2300/012A
COMPUTER APPLICATIONS (THEORY)
Paper 1
November 2022
Time: 2 hours
1.
a) Outline three advantages that an organization would get for using email for their communication.
- Fast communication: Emails are sent and received instantly, allowing for real-time communication.
- Cost-effective: Sending emails is significantly cheaper compared to traditional mailing systems.
- Multiple recipients: Emails can be sent to multiple recipients simultaneously, saving time.
b) Describe each of the following terms as used in desktop publishing applications:
- Body: The main text or content area in a document.
- Crop: A tool used to remove unwanted outer areas of an image or document.
- Wrap: A text formatting option that allows text to flow around an image or object.
c) Distinguish between device drivers and firmware as used in computers.
- Device drivers: These are specific software programs that control hardware devices and allow the operating system to communicate with them.
- Firmware: This is a type of permanent software programmed into a hardware device, often stored in its ROM.
d) Nancy was tasked to design a database for data storage. Outline four aspects she would consider before designing the database.
- Data integrity: Ensuring the accuracy and consistency of the data over its lifecycle.
- Data security: Implementing measures to protect data from unauthorized access or corruption.
- Data accuracy: Ensuring that the data entered and stored is correct.
- Ease of retrieval: Structuring the database to make data easy to retrieve and manipulate.
2.
a) Outline the meaning of each of the following database concepts:
- Data entity: An object or thing in the database, typically a table that stores data.
- Data attribute: A characteristic or property of a data entity, typically a column in a table.
- Data tuple: A single row or record in a database table.
- Data integrity: The accuracy and consistency of data over its entire lifecycle.
b) Rose was tasked to design a database for an organization’s data storage. Outline four aspects she would consider when designing the database fields.
- Field type: Ensuring the correct data type (e.g., text, number) is used for each field.
- Field size: Allocating an appropriate length or size for each field.
- Field name: Giving each field a clear, descriptive name.
- Field constraints: Defining rules like “required” or “unique” to maintain data integrity.
c) A computer technician was required to install an operating system. Explain two types of operating systems stating how they could be used.
- Single-user operating system: This OS allows only one user to use the system at a time, e.g., Windows 10 on a personal computer.
- Multi-user operating system: This OS allows multiple users to access the system simultaneously, e.g., Linux on a server.
d) Jack was called for service as a database consultant. He needs to clarify the tasks of a database administrator. State four such duties that he would consider when attending to the client’s storage.
- Managing database backups: Ensuring regular backups are made to prevent data loss.
- Monitoring database performance: Ensuring the database operates efficiently.
- Ensuring database security: Implementing and managing access controls and security measures.
- Configuring database access: Setting up user permissions and roles to control who can access specific data.
3.
a) Outline the function of each of the following formulas in a spreadsheet program:
- IF: Performs a logical test and returns one value if true, another value if false.
- LEN: Returns the length of a string (number of characters).
- Concatenate: Combines two or more strings into one.
b) Replace one occurrence in each case that would reconstruct the use of the following formulas in word processing programs:
- Bold: Highlights text to make it thicker and stand out.
- Italics: Slants text to emphasize or differentiate it.
- Underline: Draws a line under the text to emphasize it.
c) Distinguish between ruler guides and color guides as applied in desktop publishing programs.
- Ruler guides: These are lines used to help align objects, text, and margins in a document.
- Color guides: These are tools to ensure consistent use of colors and assist with managing color schemes in design.
d) Align a header or title in an ideal slide using a presentation program. Outline two functions alignment options that could apply.
- Center alignment: Aligns the header or title in the middle of the slide.
- Left alignment: Aligns the header or title to the left side of the slide.
e) State three reasons for using queries in a database management system.
- Data retrieval: To extract specific information from large datasets.
- Data update: To make changes to multiple records efficiently.
- Perform calculations: To calculate totals, averages, etc., from database data.
4.
a) Explain each of the following features as used in a spreadsheet program:
- Sort: Arranges data in a particular order, either ascending or descending.
- Filter: Narrows down the data displayed by hiding irrelevant data based on criteria.
b) Insert notes in multiple speaker notes in slides created using a presentation program.
- This allows presenters to add personal notes visible only to themselves during a presentation.
c) Outline three items that may include in a paper setup.
- Orientation: Determines if the document is printed in portrait or landscape.
- Margins: Defines the space around the edges of the page.
- Paper size: Specifies the dimensions of the paper, e.g., A4, Letter.
d) Outline two ways how you could access the speaker notes during a presentation.
- Presenter view: Shows the notes on the presenter’s screen but not on the audience’s display.
- Printing notes: Speaker notes can be printed and referred to during the presentation.
e) With the aid of a chart in each case, describe the following components of entity-relationship models:
- Attribute: A property or characteristic of an entity.
- Relationship: Describes how two entities interact or are associated with one another.