241 Computer Science Certification Practice Exam

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• Which statement best defines deadlock in a system with multiple processes?
• What term describes writing compound words with each word starting with a capital letter?
• Which term refers to the source code, or set of instructions found in a computer program?
• Which design methodology uses existing programming libraries and APIs to design a system or application?
• Which tool translates assembly language into object code?
• What are non-executable lines embedded in code that describe sections of code?
• What is the universally portable software file compiled from source code and then translated into machine language by software interpreter?
• Which statement best defines a programming language as a formal constructed language designed to communicate instructions to a computer?
• Which statement is true about the difference between user-level and kernel-level threads, and the benefits of multithreading?
• Which term describes protecting against invalid data entering a software process by using mechanisms such as try, catch blocks?
• A row of characters combined together to make a word, sentence, or other text based value?
• How does a digital signature provide authentication and integrity?
• Which describes mark-and-sweep garbage collection?
• Which OS was the first widely-installed personal computer operating system in 1981-1995?
• A mistake in a program that causes it to produce wrong results is called what?
• Which data structure is best suited for LIFO (last in, first out) semantics?
• What is a collection of predefined methods that can be used to build up a program?
• FORTRAN stands for Formula Translation.
• Which term refers to a software issue that causes incorrect results rather than just a syntax problem?
• Which term specifies properties of an identifier used for functions, procedures, methods, variables, constants, or classes?
• Which isolation level offers the highest degree of isolation, preventing dirty, non-repeatable, and phantom reads?
• Which naming convention uses capitalization to start each word within a compound identifier, aiding readability?
• Name and briefly describe two graph traversal algorithms and their typical use cases.
• Which is a standard NP-complete problem?
• Which term describes the overall stages including analysis, design, development, testing and maintenance?
• Which term is a memory location that can be changed during program execution?
• Which procedural programming language was devised and published by Niklaus Wirth?
• Which software design technique emphasizes separating the functionality of a program into independent, interchangeable modules, such that each contains everything necessary to execute only one aspect?
• Which description matches a language using words and commands easy for humans to understand and organize, but which must be translated into a low-level language?
• Which term describes the error-handling mechanism that uses try and catch blocks?
• Which statement correctly describes arrays and linked lists in terms of memory layout and performance?
• What term describes a memory location whose value cannot be changed after initialization?
• Which language is designed to run on the Java Virtual Machine and is widely used for cross-platform applications?
• Which concept focuses on hiding internal data within an object to reduce complexity and increase efficiency?
• Which statement is true about a container tool?
• What computer program translates assembly language to an object file or machine language?
• In paging, what is the role of the page table?
• What is a hash collision in a hash table, and what are two common collision resolution strategies?
• Which term describes the translation process that executes a program one line at a time rather than compiling the entire program?
• Describe the purpose of a database index and two common index types.
• Which term refers to an agreed style for indentation, capitalization, and meaningful identifiers to improve readability?
• What are the ACID properties in databases, and why are they important for transactions?
• What is the general purpose modeling language designed to visualize the design of a system in software engineering?
• What is a semaphore and how is it used for process synchronization?
• Which statement best describes the semantic analysis phase of compilation?
• Which language, developed as an extension of the C programming language, added object-oriented features?
• What is an AVL tree and why is it balanced?
• Which language is an extension of C that added object-oriented features, designed by Bjarne Stroustrup?
• Which phase performs lexical analysis in compilation?
• Which term describes a language that is close to hardware and often used when performance matters?
• Which term refers to the documented interface for a software component that specifies how other components interact with it?
• Which term describes a real number with a whole part and a fractional part, such as 3.14?
• Which OSI layer is primarily responsible for node-to-node data transfer and error detection, including MAC addressing?
• Which data type holds a floating point value such as 1.5 or 3.14?
• Which term denotes a decimal value that uses floating-point representation?
• In a linked list, which feature enables O(1) insertion or deletion when the position is known?
• Which symbol in flowcharts indicates a decision made in a program with true/false outcomes?
• Which term describes the part of documentation that lists the expected state before the execution of a method or function for proper execution?
• Which general modeling language is commonly used to visually represent the design of a software system?
