Systems Architecture 7e By Stephen D Burd – Test Bank

Complete Test Bank With Answers

 

 

Sample Questions Posted Below

 

Chapter 05 – Data Storage Technology

True / False

1. A storage device consists of a read/write mechanism and a storage medium.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 151

2. Wait states increase CPU and computer system performance.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 152

3. Primary storage extends the limited capacity of CPU registers.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 153

4. The CPU moves data and instructions continually between registers and primary storage.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 153

5. With current technology, secondary storage speed is typically faster than primary storage speed.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

6. Block size is normally stated in bytes and is generally the same between storage devices, especially in a single storage

device.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

7. 512- and 4096-byte blocks are the most common data transfer units for magnetic disks.

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 1Chapter 05 – Data Storage Technology

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

8. Volatility is a matter of degree and conditions.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

9. Magnetic tape and disk are considered volatile storage media.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

10. The physical structure of a storage device’s read/write mechanism and storage medium determines the ways in which

data can be accessed.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

11. Serial access time depends on the current position of the read/write mechanism and the position of the target data item

in the storage medium.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 155

12. Cost per unit decreases as an access method moves from serial to random to parallel.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 155

13. Secondary storage is generally expensive compared with primary storage.

a. True

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 2Chapter 05 – Data Storage Technology

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 156

14. Capacitors can charge and discharge much faster than batteries.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 156

15. SRAM has higher density then DRAM.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 159

16. Electrical current can generate a magnetic field but a magnetic field cannot generate electricity.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 158

17. Disk drives share one set of read/write circuits among all read/write heads.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 167

18. HTH switching time is the most important component of access time.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 168

19. Because sequential access time is so much faster than average access time, disk performance is improved dramatically

if related data is stored in sequential sectors.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

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POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 169

20. Communication channel capacity is generally a restriction on a single disk drive’s data transfer rate.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 169

21. Coercible material per sector is greater at the center than in the platter edge.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 171

22. To increase capacity per platter, disk manufacturers divide tracks into two or more zones and vary the sectors per track

in each zone.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 171

23. Computing average access time is more complex when sectors are more densely packed on the platter’s outer portions

because the assumption that an average access requires moving the read/write head over half the tracks is no longer valid.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 171

24. SSDs are much more tolerant to shock and other negative environmental factors commonly encountered with portable

devices, such as multifunction cell phones, netbooks, and laptop computers.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 173

25. Magnetic disk drives have an advantage over SSDs in power consumption.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

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REFERENCES: 173

26. Most optical storage media can retain data for decades because they aren’t subject to magnetic decay and leakage.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 175

27. Rewritable DVDs use a single standard adopted by the entire industry.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 177

28. Magnetic and optical storage are currently direct competitors.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 176

29. The write operation for recordable discs is destructive, so recordable disc formats can be written only one time.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: True

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 178

30. Magneto-optical technology peaked in the mid-1980s.

a. True

b. False

ANSWER: False

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 179

Multiple Choice

31. The

____

is the device or substance that actually holds data.

a. storage device

b. storage medium

c. storage method

d. storage speed

ANSWER: b

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POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 151

32.

____

is the most important characteristic differentiating primary and secondary storage.

a. Capacity

b. Density

c. Transfer rate

d. Speed

ANSWER: d

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 152

33. A

____

is a CPU cycle spent waiting for access to an instruction or data.

a. wait state

b. hold state

c. purge state

d. clock state

ANSWER: a

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 152

34.

____

in the CPU are storage locations for instructions and data.

a. ALUs

b. Shifters

c. Registers

d. Controllers

ANSWER: c

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 152

35. Storage device speed is called ____.

a. retrieval time

b. access time

c. movement time

d. fetch time

ANSWER: b

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 153

36. Access times for secondary storage devices are typically expressed in

a. milliseconds

or microseconds.

____

b. exoseconds

c. nanoseconds

d. picoseconds

ANSWER: a

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POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

37.

