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Are You A Computer Geek? Trivia Quiz

You are staring at your computer at this very moment. But how much do really know about it? Take our quiz and try to earn your computer-geek stripes.

A multiple-choice quiz by Richgurl26. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
Richgurl26

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
197,396

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
6370

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The first time a computer was used to predict the results of a presidential election was in 1952. Conventional wisdom and the UNIVAC computer disagreed. Whose side did Walter Cronkite take? Hint

Neither: Walter Cronkite just sat on the information

Walter Cronkite went with the opinion polls and reported a victory for Adlai Stevenson and a crushing defeat for the reputation of the computer

Walter Cronkite sided with the computer and announced Dwight D. Eisenhower would be the 34th president of the United States

Walter Cronkite wasn't there.

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Question 2 of 10

2. In 1997, a computer named Deep Purple beat chess wizard Garry Kasparov.

True

False

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Question 3 of 10

3. The type of UNIVAC computer delivered to the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951 was sold with a printer that cost: Hint

$260,000

$250

$185,000

$92,500

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Question 4 of 10

4. Computer demos have a long and glorious history that all started in 1960, with the PDP-1, a $125,000 precursor to the minicomputer. What game was played to test the setup of the PDP-1? Hint

Splat man

Pac Man

Spacewar!

Space Invaders

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which of the following is not a computer language? Hint

Fortran

BASIC

PEMDAS

Algol

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Question 6 of 10

6. What of the following is the oldest personal computer? Hint

The TRS-80

HAL

The Apple

The Kenbak-1

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Question 7 of 10

7. In 1984, Apple Computer kicked off its campaign for the Macintosh computer in a $1.5 million Super Bowl ad. What was the name of the $10,000 flop the Mac replaced? Hint

Homer

Bart

Lisa

Maggie

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Question 8 of 10

8. What type of memory is used to temporarily store information that the computer is currently working with? Hint

RAM

BIOS

ROM

SHEEP

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Question 9 of 10

9. How do you pronounce SCSI? Hint

sicksy

scuzzy

sucksy

ess cee ess eye

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Question 10 of 10

10. Who may have said, "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers"? Hint

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates

Internet advocate and former Vice President Al Gore

Hewlett Packard Co-Founder David Packard

IBM Chairman Thomas Watson

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The first time a computer was used to predict the results of a presidential election was in 1952. Conventional wisdom and the UNIVAC computer disagreed. Whose side did Walter Cronkite take?

Answer: Neither: Walter Cronkite just sat on the information

UNIVAC put the odds at 100-to-1 that a landslide of voters had liked Ike for president. Walter Cronkite and other journalists sat on that story because they didn't believe the computer had gotten it right, and instead waited until more returns had come in, giving credence to the computer's prediction. Opinion polls put Adlai Stevenson, a Democrat, in the lead.

2. In 1997, a computer named Deep Purple beat chess wizard Garry Kasparov.

Answer: False

This is was a trick question; in 1997, a computer beat chess wizard Garry Kasparov, but its name was Deep Blue. Deep Purple was a band that helped found the form of music known as heavy metal. Deep Purple once held a Guinness record for being the world's loudest band.

3. The type of UNIVAC computer delivered to the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951 was sold with a printer that cost:

Answer: $185,000

The printer that came with the first UNIVAC cost a cool $185,000. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $1,332,711.54 in 2004 dollars. A bargain printer today can be had for as little as $43.04 -- $5.97 in 1951 dollars. The UNIVAC I itself cost $750,000, and was made by Remington Rand (and not IBM, as many suppose).

4. Computer demos have a long and glorious history that all started in 1960, with the PDP-1, a $125,000 precursor to the minicomputer. What game was played to test the setup of the PDP-1?

Answer: Spacewar!

The game was Spacewar!, and it has the honor of being the first computer game. An MIT student named Steven "Slug" Russell led the team that wrote it. Now these programmers are old enough to be members of the AARP. Space Invaders and Asteroids came later, during the golden age of the arcade game.

5. Which of the following is not a computer language?

Answer: PEMDAS

PEMDAS is not a computer language. It's an acronym taught to beginning algebra students, to help them remember the order in which to do their mathematical operations. It stands for parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. BASIC, Fortran, and Algol are all computer languages that people who do well in algebra might also excel at.

6. What of the following is the oldest personal computer?

Answer: The Kenbak-1

The Kenbak-1 didn't last. It came out in 1969, and was advertised for $750 in Scientific American. Four years later, after a mere 40 were sold, the company shut down. Interestingly enough, HAL--the computer in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey--appeared in 1968, before the Kenbak-1.

But it wasn't a personal computer, and it also wasn't, well, real. The Apple was first marketed in 1976, and Radio Shack first sold its TRS-80 in 1978.

7. In 1984, Apple Computer kicked off its campaign for the Macintosh computer in a $1.5 million Super Bowl ad. What was the name of the $10,000 flop the Mac replaced?

Answer: Lisa

Lisa* was the first computer to incorporate a graphical user interface, but she was slow and expensive, and not enough people wanted her. Contrary to popular belief, using menus and icons was not an Apple invention. Credit for this goes to researchers at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, who first implemented the idea in 1974. Bart, Maggie, Lisa, Homer (and Marge) are The Simpsons, who got their start as animated shorts in 1987 on The Tracey Ullman Show.

8. What type of memory is used to temporarily store information that the computer is currently working with?

Answer: RAM

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. ROM stands for Read Only Memory, and nothing can be temporarily written or stored there. BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output system, which helps transfer information to memory, among other things.

9. How do you pronounce SCSI?

Answer: scuzzy

SCSI stands for "small computer system interface," and it's the method by which you hook up extras--like hard drives and scanners--to your computer.

10. Who may have said, "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers"?

Answer: IBM Chairman Thomas Watson

In 1943 Thomas Watson, former chairman of IBM, was reported to have said "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." He was wrong.

Source: Author Richgurl26

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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