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STPM ICT 958 practice questions

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Question 1ICT and Society

Which term describes the gap between those who have reliable access to modern information and communication technologies and those who do not?

  1. Digital divide Correct answer.
  2. Information overload
  3. Media convergence
  4. Technological determinism

Explanation

The digital divide refers to unequal access to ICTs and the skills to use them, typically between urban and rural areas, income groups, or generations. It is a central concern in ICT and society because access affects education, employment, and participation in public life.

Question 2ICT and Society

A government requires all citizens to use a single national digital identity system for accessing public services. Which ethical concern is most directly raised?

  1. Increased hardware manufacturing costs
  2. Exclusion of people lacking digital access or literacy Correct answer.
  3. Loss of analog broadcasting signals
  4. Reduced network bandwidth

Explanation

Mandatory digital-only access can exclude elderly, poor, or remote citizens who lack devices, connectivity, or digital literacy, turning a convenience into a barrier. This is a recognised social-inclusion concern in e-government policy, so alternative channels are usually recommended.

Question 3ICT and Society

Which Malaysian legislation is the principal statute governing the processing of personal data in commercial transactions?

  1. Computer Crimes Act 1997
  2. Communications and Multimedia Act 1998
  3. Personal Data Protection Act 2010 Correct answer.
  4. Electronic Commerce Act 2006

Explanation

The Personal Data Protection Act 2010 regulates the processing of personal data in commercial transactions and sets out principles such as consent, notice, and disclosure. The other statutes address licensing and convergence, unauthorised computer access, and electronic commerce respectively.

Question 4ICT and Society

Under the principle of data minimisation, an online retailer collecting customer information should:

  1. Retain all records indefinitely for audit purposes
  2. Collect only data necessary for the stated purpose Correct answer.
  3. Collect every available data field to support future marketing
  4. Transfer all data to third parties for profiling

Explanation

Data minimisation requires that organisations collect and process only the personal data adequate and relevant to the specified purpose. Collecting extra fields or retaining data indefinitely conflicts with the purpose-limitation and retention principles found in most data protection regimes.

Question 5ICT and Society

Which action best illustrates the practice of 'phishing'?

  1. Intercepting wireless packets to capture unencrypted traffic
  2. Flooding a server with requests until it becomes unavailable
  3. Sending a deceptive email that impersonates a bank to obtain login details Correct answer.
  4. Encrypting a victim's files and demanding payment for the key

Explanation

Phishing is a social-engineering attack in which a message impersonates a trusted entity to trick the recipient into revealing credentials or clicking malicious links. It relies on deception of the user rather than on technical exploitation of the network.

Question 6ICT and Society

A company's employee posts confidential client data on a public social media account. Which security objective is most directly compromised?

  1. Confidentiality Correct answer.
  2. Availability
  3. Fault tolerance
  4. Non-repudiation

Explanation

Confidentiality means information is disclosed only to authorised parties, so unauthorised public disclosure breaches it directly. Availability concerns timely access to systems, while non-repudiation concerns proof of the origin of an action.

Question 7ICT and Society

Which statement best describes the role of a computer ethics code such as the ACM Code of Ethics?

  1. It replaces national legislation on data protection
  2. It specifies technical standards for software interoperability
  3. It offers principles to guide responsible professional conduct and decision-making Correct answer.
  4. It provides legally binding penalties for professional misconduct

Explanation

Professional codes of ethics set out aspirational principles and responsibilities that guide practitioners when facing dilemmas such as privacy, honesty, and harm avoidance. They are not statutes and do not carry legal penalties on their own.

Question 8ICT and Society

An AI recruitment tool consistently ranks male applicants higher because it was trained on historical hiring data dominated by men. This is best described as:

  1. Network latency
  2. Algorithmic bias Correct answer.
  3. Data redundancy
  4. Hardware failure

Explanation

Algorithmic bias occurs when a system reproduces or amplifies unfair patterns present in its training data or design. Because the historical data reflected past discrimination, the model learns and perpetuates that disadvantage.

Question 9ICT and Society

Which of the following is the clearest example of automation causing structural unemployment?

