Question 1
Which of these statements about the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is true?
A. The NCIC databases contain about 40 million records.
B. Improper use of the NCIC has led to about 1 million false arrests.
C. Local law enforcement agencies enter most of the information that is in the NCIC databases.
D. The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of the NCIC.
Question 2
The Patriot missile system:
A. was designed to shoot down airplanes.
B. failed to shoot down a Scud missile that killed 28 U.S. soldiers in the Gulf War.
C. failed because it had been left running too long.
D. All of the above
Question 3
The Ariane 5 satellite launch vehicle failed because:
A. a faulty on-board computer caused the other computers in the network to crash repeatedly.
B. a bad sensor fed faulty information into the flight control computer, causing it to fail.
C. the rocket's on-board computer sent back faulty information to ground control, causing the human controllers to destroy the rocket.
D. code that worked correctly on the Ariane 4 failed on the Ariane 5.
Question 4
The AT&T long-distance network did not collapse entirely on January 15, 1990, because:
A. the U.S. Secret Service arrested the culprits before they could do any further damage.
B. AT&T technicians rapidly fixed the software bug in the routing switches.
C. MCI loaned some equipment to AT&T.
D. not all the routing switches had been converted to the latest software.
Question 5
Some computer experts have spoken out against the conversion to touch-screen voting machines because:
A. there is no evidence that there have been any problems with punched card systems.
B. they are made in China, which does not even hold elections.
C. a power failure could make it impossible for people to vote.
D. they do not have a paper audit trail.
Question 6
By making the PDP 11 minicomputer an integral part of the Therac-25, AECL was able to:
A. shrink the size of the machine considerably.
B. increase the stock price of its subsidiary Digital Equipment Corporation.
C. reduce costs by replacing hardware safety features with software safety features.
D. eliminate the need for lead shielding.
Question 7
Which mistake was NOT made by AECL, the manufacturer of the Therac-25?
A. It did not include software or hardware devices to detect and report overdoses.
B. It did not tell other hospitals about possible overdose incidents.
C. It reused code without proper testing.
D. It continued to sell the Therac-25 after the FDA declared it to be defective.
Question 8
Computer simulations can:
A. accurately predict the weather a month in advance.
B. save automobile manufacturers time and money as they develop new cars.
C. prove our planet is overpopulated.
D. All of the above
Question 9
The process of determining if a model is an accurate representation of the real system is called:
A. the null hypothesis.
B. software engineering.
C. synthesis.
D. validation.
Question 10
The discipline focused on the production of software, as well as the development of tools, methodologies, and theories supporting software production, is most accurately called:
A. artificial intelligence.
B. computer engineering.
C. computer science.
D. software engineering.
Question 11
__________ is the process of determining if a computer program correctly implements the simulation model.
A. Identification
B. Verification
C. Conditioning
D. Specification
Question 12
The Ariane 5 was a satellite launch vehicle designed by the __________ space agency.
A. British
B. U.S.
C. German
D. French
Question 13
Which of the following is NOT a reason to use a computer simulation?
A. To model past events
B. To produce a detailed financial model
C. To reduce costs
D. To save time
Question 14
In 1999 computer errors led to the loss of two NASA probes to:
A. The Moon.
B. Mars.
C. Venus.
D. Saturn.
Question 15
The inability of BAE Automated Systems to create an automated baggage handling system led to a significant delay in the opening of the new airport outside the city of:
A. Boston.
B. Chicago.
C. Philadelphia.
D. Denver.
Question 16
In November 2002 a programming error caused a touch-screen voting machine to fail to record 436 ballots cast in Wake County:
A. North Carolina.
B. Indiana.
C. Florida.
D. California.
Question 17
In a(n) __________, two or more concurrent tasks share a variable, and the order in which they read or write the value of the variable can affect the behavior of the program.
A. causal condition
B. integrated system
C. race condition
D. direct system
Question 18
Software engineers use a four-step process to develop a software product. Which of the following is NOT one of the steps?
A. Validation
B. Simulation
C. Evolution
D. Specification
Question 19
Which of the following is NOT an issue with DRE voting machines used in Brazil and India?
A. Lack of a paper audit trail
B. Vulnerability to tampering
C. Voter identity may be revealed
D. Source code is a trade secret
Question 20
In 1975 Congress passed the __________. One goal of the act was to prevent manufacturers from putting unfair warranties on products costing more than $25.
A. Retail Protection Act
B. Uniform Commercial Code
C. Limitation of Remedies and Liability Act
D. Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act