The Trusty Computer Keyboard Trivia Quiz

Answer: QWERTY

The QWERTY format was developed by Christopher Sholes in 1867. Sholes was a newspaper editor and printer living in Milwaukee. He worked on a patent for an early writing machine and found that the QWERTY pattern of letters made it much easier to type quickly and with fewer errors.

Answer: E

The letter "E" is the most frequently typed letter in the English language and indeed in most European languages. The twelve most commonly used letters in the English language are "E T A O I N S H R D L and U". In fact over 80% of all words in the English language use at least one of these letters.

Answer: Spacebar

Indeed the humble space-bar is the most frequently pressed key on the computer console. The top twelve keys according to researchers are "Space E T Shift A O I N S R H and Delete". The space key is the largest key on the keyboard. In web browsers, the space key can help the user scroll up and down when used with the shift key.

Answer: Typewriter

Francesco Rampazzetto is credited with the invention of a machine in 1575 that impressed letters onto paper. He called his machine the scrittura tattile. Then in 1714, Henry Mill of Great Britain took out a patent on a machine that is officially recognized as one of the first ever typewriters. Today the typewriter has almost universally been replaced by the computer keyboard. Most standard computer keyboards have between 10 and 105 different keys.

The keys have 3/4 inch centers and a key travel of at least 3.81mm. Most computer keyboards have similar alphanumeric configurations to the former electric typewriter.

Answer: Page Lock

The responsibility of the lock keys is to lock a part of the keyboard. Most keyboards have three LED lights (usually in the top right corner) that let the user know which of the lock keys is enabled. The Num Lock allows the use of the numeric keypad. The Caps Lock allows the user to capitalize each character. The Scroll Lock's purpose is to modify how the arrow keys can be used. When initiated the Scroll Lock allows the arrow keys to scroll the contents of the window rather than using the cursor.

Answer: Modifier Keys

Modifier keys are those keys on the keyboard that do nothing when depressed in isolation. The ALT, SHIFT, and CTRL keys however, are very important for the keyboard user for a wide variety of functions. For instance, a writer will often use the SHIFT key in combination with the letter keys to capitalize words in the document.

A favorite use of the Modifier keys is to reboot the system by simultaneously depressing CTRL-ALT-DELETE.

Answer: EMACS Pinky

The CTRL key is usually found in the bottom left of the keyboard and has contributed to an excessive finger strain for advanced EMACS users -- hence the name EMACS Pinky. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a problem with the median nerve that is compressed at the wrist. This condition is particularly problematic for individuals who must use computer keyboards for long periods of time.

Answer: Keylogging

Keylogging, or keystroke logging, has been used legally and illegally to record a person's keystrokes. Some companies measure employee productivity using this process. Hackers can use keyloggers to obtain encryption codes, passwords and to circumnavigate security systems. Keylogging can be achieved using hardware and software technology. Advanced hackers now have the ability to use wireless keylogging applications to capture data.

Answer: F7

The function keys perform a wide variety of important functions. F1 opens a task pane or a help browser. F2 can quickly help you rename a file or folder. F3 can help with different search features. F4 opens the address bar in Windows Explorer. Pressing F5 will refresh or reload a page. F6 moves the cursor to the address bar.

As mentioned, F7 is the writer's friend. F8 can be used to access the Windows safe mode. F9 can help send and receive e-mail in Microsoft outlook. F10 can activate the menu bar. F11 can promote the full screen mode. Finally, F12 opens the "save as" window in Microsoft word.

Answer: Flat

Twitter fanatics or British telephone users probably had no problem identifying hashtag and pound sign as representations of the # sign. Octothorpe (originally octotherp) arose in the 1960's at the Bell labs and was used by engineers in the pioneering telephone industry. A patent was filed in 1973 that referred to the # button on the phone as an octothorp and the * button as a sextile.