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WorksheetsP12 A level
Total questions: 16
Worksheet time: 8mins
A company is going to carry out an investigation into shopping habits. The company will get data from indirect data sources. Which statements describe benefits of getting data from indirect data sources? Select all that apply.
Access to large datasets collected by external organisations
Lower cost and time compared to conducting original data collection
Less intrusive for participants because data already exists
Availability of historical datasets enabling trend analysis
Data is always perfectly tailored to the company’s specific research question
A company is going to carry out an investigation into shopping habits. The company will get data from indirect data sources. Which statements describe drawbacks of getting data from indirect data sources? Select all that apply.
Data quality and collection methods may be unknown or biased
Data may be outdated or not current
Data may not be tailored to the company’s exact needs
Access restrictions or licensing may limit use
Indirect sources guarantee the highest accuracy for all investigations
The spreadsheet shows the prices of various items in a clothes shop. The discounted price for a jumper is calculated by using the formula in cell F12. The formula shown is =E12-(VLOOKUP(D12, D 5: E 8,2,FALSE)*E12). Which description best explains how this formula works?
Looks up the discount code in D12 within the fixed table D 5: E 8, returns the percentage from column 2 with an exact match, multiplies it by the price in E12, and subtracts the result from E12 to give the discounted price in F12
Multiplies the code in D12 by the price in E12, then adds the percentage in D 5: E 8 to produce the discounted price
Adds the discount percentage from D 5: E 8 directly to the price in E12 to calculate the discounted price
Finds the item name using VLOOKUP in D 5: E 8 and replaces the value in E12 with the matched value to produce F12
The formula in cell F12 is replicated to cells F13 to F19. In the formula, absolute cell referencing and relative cell referencing have both been used. Why are both types of cell referencing needed? Select all that apply.
Absolute referencing ( D 5: E 8) keeps the lookup table fixed so it does not shift when the formula is copied down
Relative references (D12 and E12) change to D13/E13, D14/E14, etc., so each row uses its own code and price
Without absolute referencing, the table range would move and the lookup might return incorrect percentages
Using both types makes the spreadsheet recalculate faster even if the ranges change
Relative referencing allows the discounted price to be computed correctly for each different item
There is a fault with a car engine. An expert system is used to help diagnose the fault. In this process, what is the role of the user interface?
It allows the user to input symptoms and receive questions and conclusions from the system
It stores rules and facts about car faults
It applies rules to facts to infer a diagnosis
It maintains the long-term knowledge base and controls data backups
There is a fault with a car engine. An expert system is used to help diagnose the fault. In this process, what is the role of the inference engine?
It applies rules to the facts provided to reason and reach a diagnosis
It provides the interactive screens for entering symptoms
It records sensor readings as raw data for later analysis
It purchases new rules from external sources when needed
A company finance director could use either off-the-shelf or custom-written software to help manage the company’s finances. Which statements correctly contrast these two types of software? Select all that apply.
Off-the-shelf software is widely available immediately and usually lower cost; custom-written software takes longer to develop and is typically more expensive
Off-the-shelf software may include features the company does not need; custom-written software is tailored precisely to requirements
Off-the-shelf software benefits from broad testing and user communities; custom-written software requires detailed specifications and ongoing vendor support
Custom-written software is always cheaper due to economies of scale
Off-the-shelf software updates follow vendor schedules; custom-written software updates depend on the client’s contract and needs
Describe five advantages of using computers rather than a human to monitor water pollution. Which advantages are correct? Select all that apply.
Continuous 24/7 monitoring without fatigue
Higher measurement precision and consistency
Automated alerts and logging for threshold breaches
Ability to process and store large volumes of sensor data in real time
Better ethical judgment when deciding on remediation actions
Computer systems can be affected by malware. A network manager has already installed malware prevention software. Describe additional methods the network manager can use to help prevent malware from entering the computer systems. Which methods are effective? Select all that apply.
Maintain up-to-date operating system and application patches
Configure firewalls and enable email/web filtering
Provide user training on phishing and safe download practices
Apply the principle of least privilege to user accounts
Disable all backups to reduce storage of infected files
A school stores records of its students in alphabetical order of family name and uses indexed sequential access to locate a student record. Which description best explains indexed sequential access in this context?
Records are read only from the beginning of the file until the target is found, with no index used.
An index maps key values to blocks so the system jumps directly to the relevant block and then scans sequentially within that block.
Every lookup uses hashing to compute a storage location; no sequential scanning is required.
Each record stores a pointer to the next record; the system follows links until the target is reached.
Describe what is meant by an actuator, including an example. Which option is correct?
An actuator is a sensor that measures physical conditions; for example, a thermistor in a heating system.
An actuator converts a control signal into physical action; for example, a motor that opens automated blinds.
An actuator is a storage device that retains program code; for example, a solid-state drive in a robot.
An actuator is a user interface element; for example, a touchscreen button on a kiosk.
Eric has shared a spreadsheet with several friends. Some friends cannot open the spreadsheet once they receive it. Select all options that correctly state a reason and a preventative action Eric could have taken.
The file was saved in a version his friends’ software cannot read; export to a widely compatible format such as .xlsx or .csv.
The file was password-protected without sharing the password; share the password through a secure channel or remove protection.
The spreadsheet referenced external add-ins/macros not installed by recipients; embed needed features or avoid unsupported macros.
The download corrupted due to network errors; send only as a printed PDF to avoid data corruption.
Friends used smartphones that never open spreadsheets; insist they use desktop computers.
A person uses a dialogue interface to control multiple devices in their home. Evaluate this interface in this context. Select all statements that are valid points in the evaluation.
Hands‑free voice control can improve accessibility and convenience when managing lights or thermostats.
Dialogue systems may misinterpret accents or background noise, causing unintended device actions.
Using a dialogue interface increases physical security because spoken commands cannot be overheard.
Integration across multiple devices can centralize control, but privacy concerns arise as microphones may continuously listen.
Dialogue interfaces always perform faster than touch or automation and never require internet connectivity.
A college database contains details about students. Part of the database is shown in a table with fields: StudentID, FirstName, FamilyName, PhoneNumber. StudentID values in the excerpt appear as two uppercase letters followed by five digits (for example, AB37689, BV72189). Which TWO validation checks are suitable for the StudentID field? Select both.
Format/pattern check to ensure two uppercase letters followed by five digits.
Length check to ensure the StudentID contains exactly seven characters.
Type check to ensure the StudentID is numeric only.
Range check to ensure the numeric value lies between 00000 and 99999.
Presence check to ensure the StudentID field can be left blank when unknown.
Banks process a large number of transactions simultaneously and use mainframe computers for transaction processing. Which statement best explains why mainframes are suited to this task?
They prioritize graphical performance for user interfaces.
They provide high reliability, throughput, and concurrency with robust I/O, allowing many transactions to be processed securely at once.
They are small and inexpensive, designed for single‑user workloads.
They rely on battery power so they can run in branch offices without mains electricity.
Identify the true statements about using encryption when transferring data between web browsers and web servers. Answer for full credit as you would in an [8]-mark discussion.
It protects the confidentiality of data in transit against eavesdropping.
It prevents all forms of phishing and SQL injection attacks.
It adds computational overhead and latency due to handshakes and encryption/decryption.
It requires management of certificates and keys, which can expire or be misconfigured.
It guarantees the server cannot be breached once HTTPS is enabled.
