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Anganwadi Supervisor Paper-1 Top-ups · Chapter 6

Computer Proficiency Test (CPT): Computer Basics, Word, Excel and PowerPoint

What to remember

  • Know the parts and the units. Input, processing, output and storage; 1 byte = 8 bits and each bigger unit is 1024 times the one before.
  • Learn the keyboard shortcuts and the file types. Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+S; .docx, .xlsx, .pptx.
  • In Excel, every formula starts with "=". Practise SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MAX, MIN, IF and cell references.

Computer basics

A computer takes input, processes it, gives output and stores data. Hardware is the physical part. Software is the set of programs.

PartExamplesJob
Input deviceKeyboard, mouse, scanner, microphoneSend data in
Output deviceMonitor, printer, speakerShow results
ProcessingCPURun instructions
Primary memoryRAM, ROM, cacheFast, directly used by CPU
Secondary storageHard disk, SSD, pen drive, DVDPermanent storage

CPU (Central Processing Unit) has the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) for calculations and comparisons, the Control Unit (CU) which directs work, and registers which are tiny, very fast stores. RAM is volatile: its contents are lost when power goes off. ROM is non-volatile and holds start-up instructions. Cache is a small, very fast memory between the CPU and RAM.

Memory units. 1 byte = 8 bits. 1 KB = 1024 bytes. 1 MB = 1024 KB. 1 GB = 1024 MB. 1 TB = 1024 GB. Example: 4 GB = 4 x 1024 = 4096 MB.

Number systems. The computer works in binary (base 2, digits 0 and 1). Decimal is base 10, octal base 8, hexadecimal base 16 (digits 0 to 9 and A to F). Binary 1010 = 8 + 2 = 10. Binary 1111 = 15. Decimal 13 = 1101 in binary (8 + 4 + 1). Decimal 25 = 11001 (16 + 8 + 1).

Software types.

  • System software: operating system (Windows, Linux, Android), device drivers, utilities.
  • Application software: Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, browser.
  • A compiler converts a whole program to machine code; an interpreter runs it line by line.
  • Open source software has code that anyone can see and change; Linux is an example.

Generations. First generation used vacuum tubes, second used transistors, third used integrated circuits (IC), fourth used microprocessors, and the fifth is linked to artificial intelligence.

Internet and safety. A browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) opens websites. A URL is a web address. HTTP is the protocol for web pages and HTTPS is the secure version. An email address has the form name@domain. A virus is harmful software; use antivirus, strong passwords and do not open unknown links. Phishing is a trick that steals data through fake messages. Wi-Fi is wireless networking; LAN is a network in one building.

File extensions.

TypeExtension
Word document.docx
Excel workbook.xlsx
PowerPoint.pptx
Text file.txt
Portable document.pdf
Image.jpg, .png

Microsoft Word

Word is a word processor. A new file is called a document. The Ribbon has tabs: Home, Insert, Design, Layout, References, Review, View. The Home tab holds font, size, bold, italic, underline, alignment and bullets. Insert holds tables, pictures, shapes, page numbers, header and footer. Layout holds margins, orientation and columns. Review holds spelling and grammar, comments and track changes.

Common shortcuts.

ActionShortcut
CopyCtrl+C
CutCtrl+X
PasteCtrl+V
UndoCtrl+Z
RedoCtrl+Y
SaveCtrl+S
PrintCtrl+P
Select allCtrl+A
Bold, Italic, UnderlineCtrl+B, Ctrl+I, Ctrl+U
FindCtrl+F
Left, Centre, Right alignCtrl+L, Ctrl+E, Ctrl+R

Key ideas. A header is repeated text at the top of every page, a footer at the bottom. Margins are the blank space around the text. Portrait is vertical, landscape is horizontal. Mail Merge sends one letter to many names. Format Painter copies formatting. The Save As command saves a copy with a new name or type. Word Count is on the Review tab. Page break is Ctrl+Enter. Print Preview shows the page before printing. A table is made of rows and columns; Merge Cells joins cells.

Microsoft Excel

Excel is a spreadsheet program. A file is a workbook and each sheet is a worksheet. A worksheet has rows (numbers) and columns (letters). Modern Excel has 16384 columns (A to XFD) and 1048576 rows. A cell is where a row and column meet, such as B3. A range is a block of cells, such as A1:B2 (four cells). The Name Box shows the active cell and the Formula Bar shows its content.