• Which index type is generally better for high-cardinality columns with range queries; The alternative:
• Which language is described as concurrent, class-based, object-oriented, designed to run on any platform through the Java Virtual Machine?
• What term denotes a self-contained section of code that groups related declarations and statements?
• What is the visual organizer used to indicate the flow of a program, including procedure blocks, decision diamonds and arrows?
• Deadlock prevention strategy example: Which Coffman condition is targeted by prevention?
• Which Coffman condition refers to a resource that cannot be preempted and must be released by the holding process?
• What is the notation technique for describing the syntax of languages used in computing, often used with context-free grammars?
• Which relationship describes a class that is a specialization of another class?
• What describes a program that does not crash under bad input or missing files?
• Which term refers to packaging data and methods into a single unit within object-oriented programming?
• Which language was designed to be readable by humans and is commonly used for business data processing?
• How does a counting semaphore differ from a binary semaphore?
• Which term describes a value or memory location that does not change during program execution?
• What is a hash function's avalanche effect and collision resistance?
• Which of the following describes a storage location whose value can be modified during runtime?
• Which term is sometimes called a logic error and refers to faults in software?
• In distributed systems, what does horizontal scaling mean?
• In a relational model, what constraint does a foreign key enforce?
• Which term is easier to understand by wisely choosing variable names and following set practices?
• What does ISA stand for in computer architecture?
• Which description matches the language directly understood and executed by a computer, consisting of pure 0s and 1s?
• Which term is an informal high-level description of an algorithm?
• Which model is organized around objects rather than actions and data rather than logic?
• A race condition occurs when a program runs in a way that depends on what?
• Explain the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption and provide an example of each.
• Which term describes a device or system that can be viewed in terms of inputs and outputs without knowledge of its internal workings?
• Which term refers to a formal language designed to communicate instructions to a computer?
• What is the practice of testing each individual component in isolation to ensure it functions correctly before integration?
• Which term is used to describe a fault in a program that leads to incorrect or unexpected behavior, rather than just a syntax error?
• Which family of high-level programming languages emphasizes ease of use?
• In object-oriented programming, what encapsulates data and the operations that manipulate that data?
• What is the term for a method that has no return type?
• Which family of multitasking, multiuser OS developed in the 1970s?
• Which term refers to the hardware-software interface that defines the set of machine-level instructions and their encoding?
• Which term describes the state that must be true before a method begins execution to allow proper operation?
• Which statement correctly describes a left join in SQL?
• Which OOP concept allows a class to be defined based on previously defined classes, inheriting characteristics and expanding on them?
• Which term refers to a memory location that cannot be changed after its value is set?
• What term refers to the rules in a scripting language that govern punctuation, spelling, and grammar, such as ending a statement with a semicolon?
• Why is the Turing machine foundational in computability theory?
• What term refers to a decimal value?
• What operator is used to assign a value to a variable or constant?
• Which term is described as a risk-driven process model generator for software projects that adopts elements of other process models?
• Which statement best describes LL(1) parsing vs LR(1) parsing?
• Which statement correctly describes the purpose of the first three normal forms (1NF, 2NF, 3NF) in relational database normalization?
• Which concept is described by combining related data items and methods into a single class definition, including instance variables, constructors, and accessor/modifier methods?
• What defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable?
• What is the incremental process of designing an application or procedure which starts by looking at the overall picture of the requirements, devising an initial solution/architecture, inspecting the solution or patterns, and iterating until the solution meets the objects or performance, clarity and quality?
• What term describes software that manages hardware resources and provides services for programs?
• Which of the following is not a Unix-like operating system?
• In object-oriented programming, which practice is known as encapsulation and involves hiding internal details of an object?
• What data type stores a single character such as 'A' or '#'?
• Why are multiple levels of cache used (L1, L2, L3) in a memory subsystem?
• A relational join combines rows from two tables by a related column. What is the difference between an inner join and a left join?
• Which mechanism provides runtime polymorphism in Java/C++?
• What does CAP theorem imply in distributed systems?
• Which programming entity encapsulates data and related methods?
• Which operator is used to assign the result of an expression to a variable?
• What is the Big-O time complexity of binary search on a sorted array of length n?
