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WorksheetsDiscussion Questions by Topic — Scored Version
Total questions: 18
Worksheet time: 9mins
IT Concepts and Terminology — Troubleshooting: Which option best describes the fundamental IT troubleshooting methodology and why documentation is a critical step?
Jump directly to replacing suspected faulty components; documentation is optional because it slows response time.
Follow a cycle: identify the problem, establish a theory, test the theory, establish a plan of action, implement the fix, verify full system functionality, and document findings; documentation preserves history, supports knowledge transfer, and prevents repeated work.
Ask users to reboot, then escalate immediately; documentation is only for audits and has no day‑to‑day value.
Run all available diagnostics at once, fix anything they flag, and skip verification; documentation is only necessary for warranty claims.
IT Concepts and Terminology — Data Representation: Focusing on the difference between bits and bytes, which answer correctly gives how many bits are in 1 gigabyte and converts a 100 Mbps transfer rate to bytes per second?
1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bits; 100 Mbps = 100,000,000 bytes/s
1 GB = 8,589,934,592 bits; 100 Mbps ≈ 12,500,000 bytes/s
1 GB = 8,000,000,000 bits; 100 Mbps ≈ 100,000 bytes/s
1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bits; 100 Mbps ≈ 800,000 bytes/s
IT Concepts and Terminology — The Cloud: Which statement correctly differentiates SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS?
SaaS provides operating systems; PaaS provides physical servers; IaaS provides end‑user applications.
SaaS delivers ready‑to‑use applications, PaaS offers a managed platform for building and deploying applications, and IaaS supplies virtualized compute, storage, and networking resources.
SaaS and PaaS both give full developer control over hardware; IaaS removes all customer responsibility.
SaaS provides only storage; PaaS provides only databases; IaaS provides only networking.
Infrastructure — Networking: Which option best explains the difference between a router and a switch and the purpose of an IP address versus a MAC address?
A router connects devices within a single LAN while a switch connects multiple WANs; IP addresses are burned into hardware and MAC addresses are assigned by DHCP.
A router directs traffic between different networks using Layer 3 addressing; a switch forwards frames within a LAN using Layer 2; an IP address is a logical, routable address, while a MAC address is a hardware identifier used on the local network.
Both routers and switches operate only at Layer 2; IP and MAC addresses are interchangeable labels for hosts.
A switch always provides NAT for internet access, while a router only creates VLANs; IP addresses identify hardware permanently and MAC addresses are temporary.
Infrastructure — Hardware: What is the most common reason to upgrade a computer's RAM, and in which common scenario would an SSD be chosen over an HDD?
Upgrade RAM to increase GPU performance; choose an SSD for large archival storage due to lower cost per gigabyte.
Upgrade RAM to improve multitasking and reduce disk paging; choose an SSD when faster boot times and application load times are needed because SSDs provide lower latency and higher IOPS.
Upgrade RAM only to fix CPU bottlenecks; choose an SSD only when power loss is expected.
Upgrade RAM to increase monitor resolution; choose an SSD when sequential throughput must be minimized.
Infrastructure — Virtualization: What is a hypervisor and what is its primary function in a virtualized environment?
A hypervisor is a backup utility that copies VMs to the cloud; its function is to encrypt files.
A hypervisor is a network protocol used for VLAN tagging; its function is to route traffic between VMs.
A hypervisor is software that creates and manages virtual machines by allocating hardware resources to them and isolating their execution.
A hypervisor is a type of BIOS that overclocks CPUs for VM performance.
Applications and Software — Operating Systems: What is the primary difference between a GUI and a command‑line interface, and when might you prefer the latter?
A GUI uses text commands and scripts; CLI relies on icons; prefer CLI for novice users.
A GUI is graphical and mouse‑driven while a CLI is text‑based; prefer the CLI for automation, remote administration, and repeatable tasks via scripting.
Both are graphical; prefer the CLI when color depth is limited.
A CLI is always faster for every task; prefer the CLI for video editing.
Applications and Software — File Systems: What is the primary purpose of a file system such as NTFS or FAT32?
To permanently increase CPU clock speed
To organize, store, and retrieve data on storage media using structures like directories, metadata, and permissions
To replace the operating system's kernel
To provide network routing for shared folders
Applications and Software — Web Browsers: Which pair describes two security‑related features of modern browsers and how they protect users?