Formulas. Always begin with "=". Operators: + - * / ^. Order: brackets, powers, multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction. So =5+3*2 gives 11, and =2^3 gives 8.

FunctionUseExample result
SUMAdd=SUM(A1:A3) with 10, 20, 30 gives 60
AVERAGEMeanSame cells give 20
COUNTCounts cells with numbersIgnores text
COUNTACounts non-empty cellsCounts text too
MAX, MINLargest, smallest
IFTest a condition=IF(A1>50,"Pass","Fail") with 60 gives Pass
ROUNDRound off=ROUND(3.14159,2) gives 3.14
LENCount characters=LEN("Anganwadi") gives 9
LEFTTake characters from left=LEFT("Supervisor",3) gives Sup
MODRemainder=MOD(17,5) gives 2
PRODUCTMultiply=PRODUCT(2,3,4) gives 24
VLOOKUPFind a value in the first column of a table and return from another column

Cell references. Relative (A1) changes when copied. Absolute ($A$1) stays fixed. Mixed ($A1 or A$1) fixes only the column or the row. F4 toggles these. Error messages: #DIV/0! means divide by zero, #NAME? means unknown function or name, #VALUE! means wrong type of value, #REF! means invalid cell reference, and ##### means the column is too narrow.

Other features. AutoSum adds a column fast. Sort arranges data in order, and Filter shows only rows that match. Charts show data as bars, lines or pie slices. Fill handle (small square at the corner of a cell) copies a formula or series. Freeze Panes keeps top rows visible while scrolling. Conditional Formatting colours cells by a rule. A PivotTable summarises data.

Microsoft PowerPoint

PowerPoint makes presentations from slides. A new file has the extension .pptx. Views: Normal, Slide Sorter, Reading View and Slide Show. A slide layout decides where title and content sit. A theme or design sets colours and fonts. Slide Master controls the look of all slides.

Transition versus animation. A transition is the effect when one slide changes to the next. An animation is the effect on an object (text, picture) within a slide.

ActionShortcut
Start show from the first slideF5
Start from the current slideShift+F5
New slideCtrl+M
End showEsc
Next, previous slideRight or Page Down, Left or Page Up

Good slides. Use short points, large readable fonts, high contrast between text and background, and few words per slide. Speaker notes hold what the speaker will say. A presentation can be saved as a PDF or as a slide show (.ppsx) that opens directly in show mode.

Exam traps

  • RAM (volatile, temporary) versus ROM (non-volatile, permanent start-up instructions).
  • COUNT (numbers only) versus COUNTA (all non-empty cells).
  • Relative reference (A1) versus absolute reference ($A$1).
  • Transition (between slides) versus animation (on objects).
  • Ctrl+Z (undo) versus Ctrl+Y (redo); Ctrl+X (cut) versus Ctrl+C (copy).
  • F5 starts from the first slide; Shift+F5 starts from the current slide.
  • Header (top of page) versus footer (bottom of page).
  • Hardware (physical parts) versus software (programs).

One-liners

  • 1. 1 byte = 8 bits.
  • 2. 1 KB = 1024 bytes.
  • 3. The brain of the computer is the CPU.
  • 4. RAM loses its contents when power is off.
  • 5. Binary uses only 0 and 1.
  • 6. Ctrl+S saves a file.
  • 7. Word files end with .docx; Excel with .xlsx; PowerPoint with .pptx.
  • 8. Excel formulas begin with "=".
  • 9. An Excel cell address is column letter then row number, such as C5.
  • 10. #DIV/0! is the error for dividing by zero.
  • 11. F5 starts a PowerPoint slide show.
  • 12. HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP.

Practice questions

  1. How many MB are there in 4 GB (using 1 GB = 1024 MB)?

    1. 1024 MB
    2. 4000 MB
    3. 8192 MB
    4. 4096 MB
    Answer

    D. 4096 MB

    4 x 1024 = 4096 MB.

  2. 2 MB equals how many KB?

    1. 1024 KB
    2. 4096 KB
    3. 2000 KB
    4. 2048 KB
    Answer

    D. 2048 KB

    2 x 1024 = 2048 KB.

  3. The binary number 1010 equals which decimal number?

    1. 10
    2. 12
    3. 5
    4. 8
    Answer

    A. 10

    8 + 0 + 2 + 0 = 10.

