Total marks: 60 · Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Instructions to candidates
- This paper has 60 questions. Answer ALL questions.
- Each question is worth ONE mark.
- For each question there are four options, A, B, C and D. Choose the ONE you think is correct. In the January 2027 sitting, Paper 01 is taken online, so you select your answer on screen.
- The questions follow the syllabus spread for Paper 01: 35 items from Sections 1–3 (items 1–35), 15 from Sections 4–6 (items 36–50) and 10 from Sections 7–8 (items 51–60).
Paper
Computer Fundamentals, Networks and Social Impact (Items 1–35)
1. In computing, raw unprocessed facts and figures are referred to as
A) software
B) data
C) hardware
D) information
2. Which of the following is an INPUT device?
A) Scanner
B) Speaker
C) Printer
D) Monitor
3. Which of the following is an OUTPUT device?
A) Microphone
B) Barcode reader
C) Plotter
D) Webcam
4. Which part of the CPU directs and coordinates the operations of the computer?
A) The keyboard
B) The Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)
C) The hard disk
D) The Control Unit (CU)
5. Which type of memory loses its contents when the power is switched off?
A) Hard disk
B) DVD
C) RAM
D) ROM
6. Which unit of storage is the LARGEST?
A) Byte
B) Megabyte
C) Kilobyte
D) Gigabyte
7. 1 kilobyte is equal to
A) 1000 bits
B) 1024 megabytes
C) 1024 bytes
D) 8 bytes
8. Which storage device has NO moving parts?
A) Solid-state drive (SSD)
B) Magnetic tape drive
C) DVD drive
D) Hard disk drive
9. The speed of a processor is usually measured in
A) gigahertz (GHz)
B) dots per inch
C) megapixels
D) gigabytes (GB)
10. Which device is BEST for reading the answers shaded on multiple-choice answer sheets?
A) Optical character reader (OCR)
B) Magnetic ink character reader (MICR)
C) Barcode scanner
D) Optical mark reader (OMR)
11. Banks use magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) mainly to read
A) answers on test papers
B) customers' fingerprints
C) barcodes on products
D) the numbers printed on cheques
12. The operating system is an example of
A) an output device
B) a word-processed document
C) system software
D) a spreadsheet file
13. Software written to perform a specific task for the user, such as word processing, is
A) an operating system
B) application software
C) a utility program
D) firmware
14. A program that compresses files or scans a disk for errors is
A) a spreadsheet
B) a web browser
C) a compiler
D) a utility program
15. An interface in which users give commands by clicking icons, windows and menus is a
A) batch processing system
B) machine code interface
C) graphical user interface (GUI)
D) command-line interface
16. In the file name "report.docx", the part ".docx" is the
A) folder name
B) file extension
C) password
D) file size
17. Checking that an age entered on a school form is between 11 and 19 is
A) a type check
B) a length check
C) verification
D) a range check
18. Typing data in twice and comparing the two entries is
A) verification (double entry)
