Deck 5: Data Storage Technology

Question 1

​A storage device consists of a read/write mechanism and a storage medium.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The CPU moves data and instructions continually between registers and primary storage.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

HTH switching time is the most important component of access time.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Primary storage extends the limited capacity of CPU registers.

Question 5

Cost per unit decreases as an access method moves from serial to random to parallel.

Question 6

The physical structure of a storage device's read/write mechanism and storage medium determines the ways in which data can be accessed.

Question 7

Magnetic tape and disk are considered volatile storage media.

Question 8

With current technology, secondary storage speed is typically faster than primary storage speed.

Question 9

Volatility is a matter of degree and conditions.

Question 10

Block size is normally stated in bytes and is generally the same between storage devices, especially in a single storage device.

Question 11

SRAM has higher density then DRAM.

Question 12

Disk drives share one set of read/write circuits among all read/write heads.

Question 13

Secondary storage is generally expensive compared with primary storage.

Question 14

Serial access time depends on the current position of the read/write mechanism and the position of the target data item in the storage medium.

Question 15

Communication channel capacity is generally a restriction on a single disk drive's data transfer rate.

Question 16

Capacitors can charge and discharge much faster than batteries.

Question 17

Electrical current can generate a magnetic field but a magnetic field cannot generate electricity.

Question 18

512- and 4096-byte blocks are the most common data transfer units for magnetic disks.

Question 19

Because sequential access time is so much faster than average access time, disk performance is improved dramatically if related data is stored in sequential sectors.

Question 20

Wait states increase CPU and computer system performance.

Question 21

____ is a generic term for describing secondary storage data transfer units.

A) Sector
B) Wafer
C) Cluster
D) Block

Question 22

To increase capacity per platter, disk manufacturers divide tracks into two or more zones and vary the sectors per track in each zone.

Question 23

____ is the most important characteristic differentiating primary and secondary storage.

A) Capacity
B) Density
C) Transfer rate
D) Speed

Question 24

Storage device speed is called ____.

A) retrieval time
B) access time
C) movement time
D) fetch time

Question 25

A ____ is a CPU cycle spent waiting for access to an instruction or data.

A) wait state
B) hold state
C) purge state
D) clock state

Question 26

Magnetic and optical storage are currently direct competitors.

Question 27

SSDs are much more tolerant to shock and other negative environmental factors commonly encountered with portable devices, such as multifunction cell phones, netbooks, and laptop computers.

Question 28

____ in the CPU are storage locations for instructions and data.

A) ALUs
B) Shifters
C) Registers
D) Controllers

Question 29

Coercible material per sector is greater at the center than in the platter edge.

Question 30

Most optical storage media can retain data for decades because they aren't subject to magnetic decay and leakage.

Question 31

Magneto-optical technology peaked in the mid-1980s.

Question 32

The write operation for recordable discs is destructive, so recordable disc formats can be written only one time.

Question 33

A storage device or medium is ____ if it can't hold data reliably for long periods.

A) nonvolatile
B) volatile
C) transient
D) archival

Question 34

Rewritable DVDs use a single standard adopted by the entire industry.

Question 35

A ____ storage device stores and retrieves data items in a linear, or sequential, order.

A) direct access
B) random access
C) dynamic access
D) serial access

Question 36

​The ____ is the device or substance that actually holds data.

A) storage device​
B) ​storage medium
C) ​storage method
D) ​storage speed

Question 37

A storage device or medium is ____ if it holds data without loss over long periods.

A) volatile
B) dynamic
C) nonvolatile
D) archival

Question 38

​Computing average access time is more complex when sectors are more densely packed on the platter's outer portions because the assumption that an average access requires moving the read/write head over half the tracks is no longer valid.

Question 39

Access times for secondary storage devices are typically expressed in ____ or microseconds.

A) milliseconds
B) exoseconds
C) nanoseconds
D) picoseconds

Question 40

Magnetic disk drives have an advantage over SSDs in power consumption.

Question 41

​____ is a read-ahead RAM that uses the same clock pulse as the system bus.

A) Synchronous DRAM
B) Asynchronous DRAM
C) Flash DRAM
D) Continuous DRAM

Question 42

The tendency of magnetically charged particles to lose their charge over time is called ____.

A) magnetic half-life
B) magnetic flux
C) magnetic field
D) magnetic decay

Question 43

The surface area allocated to store on a bit is called the ____.

A) bit density
B) surface density
C) areal density
D) object density

Question 44

Read/write circuitry uses ____ data to compensate for minor variations in rotation speed and other factors that might disturb the precise timing needed for reliable reading and writing.

A) quantization
B) aggregation
C) synchronization
D) averaging

Question 45

Data is represented in the CPU as ____.

A) analog electrical signals
B) quantum signals
C) digital electrical signals
D) digital optical signals

Question 46

Programs usually access instructions and data items ____.

A) randomly
B) dynamically
C) repeatedly
D) sequentially

Question 47

Software stored in NVM is called ____.

