stupid question in my exam

[Tom_nerd]

17 hours ago, Akolyte said:

what you're studying

GCSE computer science!!

 

11 hours ago, Lakobrija said:

Really? I didn't know. I'm familiar with Home,  Premium, Enterprise, Ultimate, but never heard of these 2 combined

it was an upgraded vista, even saying the name sends a shiver down my spine

[Boomwebsearch]

On 4/24/2020 at 11:21 AM, Tom_nerd said:

this is a question in my end of year exam paper (attached) and I'm sure by now your inner nerd is already being annoyed at this question, I was half-way through writing a paper about why it is so stupid I was wondering if anyone could give me any ideas

 

 

(the question gives no context for what the situation is)

I would say that Desktop Computer A would be more capable of creating backup files, although this is not really a good question with very limited context and Desktop Computer B says "g4-bit" which I would think is a mistake for "64 bit". Contact the instructor of the class and request for further context if possible and explain that this question provides very limited context with a not specific question.

[Tom_nerd]

Just now, Boomwebsearch said:

Contact the instructor

I already have and I got 2 extra points for it and I know have a test score of 102%

[NineEyeRon]

1 hour ago, Tom_nerd said:

I already have and I got 2 extra points for it and I know have a test score of 102%

Aimbotting and wallhax but for exams

[LogicalDrm]

*** Several posts merged ***

 

Please use multiquote function when replying to multiple posts (plus sign).

[Akolyte]

2 hours ago, Tom_nerd said:

I already have and I got 2 extra points for it and I know have a test score of 102%

Nice man, be ready for some more stupid questions they will be on every IT exam you ever take if you want to get into the industry.  Don't focus on certifications (though they are dope) focus on getting practical knowledge on the technical stuff that fascinates you. 

2 hours ago, Tom_nerd said:

GCSE computer science!!

 

it was an upgraded vista, even saying the name sends a shiver down my spine

I would actually expect questions like that in GCSE, In fact, I would've hoped the question was real because that would've been a smart move by the instructor to add some of the real confusion that comes with taking real certification exams. 

 

Some of the questions in CompTIA exams can be like this. 

[Bombastinator]

My favorite stupid question is “can I go to the bathroom?”  If you can’t you would have exploded long ago.

[Kisai]

12 hours ago, Lord Vile said:

You’ve completely missed my point. A has the CAPABILITY to make backups, you just need the media.

 

How do you know either have a USB port?

 

See, this is why people who think they're smart fail these questions. 

 

As everyone has said, so far, the answer the test clearly wants is "Computer A", on the basis of the DVD writer. However everyone has also correctly pointed out the information presented is also incorrect and insufficient, as would be the case when you talk to people on the phone who don't know the computer monitor is not the "computer" itself. This question would be roughly from 2007.

 

Because we, computer techs, know better, we know which information is unimportant so the person on the other side doesn't keep asking "what's that?"

 

So the the correct form of the question would have omitted brand from computer A,and used the same specs as computer A but said "DVD-ROM" in computer B so you are paying attention to the fact that both have optical drives. All the info presented is unimportant except for the DVD Writer line.

 

Both machines would have USB 2.0 ports. A 3.5" hard drive inside a USB drive chassis would be a better device to backup onto. However since the specs do not state the USB ports, we're not supposed to assume it has them, even though no machine would be produced without them.

 

Neither machine has "DVD-R/DVD-DL/DVD+R/DVD-RW" specified, so you can not assume it can write to those media, but that's also overthinking it, since it says "DVD Writer", so at least one of those has to be true. However as pointed out, that's too much info.

 

Questions on A+ are very much like this, 10 years out of date, and missing information. So if you have experience with the thing on the test, you might logically figure it out, even without the missing information. However if you really have no experience (such as someone who had only only a text book or practice exam) then these questions are not going to match what the text book or practice exams have on them. You can't fumble through it like a Math quiz. It's very much an English comprehension test, where you're presented with a paragraph of text, and asked what the meaning of things are.

 

5 hours ago, Akolyte said:

Nice man, be ready for some more stupid questions they will be on every IT exam you ever take if you want to get into the industry.  Don't focus on certifications (though they are dope) focus on getting practical knowledge on the technical stuff that fascinates you. 

