Nearly 200 Interview Questions on Computer Fundamentals

Interview questions from Computer Fundamentals – I’ve compiled around 200 questions to review and build up your confidence before you enter the interview session. Make sure you can tackle these questions comfortably. You are most welcome to discussion should you feel it’s necessary. We’ll be happy to answer any of your questions.

Interview Questions from Fundamentals of Computers

1. What is the full form of COMPUTER?
2. GIGO is related to which characteristic of computer?
3. Why computers are called automatic machines?
4. What is the term for the property of being used for multiple purposes?
5. What distinguishes a Computer from a Calculator and from a human being?
6. How many kilobytes are there in 512 bytes?
7. How many bits are required to represent a character in computer?
8. 1000000th of a second is known as?
9. When was the first computer developed? What is the name of that computer?
10. How many beads are there in total in each string of Abacus?
11. What is the total value of beads in one string of Abacus?
12. What is the principle invention of John Napier?
13. Which device did William Oughtred invented?
14. How old was Pascal when he invented Pascaline?
15. Pascaline was further refined and made more capable. Who worked on it and what is the name of device he developed?
16. Who suggested Babbage to use binary numbering system in his Analytical Engine?
17. Why Charles Babbage called father of computers?
18. The first programmer is the daughter of a famous poet? Who was that poet?
19. Herman Hollerith suggested the solution of census problem. On which year US faced census problem?
20. Why Joseph Jacquard remembered in the history of computers?
21. Name any three electro-mechanical computers.
22. What is another name of Mark I?
23. Why was Konrad Zuse in near-total intellectual isolation?
24. Name the computers developed by J.P. Eckert and John Mauchly.
25. Which was the first electronic computer – ENIAC or ABC?
26. What was the device Nepal was using for census?
27. When was NCC established?
28. Name the first computer entered in Nepal?
29. Since when the Internet was publicly available in Nepal?
30. What was the vision of first IT Policy of Nepal.
31. When was the development of computers divided into five distinct generations?.
32. Which generation computers used vacuum tubes and when were they developed?
33. Who invented Vacuum tube diode and when?
34. Who invented Vacuum tube triod and when?
35. What are the basic characteristics of First generation computers?
36. Which programming language was used to program first generation computers?
37. Discuss the problems of first generation computers.
38. How had transistors a tremendous impact in development of computers and other electronic devices?
39. When was Transistors invented and by whom?
40. Which programming languages were used to program a second generation computer?
41. When was third generation computers developed? What did third generation computers used as main electronic component?
42. There are two different scientists to develop transistors independently, who are they?
43. Since which generation the Monitors and Keyboards were introduced?
44. Which level of programming languages were use to program third generation computers?
45. Mention the date range that fourth generation computers were developed
46. What are the main electronic components sued in fourth generation computers?
47. What is the most startling development in fourth generation?
48. Mention a few developments that started from fourth generation.
49. Which was the first microprocessor and when it was developed?
50. What was the aim of the fifth generation computer project and who were participating in it?
51. What do you mean by Artificial intelligence?.
52. What is expected about the processor of fifth generation computers?
53. What are the most promising aspects of fifth generation computers that radically change the face of computers in years to come?
54. What are the different bases on which computers can be classified into?
55. What are the three classes of computers based on the principle of work?
56. What are the classes of computers based on the size.
57. Classify computers based on the brand.
58. Which computer works by processing the continuous signals such as heat, pressure, speed etc?
59. What are the two classes of Digital computers?
60. Why are hybrid computers called so?
61. Which is the larges and most powerful computer?
62. What is the unit to measure speed of super computers?
63. What is the other name of Mainframe computer?
64. What distinguishes mainframe computers from super computers?
65. Which class do desktop PCs, laptops, notebooks, palmtops, wearable and pocket computers fall into?
66. Explain compatible computers.
67. What are the 4 different units of a computer system?
68. Which unit encodes the data provided by users?
69. Why input unit is often considered as encoder?
70. Give some examples of input unit devices.
71. What is scan code?
72. How computer determines which key is pressed on keyboard?
73. Which unit is often considered as decoder? Why is it called so?
74. Differentiate soft copy output and hard copy output.
75. Give some examples of output unit devices.
76. What is the task of central processing unit?
77. What is the unit to measure the speed of microprocessor?
78. What are the three units of central processing unit?
79. What part of CPU performs the calculations and comparisons?
80. Name the three cycles of instruction execution cycle.
81. What actions are performed in fetch cycle?
82. What does CPU do in decode cycle?
83. Control Unit is sometimes called the nerve center of the computer. What it does it do?
84. Introduce Bus in computer system
85. What are three types of buses? Write the main job of each of them.
86. Why are primary memory called so?
87. Which memory stores data as well as instructions to process those data?.
88. Mention the two types of memory chips used for primary memory.
89. Give some examples of programs that are usually stored in ROM.
90. Which memory is volatile memory? Why is it called volatile?
