Chapter 4 Communication Technology

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Name the term defined by given below statement:
“A group of computers connected to each other by
a link.”
Answer:
Computer network is defined as a group of
computers connected to each other by a link.
Question 2.
Two people, one knowing only English and other
knowing only Chinese are talking to each other.
Can we call it a communication?
Answer:
No, because only a meaningful exchange of
information between two living beings is called
Question 3.
Give few examples of communication technology.
Answer:
Telephones, mobiles, fax, Internet etc., are some
examples of communication technology.
Question 4.
Write down the components of a computer
network established between the two offices of a
company across the cities.
Answer:
The five components will be involved in this
computer network, since telephone lines will be
used as communication channel.
 • Sender
• Data communication device at sender’s end
• Communication channel
• Data communication device at receiver’s end
• Receiver
Question 5.
What is the importance of communication
channel?
Answer:
Communication channel is responsible for carrying
data in the form of signals from sender to receiver.
Question 6.
List down the types of computer networks.
Answer:
Following are the three main types of computer
networks, based upon the geographical area as
follows:
• Local Area Network (LAN)
• Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
• Wide Area Network (WAN)
Question 7.
Which cable networks are used for LAN
connections?
Answer:
Twisted pair and fibre optic cables are used for
LAN connection.
Question 8.
Why Internet is called a network of networks?
Answer:
Internet is called a network of networks because it
connects several large and all heterogeneous
networks together into a bigger network.
Question 9.
Give one basic difference between guided and
unguided transmission channels.
Answer:
In guided transmission media, cables (or wires)
are used for communicating data while in
unguided transmission, in place of cables, signals
travel through air.
Question 10.
Why wires in twisted pair cable are twisted around
each other?
Answer:
Wires are twisted to provide protection against
crosstalk and noise.
Question 11.
When we transmit signal over a long distance, the
intensity of the signal is reduced. What could be
the solution for this problem?
Answer:
We can use a networking device called repeater,
regenerates the feeble signal and transmit it.
Question 12.
Write down the name of communication channel
used for telephone line and TV
Answer:
Communication channel for telephone line is
twisted pair cable and for TV is co-axial cable.
Question 13.
Which guided media provide secure transmission
amongst all of them?
Answer:
Optical fibre provides secure transmission as
compared to twisted pair and co-axial cable. As, it
is more immune to tapping than copper cables.
Question 14.
How is crossover Ethernet cable different from rest
of the Ethernet cables?
Answer:
A crossover cable is a special type of Ethernet
cable specially designed for connecting two
computers, whereas most Ethernet cables are
designed to connect one computer to a router or a
switch.
Question 15.
Which wireless technology is commonly used in
mobile phones?
Answer:
Bluetooth is commonly used as a wireless
technology in mobile phones and laptops.
Question 16.
Give one major disadvantage of bluetooth.
Answer:
Only short range communication is possible using
bluetooth.
Question 17.
Ramya wants to connect all the computers of her
office wirelessly in order to avoid clumsy cables.
Which wireless technology would be best suitable
for her office?
Answer:
Wi-Fi technology would be best suitable for her
office to avoid cabling.
Question 18.
Define the term Wi-Fi hotspot.
Answer:
A hotspot is a site that offers Internet access over
a WLAN via a router connected to a link from an
Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
Write down any two points of differences between
LAN, MAN and WAN.
Answer:
