Deck 14: the History of the Personal Computer

Question 1

John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz revolutionized programming by developing the ________ programming language in 1964.

Answer 1

Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, BASIC

Question 2

The ________ was the first portable computer.

A) TRS-80
B) Osborne
C) IBM PC
D) ENIAC

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The 5.25 floppy disk was a significant advancement because ________.

A) it had a hard protective case
B) they were readily available
C) it facilitated saving programs and development of operating systems
D) they were on every personal computer

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Who invented the first accurate mechanical calculator?

A) Katherine Johnson
B) Blaise Pascal
C) Charles Babbage
D) Herman Hollerith

Question 5

Each of the following are examples of Spreadsheet applications, EXCEPT ________.

A) Access
B) VisiCalc
C) Excel
D) Lotus 1-2-3

Question 6

The first personal computer to come to the market in 1975 was the ________.

A) Apple I
B) Altair 8800
C) TRS-80
D) IBM PC Jr.

Question 7

What concept introduced in the Turing Machine became the precursor to modern RAM?

A) audio cassettes in an infinite loop
B) Infinite paper tape which could be written to, erased, and changed
C) punch cards arranges in an infinite loop
D) reel to reel tapes

Question 8

Which web browser was the first introduced?

A) Mosaic
B) Internet Explorer
C) Netscape Navigator
D) Chrome

Question 9

BASIC's main advantage over FORTRAN, COBAL and ALGOL was ________.

A) BASIC used a GUI interface
B) Beginning programming students could easily learn BASIC
C) Earlier programming languages were solely for accounting and statistical applications
D) Bill Gates and Paul Allen used BASIC to program the Altair

Question 10

Prior to the IBM PC, IBM primarily made ________.

A) networking equipment
B) software
C) copiers
D) mainframe computers

Question 11

The ________ computer introduced in 1975 had no keyboard or monitor and used switches on the front to enter data and lights on the front to display results.

Question 12

Which invention replaced vacuum tubes in computers?

A) Integrated circuits
B) Magnetic tape
C) Micro controllers
D) Transistors

Question 13

________ was the first computer with a graphical user interface, developed in 1972.

A) Apple Lisa
B) Xerox Alto
C) Apple Macintosh
D) Microsoft Windows

Question 14

A major advancement in the Apple II was storing the operating system ________.

A) on a cassette tape
B) on a floppy disk
C) in ROM
D) in RAM

Question 15

Who translated an Italian description of Babbage's Engine to English and added extensive notes, creating the best description of the machine?

A) Joseph Jacquard
B) Herman Hollerith
C) Ada Lovelace
D) Blaise Pascal

Question 16

Apple Computer was founded by ________ and Steve Wozniak.

Question 17

Virtually All PCs with Intel chipsets ran ________ by the early 80s.

A) TRS-DOS
B) CP/M
C) MS-DOS
D) Unix

Question 18

________ used the term PC to market its first personal computer.

Question 19

Grace Hopper gets credit for coining a common computing term by ________.

A) removing a bug from a computer
B) creating a program that translates English to machine language
C) creating punch cards to be read by a computer
D) removing fragments from a computer

Question 20

The Osborne was the first ________ computer.

Question 21

The Atanasoff-Berry Computer was the first to use ________ instead of mechanical switches.

Question 22

Bill Gates developed the ________ operating system for IBM PCs in 1980.

Question 23

The Jacquard loom used holes punched in stiff ________ to make complex designs in fabric.

Question 24

Babbage's engine was used for years as a mechanical calculator in odometers.

Question 25

Bell Telephone Laboratories invented the ________, which replaced the vacuum tube.

Question 26

Howard Aiken and Grace Hopper designed the Mark series of computers used by the U.S. Navy for ballistic and gunnery calculations.

Question 27

A(n) ________ uses icons and a pointing device to allow users to interact with the computer.

Question 28

VisiCalc was the first ________ application.

Question 29

Microsoft bundled its ________ browser in Windows 95.

Question 30

The ________ was the first computer to use magnetic tape instead of punch cards.

Question 31

Bill Gates developed the floppy disk.

Question 32

________ designed the Analytical Engine in 1834.

Question 33

The UNIVAC identified Dwight D. Eisenhower as the winner of the 1952 US Presidential race.