• What is a B-tree and why is it used in databases?
• What is polymorphism in object-oriented programming?
• In OOP, this is the process of bringing into existence an object defined by a class?
• Which term refers to a low-level programming language that uses mnemonic opcodes such as mov, sto, and load to interact directly with a computer's CPU and registers?
• How can a parent object reference any of its child objects, or descendants several levels down?
• Which statement accurately describes how caches use locality principles in memory systems?
• Which term describes a language easily understood and executed by a computer, like machine language, assembly, or bytecode?
• What does CISC stand for in microprocessor architecture?
• In a binary search tree, what is the worst-case height if the tree becomes degenerate?
• What term describes a memory location in a program that can change during execution?
• Which paradigm models software as a collection of interacting objects?
• What is dynamic programming and how does it differ from naive recursion?
• Which term is the opposite of constant, describing a memory location that can change value during execution?
• Which term refers to numeric values without fractional parts?
• Which describes non-executable explanations within code that help learners understand what a section does?
• Which statement correctly contrasts top-down parsing with bottom-up parsing?
• Which language is described as an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming language with dynamic semantics?
• Which acronym refers to a processor architecture with a large set of instructions and emphasis on backward compatibility?
• Explain the difference between a stack and a queue and provide a typical use case for each.
• In OOP, which class term refers to a class that inherits characteristics from a parent class?
• Which term refers to a program design methodology that enables the system to be developed in convenient stages?
• Which property is provided by digital signatures?
• Define Big-O for space complexity and give an example of a function with O(n) space.
• What is the polymorphic feature where constructors and methods are named the same but operate on different input parameters?
• Which term describes the end result expected from a method or function in the program?
• Which markup language is designed to be both human-readable and machine-readable for encoding documents?
• Which general-purpose language was developed by Dennis Ritchie in the late 1960s and early 1970s and became one of the most widely used programming languages of all time?
• Which data type can contain an integer - a whole number, positive or negative?
• Which term best describes a class that inherits characteristics from another class?
• Which term describes the data type that stores integer values?
• Which normal form specifically addresses removing partial dependencies of non-key attributes on a candidate key?
• What is the difference between virtualization and containerization, and name a popular container tool?
• What is the polymorphic feature where methods inherited from a parent class are redefined to fit the current class?
• Which Windows version was the first Windows (1985) and the family later evolved to Windows 10?
• Which design approach focuses on building software by reusing existing libraries and APIs rather than starting from scratch?
• Which term describes a group of code within a program that contains declarations and statements?
• Which statement about NP-complete problems is true?
• What is the time complexity of breadth-first search (BFS) from a single source in a graph with V vertices and E edges?
• Distinguish between compile-time and run-time errors with examples.
• Which term refers to hiding internal state and requiring interaction through an object's methods?
• Which term is an informal high-level description of the operating principle of a computer program or algorithm?
• What is the diameter of a graph and how does it relate to BFS complexity from a source?
• What describes the documented method and parameter interface for a software system component?
• What is the key difference between TCP and UDP?
• Which term describes a program design methodology that allows the system developer to define the system software in convenient stages?
• Which term describes protecting against bad data entering a software process and ensuring data are in proper form?
• In programming, which term describes a memory location that can hold a value and be modified during runtime?
• In flowcharts, which symbol represents a process or operation?
• Which architecture uses a small set of simple instructions?
• Which term is described as part of documentation that lists the end result expected from a method or function?
• Which term describes the process of building complex data types by combining simpler ones, such as a car composed of a body type and an engine?
• Which software development methodology emphasizes incremental development with repeated design, implementation, testing cycles and short iterations?
• Which GUI-based OS family developed by Apple for Macintosh with OS X 10.11 El Capitan as the latest?
• In object-oriented programming, which term describes the 'has-a' relationship?
• Which list correctly names the OSI model layers from bottom to top?
• What are the stages of development for a software development project (analysis, design, development, testing and maintenance)?
• Which relationship occurs when one object contains another object as a component, such as a car having an engine?
• Which statement about time complexities is true for binary search compared to linear search?
• Which term is used for the concept of a numeric value with fractions represented in most languages?
