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Grade 10 — Questions & Memos Grade 10

Questions covering the Grade 10 syllabus. Answer first, then click Show memo and mark each ✓.

Section A — Short Questions

A1 · Multiple choice5

1.1 Which is an input device?  A) monitor  B) scanner  C) printer  D) speaker

1.2 8 bits make up one …  A) nibble  B) byte  C) word  D) kilobyte

1.3 Which OS is designed for touchscreen mobile devices?  A) Windows Server  B) Android  C) Ubuntu  D) embedded firmware

1.4 Software you can use free of charge for a trial period is …  A) freeware  B) shareware  C) open-source  D) firmware

1.5 A network covering one building is a …  A) WAN  B) PAN  C) LAN  D) MAN

Show memo
  • 1.1 B) scanner ✓
  • 1.2 B) byte ✓
  • 1.3 B) Android ✓
  • 1.4 B) shareware ✓
  • 1.5 C) LAN ✓

Hardware

Q1 · Devices & the IPOS cycle5

1.1 Name the four stages of the information processing cycle. (2)
1.2 Give ONE example each of an input and an output device. (2)
1.3 Is an SSD an input, output or storage device? (1)

Show memo
  • 1.1 Input, Processing, Output, Storage ✓✓
  • 1.2 Input e.g. keyboard/mouse/scanner ✓; output e.g. monitor/printer/speaker ✓
  • 1.3 Storage device ✓

Software & Data

Q2 · Software types4

2.1 Distinguish between system software and application software. (2)
2.2 Give ONE task performed by the operating system. (1)
2.3 What does an embedded OS do? (1)

Show memo
  • 2.1 System software manages/controls the hardware (e.g. the OS) ✓; application software lets the user perform tasks (e.g. Word) ✓
  • 2.2 Any one: manage files, memory, processes, devices, or provide a user interface ✓
  • 2.3 Controls one specific dedicated device/appliance (e.g. a smart TV or ATM) ✓
Q3 · Data representation4

3.1 Convert the binary number 1011 to decimal. (2)
3.2 Why do computers use the binary system? (1)
3.3 How many values can one byte represent? (1)

Show memo
  • 3.1 8 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 11 ✓✓
  • 3.2 Electronic components have two states (on/off), represented by 1 and 0 ✓
  • 3.3 256 (28) ✓

Networks & Internet

Q4 · Networks4

4.1 Give TWO reasons for using a network. (2)
4.2 Name TWO basic components needed to build a network. (2)

Show memo
  • 4.1 Any two: share resources (printers/files), communicate, central control/backup, save costs ✓✓
  • 4.2 Any two: NIC, communication medium (cable/wireless), switch, router, server ✓✓
Q5 · E-communication3

5.1 Distinguish between synchronous and asynchronous communication, with ONE example each. (3)

Show memo
  • Synchronous = real time, everyone takes part at the same moment ✓ (e.g. a video call/live chat) ✓
  • Asynchronous = time-delayed, the receiver replies later ✓ (e.g. email/SMS)

Management & Security

Q6 · Security5

6.1 What is a computer virus? (1)
6.2 Distinguish between a virus and a worm. (2)
6.3 Give TWO ways to protect a computer against malware. (2)

Show memo
  • 6.1 A malicious program that replicates and spreads, performing harmful actions ✓
  • 6.2 A virus attaches to a file and needs the file to be run to spread ✓; a worm spreads across networks on its own without user action ✓
  • 6.3 Any two: antivirus, firewall, software updates, strong passwords, avoid suspicious links/downloads ✓✓

Practical — Delphi

P1 · Decisions3

A mark is stored in iMark. Write an IF statement that shows "Pass" if the mark is 50 or more, otherwise "Fail".

Show memo 
if iMark >= 50 then
  ShowMessage('Pass')
else
  ShowMessage('Fail');
  • Correct condition iMark >= 50 ✓
  • "Pass" branch ✓; else "Fail" branch (no semicolon before else) ✓
P2 · Loops3

Write a loop that displays the sum of all numbers from 1 to 100.

Show memo 
iSum := 0;
for i := 1 to 100 do
  iSum := iSum + i;
ShowMessage(IntToStr(iSum));
  • Initialise iSum to 0 ✓
  • Loop 1 to 100 adding i ✓
  • Display the total ✓
P3 · Strings3

A name is in sName. P3.1 How do you get its length? (1) P3.2 How do you convert it to uppercase? (1) P3.3 How do you get the first 3 characters? (1)

Show memo
  • P3.1 Length(sName) ✓
  • P3.2 UpperCase(sName) ✓
  • P3.3 Copy(sName, 1, 3) ✓

Digital Technologies & ICT

Q7 · Data & information4

7.1 Distinguish between data and information, with ONE example each. (2)
7.2 Distinguish between ICT and IT. (2)

Show memo
  • 7.1 Data = raw, unprocessed facts (e.g. 3, 5, 7) ✓; information = processed data that has meaning (e.g. "the average is 5") ✓
  • 7.2 ICT = all technology that captures, transmits and displays data (incl. people, procedures, data) ✓; IT = a subset — the computer systems, software and networks used to process data ✓
Q8 · Society3