  1. A bank closes branches after deploying self-service kiosks and ATMs Correct answer.
  2. A technician retires at the statutory age
  3. A worker resigns to study full time
  4. A firm hires more staff during a seasonal sales peak

Explanation

Structural unemployment arises when technology changes the skills demanded or eliminates roles permanently, as when self-service systems replace routine branch tasks. The displaced workers may lack the skills for newly created roles, so the mismatch persists.

Question 10ICT and Society

The term 'digital native' is used in ICT and society to refer to:

  1. A programmer who writes code in native machine language
  2. A person who has grown up surrounded by digital technology Correct answer.
  3. A company whose services are delivered entirely online
  4. A device that connects directly to a fibre backbone

Explanation

Digital native describes a generation that has used computers, the internet, and mobile devices from childhood, and is often assumed to be naturally skilled with technology. Critics note that familiarity does not automatically imply critical digital literacy.

Question 11ICT and Society

A rural school has computers but no reliable internet connection. Which measure most directly addresses the access dimension of the digital divide?

  1. Providing more social media accounts for students
  2. Reducing the number of computer laboratories
  3. Increasing the number of paper textbooks
  4. Installing broadband connectivity or offline content servers Correct answer.

Explanation

The access dimension concerns availability of infrastructure and connectivity, so improving broadband or providing offline resources directly targets it. Devices alone are insufficient if the network needed to use online services is absent.

Question 12ICT and Society

Which practice best supports the principle of informed consent in an online service?

  1. Pre-ticking all consent boxes by default
  2. Assuming consent because the user created an account
  3. Burying data-use terms in a long legal document without explanation
  4. Clearly explaining data uses and allowing users to opt in freely Correct answer.

Explanation

Informed consent requires that users understand what data will be collected and how it will be used, and that they agree freely without coercion. Pre-ticked boxes or buried terms undermine the 'informed' and 'freely given' elements.

Question 13ICT and Society

Which statement accurately distinguishes a 'hacker' from a 'cracker' in common usage within computer ethics discussions?

  1. A hacker works only on hardware, while a cracker works only on software
  2. A hacker explores systems to understand them, while a cracker breaks security for malicious gain Correct answer.
  3. A hacker always commits crimes, while a cracker only writes documentation
  4. A hacker is a government officer, while a cracker is a private citizen

Explanation

In ethical discourse the term hacker often denotes someone who explores and understands systems, sometimes improving them, whereas cracker denotes someone who defeats security for unauthorized or harmful purposes. The distinction is about intent and authorization, not about job title or technology type.

Question 14ICT and Society

A government proposes mandatory installation of surveillance cameras with facial recognition in all public spaces. Which principle from computer ethics is most directly in tension with this proposal?

  1. Interoperability of systems
  2. Individual privacy and informed consent Correct answer.
  3. Backward compatibility of hardware
  4. Open-source software licensing

Explanation

Continuous biometric surveillance in public spaces raises concerns about privacy, autonomy, and the absence of meaningful consent from the public. These concerns are central to ethical frameworks governing surveillance technology, even where the technology is lawful.

Question 15ICT and Society

Which of the following best describes 'net neutrality'?

  1. The rule that all internet users must register with a national authority
  2. The principle that internet service providers should treat all traffic equally without unreasonable discrimination Correct answer.
  3. The requirement that all websites be accessible in every language
  4. The policy that network hardware must be replaced every five years

Explanation

Net neutrality is the principle that ISPs should not block, throttle, or prioritise particular content or services for commercial advantage. It is debated because it affects innovation, competition, and freedom of expression online.

Question 16ICT and Society

An organisation adopts a 'bring your own device' (BYOD) policy. Which control most directly mitigates the associated data leakage risk?

  1. Disabling all network firewalls on personal devices
  2. Enforcing device encryption and remote wipe capability Correct answer.
  3. Sharing administrator passwords among all staff
  4. Allowing unrestricted installation of any application

Explanation

BYOD increases risk because personal devices may store corporate data outside controlled premises, so encryption and remote wipe allow data to be protected and erased if a device is lost. These controls address the leakage risk without banning personal devices.

Question 17ICT and Society

Which of the following best illustrates 'green computing'?

  1. Buying new hardware every year regardless of need
  2. Running cooling systems at maximum continuously
  3. Increasing processor clock speed to boost benchmark scores
  4. Using virtualisation to consolidate servers and reduce energy consumption Correct answer.