____

is a generic term for describing secondary storage data transfer units.

a. Sector

b. Wafer

c. Cluster

d. Block

ANSWER: d

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

38. A storage device or medium is

____

a. volatile

if it holds data without loss over long periods.

b. dynamic

c. nonvolatile

d. archival

ANSWER: c

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

39. A storage device or medium is

____

a. nonvolatile

if it can’t hold data reliably for long periods.

b. volatile

c. transient

d. archival

ANSWER: b

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 155

40. A

____

storage device stores and retrieves data items in a linear, or sequential, order.

a. direct access

b. random access

c. dynamic access

d. serial access

ANSWER: d

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 155

41. A

____

device isn’t restricted to any specific order when accessing data.

a. random access

b. serial access

c. dynamic access

d. linear access

ANSWER: a

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POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 155

42. Data is represented in the CPU as ____.

a. analog electrical signals

b. quantum signals

c. digital electrical signals

d. digital optical signals

ANSWER: c

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 158

43. The term

____

describes primary storage devices that are implemented as microchips, can read and write with equal

speed, and can randomly access bytes, words, or larger data units.

a. RAM

b. PROM

c. ROM

d. semiconductor

ANSWER: a

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 158

44. Modern computers use memory implemented with ____.

a. vacuum tubes

b. resistors

c. quasiconductors

d. semiconductors

ANSWER: d

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 158

45.

____

is implemented entirely with transistors.

a. Dynamic RAM

b. Static RAM

c. Dynamic ROM

d. Static ROM

ANSWER: b

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 159

46.

____

stores each bit by using a single transistor and capacitor.

a. Dynamic ROM

b. Static ROM

c. Dynamic RAM

d. Static RAM

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ANSWER: c

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 159

47. Programs usually access instructions and data items ____.

a. randomly

b. dynamically

c. repeatedly

d. sequentially

ANSWER: d

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 160

48.

____

is a read-ahead RAM that uses the same clock pulse as the system bus.

a. Synchronous DRAM

b. Asynchronous DRAM

c. Flash DRAM

d. Continuous DRAM

ANSWER: a

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 160

49. Memory devices comprised of semiconductors and other forms of RAM with long-term or permanent data retention

are generically known as ____.

a. volatile memory

b. tertiary storage

c. nonvolatile memory

d. persistent memory

ANSWER: c

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 160

50. Software stored in NVM is called ____.

a. software

b. firmware

c. flash storage

d. system software

ANSWER: b

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 160

51. The ____, a newer packaging standard, is essentially a SIMM with independent electrical contacts on both sides of the

module.

a. double inline memory module

b. dual inline package

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c. surface mount package

d. zero-insertion force package

ANSWER: a

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 161

52. The tendency of magnetically charged particles to lose their charge over time is called ____.

a. magnetic half-life

b. magnetic flux

c. magnetic field

d. magnetic decay

ANSWER: d

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 164

53. The surface area allocated to store on a bit is called the ____.

a. bit density

b. surface density

c. areal density

d. object density

ANSWER: c

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 163

54. A(n)

____

is a ribbon of plastic with a coercible (usually metallic oxide) coating.

a. optical disk

b. magnetic tape

c. magnetic disk

d. recordable disk

ANSWER: b

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 165

55. A

____

consists of all tracks at an equivalent distance from the edge or spindle on all platter surfaces.

a. cylinder

b. sector

c. block

d. cluster

ANSWER: a

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 166

56. A single disk sector usually holds

____

or 4096 bytes.

a. 250

b. 512

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c. 760

d. 1024

ANSWER: b

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 166

57. Multiple hard drives can be enclosed in a single storage cabinet; this arrangement is referred to as a ____.

a. drive cluster

b. drive tray

c. drive unit

d. drive array

ANSWER: d

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 166

58. Read/write circuitry uses

____

data to compensate for minor variations in rotation speed and other factors that might

disturb the precise timing needed for reliable reading and writing.

a. quantization

b. aggregation

c. synchronization

d. averaging

ANSWER: c

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 168

59. The time needed to move from one track to another is called ____, typically measured in milliseconds.

a. track-to-track seek time

b. random seek time

c. average seek time

d. relocation seek time

ANSWER: a

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 168

60. The time the disk controller must wait for the right sector to rotate beneath the heads is called ____.

a. track-to-track seek time

b. rotational delay

c. average access time

d. synchronization delay

ANSWER: b

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 168

61.

