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Deus Ex Machina! Trivia Quiz

This quiz contains questions involving the principles of computer science. Tidbits from a variety of topics within the discipline are included. The literal translation of "Deus Ex Machina," is "god from the machine," hence the title.

A multiple-choice quiz by christopherm. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
christopherm

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
357,098

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
826

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: snhha (10/10), drwinsac (9/10), gibbysgab (2/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. An understanding of the binary system is important in the study of computer science, but not absolutely necessary. What is the conversion of the base-2 number, 00000111, into base-10? Hint

175

222

2.178

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Question 2 of 10

2. With respect to computer science principles, what is the term used for a reasonably detailed sequence of steps designed to solve a problem or perform a task? Hint

central processing unit

toaster oven

algorithm

dish washer

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which woman is considered by many to be the world's first computer programmer? Hint

Natasha Fatale

Marie Curie

Amelia Earhart

Ada Lovelace

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which of the following programming languages is not considered to be a member of the "third-generation programming languages"? Hint

FORTRAN

Assembly

BASIC

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Question 5 of 10

5. If you are interested in a venture into programming, you may consider downloading an implementation of JDK. What does JDK represent? Hint

Java Development Kit

Jurassic Dinosaur Kabob

Just Don't Know

Jan's Dungeon Keep

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Question 6 of 10

6. Sometimes it may be difficult to determine whether a program is system software or application software. Which of the following programs would be characterized as system software? Hint

Excel

Powerpoint

Email client

Java Virtual Machine

7. Without an "instruction set," your computer would most likely be less useful than a meteorite. What is the general term for the set of instructions that allows you to interact with your computer? Hint

thinkatron gizmo

popcorn kernel

operating system

widget wrangler

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Question 8 of 10

8. One of the most significant and enduring facets of computer networking was the development of the WWW. What does "WWW" represent? Hint

wild wild west

waxen wayfarer waylay

wacky waffle walkway

world wide web

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Question 9 of 10

9. With the advent of larger storage space and relatively easier software interfaces, a particular method of collecting data has become practically ubiquitous in our lives. To which kind of application does this method of collecting data refer? Hint

online poker

hamster hoarding

word processors

database

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Question 10 of 10

10. This professional organization is expressly devoted to the academic and professional pursuit of computing. What is the acronym for this organization? Hint

BBC

MTV

FIDE

ACM

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. An understanding of the binary system is important in the study of computer science, but not absolutely necessary. What is the conversion of the base-2 number, 00000111, into base-10?

Answer: 7

Base 2 is often referred to as the "binary number system." Computer hardware makes computations based on two states, off and on, or zero and one. Each column in a binary number is a power of 2. The rightmost digit is 1. The next rightmost digit is 2 and the third digit from the right is 4. Adding these numbers together gives us the result, 7.

2. With respect to computer science principles, what is the term used for a reasonably detailed sequence of steps designed to solve a problem or perform a task?

Answer: algorithm

Basically, an algorithm is a detailed method for arriving at a solution for a given problem. There are many algorithms for accomplishing seemingly fundamental tasks, such as sorting numbers. Algorithms are often represented in what is known as pseudocode.

3. Which woman is considered by many to be the world's first computer programmer?

Answer: Ada Lovelace

Augusta Ada Byron, the countess of Lovelace, worked extensively with Charles Babbage and his analytical engine. She published works which provided a foundation for computer programming. Among her published works is the following quote, "We may say most aptly that the analytical engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves."

4. Which of the following programming languages is not considered to be a member of the "third-generation programming languages"?

Answer: Assembly

Assembly languages are one step beyond machine language. They are considered to be "second-generation languages." FORTRAN (FORmula TRANslation) was one of the first, if not the first, third-generation languages. It was developed in 1954 by John Backus. BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was introduced in 1964. Dennis Ritchie became famous for the very popular C language which he created in 1971.

5. If you are interested in a venture into programming, you may consider downloading an implementation of JDK. What does JDK represent?

Answer: Java Development Kit

JDK or the Java Development Kit was originally released by Sun Microsystems in 1994. If you are interested, you may download the Java Standard Edition Development Kit. It can be a great introduction to computer programming.

6. Sometimes it may be difficult to determine whether a program is system software or application software. Which of the following programs would be characterized as system software?

Answer: Java Virtual Machine

The Java Virtual Machine is the best choice as it assists programming and executive tasks. Excel is a spreadsheet application. An email client lets you work with email tasks. Powerpoint is used for creating presentations.

Answer: operating system

Earlier operating systems allowed the user to interact with their computers using a text-based instruction set. Later, graphical user interfaces were developed. The ultimate goal is to provide the user with a friendly and seamless way to provide instructions to your computer.

8. One of the most significant and enduring facets of computer networking was the development of the WWW. What does "WWW" represent?

Answer: world wide web

The Internet began as a project conceived by the U.S. military called ARPAnet, which stands for Advanced Research Project Agency. Tim Berners-Lee promulgated the idea of a client-server system, in the form of a "web browser". Thus began the world wide web. At the very core of this innovation was a new protocol named HTTP, which stands for hypertext transfer protocol.

Answer: database

If you have not just arrived from deep space, or if you have not grown up on a remote island, you probably are listed on some database in one or more forms. Edgar Codd proposed the concept of a relational database model in 1970 for IBM. Not much later, a structured query language (SQL) was born.

10. This professional organization is expressly devoted to the academic and professional pursuit of computing. What is the acronym for this organization?

Answer: ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is one of the most prestigious organizations in the world for the study and practice of computer science. The organization is dedicated to the "advancement of computing as a science and a profession." The ACM also has a clear code of ethics with regard to malicious software development.

Source: Author christopherm

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