CP2 Computing January 2004

[1](a)	Clip art is a library of electronically stored pictures. The manager of a discount store uses a word processor package and clip art to produce information sheets advertising the store's latest offers. He uses clip art to enhance the appearance of his information sheet. Give an example of suitable clip art that would enhance the appearance of the information sheets.	[1]
	a starburst shape. The words 'Latest Offers' could be placed inside it.
(b)	The manager uses a spreadsheet package to manage the store's accounts. Describe two features of a spreadsheet package that the manager may find useful when managing the store's accounts.	[2]
	automatic calculations functions such as SUM or AVERAGE

[2]	Ceri owns a small interior design company. The company carries out the decoration of flats and houses. Clients often book months in advance and a project can take from one week to several months to complete. Ceri sometimes has to employ specialists such as carpenters or plumbers for the projects. At present Ceri keeps information about all future projects using a paper based system.
(i)	Describe two possible difficulties that Ceri may have with the current paper based system.	[2]
	paper records take up a lot of space. finding one record may take some time if the papers are not properly organised..
(ii)	Ceri could use a personal computer to overcome these difficulties.
I	A suitable type of software for this application is a database package. Describe, giving two reasons, how this software would overcome the difficulties experienced with the existing paper-based system.	[2]
	the database could be stored on a hard disc. There would be no need for filing cabinets full of paper. a database has searching and sorting facilities to find records quickly.
II.	Apart from name, address and telephone number, state two items of information which the new system should store about future projects.	[2]
	description of project date job is to start. specialists needed. ..etc
(iii)	Describe how a high specification portable ("lap-top") personal computer could further help Ceri.	[2]
	she could carry the laptop round with her and work from home or ... she could visit the sites of the projects with her laptop and update the database. she could connect to the Internet and check her emails wherever she was.

[3]	State, giving a reason in each case, the most suitable storage medium, for each of the following situations.
(i)	A secondary school teacher giving a copy of a very small (30 Kilobytes) computer program to all members of a computing class.	[2]
	a floppy disc it is portable and can be given to each member of the class to copy the program.
(ii)	A school computer technician backing up the very large (100 Gigabytes) hard disc drive of a network's file server.	[2]
	a magnetic tape very high storage capacity.
(iii)	Distributing an electronic encyclopaedia (500 Megabytes)	[2]
	a CD-ROM large storage capacity and is portable, and data cannot be accidentally altered or deleted.

[4](a)	A range check is one method of validating data. Use an example to help explain the term range check. Give one example of valid data and one example of invalid data.	[3]
	A range check ensures that an item of data lies within a certain range of values. For example, the day part of a date must lie between 1 and 31. Valid data - 17 Invalid data - 32
(b)	Another method of data validation is the use of a check digit. A shop selling a small range of specialist musical instruments uses a three-digit code number for each instrument. A check digit is calculated as follows: The right digit is multiplied by 1 The middle digit is multiplied by 2 The left digit is multiplied by 3 The three numbers calculated above are then added. The check digit is the right most digit of the resulting number. Calculate the check digit for the code 316, showing how the check digit was calculated.	[2]
	6 x 1 = 6 1 x 2 = 2 3 x 3 = 9 --------- Total = 17 so check digit is 7.

[5](a)	Explain the difference between serial file organisation and sequential file organisation.	[2]
	serial file - records are added to the file as they occur. sequential file - records are sorted into order of a key field.
(b)	Describe a computer application of a serial access file, making it clear why this file structure is appropriate.	[2]
	a transaction file for a mail order company. the records are saved in the order they are received.
(c)	Records within a file can be fixed or variable length.
(i)	Give one advantage of a fixed length record.	[1]
	the computer can calculate where every record is, so processing or searching is faster.
(ii)	Describe, with a reason, an application in which variable length records would be useful.	[2]
	a hospital sends files of kidney donors over a network to other hospitals. The file needs to be small for faster transmission.

[6]	Explain what is meant by each of the following terms:
(i)	address bus;	[1]
	a path down which addresses are transmitted.
(ii)	control bus.	[1]
	a path down which control signals are sent to all parts of the computer.

[7](a)	One role of the operating system of a personal computer is managing resources. Describe three examples of how the operating system manages resources.	[3]
	allocates memory to running applications. directs input and output data to the right hardware. loads and runs programs.
(b)	Describe two utilities usually provided by the operating system of a personal computer.	[2]
	a program that copies a file from one disc to another. a disc defragmenting program, that tidies up the way files are stored on a disc.
(c)	An operating system on a large mainframe computer allows multi-user (multi-access) mode of operation. Describe one additional feature a multi-user operating system would have compared with the operating system found on a personal computer.	[1]
	allocation of time-slices to a number of loaded applications in turn, that makes sure each application is run to completion.

[8]	Briefly explain, using an example, the term handshaking when used in connection with a computer and a printer.	[3]
	a computer wants to print and sends a signal to the printer. the printer returns a signal if it is ready to receive the data to print. the computer sends the data to the printer.

[9]	A school has a local area network with one file server attached. The pupils and the teachers can save files on this server in their own directories. The school secretary also stores personal information about the school's staff and pupils.
(i)I	Describe two methods, which the school could use to prevent malicious damage to any files on the server.	[2]
	passwords - each user has to enter a user name and password to log in, and security settings can be given to files so only authorised users can access them. the files could be encrypted to make them meaningless to unauthorised users who access them.
II	In the event of data being corrupted, describe a procedure the school should have in place to prevent data loss.	[1]
	regular backups of all important data should be made.
(ii)	Describe three ways in which the Data Protection Act would affect the school.	[3]
	the school would need to register with the DPA, stating the purpose of storing the data. the school can only use the data for the specified purposes. the school is obliged to keep the data up-to-date and accurate. the school must keep the data secure from unauthorised access.

[10]	Palm top computers and personal organisers are often too small to have usable keyboards. What other method of input could they use? State one advantage and one disadvantage of this method.	[3]
	Pointing with a stylus - a 'stick' that the user writes with onto a touch-sensitive screen. Fingers can also be used. Advantage - input can be done without any extra pieces of hardware, so palm top computers can be carried around and used anywhere. Disadvantage - It is difficult to write text, so word processing applications are difficult to use.

[11]	In the following question, additional credit (up to 3 marks) will be given if your answer demonstrates skill in written communication.
	A company employs a large door-to-door sales team. A door-to-door sales person collects orders from customers and posts them to the company's headquarters where they are input into a computer. The company decides to close the department where the orders are input and asks the sales people to input the orders directly from their home. The company has a local area network and an Intranet. Describe any benefits and drawbacks for the company, including possible costs incurred and savings made. How will working from home affect the employee? What additional hardware and software will be required? How could the 'home workers' make use of the company's Intranet?	[8+3]
	There will be savings for the company as they will not need to pay for the cost of posting the order forms. The post will take longer, so the orders will be received faster by the company if the sales people enter them at home directly into the system. Money will also be saved because there will be no need to pay people to transcribe the orders data when it is received at the company's headquarters. Employees working at home will benefit from flexible time. They will be able to choose the hours they work to suit themselves, but there may be difficulties motivating themselves. There may also be distractions such as pets or noisy children in the home. Social skills may suffer as there will be less chance of meeting other people who work for the same company. Each worker will need a computer connected to the Internet, with browsers and email programs. The computers may alternatively be linked via a dedicated network line to the company's office where the server processes all data it receives over the network. Home workers could log in to the company's Intranet to view important information about the company, such as latest news, policies or even information about the customers.