Internet, Web Browsing, and Email Communication
This domain tests how the internet works, how to browse and search efficiently, and how to write and manage email professionally and safely.
Core rules
- A network connects devices; LAN is local, WAN is wide (the internet is the largest WAN). An ISP provides access; DNS translates domain names into IP addresses.
- URL anatomy: protocol://domain/path?query. HTTPS (port 443) encrypts traffic; HTTP (port 80) does not.
- A browser renders pages and stores cache and cookies; a search engine indexes the web. They are not the same thing, and neither is an ISP.
- Search operators: 'exact phrase' in quotes, site:gov.in, filetype:pdf, and a minus sign to exclude a word.
- Email fields: To (the person who must act), Cc (visible information copy), Bcc (hidden copy - recipients cannot see each other). The subject line must be specific. Reply goes to the sender; Reply All goes to everyone.
Worked example
URL: https://www.example.org/students/result.html?roll=101 Protocol https; domain www.example.org; path /students/result.html; query roll=101 passed to the server. Reasoning: the part after ? is data, not a folder. Reading it correctly tells you the site is fetching one student's result, and that the connection is encrypted - but not that the site is trustworthy.
Traps
- Believing a padlock or HTTPS means the site is genuine; phishing sites use HTTPS too.
- Using Reply All on a large list, or putting a big distribution list in To instead of Bcc.
- Clicking 'unsubscribe' in spam, which confirms your address is live.
- Confusing a browser (Chrome) with a search engine (Google).
- Sending an attachment with no subject and a meaningless file name.