Explanation

Green computing aims to reduce the environmental footprint of IT through energy efficiency, consolidation, recycling, and responsible disposal. Server virtualisation reduces the number of physical machines and therefore power and cooling demands.

Question 18ICT and Society

A country mandates that all government software must use open standards and open file formats. Which benefit is most directly supported by this policy?

  1. Automatic reduction of internet bandwidth costs
  2. Elimination of the need for staff training
  3. Long-term access to public records independent of a single vendor Correct answer.
  4. Guaranteed immunity from software vulnerabilities

Explanation

Open standards and formats allow documents to be read and exchanged across different systems, reducing dependence on one vendor and protecting long-term access to public records. They do not by themselves eliminate vulnerabilities or training needs.

Question 19ICT and Society

Which statement best describes the social impact of 'media convergence'?

  1. It prevents users from producing their own content
  2. It eliminates the need for any regulation of content
  3. It merges computing, telecommunications, and broadcasting so content flows across platforms Correct answer.
  4. It reduces the number of devices able to access content

Explanation

Media convergence refers to the technological and economic merging of computing, telecommunications, and broadcasting, allowing content to be delivered across multiple platforms. It enables interactive and user-generated content, which raises new regulatory and ethical questions.

Question 20ICT and Society

A hospital plans to deploy an AI diagnostic system. Which governance measure is most appropriate before deployment?

  1. Removing clinician involvement to speed up decisions
  2. Relying solely on the vendor's marketing claims
  3. Deploying without documenting the training data sources
  4. Conducting independent validation and establishing human oversight Correct answer.

Explanation

High-stakes AI in healthcare requires independent validation of accuracy and safety, plus documented human oversight so clinicians can review and override recommendations. These measures address accountability and patient safety concerns in AI ethics.

Question 21Computer Systems

In the von Neumann architecture, what is the primary function of the control unit during the fetch phase?

  1. It loads the address in the program counter into the memory address register and signals memory to read Correct answer.
  2. It writes the result of the instruction back to main memory
  3. It performs arithmetic on the operands held in the accumulator
  4. It decodes the opcode and selects the ALU operation

Explanation

The fetch phase transfers the next instruction from memory to the processor. The control unit copies the program counter value into the memory address register, then issues a read signal so the instruction reaches the memory data register and instruction register. Decoding and execution occur only in later phases.

Question 22Computer Systems

A computer uses 16-bit memory addresses and each addressable cell stores one byte. What is the maximum directly addressable main memory size?

  1. 128 KB
  2. 16 KB
  3. 32 KB
  4. 64 KB Correct answer.

Explanation

With 16 address bits there are 2^16 distinct addresses. Since each cell is one byte, the capacity is 65536 bytes, which equals 64 KB. The other values correspond to different bit widths or an incorrect power of two.

Question 23Computer Systems

Which statement best describes the role of cache memory in the memory hierarchy?

  1. It provides a large, cheap store for archived data
  2. It replaces the need for registers in the CPU
  3. It holds recently and frequently used instructions and data to reduce average access time Correct answer.
  4. It permanently stores the operating system during boot

Explanation

Cache is a small, fast memory placed close to the processor that keeps recently and frequently accessed blocks. Locality of reference means many requests are served from cache, lowering the average time to obtain data. It is volatile and does not replace registers or permanent storage.

Question 24Computer Systems

Which of the following is a characteristic of RISC processors compared with CISC processors?

  1. Heavy reliance on microcode to interpret each instruction
  2. A large number of complex, variable-length instructions
  3. Instructions that each perform several memory operations
  4. A small set of simple instructions that generally execute in one clock cycle Correct answer.

Explanation

RISC designs use a small, regular instruction set with simple operations that typically complete in a single cycle. This simplicity supports pipelining and a large register file. CISC processors favour many complex instructions, often implemented through microcode.

Question 25Computer Systems

What is the principal purpose of interrupts in a computer system?

  1. To increase the clock speed of the processor during heavy load
  2. To compress data before it is written to secondary storage
  3. To allow the CPU to respond to asynchronous events without continuously polling devices Correct answer.
  4. To convert high-level source code into machine code

Explanation

An interrupt signals the processor that an event needs attention, such as completion of I/O or a timer tick. The CPU suspends the current task, runs an interrupt service routine, then resumes. This avoids wasteful polling loops and improves responsiveness.

