Module 1 challenge: Introduction to IT and Computing (Technical Support Fundamentals) Answers 2025

Question 1

Which of the following roles are typically considered part of IT? Select all that apply.

✅ Hardware technician
❌ Business analyst
✅ Network engineer
✅ Desktop support personnel

🔹 Explanation:
IT (Information Technology) roles mainly involve maintaining and supporting computer systems, networks, and hardware. Business analysts, while related, focus more on business processes and data interpretation.

Question 2

Fill in the blank: A(n) ____ is a device that stores and processes data by performing calculations.

Analytical engine
Punch card
Difference engine
✅ Computer

🔹 Explanation:
A computer is a modern device that stores, processes, and calculates data using electronic components.

Question 3

Which of these devices were used to store data in computers in the past but typically are no longer used? Select all that apply.

✅ Punch cards
✅ Floppy disks
❌ Transistors
❌ Hard disk drives

🔹 Explanation:
Punch cards and floppy disks are outdated storage devices. Transistors are still used in processors, and hard disks are still in use for storage today.

Question 4

Fill in the blank: One byte can encode ___ unique values.

100
✅ 256
8
2560

🔹 Explanation:
A byte has 8 bits. Each bit can be 0 or 1, giving $2^8 = 256$ possible combinations.

Question 5

Fill in the blank: ____ is used to assign characters to binary values so humans can read them.

RGB
Compilation
✅ Character encoding
Refactoring

🔹 Explanation:
Character encoding (like ASCII or Unicode) maps binary numbers to readable letters and symbols so computers and humans can exchange text data.

Question 6

Which of the following is the current method used to communicate in binary?

Holes in punch cards
Vacuum tubes
✅ Electrical signals that flow through transistors
Magnetic tape

🔹 Explanation:
Modern computers use transistors that switch electrical signals on and off to represent binary 1s and 0s.

Question 7

Use the following binary conversion table to convert the decimal value 142 into binary format.

10011100
01100110
10001010
✅ 10001110

🔹 Explanation:
142 = 128 + 8 + 4 + 2 = binary 10001110.

Question 8

Use the following binary conversion table to convert the byte 00100001 into a decimal value.

✅ 33
37
32
36

🔹 Explanation:
Binary 00100001 = 32 + 1 = 33 in decimal.

Question 9

Use the following binary conversion table to convert the byte 00011001 into a decimal value.

✅ 25
18
28
24

🔹 Explanation:
Binary 00011001 = 16 + 8 + 1 = 25.

Question 10

What do we mean when we say “under the hood”?

✅ “Under the hood” refers to the specific, complex details of an implementation.
“Under the hood” refers to a car engine.
“Under the hood” refers to hiding the complexity of a concept.
“Under the hood” refers to abstracting a concept to make it easier to understand.

🔹 Explanation:
“Under the hood” means examining the deeper, technical workings or internal mechanisms of how something functions — similar to checking a car’s engine but in a computing context.