____

is the sum of average access delay and the time required to read a single sector.

a. Average access time

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b. Rotational latency

c. Track-to-track seek time

d. Synchronization delay

ANSWER: a

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 169

62.

____

is the time required to read the second of two adjacent sectors on the same track and platter.

a. Track-to-track seek time

b. Rotational delay

c. Sequential access time

d. Average access time

ANSWER: c

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 169

63. A disk with many program and data files scattered on it is said to be ____.

a. partitioned

b. segmented

c. clustered

d. fragmented

ANSWER: d

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 169

64. A

____

reorganizes disk content so that a file’s contents are stored in sequential sectors, tracks, and platters.

a. disk defragmentation utility

b. disk organization utility

c. disk defragmentation firmware

d. disk reorganization firmware

ANSWER: a

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 169

65. A

____

is a storage device that mimics the behavior of a magnetic disk drive but uses flash RAM or other NVM

devices as the storage medium and read/write mechanism.

a. traditional hard drive

b. hybrid hard drive

c. solid-state drive

d. memory drive

ANSWER: c

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 171

66. Current SSDs use

____

as the storage medium.

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 12Chapter 05 – Data Storage Technology

a. SDRAM

b. flash RAM

c. EEPROMs

d. PGAs

ANSWER: b

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 172

67. Modern SSDs use a technique called “____” to spread write operations around the storage medium, thus evening out

the impact of destructive writes and extending the storage device’s useful life.

a. wear aggregation

b. wear prevention

c. wear mitigation

d. wear leveling

ANSWER: d

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 172

68. Sony and Philips originally developed compact disc (CD) technology for storing and distributing music in the

____

format.

a. disk digital audio

b. MPEG Layer 3

c. CD digital audio

d. compressed digital audio

ANSWER: c

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 176

69. In a CD, flat areas in the reflective layer that represent bit values are called “____.”

a. lands

b. grooves

c. rings

d. plateaus

ANSWER: a

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 176

70. In a CD, concave dents in the reflective layer that are used to represent bit values are called “____.”

a. lands

b. grooves

c. hills

d. pits

ANSWER: d

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 176

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Completion

71. A storage device consists of a read/write mechanism and a(n) ____________________.

ANSWER: storage medium

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 151

72. A(n)

____________________

provides the interface between the storage device and system bus.

ANSWER: device controller

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 151

73. A CPU with a 1 GHz clock rate needs a new instruction and supporting data every ____________________.

ANSWER: nanosecond

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 152

74.

____________________

is the time required to perform one complete read or write operation.

ANSWER: Access time

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 153

75. The term

____________________

describes the data transfer unit for magnetic disk and optical disc drives.

ANSWER: sector

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

76.

____________________

is the only widely used form of serial access storage.

ANSWER: Magnetic tape

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 155

77. A(n)

____________________

device can access multiple storage locations simultaneously.

ANSWER: parallel access

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 155

78. Primary storage devices must closely match CPU speed and word size to avoid ____________________.

ANSWER: wait states

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 158

79. Each refresh operation in DRAM is called a(n) ____________________.

ANSWER: refresh cycle

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 159

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 14Chapter 05 – Data Storage Technology

80.

____________________

is a read-ahead RAM that uses the same clock pulse as the system bus.

ANSWER: SDRAM

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 160

81.

____________________

polarity that changes when a bit is written.

