Introduction-to-IT Premium Exam Questions

The third generation of computing is known for major advances in operating systems, especially the move toward multiprogramming, time-sharing concepts, and improved resource management. During this era, computers became powerful enough to support operating systems that could coordinate multiple programs and users more effectively, enabling shared use of memory, processing time, and peripheral devices. This meant that instead of a computer running only one program at a time with long idle periods, the operating system could schedule tasks, allocate memory, and manage input and output to keep the system busy and efficient. These developments matched the growth of integrated circuits, which improved speed and reliability and made more advanced system software practical. Third-generation systems also emphasized better user interaction through terminals and more standardized system environments. While later generations improved operating systems further, the third generation is widely credited in Information Technology history with establishing the operating system as a central system layer for managing shared resources. Therefore, the correct answer is the third generation.

Data mirroring is an important business continuity strategy because it maintains a synchronized copy of data on a separate storage system or site. In Information Technology, mirroring supports rapid recovery by ensuring that if the primary data store fails, an up-to-date replica is available to restore operations. Mirroring may be implemented through storage replication, database replication, or real-time backup technologies, and it is often used for high-availability systems that require minimal data loss. This approach directly supports business continuity goals by reducing recovery time and limiting the recovery point, meaning less data is lost between the failure and the restored system. User authentication and data encryption are critical security controls, but they do not by themselves ensure operational continuity after outages or disasters. Service variety is not a standard continuity strategy term in most IT curricula. Business continuity focuses on redundancy, replication, failover, and recovery processes. Since mirroring creates a continuously updated duplicate of critical data, it is a core strategy used to maintain availability and speed restoration. Therefore, the correct answer is data mirroring.

A brand name is made up of multiple characters, so it should be stored as a character string. In Information Technology, a character string data type is used to store text values such as names, addresses, descriptions, and identifiers that consist of more than one character. Examples include Sony, Samsung, Dell, or Hewlett Packard. A character type would be limited to only one letter or symbol, which would not hold an entire brand name. Floating-point data types store numeric values with decimals, and Boolean data stores only two states such as true or false, so neither fits a text label like a brand name. Using a string type also allows the system to support searching, sorting, and matching operations for inventory reports and queries. In database design, this type is commonly implemented as VARCHAR or TEXT, depending on the expected length and usage. Therefore, the correct data type for storing a product brand name is character string.

•The software that allows the user to easily access the hardware of a computer is the operating system.

•Explanation: The operating system serves as the interface between hardware, application software, and the user. It manages hardware resources, file systems, processes, and memory.

•References: 12

Therefore, the correct answer is C. Operating system.