UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2018/2019
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN
SOFTWARE DEVELOMENT/INFORMATION SYSTEMS SECURITY
BISF&BSD 1102 COMPUTER ORGANISATION AND ARCHITECTURE
FULL TIME/PART TIME
DATE: DECEMBER, 2018 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions.
QUESTION ONE
a) Distinguish between Computer organization and computer architecture (2 Marks)
b) What are the essential differences between an assembly language and a high-level
language (4 Marks)
c) Explain what the role of the operating system is and why it is needed (6 Marks)
d) Explain the meaning of the following terms used when describing a computer’s
hardware:
i) Temporary memory storage (4 Marks)
ii) Permanent disk storage (4 Marks)
e) Perform the following hexadecimal computation
i) 3Fx7E (5 Marks)
ii) FE17+89AB (5 Marks)
QUESTION TWO
a) State the importance of the virtual memory in a computer (2 Marks)
b) Briefly explain the meaning of the following two technologies and provide examples of
their application:
i) Bluetooth (3 Marks)
ii) WiFi (3 Marks)
c) Describe the following devices:
i) HDMI cable (3 Marks)
ii) USB cable (3 Marks)
iii) LCD projector (3 Marks)
iv) Bar code Scanner (3 Marks)
QUESTION THREE
a) Describe THREE malwares and explain their effects on computer systems (6 Marks)
b) Explain the attributes found in Fourth generation languages (8 Marks)
c) Microsoft word has successfully edged out the typewriter. State the functionalities that
have made this possible (6 Marks)
QUESTION FOUR
a) Distinguish between
i) Interpreter and compiler (2 Marks)
ii) Loader and linker (2 Marks)
iii) Accumulator and register (2 Marks)
iv) Utility software and application software (2 Marks)
v) Inkjet and dot matrix printer (2 Marks)
b) i) Draw a schematic diagram of a hard disk, naming all the essential components
(6 Marks)
iii) Compute the capacity of a hard disk with the following specifications: 5 platters
with all sides recordable, 80 tracks per surface of the disk, 128 sectors per surface
of the disk and storage density of 512 bytes per sector per track. (Show your
workings clearly) (4 Marks)
QUESTION FIVE
a) Define the term ergonomics and used in computer systems design (2 Marks)
b) State THREE functions of the CPU (3 Marks)
c) Name THREE main buses found in computer systems (3 Marks)
d) Distinguish between a graphical user interface and a command line interface and give
examples of each (6 Marks)
e) Describe the characteristics of the ROM and give its use (6 Marks)
