Evolution of Computers

12 Grade 10 Computer Studies questions on Evolution of Computers, with worked marking schemes. 12 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   3 marks

   The evolution of computers has produced small, affordable mobile computing devices. Describe three ways in which the spread of mobile phones and other mobile computing devices has changed how small businesses in Kenya are run.

   (3 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Any THREE, 1 mark each (must describe the change, not merely name the device): customers pay by mobile money, so traders handle less cash and face lower risk of theft; sales and stock records are kept in phone applications instead of exercise books, making stock-taking easier and more accurate; goods are advertised and orders received through social media and online platforms, widening the market beyond the immediate neighbourhood; stock is ordered directly from suppliers by call or message, shortening delays; traders access banking services and small loans on the phone without travelling to a bank; deliveries and boda-boda transport are arranged instantly by phone. Max 3 marks.

2. Question 2

   2 marks

   State two ways in which data and instructions were fed into first-generation computers.

   (2 marks)

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3. Question 3

   1 mark

   A technology museum in Nairobi displays an electronic computer built in the late 1940s. The exhibit notes state that the machine filled a large hall, used thousands of glass valves and needed powerful fans to cool it. The main electronic component used in this machine was the:

   A. integrated circuit

   B. microprocessor

   C. vacuum tube

   D. transistor

   (1 mark)

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4. Question 4

   6 marks

   Describe three emerging computer technologies and, for each one, suggest one way it could be applied in agriculture in Kenya.

   (6 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Award 1 mark for a correct description of each technology and 1 mark for a sensible agricultural application, for any THREE technologies. Examples: Artificial intelligence - software that reasons and recognises patterns; application - diagnosing maize lethal necrosis from photographs of leaves sent by a farmer. Drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) - small pilotless aircraft carrying cameras or tanks; application - spraying a coffee farm or surveying the acreage under wheat. Cloud computing - storing data and running programs on remote servers reached over the internet; application - a dairy co-operative keeping milk delivery records that every collection centre can read. Big data analytics - examining very large sets of records to find patterns; application - using many years of rainfall records to advise on the best planting dates. Robotics - programmable machines that carry out physical tasks; application - automated tea plucking or grading of French beans for export. Max 6 marks.

5. Question 5

   4 marks

   Explain four ways in which replacing the vacuum tube with the transistor improved the computers of the second generation.

   (4 marks)

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6. Question 6

   1 mark

   A county referral hospital runs one large, very powerful computer that serves several hundred terminals in different departments at the same time and processes millions of routine patient records each year. Classified according to size and processing capacity, this computer is best described as a:

   A. supercomputer

   B. microcomputer

   C. mainframe computer

   D. minicomputer

   (1 mark)

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7. Question 7

   1 mark

   A matatu is fitted with a digital speed governor whose only tasks are to record the vehicle's speed and sound an alarm when 80 km/h is exceeded. The computer inside the speed governor is best described as:

   A. a mainframe computer

   B. a general-purpose computer

   C. a special-purpose computer

   D. a supercomputer

   (1 mark)

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8. Question 8

   1 mark

   The feature that distinguishes fourth-generation computers from third-generation computers is the use of:

   A. transistors in place of vacuum tubes

   B. integrated circuits in place of separate transistors

   C. a microprocessor carrying the whole central processing unit on a single chip

   D. magnetic drums as the main memory

   (1 mark)

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9. Question 9

   1 mark

   A water company has fitted meters in an estate in Eldoret. Each meter measures the water used and sends the reading over the mobile network to the company's system, which then closes the supply valve remotely when a household exceeds its limit. This is an example of:

   A. the Internet of Things

   B. batch processing

   C. desktop publishing

   D. virtual reality

   (1 mark)

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10. Question 10

    4 marks

    Distinguish between an analogue computer and a digital computer, giving one example of each.

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    1 mark: an analogue computer works on data that varies continuously, which it measures as a physical quantity such as temperature, pressure or voltage. 1 mark: a digital computer works on data in discrete form, represented as binary digits which it counts and processes. 1 mark: any correct example of an analogue computer, for example the process-control computer of a milk-processing or petroleum plant, a flight simulator, or the analogue unit in a petrol pump that turns the flow of fuel into a reading (accept the standard textbook examples of analogue devices such as a speedometer or a pressure gauge). 1 mark: any correct example of a digital computer, for example a school laptop, a desktop computer, a smartphone or a digital calculator. Total 4 marks.

11. Question 11

    5 marks

    Outline five features expected of fifth-generation computers.

    (5 marks)

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12. Question 12

    1 mark

    The Analytical Engine designed by Charles Babbage in the 1830s is regarded as an important step in the evolution of computers mainly because it:

    A. was the first machine to carry out calculations using electricity

    B. was the first machine ever to make use of punched cards

    C. was the first calculating machine to be sold to businesses for keeping records

    D. was designed with a store, a mill, an input part and an output part, matching the parts of a modern computer

    (1 mark)

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