  4. The decimal number 13 in binary is

    1. 1001
    2. 1011
    3. 1101
    4. 1110
    Answer

    C. 1101

    13 = 8 + 4 + 1, so 1101.

  5. Cells A1, A2, A3 hold 10, 20, 30. What does =SUM(A1:A3) return?

    1. 20
    2. 30
    3. 600
    4. 60
    Answer

    D. 60

    10 + 20 + 30 = 60.

  6. Cells hold 10, 20, 30, 40. What does =AVERAGE of these four return?

    1. 20
    2. 25
    3. 30
    4. 100
    Answer

    B. 25

    Sum is 100; 100 divided by 4 is 25.

  7. What does =5+3*2 return in Excel?

    1. 10
    2. 13
    3. 11
    4. 16
    Answer

    C. 11

    Multiplication first: 3 x 2 = 6; 5 + 6 = 11.

  8. If A1 holds 40, what does =IF(A1>50,"Pass","Fail") display?

    1. 40
    2. Pass
    3. True
    4. Fail
    Answer

    D. Fail

    40 is not greater than 50, so the false value Fail is shown.

  9. What does =LEN("Anganwadi") return?

    1. 9
    2. 10
    3. 7
    4. 8
    Answer

    A. 9

    Anganwadi has nine letters.

  10. What does =MOD(17,5) return?

    1. 3
    2. 12
    3. 3.4
    4. 2
    Answer

    D. 2

    17 divided by 5 gives quotient 3 and remainder 2.

  11. How many cells are in the range A1:B3?

    1. 6
    2. 3
    3. 5
    4. 9
    Answer

    A. 6

    Two columns x three rows = 6 cells.

  12. How many bytes are in 8 KB (1 KB = 1024 bytes)?

    1. 4096
    2. 1024
    3. 8192
    4. 8000
    Answer

    C. 8192

    8 x 1024 = 8192.

  13. What does =ROUND(3.14159,2) return?

    1. 3.15
    2. 3.14
    3. 3.1
    4. 3.142
    Answer

    B. 3.14

    Rounded to two decimal places it is 3.14.

  14. Which part is called the brain of the computer?

    1. Monitor
    2. RAM
    3. Keyboard
    4. CPU
    Answer

    D. CPU

    The CPU processes instructions.

  15. Which memory loses its contents when the power is switched off?

    1. Hard disk
    2. RAM
    3. ROM
    4. Pen drive
    Answer

    B. RAM

    RAM is volatile memory.

  16. Which unit of the CPU performs arithmetic and logical operations?

    1. ALU
    2. Cache
    3. CU
    4. BIOS
    Answer

    A. ALU

    The Arithmetic Logic Unit does calculations and comparisons.

  17. Which is an output device?

    1. Scanner
    2. Keyboard
    3. Printer
    4. Mouse
    Answer

    C. Printer

    A printer gives output on paper.

  18. The default file extension of a modern Word document is

    1. docx
    2. pptx
    3. xlsx
    4. txt
    Answer

    A. docx

    Word files use .docx.

  19. The default file extension of an Excel workbook is

    1. pdf
    2. xlsx
    3. docx
    4. pptx
    Answer

    B. xlsx

    Excel files use .xlsx.

  20. Which shortcut saves the current file?

    1. Ctrl+O
    2. Ctrl+X
    3. Ctrl+P
    4. Ctrl+S
    Answer

    D. Ctrl+S

    Ctrl+S saves.

  21. Which shortcut undoes the last action?

    1. Ctrl+U
    2. Ctrl+X
    3. Ctrl+Z
    4. Ctrl+Y
    Answer

    C. Ctrl+Z

    Ctrl+Z is undo; Ctrl+Y is redo.

  22. In PowerPoint, which key starts the slide show from the first slide?

    1. F5
    2. F2
    3. F12
    4. F7
    Answer

    A. F5

    F5 starts from the beginning; Shift+F5 starts from the current slide.

  23. Which shortcut inserts a new slide in PowerPoint?

    1. Ctrl+D
    2. Ctrl+M
    3. Ctrl+K
    4. Ctrl+N
    Answer

    B. Ctrl+M

    Ctrl+M adds a new slide.

  24. Every formula in Excel must begin with

    1. # sign
    2. @ sign
    3. = sign
    4. $ sign
    Answer

    C. = sign

    Formulas start with the equals sign.