Two major points of differences among LAN, MAN
and WAN are as follows:
• Distance Covered LAN can cover an area upto
5 km. More than 5 km and upto 100 km comes
under MAN. Beyond 100 km, the area can be
covered by WAN only.
• Cost LAN has lower cost as compared to MAN
and WAN.
Question 2.
Write short notes on LAN and WAN.
Answer:
LAN
A Local Area Network (LAN) is a computer
network covering a small geographical area like a
home, office or small group of buildings such as
buildings in a school. Computers connected to a
LAN can share information and share peripheral
equipments.
WAN
A Wide Area Network (WAN) is used to connect
LANs and other types of network together, so that
users and computers in one location can
communicate with users and computers in other
locations.
Question 3.
Write any two uses of Internet
Answer:
TWO uses of Internet are as follows:
• Internet is used for communication and
information sharing.
• Businesses use the Internet to provide access
to complex databases.
Question 4.
Differentiate between the terms Internet and
Intranet.
Answer:
Internet
Access by any individual with dial-up access.
Information on Internet could be general, public
and advertisement.
Intranet
Access by only authorised employees.
Information on Intranet could be specific,
corporate and proprietary.
Question 5.
In twisted pair cable, two insulated wires are
twisted around each other which provides
protection against noise. Explain.
Answer:
Twisting the cables keep them close together so
that, any external magnetic fields must cross both
cable at the same time, so the interference
created in one cable is cancelled by the almost
exact opposite amount of interference in the other.
Question 6.
Explain two problems that can occur during
transmission of data.
Answer:
TWO problems that can occur during transmission
of data are as follows:
• Crosstalk Disturbance caused by the electric or
magnetic fields of one signal in an adjacent
signal.
• Attenuation During transmission, the signal
strength is reduced this phenomenon is called
attenuation.
Question 7.
Explain the three main parts of optical fibre cable.
Answer:
The three main parts of optical fibre cable are as
follows:
• Core It is the section through which the data
travel in the form of light.
• Cladding The cladding is the covering part of
core. Its function is to reflect back the light into
the core, as it is a denser medium.
 • Protective Coating It is the outer cover of
cladding for the protection of optical fibre from
damage and moisture.
Question 8.
Compare and contrast the two wireless
transmission media; bluetooth and infrared.
Answer:
Bluetooth and Infrared both are short range
wireless transmission media. This is the only point
at which both these data transmission
technologies look similar but there is a lot of
difference between the two. Infrared is mostly
used in TV remotes and there must be a direct
line-of-sight between the transmitter and the
receiver while on the other hand bluetooth uses a
radio frequency which allows transmission through
walls and other objects.
Question 9.
Explain the term:
• Bandwidth
• Broadband
Answer:
• Bandwidth It is the Communication capacity of
a network. It refers to the data carrying capacity
of a channel or medium.
• Broadband Broadband is a wide bandwidth
data transmission with an ability to
simultaneously transport multiple signals and
traffic types.
Question 10.
Elucidate the following terms:
• PAN
• WiMAX
Answer:
• PAN It stands for Personal Area Network. It is a
computer network used for communication
among computer and different technological
devices close to it. Technologies such as
bluetooth and infrared communication form a
wireless PAN around the device.
• WiMAX It stands for Worldwide Interoperability
for Microwave Access. It is a wireless
transmission of data using a variety of
transmission modes.
Question 11.
Differentiate between long distance wireless
media and short distance wireless media.
Answer:
Differences between long distance and short
distance wireless media are as follows:

Long distance wireless Short distance

media wireless media

It supports It supports

communication over a communication over a

long distance, i.e. upto short distance, i.e. upto

thousands of kilometres. few kilometres

Microwave, radiowave Bluetooth, infrared, wi-

and satellite fi, WiMAX are short

communication are long distance wireless

distance wireless media. media.

Question 12.
When the computer network uses telephone lines
as communication channel then MODEM is used
as a data communication device. Now, explain the
working of MODEM.
Answer:
MODEM performs the task of Modulation at
sender’s site and DEModulation at the receiver’s
end. Basically, our computer generates data in the
form of digital signals which needs to be forwarded
to the receiver through telephone lines. Since,
telephone lines can carry only analog signals. So
digital signals need to be converted to analog
signals at sender’s site this is called modulation.
At receiver’s end again analog signals should be
converted back to the original digital signals, then
this is called demodulation.
 Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
Today, computers are.being used very widely for
communication. Write down some benefits offered
by computers when used for communication.
Answer:
File and Data Sharing
At a time, file-sharing consisted mostly of saving
documents to floppy disks that could be physically
transferred to other computers by hand. With
networking, files can be shared instantaneously
across the network, whether with one user or with
hundreds users
Resource Sharing
Computer networking also allows the sharing of
network resources, such as printers, scanners,
dedicated servers, backup systems, input devices
and Internet connections.
Data Protection and Redundancy
Computer networking allows users to distribute
copies of important information across multiple
locations, ensuring essential information is not lost
with the failure of any one computer in the
network.
Ease of Administration
Instead of individually upgrading each computer in
an organisation, a network administrator can
initiate an upgrade from a server and automatically
duplicate the upgrade throughout the network
User Communications
Computer networking also allows organisations to
maintain complex communication systems. It also
allow users to communicate using E-mail,
newsgroups, video conferencing etc.
Distributed Computing Power
In computer networks, we can distribute tasks
across multiple computers throughout the network,
by breaking complex problems into hundreds or
thousands of smaller operations, which are then
parceled out to individual computers.
Network Gaming
A lot of network games are available, which allow
multi-users to play from different locations. It is a
type of online game, i.e. played through social
networks.
Question 2.
Write down the advantages of networking for an
office.
Answer:
Various advantages of networking for an office are
as follows:
• Using network we can store our files in many
places or computers for data recovery purpose
from a disk crash.
• It provides sharing of various resources over
the network, within the office.
• Since, resources are sharable so they can be
accessed on any computer by any employee.
• Networking supports the very fast transmission
of data from one system to another.
• All the application software need not be
installed on individual system, i.e. they can be
centralised and can be accessed by anyone
from the central system itself.
Question 3.
Explain the given terms with respect to computer
networks:
1. File and Data Sharing
2. Distributing Computing Power
3. Ease of Administration
4. Networking
5. Server
Answer:
1. File and Data Sharing
At a time, file-sharing consisted mostly of
saving documents to floppy disks that could be
physically transferred to other computers by
hand. With networking, files can be shared
instantaneously across the network, whether
with one user or with hundreds users, e.g.
employees across departments can collaborate
on documents, exchange background material
etc.
2. Distributed Computing Power
In computer networks, we can distribute tasks
across multiple computers throughout the
network, by breaking complex problems into
hundreds or thousands of smaller operations,
which are then parceled out to individual
computers.
Each computer in the network performs its
operations on its own portion of the larger
problem and return its result. Then, all these
results are gathered in such a form that impact
 as the solution of the complex problem and
finally are used for the further task.
3. Ease of Administration
Instead of individually upgrading each computer
in an organisation, a network administrator can
initiate an upgrade from a server and
automatically duplicate the upgrade throughout
the network. Simultaneously, allowing everyone
in the company to maintain uniform software,
resources and procedures.
4. Networking
Networking is a process of exchanging the
information and ideas among individuals or
groups that share a common interest, i.e. the
process of creating a network is called
networking.
The need for networking is mainly to break the
barriers of distance, time and cost. Similarly,
interconnecting computers, results in a form of
networks of computers.
5. Server
A server is a main computer that manages
resources connected to a network. Any user on
the network can access the resources stored on
the server.
Question 4.
Differentiate LAN, MAN and WAN on the basis of
following characteristic:
• Geographical Area
• Example
• Distance
• Cost
• Ownership
Answer:
Differences between LAN, MAN and WAN

Basis LAN MAN WAN

Across
Generally
GeographicalAre Within the
within a
a a city continent
building
s

Upto
Distance Upto 5 km Unlimited
160 km

More

than

LAN
Lessexpensiv More
Cost but
e than MAN
less

than

WAN
 Private Shared

Ownership Private or across

Public the world

Cable

Network TV

Example within your networ Internet

school k within

a city

Question 5.
When we connect computers in a network using
cables then it is called guided media. What are the
various types of guided media available? Explain
each.
Answer:
Three types of cables are used for connecting
computers in a network are as follows:
1. Twisted Pair Cable It consists of two insulated
wires twisted around each other and uses
copper as the conducting material.
This property of twisted pair cable provides
protection against crosstalk and noise.
2. Co-axial Cable It contains two conductors, the
inner conductor made of solid copper and the
outer conductor that serves as a shield against
noise. An insulating plastic is placed between
 the two conductors and this whole set-up is
covered with a plastic jacket. For cable TV
network co-axial cable is used.
3. Optical Fibre It consists of thin strands of
glass or glass like material, which are capable
of carrying light signals from a source at one
end to another end.
Question 6.
What are the differences between wired and
wireless communication channels?
Answer:

WiredCommunication WirelessCommunication

Channel Channel

More security measures

It is more secure. need to be considered for

providing security.

It is faster than wireless It is slower than wired

communication. communication.
Technically less difficult Technically more difficult

to set-up. to set-up.

More expensive for For long distances, it is

longer distances. less expensive,

User device can be

User device cannot be
moved easily within the
moved.
wireless range.

