NOT a type of virus?
A. boot-record virus
B. remote-control virus
C. file infector virus
D. macro virus
Answer
B

(U04C06L01Q007)
Which of the following is NOT a media of spreading viruses?
A. copyrighted software
B. e-mail
C. floppy disk
D. downloads
Answer
A

(U04C06L01Q008)
Which of the following is NOT a function of firewall?
A. examine each data packet in the network
B. delete computer viruses
C. prevent outsiders from accessing private data resources
D. control what outside resources its users have access to
Answer
B

Computer & Information Technology for HKCEE 3 © Pearson Education Asia Limited 2004
(Module B)
Chapter 6 System Software Question Bank

Conventional Questions

(U04C06L02Q001)
(a) State the THREE subcategories of system software. (3 marks)
(b) State TWO operating systems that support the running of a computer network.
(2 marks)
(c) Select a suitable operating system for the following computer systems. (4 marks)
(i) A personal computer for a student to use at home.
(ii) A Macintosh computer for a designer.
(iii) The computer network of a secondary school.
(iv) The computer system of a University.
(d) (i) Briefly explain the role and function of utility software. (2 marks)
(ii) State THREE examples of utility software. (3 marks)
Answers
(a) operating systems, (1) utility software, (1) device drivers (1)
(b) Windows 2000 / Linux / Windows NT / Unix (Any 2 × 1)
(c) (i) Windows 98 / Windows XP (Any 1 × 1)
(ii) Mac OS (1)
(iii) Windows 2000 / Linux / Windows NT (Any 1 × 1)
(iv) Unix (1)
(d) (i) Utility software is a subcategory of system software designed to help the
effective running of a computer system by performing some frequently
encountered operations. (1)
These operations are usually for controlling the allocation and use of
hardware resources. (1)
(ii) disk formatting / anti-virus function / disk repairing / performance
enhancement / firewall applications
(Any 3 × 1)

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Chapter 6 System Software Question Bank

(U04C06L02Q002)
(a) Briefly describe the role of an operating system. (2 marks)
(b) Briefly describe THREE functions of the operating system. (6 marks)
(c) (i) What is Linux? (2 marks)
(ii) State FOUR advantages of Linux. (4 marks)
Answers
(a) An operating system organises and controls the resources of the PC and shields
users from the underlying complex operations. (1)
An operating system works between the applications and system BIOS. (1)
(b) Process Management: The OS provides supervisory calls for managing processes
and administers the allocation of system resources between different processes. /
Memory Management: The OS manages the allocation of memory among
processes to ensure that each process has enough memory to execute, and to
prevent any process from occupying the memory space of another process. /
File System Management: The OS includes a file system manager. /
Device Management: The OS effectively shares input and output devices among
the processes requesting them. /
User Interface: The OS provides a standard interface for applications.
(Any 3 × 2 marks)
(c) (i) Linux is a Unix-like OS that is very efficient. (1)
It was designed to provide PC users with a free or very low-cost OS
comparable to traditional UNIX system. (1)
(ii) Linux is an open-source OS able to support multiple CPUs. (1)
It also possesses a strong inherent networking power and adequate server
capabilities for Web, FTP, and email, etc. (1)
Unlike Windows and other proprietary systems, Linux is publicly open and
can be expanded by contributors. (1)
It has also been acclaimed due to its low demand on hardware resourced,
and the availability of thousands of free applications. (1)

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Chapter 6 System Software Question Bank

(U04C06L02Q003)
(a) (i) What are device drivers? (1 mark)
(ii) Why are device drivers necessary for computer peripherals? (3 marks)
(b) Briefly describe the utility software. (2 marks)
(c) (i) What is a computer virus? (1 mark)
(ii) How can computer virus be transmitted? (1 mark)
(d) (i) What is a firewall? (1 mark)
(ii) What is the function of firewall? (3 marks)
Answers
(a) (i) A device driver is a program that controls a particular type of device
attached to the computer. (1)
(ii) To communicate with each device in the PC, the OS relies on a device
driver. (1)
It converts the more general input/output instructions of the OS to messages
that the device type can understand. (1)
A device driver is responsible for translating the electrical signals between
hardware subsystems, the high-level programming languages of the OS and
application programs. (1)
(b) A utility is a small program that provides an add-on to the functions provided by
the OS, usually related to managing a computer, its devices, or its programs. (1)
Utility software covers those tasks that make the computer easier and more
reliable, but it is not essential. (1)
(c) (i) A computer virus is a piece of programming code the causes unexpected
and usually undesirable events. (1)
(ii) Computer viruses can be transmitted as attachments to an e-mail, as
downloads, or be present on a disk or CD. (1)
(d) (i) A firewall is a set of related programs used to protect the resources of a
private network from users from other networks. (1)
(ii) Firewall is often installed in a specially designated computer separate from
the rest of the network so that no incoming request directly access private
network resources. (1)
A firewall, working closely with a router program, examines each network
packet to determine whether to forward it on to its destination. (1)
A firewall operates by determining whether a data packet or connection
request should be allowed to pass through the “wall”. (1)

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