8.1 What is the digital divide? (1)
8.2 Give ONE benefit and ONE negative impact of ICT on society. (2)

Show memo
  • 8.1 The gap between people who have access to digital technology and those who do not ✓
  • 8.2 Benefit: better communication / access to information / remote work ✓; negative: cyberbullying / job losses / addiction / privacy risks ✓
Q9 · Memory & storage4

9.1 Distinguish between RAM and ROM. (2)
9.2 Give ONE difference between an HDD and an SSD. (1)
9.3 Distinguish freeware, shareware and open-source software. (3)

Show memo
  • 9.1 RAM is volatile, temporary working memory ✓; ROM is non-volatile and holds permanent start-up instructions ✓
  • 9.2 HDD has spinning magnetic platters (cheaper, larger); an SSD has no moving parts (faster, more durable) ✓
  • 9.3 Freeware = free to use, source not shared ✓; shareware = free trial then pay ✓; open-source = source code freely available to view/modify ✓

Internet & WWW

Q10 · The web5

10.1 Distinguish between the Internet and the World Wide Web. (2)
10.2 What is a web browser? (1)
10.3 What does a search engine do? (1)
10.4 What is an ISP? (1)

Show memo
  • 10.1 The Internet is the global network of connected computers ✓; the WWW is the collection of websites/pages accessed over the internet ✓
  • 10.2 Software used to find, retrieve and view web pages ✓
  • 10.3 A website that searches for and lists web pages matching your keywords ✓
  • 10.4 Internet Service Provider — a company that provides access to the internet ✓

More Delphi

P4 · CASE statement3

A number 1–7 is in iDay. Use a CASE statement to show the day name (1 = Monday, 2 = Tuesday …) and "Invalid" for anything else. Show the first two cases and the else.

Show memo 
case iDay of
  1: ShowMessage('Monday');
  2: ShowMessage('Tuesday');
  // 3..7 ...
else
  ShowMessage('Invalid');
end;
  • Correct case iDay of structure ✓
  • Case labels with their outputs ✓
  • else for invalid + end; ✓
P5 · Components & events3

P5.1 Which event runs when a button is clicked? (1)
P5.2 Which property holds the text the user types into an Edit box? (1)
P5.3 How do you convert that text to an integer? (1)

Show memo
  • P5.1 OnClick ✓
  • P5.2 The .Text property (e.g. edtAge.Text) ✓
  • P5.3 StrToInt(edtAge.Text) ✓

Section B — Mixed Exam Questions

Q11 · Storage4

11.1 Arrange these from smallest to largest: GB, KB, TB, MB. (2)
11.2 How many bits are there in one byte? (1)
11.3 Suggest a suitable device to back up 500 GB of data. (1)

Show memo
  • 11.1 KB → MB → GB → TB ✓✓
  • 11.2 8 bits ✓
  • 11.3 An external hard drive, large flash drive, or cloud storage ✓
Q12 · Data representation4

12.1 Convert the binary number 1101 to decimal. (2)
12.2 Why is hexadecimal used instead of long binary strings? (1)
12.3 What does ASCII store? (1)

Show memo
  • 12.1 8 + 4 + 0 + 1 = 13 ✓✓
  • 12.2 It is much shorter and easier for people to read than a long string of 0s and 1s ✓
  • 12.3 A numeric code for each text character ✓
Q13 · Internet & email4

Given the URL https://www.school.co.za/marks.html:

13.1 Identify the protocol, the domain name and the web page/file. (3)
13.2 Give ONE netiquette rule for writing an email. (1)

Show memo
  • 13.1 Protocol = https; domain = www.school.co.za; page/file = marks.html ✓✓✓
  • 13.2 Any one: use a clear subject line, don't type in ALL CAPS, include a greeting/signature, proofread before sending ✓
Q14 · Social & safety3

14.1 What is green computing? Give ONE example. (2)
14.2 What does POPIA protect? (1)

Show memo
  • 14.1 Reducing the environmental impact of using computers ✓; e.g. power-saving mode, recycling e-waste, or reducing printing ✓
  • 14.2 Personal information (your right to data privacy) ✓
P6 · Delphi — even check & last digit3

A number is in iNum. Write code that shows "Even" or "Odd" in lblParity, and shows the number's last digit in lblDigit.

Show memo 
if iNum mod 2 = 0 then
  lblParity.Caption := 'Even'
else
  lblParity.Caption := 'Odd';

lblDigit.Caption := IntToStr(iNum mod 10);
  • iNum mod 2 = 0 for even, else odd ✓
  • iNum mod 10 gives the last digit ✓
  • Displayed correctly with IntToStr ✓
Tip

For theory definitions, use the IT Glossary. For more programming practice, see the Grade 10 Quick Reference.