ANSWER: Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM)

Magnetoresistive RAM

MRAM

stores bit values by using two magnetic elements, one with fixed polarity and the other with

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 161

82.

____________________

RAM is the most common non-volatile RAM used today.

ANSWER: flash

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 160

83.

____________________

is the capability of a substance or magnetic storage medium to accept and hold a magnetic

charge.

ANSWER: Coercivity

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 162

84. The stored charge held within a bit of magnetic storage must be above the

operation to be successful.

ANSWER: read threshold

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 163

for a read

____________________

85. For a two-dimensional storage medium like a disk platter, having the length and width of the area that stores one bit

increases storage capacity by a factor of

____________________

ANSWER: 4

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 163

86. Magnetic disk media are flat, circular

____________________

with metallic coatings that are rotated beneath

read/write heads.

ANSWER: platters

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 166

87. A(n)

____________________

is one concentric circle of a platter, or the surface area that passes under a read/write

head when its position is fixed.

ANSWER: track

POINTS: 1

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REFERENCES: 166

88. In a magnetic disk drive, a(n)

surface.

____________________

ANSWER: read/write head

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 166

is mounted on the end of an access arm for each platter

89. Average access time is computed under the assumption that two consecutive accesses are sent to

locations.

____________________

ANSWER: random

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 168

90. Over time, file contents tend to become

____________________

in many nonsequential sectors.

ANSWER: fragmented

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 169

91. A disk drive’s data

____________________

rate is a summary performance number combining the physical aspects of

data access with the electronic aspects of data transfer to the disk controller or system.

ANSWER: transfer

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 170

92. The

____________________

data transfer rate is the fastest rate the drive can support.

ANSWER: maximum

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 170

93. Optical storage devices store bit values as variations in ____________________.

ANSWER: light reflection

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 1875

94. Current optical storage devices use a(n)

____________________

storage medium.

ANSWER: disc

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 175

95. In a magneto-optical drive, the laser polarity shift used in reading is known as the “____________________ effect.”

ANSWER: Kerr

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 178

Essay

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 16Chapter 05 – Data Storage Technology

96. List important characteristics among which storage devices and technologies vary.

ANSWER: Speed

Volatility

Access method

Portability

Cost and capacity

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 152

97. How is a storage device’s data transfer rate computed?

ANSWER: A storage device’s data transfer rate is computed by dividing 1 by the access time (expressed in

seconds) and multiplying the result by the unit of data transfer (expressed in bytes).

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 154

98. Explain the two ways that storage device portability is typically implemented.

ANSWER: The entire storage device—storage medium, read/write mechanism, and possibly controller—can be

transported between computer systems (for example, a USB flash drive).

The storage medium can be removed from the storage device and transported to a compatible storage

medium on another computer (for example, a DVD).

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 156

99. What is an advantage of optical storage over magnetic storage?

Typical optical recording densities are at least 10 times higher than for magnetic storage devices.

ANSWER: POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 175

100. Describe phase-change optical discs.

ANSWER: Phase-change optical technology enables nondestructive writing to optical storage media. The

technology is based on the same GST material used in MRAM, which can change state easily from

amorphous to crystalline and then back again. The reflective characteristics of this material are quite

different in the amorphous and crystalline states. The difference is less than with manufactured or

dye-based discs but enough to be detected by newer optical scanning technologies.

GST changes from an amorphous state to a crystalline state when heated to a precise temperature.

Heating the material to its melting point changes it back to an amorphous state. The melting point is

low, so high-power lasers aren’t required. However, multiple passes are usually required to generate

enough heat, so write times are substantially longer than read times. The reflective layer loses its

capability to change state with repeated heating and cooling. Current rewritable media wear out after

about 1000 write operations.

CD-Rewritable (CD-RW) is a standard for phase-change optical discs that use the CDROM format.

Rewritable DVDs use one of four different standards: DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW DL, and

DVD-RW DL. BD-RE is the rewritable version of the Blu-ray standard.

POINTS: 1

REFERENCES: 178

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