Question 25
GCE_MODEL_QUESTIONS_VOL1
•
2020
•
ENGLISH_LANGUAGE
•
objective
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.\n\n"Ada Lovelace, born in 1815, was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron and mathematician Annabella Milbanke. Fascinated by Charles Babbage's analytical engine, she wrote extensive notes on its potential, including an algorithm to compute Bernoulli numbers - the first ever computer program. Though the machine was never built in her lifetime, her visionary ideas laid the groundwork for modern computing. Today, she is celebrated as a pioneer who demonstrated that machines could do more than mere calculation; they could follow instructions to manipulate symbols."\n\n(a) Summarise Ada Lovelace's contribution to computing in two sentences.\n(b) Explain why she is considered significant in the history of technology.
Answer Options
A.
(a) Ada Lovelace translated Babbage's notes into French and added extensive literary commentary, but she did not create any algorithms or programs. (b) She is regarded as significant mainly for popularising Babbage's ideas among European intellectuals, not for any technical contribution to computing.
B.
(a) Ada Lovelace's primary achievement was her involvement in the development of the ENIAC during the 1940s, where she wrote code for early electronic computers. (b) She is celebrated because she led the team that built ENIAC, establishing the importance of women in the early era of electronic computing.
C.
(a) Ada Lovelace designed the mechanical components of Babbage's analytical engine and assembled a working prototype, claiming she had built the first computer. She also wrote a program to solve differential equations on that machine. (b) She is considered significant because she physically constructed the first functional computing device, demonstrating that complex calculations could be automated.
Correct Answer
D.
(a) Ada Lovelace wrote the first algorithm intended for Babbage's analytical engine, effectively creating the earliest computer program. She also articulated that such a machine could manipulate symbols and not merely perform calculations. (b) She is significant because she recognised and described the broader potential of computing machines, laying the conceptual foundation for modern programming and establishing her as the first computer programmer, a milestone that highlights women's early contributions to technology.
Correct Answer
D
Correct Option:
(a) Ada Lovelace wrote the first algorithm intended for Babbage's analytical engine, effectively creating the earliest computer program. She also articulated that such a machine could manipulate symbols and not merely perform calculations. (b) She is significant because she recognised and described the broader potential of computing machines, laying the conceptual foundation for modern programming and establishing her as the first computer programmer, a milestone that highlights women's early contributions to technology.
About This Question
This is
Gce Model Questions Vol1
2020
English Language
Question 25.
It is one of the
objective
questions from the
2020
Gce Model Questions Vol1
English Language
examination.
Difficulty level:
Medium
.