  25. The error #DIV/0! in Excel means

    1. Unknown function name
    2. Wrong cell reference
    3. Column too narrow
    4. Division by zero
    Answer

    D. Division by zero

    It appears when a number is divided by zero.

  26. Which technology marks the third generation of computers?

    1. Transistors
    2. Integrated circuits
    3. Vacuum tubes
    4. Microprocessors
    Answer

    B. Integrated circuits

    Third generation used ICs.

  27. Which protocol is the secure version for web pages?

    1. HTTPS
    2. HTTP
    3. FTP
    4. SMTP
    Answer

    A. HTTPS

    HTTPS encrypts the connection.

  28. Which function counts cells that contain text as well as numbers?

    1. SUM
    2. MAX
    3. COUNT
    4. COUNTA
    Answer

    D. COUNTA

    COUNTA counts all non-empty cells; COUNT counts numbers only.

  29. An effect applied when one slide changes to the next is called a

    1. Animation
    2. Layout
    3. Transition
    4. Theme
    Answer

    C. Transition

    Animations act on objects; transitions act between slides.

  30. Which feature in PowerPoint changes the design of all slides at once?

    1. Slide Sorter
    2. Reading View
    3. Slide Master
    4. Speaker notes
    Answer

    C. Slide Master

    Slide Master controls the common layout and fonts.

  31. Which Word feature sends the same letter to many names?

    1. Format Painter
    2. Word Count
    3. Track Changes
    4. Mail Merge
    Answer

    D. Mail Merge

    Mail Merge joins a letter with a list of recipients.

  32. Which Word tool copies formatting from one text to another?

    1. Find and Replace
    2. Format Painter
    3. Page Break
    4. Spell Check
    Answer

    B. Format Painter

    Format Painter copies formatting.

  33. Fake messages that trick users into giving passwords are called

    1. Phishing
    2. Formatting
    3. Compiling
    4. Booting
    Answer

    A. Phishing

    Phishing steals data by deception.

  34. A program that translates the whole source code into machine code at once is a

    1. Interpreter
    2. Compiler
    3. Debugger
    4. Browser
    Answer

    B. Compiler

    A compiler translates the whole program; an interpreter works line by line.

  35. Text repeated at the bottom of every page in Word is called a

    1. Footer
    2. Header
    3. Margin
    4. Watermark
    Answer

    A. Footer

    The footer is at the bottom; the header is at the top.

  36. Consider the statements. 1. RAM is volatile memory. 2. ROM loses data when power is off. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    ROM is non-volatile, so statement 2 is wrong.

  37. Consider the statements. 1. 1 byte = 8 bits. 2. 1 KB = 1024 bytes. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are standard units.

  38. Consider the statements. 1. COUNT counts text cells. 2. COUNTA counts all non-empty cells. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    COUNT counts numeric cells only.

  39. Consider the statements. 1. F5 starts the slide show from the first slide. 2. Shift+F5 starts it from the current slide. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

  40. Consider the statements. 1. A transition is applied to an object inside a slide. 2. An animation is applied between two slides. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    D. Neither 1 nor 2

    The two definitions are swapped, so neither is correct.

  41. Match the shortcut with its action. A. Ctrl+C B. Ctrl+V C. Ctrl+X 1. Cut 2. Copy 3. Paste

    1. A-1, B-2, C-3
    2. A-3, B-1, C-2
    3. A-2, B-1, C-3
    4. A-2, B-3, C-1
    Answer

    D. A-2, B-3, C-1

    Ctrl+C copies, Ctrl+V pastes, Ctrl+X cuts.

  42. Match the file type with its extension. A. Word B. Excel C. PowerPoint 1. .pptx 2. .docx 3. .xlsx

    1. A-2, B-1, C-3
    2. A-1, B-2, C-3
    3. A-3, B-1, C-2
    4. A-2, B-3, C-1
    Answer

    D. A-2, B-3, C-1

    Word is .docx, Excel .xlsx, PowerPoint .pptx.

  43. Consider the statements. 1. =2^3 returns 8 in Excel. 2. In =5+3*2 the addition is done first. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Multiplication is done before addition, so statement 2 is wrong.

  44. Consider the statements. 1. #REF! means an invalid cell reference. 2. ##### means the column is too narrow to show the value. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

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