• Which term refers to a software design approach that isolates functionality into separate modules, each capable of performing a single function?
• In programming, which construct is used to capture and handle runtime errors during execution?
• Which language is an event-driven programming language and integrated development environment from Microsoft?
• Which index type is generally better for high-cardinality columns with range queries; Bitmap index is better for low-cardinality columns.
• Names used in programming that help describe the general purpose of a function associated with that term?
• Which form of code is designed to be portable across platforms and executed by a virtual machine rather than directly by the processor?
• Which statement correctly contrasts deadlock prevention vs avoidance?
• Which term describes intelligence exhibited by machines or software?
• Which programming paradigm involves describing step-by-step instructions the computer must execute to achieve a goal?
• SQL injection is a security vulnerability in which attackers inject malicious SQL statements; which practice mitigates it?
• What classification identifies one of the various types of data, such as real, integer, or Boolean, that determines the possible values for that type?
• Which term describes an error in programming that is thrown during runtime?
• In OOP, which class is a specialized version of another class?
• Which collision resolution technique stores all elements that map to the same index in a separate chain or bucket?
• Which Unix-like OS kernel released in 1991 under free/open-source distribution?
• In a binary search tree, what is the average-case time complexity of search, insert, and delete operations?
• Which programming paradigm uses a pure functional approach as seen in Scheme, Haskell, Lisp, Racket, and F#?
• Which statement correctly describes static and dynamic data structures?
• What is the process of combining simpler data types into more complex data types called?
• Which term is defined as an error that causes a program to produce incorrect results?
• Which term describes something that does not change during program execution?
• Which term is devised to simplify the logic of detecting invalid data (eg try, catch blocks)?
• Explain the concept of memoization and where it is typically used.
• Which of the following terms refers to a flaw in a program that can cause it to behave unexpectedly?
• Which design approach involves breaking a project into smaller pieces so that each piece performs a single task?
• What is a software design pattern?
• What is a transaction isolation level and why is it important?
• What is another common name for a mistake in a program that causes incorrect results?
• Which term is defined as easier to understand by wisely choosing variable names and following set practices?
• In operating systems, what does paging accomplish?
• What term is used for the blueprint that defines the data and behavior of objects in object-oriented programming?
• What is the process of assigning an initial value to a variable or constant called?
• Which factors affect the worst-case performance of a hash table?
• Which broad concept categorizes data into types like real numbers, integers, and Booleans?
• Which software development model follows a linear sequence of phases from conception to maintenance?
• Which statement best describes a hash table's lookup times and the factors affecting the worst case?
• What is Big-O notation used for in algorithm analysis?
• Which term refers to the effort a programmer should take to make source code easy to read and easy to understand?
• Which paradigm focuses on solving problems by composing pure functions and avoiding shared state?
• What does the acronym COBOL stand for?
• Which high-level language was designed to be easy to use and widely used for teaching programming concepts?
• Which ACID property ensures that once a transaction is committed, its changes persist even in the event of a system failure?
• What describes the ability of a program to decide at runtime which subclass implementation to run?
• Which term describes an error that might occur during the execution of a program?
• Which term is sometimes referred to as a logic error?
• Which of the following is a Unix-like operating system with a GUI developed for Macintosh computers, known for its roots in Unix?
• Which data type is designed to contain floating-point numbers?
• What is the TCP three-way handshake and why is it used?
• In programming, the act of creating an instance from a class is called what?
• Which term denotes true or false, named after George Boole?
• Which term describes a data type that holds exactly one character.
• Which language, created by Niklaus Wirth, is often used as an introductory programming language?
• Which term refers to a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language?
• Which testing level validates end-to-end requirements?
• Which testing practice focuses on evaluating each individual component in isolation before it is integrated into the larger system?
• What is the symbol used in flowcharts that represents a process or event that occurs within the flow of the program?
• What is lexical analysis in compiler design?
• What does the acronym FORTRAN stand for?
• What is the process of breaking down a project into smaller pieces until each piece performs one simple task?
• In relational databases, what is the difference between a primary key and a foreign key?
• Which term describes a software program that remains functional even when faced with invalid input or missing resources?
• What is a monolith vs microservices architecture, and one advantage of each?