neco 2021 computer_studies | Essay

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Question 1 View Details
Answer the following questions on the history of computers.
Question Parts
(a)
Identify three major generations of computers and give one distinguishing characteristic of each generation.
(b)
Discuss the contributions of Charles Babbage, Alan Turing and Tim Berners‑Lee to modern computing.
(c)
Explain how the evolution of computers has impacted education in Nigeria.
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Question 2 View Details
A small business intends to purchase a desktop computer for data entry, spreadsheet analysis and occasional graphic design. The proposed configuration is: - Processor: Intel Core i5, 2.5 GHz - Memory: 4 GB DDR4 RAM - Storage: 500 GB HDD (no SSD) - Graphics: Integrated Intel HD Graphics - Operating System: Windows 10 Home Answer the following questions.
Question Parts
(a)
List each hardware component mentioned above and state its primary function in a computer system.
(b)
Assess whether the above configuration is adequate for the three intended tasks. Justify your assessment with reference to the specifications.
(c)
Recommend two specific hardware upgrades that would improve performance for graphic design tasks and explain why each upgrade would be beneficial.
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Question 3 View Details
A small business plans to adopt a computerised system to manage its operations.
Question Parts
(a)
Define system software and application software. Give two examples of each that would be relevant to the business.
(b)
The business wants to develop a payroll application. Outline the stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) that should be followed, and for each stage state one key activity that must be performed.
(c)
During testing, a bug is found where the calculated net salary becomes negative for employees who have overtime. Propose a systematic approach to diagnose and correct the error, mentioning at least three specific steps.
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Question 4 View Details
A secondary school maintains a student information system that stores personal details, grades and attendance records.
Question Parts
(a)
Explain the difference between data and information, and illustrate the difference with an example taken from the student information system.
(b)
Grades are stored as percentages. Convert a grade of 78% to its 8‑bit unsigned binary representation, showing each step of the conversion.
(c)
Attendance for each pupil is recorded as a string of ‘P’ (present) and ‘A’ (absent) for a 30‑day month. Propose a simple loss‑less compression technique suitable for this data and explain how it would work, including a brief illustration using the 10‑day pattern P P P A A P P A A A.
(d)
Discuss two advantages of using a relational database to store the student information system instead of a flat file, and mention one potential disadvantage.
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Question 5 View Details
A small retail business is planning to install a computer system to manage its inventory. Each product record will contain the product code, description, quantity in stock and unit price. The business expects to handle up to 150,000 product records. The management wants the system to run quickly, store data safely and be able to back‑up the data weekly. The following storage options are available: - Option A: 256 GB solid‑state drive (SSD) at ₦45,000 - Option B: 500 GB hard‑disk drive (HDD) at ₦30,000 - Option C: 1 TB external USB‑3.0 hard‑disk drive at ₦55,000 (used for backups only)
Question Parts
(a)
Explain the difference between primary and secondary storage. Give two examples of each and discuss why an SSD is generally preferred over an HDD for installing the operating system.
(b)
Calculate the minimum storage capacity, in megabytes, required to store the 150,000 product records if each record occupies 120 bytes. From the options given, recommend the most suitable storage device for the operating system and justify your choice.
(c)
The business will back up the entire database weekly onto the external USB‑3.0 drive (Option C). If each backup file can be compressed to 60 % of its original size, determine the total storage space required on the external drive to keep four weeks of backups before overwriting. State a suitable backup schedule based on your calculation.
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Question 6 View Details
The IT department of a university discovered that an unauthorised person accessed the student information system and obtained personal details of 2,500 students, including names, registration numbers, addresses and grades.
Question Parts
(a)
Identify three common types of security threats that could have caused this breach and briefly describe how each operates.
(b)
Outline a three‑step incident‑response plan the department should follow after detecting the breach, explaining the purpose of each step.
(c)
Discuss two ethical principles that guide the handling of personal data and explain how they apply to the university’s situation.
(d)
The department proposes a new password policy requiring passwords of at least 12 characters, a mix of upper‑case, lower‑case, digits and special symbols, and a change every 90 days. Evaluate the effectiveness of this policy, noting any potential drawbacks.
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Question 7 View Details
A secondary school intends to install a local area network (LAN) to interconnect its Computer Laboratory, Library and Administrative Office. The requirements are: - Computer Laboratory: 25 desktop PCs and 2 network printers. - Library: 10 desktop PCs and 1 network printer. - Administrative Office: 5 desktop PCs and 1 network printer. The school plans to use a single central networking device (switch/router) as the hub for all connections. The straight‑line distances from the central hub to each department are: - Laboratory: 30 metres - Library: 20 metres - Administrative Office: 15 metres Using this information, answer the following questions.
Question Parts
(a)
Recommend the most suitable network topology for the school and justify your choice in terms of reliability, cost and ease of future expansion.
(b)
Calculate (i) the total number of individual cable runs required if each device is connected directly to the central hub, and (ii) the total length of cable needed (in metres).
(c)
The school will use the private IPv4 network 192.168.10.0/24 for the LAN. (i) Determine a subnet mask that will provide an equal number of host addresses for each of the three departments (Laboratory, Library, Administrative Office) while allowing for future growth. (ii) State the first usable IP address of the Laboratory subnet.
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Question 8 View Details
A teacher asks students to develop a Python program that processes a list of integers according to the following specification: 1. Remove all duplicate values from the list. 2. Sort the remaining distinct numbers in descending order. 3. Print the second largest number. If the list contains fewer than two distinct numbers, the program should output the message "Insufficient data". Answer the questions below.
Question Parts
(a)
Write a complete Python function named `second_largest(nums)` that implements the specification. The function should return the required integer or the string "Insufficient data".
(b)
The following code was submitted by a student but fails to meet the specification. Identify **three** distinct errors (syntax, logical or runtime) and provide a corrected version of the code. ```python def second_largest(nums): uniq = list(set(nums)) uniq.sort() if len(uniq) = 1: return "Insufficient data" else: return uniq[-2] print(second_largest([4, 2, 5, 5, 3])) ```
(c)
State the time‑complexity of the algorithm you wrote in part (a) using Big‑O notation and briefly justify your answer.
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