CPT 101 Concepts Exam 2 | Questions & Answers (100 %Score) Latest Updated 2024/2025
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Application Programming Interface (API) - A set of software routines that allows one software system to
work with another.
Blocks of code that the CPU recognizes
Ex. Microsoft Direct X
Authentication - The process of identifying a computer user, based on a login or username and
password. The computer system determines whether the computer user is authorized and what level of
access is to be granted on the network.
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) - A program that manages the data between a computer's operating
system and all the input and output devices attached to the computer; also responsible for loading the
operating system (OS) from its permanent location on the hard drive to random access memory (RAM).
Boot Process - The process for loading the operating system (OS) into random access memory (RAM)
when the computer is turned on.
Cluster - The smallest increment in which data is stored on hard disks; hard disks are divided into tracks,
then wedges, then sectors, then clusters.
command-driven interface - Interface between user and computer in which the user enters commands
to communicate with the computer system.
device driver - Software that facilitates the communication between a device and the operating system.
Directory - A hierarchical structure that include files, folders, and drives used to create a more organized
and efficient computer.
Drives, Libraries, Folders, Subfolders, Files
Disk Cleanup - a Windows utility that removes unnecessary files from the hard drive
,Disk Defragmentation - The process of regrouping related pieces of files on the hard drive, enabling
faster retrieval of the data.
Distributions (distros) - Linux download packages
event - The result of an action, such as a keystroke, mouse click, or signal to the printer, in the respective
device (keyboard, mouse, or printer) to which the operating system responds.
extension (file type) - In a file name, the three letters that follow the user-supplied file name after the
dot (.); the extension identifies what kind of family of files the file belongs to, or which application
should be used to read the file.
file - A collection of related pieces of information stored together for easy reference.
*Treated as a single unit*
Stored on permanent storage device
file compression utility - A program that takes out redundancies in a file in order to reduce the file size.
File Explorer - The main tool for finding, viewing, and managing the contents of your computer by
showing the location and contents of every drive, folder, and file; called Windows Explorer prior to
Windows 8.
File History - A Windows utility that automatically creates a duplicate of your libraries, desktop,
contacts, and favorites and copies it to another storage device, such as an external hard drive.
File Management - The process by which humans or computer software provide organizational structure
to a computer's contents.
file name - The first part of the label applied to a file; it is generally the name a user assigns to the file
when saving it.
,file path - The exact location of a file, starting with the drive in which the file is located, and including all
folders and subfolders.
folder - A collection of files stored on a computer.
google chrome os - web based OS
Graphical User Interface (GUI) - Unlike the command- and menu-driven interfaces used in earlier
software, GUIs display graphics and use the point-and-click technology of the mouse and cursor, making
them much more user friendly.
interrupt - A signal that tells the operating system that it's in need of immediate attention.
interrupt handler - A special numerical code that prioritizes requests from various devices. These
requests then are placed in the interrupt table in the computer's primary memory.
kernel (supervisor program) - The essential component of the operating system that is responsible for
managing the processor and all other components of the computer system. Because it stays in random
access memory (RAM) the entire time the computer is powered on, the kernel is called memory
resident.
Linux - An open source operating system based on UNIX. Because of the stable nature of this operating
system, it is often used on Web servers.
Machine Learning - A form of artificial intelligence that provides computers with the ability to learn
without being explicitly programmed
MacOS - The first commercially available operating system to incorporate a graphical user interface
(GUI) with user-friendly point-and-click technology.
menu-driven interface - A user interface in which the user chooses a command from menus displayed on
the screen.
, Microsoft account - Registered user profile with specific user id and password to log into Windows
account from any machine and access familiar desktop and applications.
mobile operating system - An operating system that includes many features of personal computer
operating systems but are modified to be more functional on handheld devices
Multitask - The ability of an operating system to perform more than one process at a time.
multiuser operating system (network operating system) - An operating system that enables more than
one user to access the computer system at one time by efficiently juggling all the requests from multiple
users.
natural language processing - uses AI techniques to enable computers to generate and understand
natural human languages, such as English
Operating System (OS) - The system software that controls the way in which a computer system
functions, including the management of hardware, peripherals, and software.
Paging - The process of swapping data or instructions that have been placed in the swap file for later use
back into active random access memory (RAM). The contents of the hard drive's swap file then become
less active data or instructions.
path separator - The backslash mark (\) used by Microsoft Windows and DOS in file names. Mac files use
a colon (:), and UNIX and Linux use the forward slash (/) as the path separator.
Pinning - The process through which you choose which applications are visible on the Windows Start
screen.
platform - The combination of a computer's operating system and processor. The two most common
platform types are the PC and the Apple.
Plug and Play (PnP) - The technology that enables the operating system, once it is booted up, to
recognize automatically any new peripherals and to configure them to work with the system.
