Algorithm & Programming
(Question 6) A teacher checks if students divide equally into groups of 3. Which condition correctly evaluates this — numStudents MOD 3 = 0, or numStudents / 3 = 0?
numStudents MOD 3 = 0. The MOD operator returns the remainder after division, so if the remainder is 0 the class divides evenly.
(Question 3) Which scenario is an example of multifactor authentication — requiring a text code AND a password to log in, or requiring two separate passwords?
Requiring both a text message code AND a password. These are two different factor types: something you have (phone) and something you know (password).
(Question 2) A student designs a library record system using 9 bits per record. How many possible unique records can the system store?
512 — because 2⁹ = 512. Each additional bit doubles the number of possible values.
(Question 4) A company launches ~12,000 satellites to provide high-speed internet anywhere on Earth. This will most likely reduce which computing concept describing unequal internet access?
The digital divide — global satellite internet reduces the gap between those with and without reliable connectivity.
(Question 34) Which is true about Internet data packets — they must arrive in the exact order they were sent, or they may choose longer paths as they are routed?
Packets may choose longer paths as they process address information. They do not need to arrive in order and are reassembled at the destination.
(Question 13) A procedure returns a variable called 'done' that was assigned either true or false. What data type does this procedure return?
Boolean — the variable 'done' holds only true or false values, making it a Boolean type.
(Question 33) Software on Claire's computer secretly recorded every keyboard input and transmitted it to another user, enabling identity theft. What type of cyberthreat is this?
A keylogger — malicious software that records all keyboard inputs and sends them to an attacker.
(Question 9) A picture's pixels were averaged together and converted to greyscale. Can the original image be restored, and what type of compression is this?
The original cannot be restored — this is lossy compression. Averaging discards original pixel data permanently.
(Question 11) Amazon's facial recognition system incorrectly identified Oprah Winfrey as male. This is a clear example of what computing concept?
Computing bias — the algorithm produced inaccurate results reflecting bias in the training data used to build the model.
(Question 43) During a storm Bob's websites load very slowly. What best explains this — fault tolerance, redundancy, wrong router, or lower bandwidth?
Lower available bandwidth — the storm reduces the network's capacity, causing slow page loads.
Correct (+pts)IncorrectClose
(Question 16) Algorithm A calls countX() 2n times total. Algorithm B calls countX() n² times. Which runs faster and why?
Algorithm A is faster — it takes 2n minutes while Algorithm B takes n² minutes. Linear growth is much slower than exponential growth for large n.
(Question 18) Preston uses audio clips that had an attribution license to create a new song for charity. Which concept does this best illustrate?
Creative Commons — an attribution license allows reuse with credit given, which is a Creative Commons licensing model.
(Question 41) The binary number 1011101 equals what decimal number?
93 — calculated as 64 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 1 = 93.
(Question 37) Which of the following is NOT an unethical use of computing technology — looking up code while preparing a Create Task, or downloading a movie you can't see in theaters?
Looking up reference code for an assignment you are struggling with is not unethical. Downloading a movie without paying is copyright infringement.
(Question 42) What is the correct distinction between the Internet and the World Wide Web?
The World Wide Web is a system of linked pages, programs, and files that uses the Internet as its underlying infrastructure. They are not the same thing.
(Question 32) A loop swaps elements from both ends of the list [5, 3, 12, 8, 9, 10] working inward until the indices meet. What is the final list?
10, 9, 8, 12, 3, 5 — the algorithm reverses the list by swapping outermost elements and moving inward.
(Question 19) A user installs software, their computer slows down, and unexpected pop-ups appear. Which of the following is NOT an example of phishing?
Installing software that causes slowdowns and pop-ups describes malware, not phishing. Phishing uses deception to steal credentials.
(Question 39) Which best describes lossless compression — a file fully restored to original quality after being received, or a file with reduced quality after compression?
A file that is compressed, sent, and then restored to its original details, quality, and size. No information is lost.
(Question 56) 3D printing was originally intended for prototyping, but caused an unintended consequence for another industry. Which scenario best describes an unintended harmful effect?
Toy makers losing millions due to increased piracy — an unintended harmful consequence for an existing industry.
(Question 12) With 2 processors available, tasks X = 110s, Y = 85s, Z = 20s currently run sequentially. Which two tasks should run in parallel to best improve execution time?
Y and Z run sequentially together (105s) while X (110s) runs in parallel — this balances load so the overall time is close to 110s instead of 215s.
(Question 20) x = 8, y = 5. A loop runs while x is NOT less than y, each pass: y ← y − 2 and x ← x − 5. What expression matches DISPLAY(x * y)?
Answer D: −2 + 14 × −2 / 4. After two passes x = −2, y = 1, so x × y = −2.
(Question 68) Alice encrypts a message using her private key and Bob decrypts it using Alice's public key. What type of encryption does this describe?
Asymmetric encryption — it uses a matched public/private key pair where one key encrypts and the other decrypts.
(Question 47) Two graphs show the same monthly revenue data. Graph 1 has a tight axis (48k–54k) showing big swings. Graph 2 has a 0–50k axis looking nearly flat. What best explains the difference?
The axis scale in Graph 1 is adjusted to fit the data range, revealing real variation that Graph 2's wider scale hides.
(Question 44) Johnny deleted a message about a party with illegal activity, but his school principal still found out. What best explains how the principal learned about it?
Once information is shared online it is very difficult to completely delete — it may be reshared or used for purposes the original sender did not intend.
(Question 35) What is the key benefit of fault-tolerant Internet routing?
Fault tolerance increases redundancy so packets can find alternate paths, and it has worked so well that no single failure has ever taken down the entire Internet.