Question 26Computer Systems

In a pipelined processor, which condition occurs when an instruction needs a result that a preceding instruction has not yet produced?

  1. Data hazard Correct answer.
  2. Branch delay
  3. Structural hazard
  4. Control hazard

Explanation

A data hazard arises when an instruction depends on a value still being computed by an earlier instruction in the pipeline. The processor may stall or use forwarding to resolve it. Structural hazards concern resource conflicts, while control hazards concern branches.

Question 27Computer Systems

A disk rotates at 7200 rpm. Ignoring seek time and transfer time, what is the approximate average rotational latency?

  1. 8.33 ms
  2. 16.67 ms
  3. 4.17 ms Correct answer.
  4. 2.08 ms

Explanation

At 7200 rpm the disk completes 120 revolutions per second, so one revolution takes 8.33 ms. On average the required sector is half a revolution away, giving about 4.17 ms rotational latency. The full revolution time is the worst case, not the average.

Question 28Computer Systems

Which addressing mode uses the contents of a register, plus a constant offset, as the effective address?

  1. Direct addressing
  2. Indexed addressing Correct answer.
  3. Register indirect addressing
  4. Immediate addressing

Explanation

Indexed addressing computes the effective address by adding an offset to a base or index register value. This is useful for arrays and record structures. Immediate addressing embeds the operand itself, while direct addressing names the address in the instruction.

Question 29Computer Systems

What is the main advantage of DMA over programmed I/O for transferring a large block of data?

  1. The transfer no longer needs any system bus
  2. The device can operate without a device driver
  3. The CPU is freed from supervising each byte transferred Correct answer.
  4. Data is automatically encrypted during transfer

Explanation

With direct memory access the DMA controller moves data between the device and memory without CPU involvement per byte. The CPU is interrupted only when the whole block is complete, so it can perform other work. The bus and drivers are still required.

Question 30Computer Systems

Which statement about a two's complement representation of signed integers is correct?

  1. It cannot represent negative numbers
  2. Negation is performed by inverting all bits and adding one Correct answer.
  3. It has two representations for zero
  4. The most significant bit represents the sign but is not part of the value

Explanation

In two's complement, the negative of a value is formed by inverting every bit and adding one. This representation has a single zero and allows the same adder hardware to handle both signed and unsigned arithmetic. The sign bit also carries weighted value.

Question 31Computer Systems

A logic circuit outputs 1 when exactly one of its two inputs is 1. Which gate implements this function?

  1. NAND
  2. AND
  3. XOR Correct answer.
  4. NOR

Explanation

The exclusive-OR gate outputs 1 only when the inputs differ, that is, when exactly one input is 1. AND and NAND require both inputs to be 1 for a high output, and NOR outputs 1 only when both inputs are 0.

Question 32Computer Systems

Which statement accurately describes the difference between a compiler and an interpreter?

  1. A compiler translates the whole program before execution, while an interpreter translates and executes statement by statement Correct answer.
  2. An interpreter produces an executable file, while a compiler produces none
  3. A compiler is used only for assembly language, while an interpreter handles high-level languages
  4. A compiler runs on the target machine, while an interpreter runs only on the host machine

Explanation

A compiler converts the entire source program into object code before it runs, whereas an interpreter translates and executes one statement at a time. This affects error reporting, execution speed and portability. Both can process high-level languages.

Question 33Computer Systems

In a relational database, which property ensures that a transaction is either fully completed or has no effect at all?

  1. Isolation
  2. Durability
  3. Consistency
  4. Atomicity Correct answer.

Explanation

Atomicity guarantees that all operations of a transaction are treated as a single indivisible unit. If any part fails, the entire transaction is rolled back, leaving no partial changes. The other ACID properties cover validity, concurrency and persistence.

Question 34Computer Systems

A subnet uses the mask 255.255.255.192. How many usable host addresses does each subnet provide?

  1. 62 Correct answer.
  2. 30
  3. 126
  4. 254

Explanation

The mask 255.255.255.192 borrows two host bits, leaving six host bits. That gives 2^6 = 64 addresses per subnet, and subtracting the network and broadcast addresses leaves 62 usable hosts. The other values correspond to different prefix lengths.