A) software
B) firmware
C) flash storage
D) system software

Question 48

____ stores each bit by using a single transistor and capacitor.

A) Dynamic ROM
B) Static ROM
C) Dynamic RAM
D) Static RAM

Question 49

Multiple hard drives can be enclosed in a single storage cabinet; this arrangement is referred to as a ____.

A) drive cluster
B) drive tray
C) drive unit
D) drive array

Question 50

The term ____ describes primary storage devices that are implemented as microchips, can read and write with equal speed, and can randomly access bytes, words, or larger data units.

A) RAM
B) PROM
C) ROM
D) semiconductor

Question 51

A ____ consists of all tracks at an equivalent distance from the edge or spindle on all platter surfaces.

A) cylinder
B) sector
C) block
D) cluster

Question 52

Modern computers use memory implemented with ____.

A) vacuum tubes
B) resistors
C) quasiconductors
D) Semiconductors

Question 53

____ is implemented entirely with transistors.

A) Dynamic RAM
B) Static RAM
C) Dynamic ROM
D) Static ROM

Question 54

The time needed to move from one track to another is called ____, typically measured in milliseconds.

A) track-to-track seek time
B) random seek time
C) average seek time
D) relocation seek time

Question 55

The ____, a newer packaging standard, is essentially a SIMM with independent electrical contacts on both sides of the module.

A) double inline memory module
B) dual inline package
C) surface mount package
D) zero-insertion force package

Question 56

The time the disk controller must wait for the right sector to rotate beneath the heads is called ____.

A) track-to-track seek time
B) rotational delay
C) average access time
D) synchronization delay

Question 57

A(n) ____ is a ribbon of plastic with a coercible (usually metallic oxide) coating.

A) optical disk
B) magnetic tape
C) magnetic disk
D) recordable disk

Question 58

A single disk sector usually holds ____ or 4096 bytes.

A) 250
B) 512
C) 760
D) 1024

Question 59

A ____ device isn't restricted to any specific order when accessing data.

A) random access
B) serial access
C) dynamic access
D) linear access

Question 60

Memory devices comprised of semiconductors and other forms of RAM with long-term or permanent data retention are generically known as ____.

A) volatile memory
B) tertiary storage
C) nonvolatile memory
D) persistent memory

Question 61

A ____ is a storage device that mimics the behavior of a magnetic disk drive but uses flash RAM or other NVM devices as the storage medium and read/write mechanism.

A) traditional hard drive
B) hybrid hard drive
C) solid-state drive
D) memory drive

Question 62

​A(n) ____________________ device can access multiple storage locations simultaneously.

Question 63

In a CD, concave dents in the reflective layer that are used to represent bit values are called "____."

A) lands
B) grooves
C) hills
D) pits

Question 64

____________________ is a read-ahead RAM that uses the same clock pulse as the system bus.

Question 65

A CPU with a 1 GHz clock rate needs a new instruction and supporting data every ____________________.

Question 66

____ is the time required to read the second of two adjacent sectors on the same track and platter.

A) Track-to-track seek time
B) Rotational delay
C) Sequential access time
D) Average access time

Question 67

A ____ reorganizes disk content so that a file's contents are stored in sequential sectors, tracks, and platters.

A) disk defragmentation utility
B) disk organization utility
C) disk defragmentation firmware
D) disk reorganization firmware

Question 68

Primary storage devices must closely match CPU speed and word size to avoid ____________________.

Question 69

Sony and Philips originally developed compact disc (CD) technology for storing and distributing music in the ____ format.

A) disk digital audio
B) MPEG Layer 3
C) CD digital audio
D) compressed digital audio

Question 70

In a CD, flat areas in the reflective layer that represent bit values are called "____."

A) lands
B) grooves
C) rings
D) plateaus

Question 71

____________________ is the only widely used form of serial access storage.

Question 72

The term ____________________ describes the data transfer unit for magnetic disk and optical disc drives.

Question 73

​A(n) ____________________ provides the interface between the storage device and system bus.

Question 74

Modern SSDs use a technique called "____" to spread write operations around the storage medium, thus evening out the impact of destructive writes and extending the storage device's useful life.

A) wear aggregation
B) wear prevention
C) wear mitigation
D) wear leveling

Question 75

____ is the sum of average access delay and the time required to read a single sector.

A) Average access time
B) Rotational latency
C) Track-to-track seek time
D) Synchronization delay

Question 76

____________________ is the time required to perform one complete read or write operation.

Question 77

A disk with many program and data files scattered on it is said to be ____.

A) partitioned
B) segmented
C) clustered
D) fragmented

Question 78

Current SSDs use ____ as the storage medium.

A) SDRAM
B) flash RAM
C) EEPROMs
D) PGAs

Question 79

​A storage device consists of a read/write mechanism and a(n) ____________________.

Question 80

​Each refresh operation in DRAM is called a(n) ____________________.