Application Oriented Questions

Question 1.
The following paragraph describes the term
computer network.
A computer network is a group of (i) ………. that
are (ii) ……… to each other for the purpose of (iii)
……. A computer (iv) …….. allows computers to
communicate with many other computers and to
(v) ………. resources and information.
Fill in the blanks with words from the list below:
Connected, Computers, Sending, Communication,
Network, Share.
Answer:
(i) computers
(ii) connected
(iii) communication
(iv) network
(v) share
Question 2.
Ram and Sita, two persons talking to one another.
1. What are the components of the network?
2. What is the communication channel?
Answer:
1. Components of network are as follows:
• Sender

• Communication channel

• Receiver

2. Communication channel is the channel in

which two computers can communicate with
each other by sending data or sharing
information between them.
Question 3.
Manoj has to set-up a network between his
devices at home which included a smartphone, a
laptop and a personal computer. What type of
network he would be setting up for the same?
• PAN
• MAN
• WAN
Answer:
Manoj would be setting up a PAN (Personal Area
Network) which is best suited for setups involving
a computer, a cell phone and/or a handheld
computing device such as a PDA.
Question 4.
Mr. Singh and Mr. Tyagi want to send a song from
each other. Both having a mobile phone. Both
want to send a song through mobile phones. What
networking technology is needed to share a song
through mobile phone? Describe it.
Answer:
Bluetooth technology is used for sharing the data
like audio, video etc. Using this technology, users
of cellular phones, initiate the sending or receiving
data.
In general, having all mobiles and fixed computer
devices can be totally coordinated. Thus, Mr.
Singh and Mr. Tyagi can send a song to each
other by using a bluetooth technology easily within
short time.
Question 5.
Ravi has to transfer a photo on his mobile phone
to his friend’s phone in the same room. Which of
the following technologies would let him to do this
quickly?
• Bluetooth
• Infrared
• Either of the two
Answer:
Ravi could either of the two technologies Bluetooth
or Infrared which is supported by both the devices
involved. Infrared though slightly faster than
Bluetooth has a limitation that it needs a clear line-
of-sight between the devices for it to work.
Question 6.
Carefully read the following descriptions and
identify what is being talked about.
1. It consists of two insulated wires twisted
around each other, which provides protection
against noise and crosstalk.
2. Disturbance caused due to interference of one
signal’s electric or magnetic field into other
signals.
3. It is an omni-directional wireless transmission
media. Its range lies between 300 KHz to 10
GHz.
4. Communication channel that is more secure,
faster, easier to set-up but expensive Tor longer
distances and devices once configured cannot
be moved.
5. Unique equipments like printers and scanners
are available to all the workstations
simultaneously.
Answer:
1. Twisted pair cable
2. Crosstalk
3. Radiowave
4. Wired communication channel
5. Resource sharing
Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1.
Computer connected with LAN
(a) work fast
(b) go online
(c) can E-mail
(d) can share information or peripheral devices
Answer:
(d) Computer connected with LAN can share
information or peripheral devices.
Question 2.
A group of computers connected together with the
help of cables within an office building is called
(a) PAN
(b) WAN
(c) MAN
(d) LAN
Answer:
(d) Using LAN, we can connect computers within a
building only.
Question 3.
Which of the following statement is not true about
LAN?
(a) LAN is designed for a small geographical area
(b) LANs operate at higher speed than WANs
(c) LANs are privately owned networks
(d) LANs can share data across the world
Answer:
(d) LANs are not public network and hence data
can be shared among the computers of the
organisation owning that LAN cannot share data
across the world.
Question 4.
Network formed between computers which is
spread across the continents is called
(a) LAN
(b) WAN
(c) MAN
(d) WLAN
Answer:
(b) Across the continents, computers can be
connected using WAN only.
Question 5.
Which of the following uses cables to connect two
or more computers?
(a) Transmission
(b) Unguided
(c) Guided
(d) Radiowaves
Answer:
(c) In guided media, signals are guided through
cables.
Question 6.
The ……… consists of two conductors, where one
is the inner conductor of solid copper (also called
the core conductor) and the other is the outer
conductor.
