Internet, Web Services and Email
Internet, Web Services and Email tests how web addresses, browsers, search engines, protocols and email fields work. You should be able to parse a URL, choose secure browsing behaviour, and use To, Cc and Bcc correctly.
Core rules and concepts
- A URL contains a scheme, host, path, optional query string and optional fragment. DNS translates a host name into an IP address.
- HTTP transfers web content; HTTPS adds encryption. A browser renders pages; a search engine indexes and retrieves them. They are not the same tool.
- Web services let applications exchange data, often through APIs. Cloud services deliver computing or storage over a network.
- Email uses SMTP to send and IMAP or POP3 to retrieve. To is the primary recipient; Cc is a visible copy; Bcc is a hidden copy.
- Attachments should be scanned and size-checked. Phishing messages often imitate brands and create urgency.
Worked example
Parse https://www.example.org/students/result.html?sem=2#top. The scheme is https, the host is www.example.org, the path is /students/result.html, the query is sem=2 and the fragment is #top. Reasoning: the scheme shows encrypted HTTP; the host identifies the server; the path identifies the resource; the query passes data; the fragment points to a page location and is not sent to the server in the same way as the query.
Traps that cost marks
- Putting recipient addresses in Bcc when privacy is not required, or exposing them in To when it is.
- Treating a search engine as a browser or a browser as a search engine.
- Assuming HTTPS guarantees a trustworthy site; it only encrypts the connection.
- Using Reply All when only the sender needs the answer.