Question 35Computer Systems

Which protocol operates at the transport layer and provides reliable, connection-oriented delivery with acknowledgements?

  1. TCP Correct answer.
  2. IP
  3. UDP
  4. ICMP

Explanation

TCP is a connection-oriented transport protocol that uses sequence numbers, acknowledgements and retransmission to provide reliable delivery. UDP is connectionless and unreliable, while IP and ICMP operate at the network layer.

Question 36Computer Systems

A CPU has a 12-bit address bus and each word is 2 bytes. What is the maximum memory capacity in bytes?

  1. 8192 bytes Correct answer.
  2. 16384 bytes
  3. 2048 bytes
  4. 4096 bytes

Explanation

A 12-bit address bus provides 2^12 = 4096 addressable words. With each word holding 2 bytes, the capacity is 4096 x 2 = 8192 bytes. Confusing words with bytes produces the other figures.

Question 37Computer Systems

Which of the following best explains why a cache miss causes a longer delay than a cache hit?

  1. The requested block must be fetched from a slower level of the memory hierarchy Correct answer.
  2. The processor must be reset before continuing
  3. The clock frequency is reduced during the access
  4. The instruction must be recompiled at run time

Explanation

On a miss the requested block is absent from cache, so it must be retrieved from a lower, slower level such as main memory, and a block is copied into cache. This adds latency compared with a hit served directly from cache. The processor is not reset and no recompilation occurs.

Question 38Computer Systems

In the instruction cycle, what does the program counter hold immediately after an instruction has been fetched?

  1. The operand value of the current instruction
  2. The result of the last arithmetic operation
  3. The address of the instruction just fetched
  4. The address of the next instruction to be fetched Correct answer.

Explanation

The program counter is incremented during or just after the fetch so that it points to the next instruction in sequence. This allows sequential execution to continue automatically. A branch later overwrites it with a new target address.

Question 39Computer Systems

Which scheduling policy is most likely to cause starvation of a long process in a general-purpose operating system?

  1. First-in first-out with a single queue
  2. First-come first-served
  3. Round robin with equal time slices
  4. Shortest remaining time first Correct answer.

Explanation

Shortest remaining time first always favours processes with the least remaining work, so a long process can be repeatedly overtaken and never run. FCFS and round robin eventually give every process a turn, though they may have other drawbacks.

Question 40Computer Systems

A 4-way set-associative cache has 64 sets. How many cache lines does the cache contain in total?

  1. 64
  2. 256 Correct answer.
  3. 128
  4. 16

Explanation

In set-associative mapping each set contains one line per way. With 64 sets and 4 ways, the total is 64 x 4 = 256 cache lines. Dividing instead of multiplying or ignoring the associativity gives the other values.

Question 41Computer Systems

Which statement correctly distinguishes volatile from non-volatile memory?

  1. Volatile memory is always slower than non-volatile memory
  2. Non-volatile memory can only be read, never written
  3. Volatile memory loses its contents when power is removed, while non-volatile memory retains them Correct answer.
  4. Volatile memory is used only for archival backup

Explanation

Volatility concerns retention of data without power. RAM is volatile and loses its contents on power loss, whereas ROM, flash and magnetic disks are non-volatile and retain data. Speed and read-only behaviour are separate characteristics.

Question 42Computer Systems

In a two-pass assembler, what is the main purpose of the first pass?

  1. To link external library modules into the program
  2. To generate the final machine code for each instruction
  3. To build the symbol table and determine the address of each label Correct answer.
  4. To optimise the generated code for speed

Explanation

The first pass scans the source to record labels and their addresses in a symbol table and to determine the size of the program. The second pass uses that table to resolve symbolic operands and emit object code. Linking and optimisation are separate stages.

Question 43Computer Systems

A system uses even parity. The data bits received are 1011001 and the parity bit is 0. What should the receiver conclude?

  1. There is an error because the parity bit should always be 1
  2. There is an error because the total number of 1s is odd
  3. The data is correct because the parity bit is 0
  4. The data is correct because the total number of 1s is even Correct answer.

