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Practice Questions

Question 1

Part of a computer's RAM chip is dedicated to storing key system settings required for boot-up.

a. True

b. False

Answer b, false, is correct. Random access memory (RAM) is volatile and loses all of its data without a source of power. RAM comes in modules, and is almost never referred to as a chip. System boards commonly use nonvolatile CMOS to store system settings. CMOS memory uses very little current (a trickle charge) and continues to be powered for extended periods of inactivity by a small battery on the system board.

Question 2

Over-clocking allows a microprocessor to run considerably faster than motherboard components. What type of memory structure was developed to minimize the delay of accessing RAM on the motherboard?

a. Processor resident pipeline

b. L-2 cache

c. CMOS memory

d. Duplex memory

Answer b is correct. Intel 486 and Pentium processors have a small amount of memory integrated in the chip called an L-1 cache. However, as processor speeds increased, additional high-speed memory was needed. This second block of memory was called an L-2 cache and was located on a special high-speed bus. Later, some designs included an L-2 cache on the processor cartridge or the die itself. Duplex memory and a processor resident pipeline do not exist.

Question 3

DIMMs and SIMMs are interchangeable, provided speed and capacity requirements are observed.

a. True

b. False

Answer b, false, is correct. SIMMs and DIMMs look similar, and both use edge connectors. However, DIMMs use both sides of the connector to support a 64-bit or wider memory bus, and they have two separate connector pins, one on each side of the module board.

Question 4

Parity chips on SIMMs no longer provide a useful purpose and have been largely removed.

a. True

b. False

Answer b, false, is correct. Parity chips allow memory to be tested during the POST, and they also monitor memory during computer operations. Some manufacturers have eliminated them or bypassed their function to cut costs. This allows less expensive SIMMs to be used, but at the expense of reliability.

Question 5

Which of the following choices best describes what is meant by cache memory?

a. A place where instructions are stored about the operations of a device or application

b. Extended memory that can be made accessible with the SMARTDRV /ON command

c. Memory that holds applications and data that the CPU isn't running

d. Memory that holds data that the CPU will search first

Answer d is correct. The CPU will look in cache memory first. If it fails to find the necessary data, it will look in main memory. If it fails to find what it needs in main memory, the CPU will look on the disk.

Question 6

A 64-bit EEPROM is an inline memory module with 32 connecting pins located on either side of the memory bank.

a. True

b. False

Answer B, false, is correct. EEPROM refers to programmable read-only memory chip that is used to store the BIOS. This chip is not a part of the main memory, and it is not a "module."

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