Computer Knowledge

Computer Memory and Storage

2,121 Questions

Computer memory and storage questions test foundational knowledge of hardware, cache mapping, and data transfer mechanisms. Key areas include Direct Memory Access, analog recording, and RAID levels. This section is essential for candidates preparing for banking and government computer proficiency tests.

Cache memory mappingDirect memory accessRAID storage levelsHard disk technologyOptical media storageMemory addresses

Computer Memory and Storage Questions

Multiple choice

The average drives have an access time of

  1. 14 - 29 ms

  2. 9 - 14 ms

  3. 60 - 70 ms

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Average access time for hard disk drives typically ranges from 9 to 14 milliseconds. Values like 60-70 ms are far too slow for standard drives.

Multiple choice

Efficient use of addressing modes

  1. speeds up the execution

  2. reduces the number of instructions

  3. reduces the size of instructions

  4. none of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Addressing modes define how the operand of an instruction is specified. Efficient use of these modes allows complex operations to be performed with fewer instructions.

Multiple choice

With which of the following addressing modes can indexing be done?

  1. Relative

  2. Memory indirect

  3. Immediate

  4. Direct
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Direct addressing mode specifies the memory address directly in the instruction. Indexing is a technique where an index register is added to a base address, and direct addressing is often used to specify the base or the offset in such schemes.

Multiple choice

An incremental backup

  1. should be done each month

  2. uses more tapes

  3. saves all files

  4. saves only files that have recently changed
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

An incremental backup only copies files that have been created or modified since the last backup, which saves time and storage space compared to full backups.

Multiple choice

The principal of locality of reference justifies the use of

  1. re-enterable memory

  2. non-reusable memory

  3. virtual memory

  4. cache memory
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The principle of locality of reference states that programs tend to access a relatively small portion of their address space at any instant, which is the fundamental reason cache memory is effective.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is false about disk when compared to main memory?

  1. Non-volatile

  2. Longer storage capacity

  3. Lower price per bit

  4. Faster
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Disks are generally slower than main memory (RAM) due to mechanical seek times and rotational latency. While disks are non-volatile and have larger capacities, the statement that they are faster is false.

Multiple choice

Information in a memory that is no longer valid or wanted is known as

  1. non-volatile

  2. volatile

  3. surplus

  4. garbage
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

In computing, memory or data that is no longer needed or is invalid is commonly referred to as garbage. This term is frequently used in the context of garbage collection, which is the process of reclaiming such memory.

Multiple choice

The problem of thrashing is affected significantly by

  1. program structure

  2. program size

  3. primary-storage size

  4. all of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Thrashing occurs when a system spends more time swapping pages than executing instructions. This is heavily influenced by the program structure (e.g., locality of reference), as poor structure leads to frequent page faults.

Multiple choice

Tera is 2 to the power of

  1. 32

  2. 30

  3. 40

  4. 25
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

In computing, prefixes are powers of 2. Kilo = 2^10, Mega = 2^20, Giga = 2^30, and Tera = 2^40.