B) encryption
C) compression
D) validation
19. Processing the payroll for all employees in one run at the end of the month is
A) interactive processing
B) batch processing
C) real-time processing
D) online processing
20. Which method of file access lets any record be found directly without reading the records before it?
A) Sequential access
B) Serial access
C) Archive access
D) Direct (random) access
21. A network that connects the computers in one building, such as a school, is a
A) VPN
B) LAN
C) MAN
D) WAN
22. The device that connects a home or school network to an Internet service provider is a
A) router
B) printer
C) monitor
D) scanner
23. A private network that uses Internet technology and is available only to an organisation's staff is
A) a public hotspot
B) a search engine
C) the World Wide Web
D) an intranet
24. Which transmission medium carries data as pulses of light?
A) Coaxial cable
B) Twisted-pair cable
C) Microwave link
D) Fibre-optic cable
25. Bluetooth is BEST suited to
A) storing large files
B) connecting devices over a short distance
C) linking countries by satellite
D) printing documents in colour
26. HTTP is a
A) storage device
B) type of computer virus
C) database programming language
D) protocol for transferring web pages
27. In the web address www.moe.gov.jm, the part "gov" indicates
A) a government organisation
B) an educational institution
C) a commercial company
D) the country
28. Which of the following is a web browser?
A) Microsoft Excel
B) Linux
C) Mozilla Firefox
D) Adobe Photoshop
29. The email field that sends a copy to recipients while hiding their addresses from one another is
A) Bcc
B) Subject
C) Reply
D) Cc
30. Teachers in Barbados and Belize holding a meeting through live video over the Internet is an example of
A) batch processing
B) e-commerce
C) videoconferencing
D) data logging
31. Working from home and keeping in contact with the office by computer and the Internet is
A) phishing
B) hacking
C) videoconferencing
D) telecommuting
32. Gaining unauthorised access to a computer system is known as
A) backing up
B) formatting
C) hacking
D) encrypting
33. An email that pretends to be from a bank and asks for your PIN is an example of
A) spam filtering
B) phishing
C) encryption
D) a firewall
34. Copying software and selling it without the owner's permission is
A) software piracy
B) freeware
C) open-source licensing
D) shareware
35. Which is the BEST measure to protect a computer against malware?
A) Installing and updating antivirus software
B) Disabling the firewall
C) Opening all email attachments
D) Sharing passwords
Productivity Tools: Word Processing, Web Pages, Spreadsheets and Databases (Items 36–50)
36. Which word-processing feature merges a standard letter with a list of names to produce personalised copies?
A) Print preview
B) Word count
C) Spell check
D) Mail merge
37. The word-processing feature that moves text onto the next line automatically when a line is full is
A) justification
B) tabulation
C) word wrap
D) mail merge
38. Text aligned evenly along both the left and the right margins is
A) right-aligned
B) fully justified
C) left-aligned
D) centred
39. The first page a visitor sees when going to a website is the
A) server
B) home page
C) hyperlink
D) browser
40. In a spreadsheet, the reference $B$4 is best described as
A) an absolute cell reference
B) a relative cell reference
C) a text label
D) a chart
41. Which formula correctly adds the values in cells A1 to A5?
A) =A1+A5
B) =SUM(A1:A5)
C) =ADD(A1-A5)
D) =TOTAL(A1:A5)
42. The formula =C2*$F$1 in cell D2 is copied to D3. In D3 it becomes
A) =C3*$F$1
B) =C3*$F$2
C) =C2*$F$2
D) =D3*$F$1
43. Which spreadsheet function returns the largest value in a range of cells?
A) SUM
B) COUNT
C) MIN
D) MAX
44. Cells B2 to B5 contain 10, 20, 30 and 60. The function =AVERAGE(B2:B5) returns
A) 120
B) 4
C) 30
D) 60
45. The formula =IF(D2>=50,"Pass","Fail") displays "Fail" when D2 contains
A) 75
B) 50
C) 100
D) 49
46. In a database, the field that uniquely identifies each record is the
A) macro
B) primary key
C) footer
D) template
47. In a database, a single item of data, such as a student's surname, is stored in a
A) table
B) field
C) file
D) record
48. Which data type is most suitable for a field recording whether a fee has been paid (yes or no)?
A) Boolean (logical)
B) Date/time
C) Currency
D) Text
49. A database tool that selects only the records meeting a stated condition is a
A) macro
B) form
C) query
D) report
50. Arranging the records in a table in alphabetical order of surname is
A) validating
B) merging
C) sorting
D) querying
Problem-Solving and Program Implementation (Items 51–60)
51. A step-by-step sequence of instructions for solving a problem is a(n)
A) algorithm
B) spreadsheet
C) database
D) browser
52. In a flowchart, which symbol is used for a decision?
A) A parallelogram
B) A rectangle
C) A diamond
D) An oval
53. Which construct repeats a set of instructions a fixed number of times?
A) IF-THEN-ELSE
B) A FOR loop
C) A variable
D) An assignment
54. What is printed by this algorithm? x ← 4; y ← x * 3; x ← y − 5; PRINT x
A) 7
B) -1
C) 12
D) 4
55. A value such as −1 entered to signal the end of the input is a
A) sentinel (dummy) value
B) counter
C) array
D) constant
56. A variable that adds up values as a loop runs is called
A) a flag
B) an accumulator (running total)
C) a constant
D) a sentinel
57. In Pascal, which data type is MOST appropriate for storing a value such as 3.142?
A) Boolean
B) Integer
C) Real
D) Char
58. The result of 17 MOD 5 is
A) 85
B) 2
C) 3.4
D) 3
59. The result of 17 DIV 5 is
A) 3.4
B) 12
C) 2
D) 3
60. Translating a whole source program into machine code before it is run is done by a
A) debugger
B) text editor
C) compiler
D) interpreter