91. Name the two major types of RAM.
92. How SRAM is different than DRAM?
93. What is the access time of SRAM chips and DRAM chips?
94. What is the merit and demerit of DRAM in contrast to SRAM?
95. What do we call the programs stored in ROM?
96. What is the use of BIOS in computer system?
97. In which memory the programs are written while manufacturing?
98. Name the types of ROM.
99. Which ROM you can erase and reprogram using electricity?
100. Define cache memory and what is its importance in running a computer?
101. For what purpose secondary storage devices are used?
102. Write short note on flash memory.
103. List the symbols used in octal numbering system.
104. List the symbols used in hexadecimal numbering system.
105. How many numbers can be represented by 7 bit binary digits?
106. How many numbers can be represented by 8 bit binary digits?
107. Define hardware.
108. What are the different devices used in system unit?
109. List any 5 devices used for input unit?
110. What is direct entry input device and indirect entry input device? Give examples.
111. Distinguish hardware, software, firmware and humanware.
112. Why are input and output devices called peripheral devices?
113. Give any 6 examples of computer media.
114. What are the two most popular keyboard layouts in use?
115. Write down the types of computer keywords and the number of keys in them.
116. What is mouse and what it is used for?
117. Differentiate computer mouse and trackball.
118. Introduce Joystick.
119. For which devices touch pads are popular alternative to mouse?
120. Who invented touch pad and when?
121. What a Digitizer can be used for?
122. Write the use of light pen in computer operation.
123. Explain the use of Webcam.
124. What are the three types of scanners in use?
125. How bar-codes represent data? Name the device that can read bar codes.
126. What is Image Scanner and what are its 4 types?
127. What is Smart Card? What type of information is stored in it?
128. Whether Microphone is input or output device? Why it is used?
129. Define output device.
130. What are the two types of computer output? What is the difference between them?
131. What is the another name for Monitor?
132. What are the three basic types of monitors in use these days?
133. How a CRT monitor works?
134. How images are formed in LCD monitor?
135. How LED monitors produce images?
136. Write down the use of Digital Projector.
137. Give examples of voice output devices?
138. What are the two types of printers?
139. Why impact printers are noisy?
140. What are the different technology used in non-impact printers?
141. For what purpose dot matrix printers are better than laser printers?
142. How inkjet printers produce high quality output?
143. Which device is used to print high quality drawings, maps, charts and other form of graphics?
144. Name the different types of plotters. In which fields plotters are mostly used?
145. What is the primary use of magnetic tapes?
146. What are the different type of devices of magnetic disks?
147. How much data a typical floppy disk can contain?
148. What does the codes MF2D, MFHD mean?
149. When did IBM introduced the first 8″ floppy disk? How much it could store?
150. What is a zip drive? How much a typical zip drive can store? Name the company that introduced Zip drive for the first time.
151. Which company developed Super disks?
152. In magnetic disks the surface is magnetized to store data whereas in optical disks the surface is burned so that it can be read using light reflection.
153. Give 3 examples of optical disks.
154. What are the advantages of optical disks over magnetic disks?
155. Write short notes on CD ROM.
156. When was DVD developed?
157. What are the other names of pen drives?
158. Sony launched a new type of storage media in 1998, what was it?
159. What do you call the casing of a computer system?
160. What do you mean by motherboard? Name a few components used in motherboard.
161. What is microprocessor? What different units it incorporates?
162. Write short notes on cache memory.
163. What is an expansion port and expansion slot?
164. What are the different types of ports in Comptuers?
165. For what purpose serial ports are used?
166. How AGP port is better for faster video processing?
167. What is the maximum number of devices you can connect using USB port?
168. For what purpose FireWire ports are used?
169. What are the other names for expansion card ?
170. Describe system clock.
171. What do you mean by system bus?
172. Why a computer is often called “a slave in a box“?
173. Define computer program and distinguish it with software.
174. What are the two types of software? Explain each of them in brief.
175. What type of programs fall under the system software?
176. Define Operating system. What are the major functions of operating system?
177. When was GUI operating environment called Windows was launched? Who developed it?
178. What are Device drivers? Why are they needed?
179. Write the function of utility software. What type of tasks are performed by utility software?
180. Write any four examples of utility programs.
181. Why you need to defrag disks?
182. What is the task of disk checkers like chkdsk, scandisk?
183. What is utility program that can identify files that are unnecessary to computer operation and can delete them on your permission?
184. Why you need any language processors?
185. What are the three types of language processors?
186. What is the task of assembler? Give any three examples of assemblers.
187. What is a compiler, how it is different than an interpreter?
188. Compiled programs runs faster than interpreted, then, what’s the advantage of interpreters?
189. What is the name of a class of computer programs that help users to solve their problems?
190. Give some examples of application software.
191. What is the full form of API? What is the function of API?
192. Write the two types of Application software.
193. How a tailored software is different than a packaged software?
194. Write the use of (a) WordProcessing software, (b) Database software, (c) Spreadsheet software, (c) Multimedia software, (e) Presentation software, (f) Image editing software.