(a) Twisted pair cable
(b) Optical fibre
(c) Co-axial cable
(d) Ethernet cable
Answer:
(c) Co-axial cable consists of two conductors
which are parallel to each other, i.e. inner and
outer conductor.
Question 7.
Identify the odd term amongst the following.
(a) Microwave
(b) Radiowave
(c) Bluetooth
(d) Optical fibre
Answer:
(d) Except optical fibre, all are wireless
transmission media.
Question 8.
Optical fibres are made up of thin strands of
(a) copper material
(b) silver material
(c) glass like material
(d) brass material
Answer:
(c) Optical fibres are made up of thin strands of
glass like material.
Question 9.
Which type of connector does a Ethernet cable
use?
(a) BNC
(b) RJ-45
(c) RJ-11
(d) MSAU
Answer:
(b) RJ-45 most commonly used to connect
computers onto Ethernet-based local area
network.
Question 10.
For using Wi-Fi, which of the following is not
required?
(a) An Internet connection
(b) Wireless Internet card
(c) Wireless router
(d) Bluetooth
Answer:
(d) Bluetooth is not required for Wi-Fi connection.
Question 11.
Modulation and demodulation is performed by
(a) Microwave
(b) Satellite
(c) Modem
(d) Fibre optic
Answer:
(c) Modem converts digital signals to analog
signals or analog signals to digital signals for the
purpose of transmitting data over telephone lines
or vice-versa.
Question 12.
A modem is connected in between a telephone
line and a
(a) computer
(b) serial port
(c) network
(d) communication adapter
Answer:
(a) Modem is a device that enables computers and
other equipment to communicate with each other
using telephone lines.
Question 13.
Which of the following is not a transmission
medium?
(a) Telephone lines
(b) Co-axial cable
(c) Modem
(d) Microwave system
Answer:
(c) All are communication channel but modem is a
dev that convert analog signals to digital signals or
vice-versa
Question 14.
What is the unit used to measure the data wf is
transmitted through modem?
(a) Bytes per second
(b) Band
(c) Bits per second
(d) None of these
Answer:
(c) Bits per second is the unit used to measure the
data through modem.
Fill in the Blanks
Question 1.
………. is the formation of networks.
Answer:
Networking
Question 2.
……….. is a computer which provides sharing the
resources of other computers connected in a
network.
Answer:
Server
Question 3.
……….. is called network of networks.
Answer:
Internet
Question 4.
………. consists of electrical waves
Answer:
Signal
Question 5.
Bluetooth is a …………. wireless connection.
Answer:
short range
Question 6.
The small area network created around a
bluetooth device is called …………..
Answer:
PAN (Personal Area Network)
Question 7.
The digital signals to analog signals are carried
out by ………., so that data can travel over
telephone lines.
Answer:
MODEM
True or False
Question 1.
A computer connected to a network is known as
stand-alone computer.
Answer:
False
A computer connected to a network is known as
host or node.
Question 2.
The most powerful computer in a typical network is
network server.
Answer:
True
A server is a main computer that manages
resources to other computers connected to a
network.
Question 3.
A separate printer will be needed in a network for
all connected computers.
Answer:
False
Computers connected to a LAN can share
information and through a common printer.
Question 4.
MAN’s are the computer networks confined to a
localised area such as an office.
Answer:
False
LAN’s are the computer networks confined to a
localised area such as an office.
Question 5.
MAN provides communication services upto 5 km.
Answer:
False
MAN provides communication services upto 100
km.
Question 6.
Twisted pair cable is suitable for broadband
application.
Answer:
False
Twisted pair cable has low bandwidth capabilities
and broadband application requires high
bandwidth.
Question 7.
Reduction of signal strength during transmission is
called attenuation.
Answer:
True
During transmission, the signal strength is
reduced, this phenomenon is called attenuation.
Question 8.
Microwave transmits signals through open space
like radio signal.
Answer:
True
It supports long distance communication through
space like radio signal
Question 9.
Microwave transmission is an example of line-of-
sight transmission.
Answer:
True
Microwave are the radiowave which supports line-
of-sight transmission.
Question 10.
Most common example of infrared medium is TV
remote.
Answer:
True
TV remote is an example of infrared light for
transmission use.
Question 11.
Bluetooth is commonly used in mobile phones,
laptops etc.
Answer:
True
It is a short-range wireless connection. With the
help of bluetooth, we can transfer the data from
one device to another device.