R05 (Part 1)

Question 1

What is Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and how can it be prevented?

Answer 1

ESD is a sudden flow of static electricity that can damage electronics. It’s prevented using wrist straps connected to grounded surfaces and by proper handling of components.

Question 2

What are key safety steps when building a PC system?

Answer 2

Power off & unplug
Use ESD protection
Handle components by edges
Manage cables
Ensure good ventilation

Question 3

What is PAT (Portable Appliance Testing)?

Answer 3

A test to check electrical device safety by inspecting wires, insulation, and connections, often used in workplaces.

Question 4

What is the role of the motherboard and common port types?

Answer 4

The motherboard connects all components. Ports include USB, HDMI, Ethernet, and audio jacks for connecting peripherals.

Question 5

What do chipsets and computer buses do?

Answer 5

Chipsets manage communication (northbridge for CPU/RAM, southbridge for Input/Output).

Buses transfer data: system bus (CPU–RAM), PCIe (high-speed), USB (peripherals).

Question 6

What are expansion slots and what do they support?

Answer 6

Slots on the motherboard for hardware like GPUs (PCIe), RAM modules, and legacy PCI devices.

Question 7

What’s the difference between primary and secondary storage?

Answer 7

Primary (RAM, cache, registers) is fast and temporary.

Secondary (HDD, SSD, NVMe, flash) is permanent storage.

Question 8

What is the BIOS/UEFI and what does it do?

Answer 8

BIOS is firmware that starts the PC, performs POST, and loads the OS.

UEFI is its modern replacement, supporting larger drives and better security.

Question 9

What are the four types of computer peripherals?

Answer 9

Input (keyboard)
Output (monitor)
Storage (USB drive)
Hybrid (touchscreen)

Question 10

What is virtualisation and how does it differ from cloud computing?

Answer 10

Virtualisation runs VMs locally; cloud computing hosts services online.

Question 11

What is a hypervisor and its types?

Answer 11

Software for managing VMs.
Type 1 runs on hardware (e.g., Hyper-V), Type 2 runs in an OS (e.g., VirtualBox).

Question 12

List benefits and issues of virtualisation:

Answer 12

Benefits: lower costs, scalability, backup ease.

Issues: resource limits, security risks, complex setup.

Question 13

What are the different types of networks?

Answer 13

LAN (local)
WAN (wide)
MAN (metro)
PAN (personal)
VPN (private/secure).

Question 14

What’s the difference between client-server and peer-to-peer networks?

Answer 14

Client-server uses central servers (secure, scalable)

P2P shares directly (simple, less secure).

Question 15

Describe common networking cables.

Answer 15

Twisted-pair (UTP/STP)
fibre-optic (SMF/MMF)
coaxial (used in CCTV and cable TV)

Question 16

What’s the difference between analogue and digital signals?

Answer 16

Analogue = smooth, continuous (e.g., vinyl).

Digital = binary, discrete (e.g., MP3).

Question 17

What are different types of servers?

Answer 17

Network
tower
blade
rack
web
proxy
FTP
print servers -all managed under the client-server model.

Question 18

What is a protocol and what’s a network packet?

Answer 18

A protocol defines rules for communication.

Packets include a header, data, and footer.

Question 19

What is a MAC (Media Access Control) address?

Answer 19

A unique hardware identifier for network interfaces.

Question 20

What are the layers of the TCP/IP model?

Answer 20

1. Application
2. Transport
3. Internet
4. Network Access

Question 21

What is a NIC (Network Interface Card)?

Answer 21

A hardware component that enables a device to connect to a network (wired or wireless).