UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF
BUSINESS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/ BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BIT 1109 BBIT 102 COMPUTER ORGANIZATION &
ARCHITECTURE
AUGUST 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS
Instructions
o Answer question ONE and any other TWO.
o Question One carry 30 Marks, others 20 Marks each.
QUESTION ONE
(a) Explain the meaning of the following acronyms as used in the computer systems:
(i) POST (2 Marks)
(ii) COBOL (2 Marks)
(iii) GUI (2 Marks)
(iv) WIMP (2 Marks)
(v) MODEM (2 Marks)
(b) Convert the BINARY number 11101101 to:
(i) Octal (2 Marks)
(ii) Decimal (2 Marks)
(iii) Hexadecimal (2 Marks)
(c) A floppy disk had 40 tracks per surface and 18 sectors per track. Calculate its storage
capacity in Kilobytes. (4 Marks)
(d) Computer generations are five in all. Discuss the Second generation. (6 Marks)
(e) Differentiate between the following terms:
(i) Hardcopy and softcopy (2 Marks)
(ii) DIMMS and SIMMS (2 Marks)
QUESTION TWO
(a) (i) Explain four functions of any operating system. (4 Marks)
(ii) Discuss any two examples of modern Operating systems (2 Marks)
(b) Explain the difference between
(i) Volatile and non Volatile
(ii) Random access and Sequential access (4 Marks)
(c) (i) What is a computer virus? (2 Marks)
(ii) Discuss any three methods which are applicable to minimize virus transmission.
(3 Marks)
(iii) What are Anti-virus programs? Mention any three that you know (5 Marks)
QUESTION THREE
(a) With a well labelled diagram, explain all components and their devices found in Von
Neumann computer architecture. (5 Marks)
(b) Discuss five components and their respective roles that are found on the motherboard.
(5 Marks)
(c)Briefly explain the boot-up process and state how you can troubleshoot if the process
was not successful. (5 Marks)
(d) Discuss what is a Power Supply Unit (PSU) and its roles in the computer.
(5 Marks)
QUESTION FOUR
(a) (i) By use of a diagram, discuss what is data communication. (2 Marks)
(ii) Discuss two types of topologies that you know (4 Marks)
(b) Discuss batch processing. (2 Marks)
(c) Give reasons why we require both primary and secondary storage devices (4 Marks)
(d) Discuss low level languages and give examples (4 Marks)
(e) Discuss any four input devices. (4 Marks)
QUESTION FIVE
(a) A LAN (Local Area Network) is often installed by a business to share resources. By
reference to a typical business explain any four resources in question (8 Marks)
(b) Outline THREE possible problems of computer networks. (6 Marks)
(c) A magnetic tape has a maximum length and data recording density 80,000 bpi. The
tape moves at 180 FEET per minute.
(i) Calculate its capacity. (3 Marks)
(ii) Calculate its data transfer rate. (3 Marks)