Auto‑fill and dark mode; they block malware by hiding links.
TLS/HTTPS encryption and site isolation/sandboxing; they protect confidentiality and limit the impact of malicious pages by containing code to separate processes.
Ad themes and pop‑up windows; they prevent DNS spoofing.
Incognito mode and bookmarks; they verify server identities using MAC addresses.
Software Development Concepts — Programming Logic: Which choice correctly pairs a task that requires a loop with a task that should use an If/Then (branching) statement?
Loop: decide whether a number is negative; If/Then: iterate through a list of files.
Loop: process each record in a log file; If/Then: execute different code paths based on whether user input meets a condition.
Loop: open a single dialog box; If/Then: print every line in a file.
Loop: check one password; If/Then: send emails to a thousand recipients.
Software Development Concepts — Languages: Which statement accurately differentiates a compiled language from an interpreted language?
Compiled languages are executed directly from source with no translation; interpreted languages must be compiled to machine code ahead of time.
Compiled languages are translated to machine code before execution, often yielding faster runtimes; interpreted languages are executed by a runtime that reads and executes instructions line by line or via bytecode.
Both compiled and interpreted languages always run at identical speeds and use the same toolchain.
Interpreted languages cannot perform I/O, while compiled languages can.
Software Development Concepts — Data: What is the primary purpose of using different data types (e.g., integer vs. string) in programming?
To make code harder to read so it cannot be copied
To enable the compiler/runtime to represent and validate values correctly, enforce operations that make sense, and optimize storage and performance
To guarantee that all programs run at the same speed
To avoid the need for variables
Data and Database Fundamentals — Database Structure: Which option correctly explains the relationship between a table, a record, and a field in a relational database?
A table is a single data value, a record is a column, and a field is a database server.
A table is a collection of records (rows), a record is a single row representing one entity instance, and a field is a column holding one attribute of that entity.
A table is the same as a schema, a record is a query, and a field is an index.
A table stores only unstructured blobs; a field is a filesystem path; a record is a user account.
Data and Database Fundamentals — Data Backup: Why is the 3‑2‑1 backup strategy often considered a gold standard for data protection?
It uses three cloud vendors for every backup, ensuring infinite redundancy.
It prescribes three copies of data on two different media with one copy off‑site, improving resilience against hardware failure, mistakes, and disasters.
It requires backups only once every three months to two disks kept on one desk.
It focuses solely on RAID so off‑site copies are unnecessary.
Data and Database Fundamentals — SQL: What is the basic purpose of SQL (Structured Query Language)?
To render 3D graphics inside web browsers
To define, manipulate, and query data in relational database systems
To compress files on a hard drive
To configure IP routing tables on network devices
Security — The CIA Triad: Which pair of scenarios correctly illustrates a breach of confidentiality and a breach of integrity?
Confidentiality: an authorized admin views a log; Integrity: a file checksum matches expected value.
Confidentiality: an employee emails customer SSNs to a personal account; Integrity: a malware infection alters transaction amounts in a database.
Confidentiality: a service outage takes a site offline; Integrity: a redundant link restores service.
Confidentiality: a firewall blocks inbound traffic; Integrity: backups are stored off‑site.
Security — Threats: What is social engineering, what is the most common form of it, and how can users be trained to spot it?
It is a CPU side‑channel attack; the most common form is DDoS; train by upgrading hardware.
It is manipulating people into divulging information or performing actions; phishing is the most common form; train with awareness programs, simulated phishing, and verification practices for unexpected requests.
It is encrypting social media data; the most common form is hashing; train by changing passwords monthly.
It is a browser feature; the most common form is cookies; train by disabling JavaScript.
Security — Encryption: Which option correctly explains the difference between data at rest and data in transit and how encryption protects each?
Data at rest is moving across networks and data in transit is stored on disk; encryption protects neither.
Data at rest resides on storage media and is protected by disk/file encryption, while data in transit moves between endpoints and is protected by protocols such as TLS to prevent eavesdropping and tampering.
Both are identical; only hashing is needed to protect them.
Data at rest requires only obscured filenames; data in transit requires MAC addressing.
