🌐 Introduction to Computer Networks Quiz

Networks REDUCE cost by allowing shared resources (like one printer for many computers), not increase it.

A Client is a computer that requests services/resources from a Server, which provides them.

NIC stands for Network Interface Card — the hardware that connects a device to a network.

PAN (Personal Area Network) covers just a few metres, like a phone connected to Bluetooth earphones — the smallest of all four.

LAN stands for Local Area Network, typically covering a single building or campus.

MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) covers a city-wide area, such as a cable TV network across Delhi.

WAN (Wide Area Network) covers countries/continents — the Internet is the largest example of a WAN.

PAN (Personal Area Network) covers just a few metres around one person, exactly like a Bluetooth connection.

Topology refers to the arrangement or 'shape' of how computers/devices are connected in a network.

In Star Topology, every computer connects to one central device (hub/switch), like spokes of a wheel.

The central hub/switch is a single point of failure — if it fails, the whole network stops working.

Bus (Linear) Topology connects all computers to one single shared backbone cable.

Since all computers depend on the single backbone cable, a break anywhere causes the entire network to fail.

Ring Topology connects computers in a closed loop, where data travels around the ring in one direction, from neighbour to neighbour.

Tree Topology combines multiple Star networks in a hierarchical (parent-child) structure, like an organisation chart.

Mesh Topology connects each device to multiple other devices, providing multiple paths and high reliability.

Using the formula n(n-1)/2: 5×(5-1)/2 = 5×4/2 = 10 cables.

Using n(n-1)/2: 6×(6-1)/2 = 6×5/2 = 15 cables.

A Point-to-Point Link is the simplest topology, connecting exactly two devices directly with no intermediary.

Fully Connected Topology offers maximum reliability (direct path between any two devices) but is the most expensive due to the large number of cables required.

Cost, scalability, reliability, and ease of maintenance are important factors; cable color is irrelevant to topology selection.

Star Topology is most commonly used because it's easy to install, easy to add new computers, and a single cable fault doesn't affect other computers.

MODEM stands for MOdulator DEModulator — it converts digital signals to analog and back.

A Hub is a dumb device that broadcasts data to every connected device, regardless of the intended recipient.

A Switch is a smart device that learns which computer is on which port and sends data only to the intended device.

A Repeater regenerates and boosts weak signals so they can travel longer distances without losing quality.

A Bridge connects two LAN segments and decides which traffic should cross over between them.

A Router connects different networks (like home LAN to the Internet) and determines the best path for data to travel.

A Gateway is the most powerful device — it translates between two completely different network protocols/languages.

The correct order from least to most intelligent is: Hub (no intelligence) → Switch (medium) → Router (high) → Gateway (highest, full protocol translation).

A Switch is intelligent and sends data only to the correct destination device, while a Hub blindly broadcasts to every connected device.

A Modem (MOdulator-DEModulator) converts digital signals from a computer into analog signals for transmission over telephone lines, and vice versa.

A Gateway performs full protocol translation, making it suitable for connecting two networks using entirely different protocols.

WWW stands for World Wide Web — a system of interlinked webpages accessible via the Internet.

The Internet is the physical infrastructure; WWW is just ONE service (linked webpages) that runs on top of it, alongside other services like Email and VoIP.

Microsoft Word is a standalone application, not an Internet-based communication service. Web, Email, Chat, and VoIP are the Internet applications covered.

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol — it enables voice/video calls over the Internet instead of traditional phone lines.

WhatsApp Call is a VoIP application — it carries your voice as data packets over the Internet instead of using telephone lines.

A Webpage is a single document with its own unique URL. A Website is a collection of multiple related webpages.

A Website is a collection of multiple related webpages, typically grouped under one common domain name.

A Static Webpage has fixed content that is the same for every visitor, unless someone manually changes the underlying code.

A Facebook newsfeed changes automatically based on the user, time, and database updates — this makes it a Dynamic webpage.

Static webpages use only HTML and CSS since their content doesn't need to be generated or changed dynamically.

Web Hosting is the service of renting space on a web server, keeping a website live and accessible 24/7 on the Internet.

A Web Server stores website files and delivers ('serves') them to web browsers whenever a user requests a webpage.

A Web Browser is software that allows users to request and display webpages — it's the user's window into the WWW.

Google Chrome is one of the most widely used web browsers, alongside Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.

Add-ons (Extensions) add new functionality to the browser itself (e.g., ad blockers). Plug-ins help the browser display specific content types (e.g., PDF viewers).

Cookies are small, harmless text files that websites store on a user's browser/device to remember information like login status or preferences.

A Session Cookie is temporary and gets deleted as soon as the browser is closed, unlike Persistent Cookies which remain until expiry.

Third-Party Cookies are set by domains other than the one being visited, commonly used by advertisers to track browsing habits across different sites.

Persistent Cookies remain stored on the device until they expire or are manually deleted, allowing data like cart items to survive across browser sessions.