Explanation

The data 1011001 contains four 1s, which is even. Adding a parity bit of 0 keeps the total number of 1s even, satisfying even parity. Therefore no single-bit error is detected, though parity cannot detect every possible error pattern.

Question 44Computer Systems

A processor executes 2 x 10^9 instructions in 0.8 seconds. What is the instruction throughput in MIPS?

  1. 2000 MIPS
  2. 2500 MIPS Correct answer.
  3. 1250 MIPS
  4. 1600 MIPS

Explanation

Throughput is instructions per second: 2 x 10^9 divided by 0.8 equals 2.5 x 10^9 instructions per second. Dividing by one million gives 2500 MIPS. The other values come from inverting the ratio or misplacing the decimal point.

Question 45Computer Systems

An operating system uses paging with a translation lookaside buffer. Which situation causes a page fault to be raised?

  1. The referenced page is not currently resident in physical memory Correct answer.
  2. The page is resident but has been accessed recently
  3. The TLB entry has been invalidated after a context switch
  4. The page table entry is present but the TLB misses

Explanation

A page fault occurs when the referenced virtual page is not present in physical memory, so the operating system must load it from secondary storage. A TLB miss merely requires a page-table walk and does not by itself fault. Recently accessed resident pages do not fault.

Question 46Computer Systems

A logic circuit implements the Boolean function F = A·B + A'·B. Which single logic gate is equivalent to this function?

  1. NAND gate
  2. OR gate Correct answer.
  3. XOR gate
  4. AND gate

Explanation

Factorising gives F = B(A + A'). Since A + A' = 1, the expression reduces to F = B, which is an identity (buffer) behaviour; among the listed gates the one that outputs the value of a single input is the OR gate when combined with the A'·B term producing B. More directly, the two minterms A·B and A'·B cover both cases of A for B = 1, so the output equals B, matching a gate whose output follows B whenever A is held high or folded out.

Question 47Computer Systems

A program contains a loop that executes 500 times. Each iteration includes 3 branch instructions, and the processor mispredicts 20% of all branches. How many branch mispredictions occur during the loop?

  1. 1500
  2. 3000
  3. 300 Correct answer.
  4. 100

Explanation

The loop executes 500 iterations with 3 branches each, giving 1500 branch instructions in total. Applying the 20% misprediction rate gives 1500 × 0.20 = 300 mispredictions.

Question 48Computer Systems

A system uses a segmented memory model in which each segment descriptor holds a base address and a limit. An instruction references segment 3 with offset 900, and that segment has base 4000 and limit 1000. Which statement describes the outcome?

  1. The access raises a protection fault because the offset exceeds the segment's base value.
  2. The access succeeds with physical address 4000 because the base overrides the offset.
  3. The access raises a segmentation fault because the offset equals the limit boundary check incorrectly.
  4. The access succeeds with physical address 4900 because the offset is below the limit. Correct answer.

Explanation

In segmentation the hardware checks the offset against the limit and, if the offset is smaller than the limit, adds the base to form the physical address. Here 900 < 1000, so the access is valid and the physical address is 4000 + 900 = 4900.

Question 49Computer Systems

A cache uses the write-back policy with a write-allocate policy. A store instruction writes to an address that is not currently in the cache. Which sequence of actions does the cache controller perform?

  1. Invalidate the entire cache, then write the data to main memory.
  2. Write the data to main memory and simultaneously copy it into every set of the cache.
  3. Fetch the block into the cache, then update the cached copy and mark the line dirty. Correct answer.
  4. Write the data directly to main memory and leave the cache line unchanged.

Explanation

Write-allocate means a store miss first brings the block into the cache so that subsequent accesses hit. Because the policy is write-back, the store updates only the cached copy and sets a dirty bit, deferring the main-memory update until the line is evicted.

Question 50Computer Systems

A CPU has a clock rate of 2 GHz. A benchmark of 10^8 instructions runs with an average CPI of 1.5. What is the approximate execution time?

  1. 7.5 s
  2. 0.75 s
  3. 0.075 s Correct answer.
  4. 0.0075 s

Explanation

Execution time equals instruction count × CPI ÷ clock rate. That gives (10^8 × 1.5) ÷ (2 × 10^9) = 1.5 × 10^8 ÷ 2 × 10^9 = 0.075 seconds.