I would actually expect questions like that in GCSE, In fact, I would've hoped the question was real because that would've been a smart move by the instructor to add some of the real confusion that comes with taking real certification exams. 

 

Some of the questions in CompTIA exams can be like this. 

Yeah, and the thing about taking these exams, is that they are not written by other techs, they are written by editors that are removed from the context.

 

My least favorite question to encounter on such poorly written questions are ones involving technology that is so obsolete that it you're unlikely to run into it unless you are explicitly working for a company or government office that is upgrading their old equipment. That's something you're more likely to find in the server room, not the end users desktops.

[Lord Vile]

3 hours ago, Kisai said:

 

See, this is why people who think they're smart fail these questions. 

 

As everyone has said, so far, the answer the test clearly wants is "Computer A", on the basis of the DVD writer. However everyone has also correctly pointed out the information presented is also incorrect and insufficient, as would be the case when you talk to people on the phone who don't know the computer monitor is not the "computer" itself. This question would be roughly from 2007.

 

Because we, computer techs, know better, we know which information is unimportant so the person on the other side doesn't keep asking "what's that?"

 

So the the correct form of the question would have omitted brand from computer A,and used the same specs as computer A but said "DVD-ROM" in computer B so you are paying attention to the fact that both have optical drives. All the info presented is unimportant except for the DVD Writer line.

 

Both machines would have USB 2.0 ports. A 3.5" hard drive inside a USB drive chassis would be a better device to backup onto. However since the specs do not state the USB ports, we're not supposed to assume it has them, even though no machine would be produced without them.

 

Neither machine has "DVD-R/DVD-DL/DVD+R/DVD-RW" specified, so you can not assume it can write to those media, but that's also overthinking it, since it says "DVD Writer", so at least one of those has to be true. However as pointed out, that's too much info.

 

Questions on A+ are very much like this, 10 years out of date, and missing information. So if you have experience with the thing on the test, you might logically figure it out, even without the missing information. However if you really have no experience (such as someone who had only only a text book or practice exam) then these questions are not going to match what the text book or practice exams have on them. You can't fumble through it like a Math quiz. It's very much an English comprehension test, where you're presented with a paragraph of text, and asked what the meaning of things are.

 

Yeah, and the thing about taking these exams, is that they are not written by other techs, they are written by editors that are removed from the context.

 

My least favorite question to encounter on such poorly written questions are ones involving technology that is so obsolete that it you're unlikely to run into it unless you are explicitly working for a company or government office that is upgrading their old equipment. That's something you're more likely to find in the server room, not the end users desktops.

Can’t be from 2007 windows 7 launched in 2009 and sandy bridge launched in 2012. 
 

What’s the highest level maths exam you’ve sat? They more most definitely like this, as are physics (where I’ve had questions that are actually unanswerable), chemistry, biology and electrical engineering.

[Lord Vile]

5 hours ago, comander said:

Because USB has been implemented into virtually every motherboard forb ages. 

 

 

Name one LGA 775 chipset or LGA 115X chipset/CPU that doesn't have USB baked into the specification. 

You’re assuming. Can’t assume it has something if you’re not told. Unless it says USB on that sheet you don’t know it has one. Welcome to a modern exam paper.

[Curious Pineapple]

10 hours ago, comander said:

Because USB has been implemented into virtually every motherboard forb ages. 

 

 

Name one LGA 775 chipset or LGA 115X chipset/CPU that doesn't have USB baked into the specification. 

Maybe someone jammed 12v up a USB port and blew the controller, now has zero USB ports

[Technane]

Reminds me of an interview I had once, 

They asked me this question. 

"Can you recommend us a Raid to use" 

I so nearly answered, 'No, as you do not understand the question you are asking" 

but instead, i said, do you want Speed or Resilience? as without that I can't make a correct recommendation. 

[Sakkura]

5 hours ago, Lord Vile said:

Can’t be from 2007 windows 7 launched in 2009 and sandy bridge launched in 2012. 
 

What’s the highest level maths exam you’ve sat? They more most definitely like this, as are physics (where I’ve had questions that are actually unanswerable), chemistry, biology and electrical engineering.

Sandy Bridge was 2011.

[greenhorn]

16 minutes ago, Technane said:

Reminds me of an interview I had once, 

They asked me this question. 

"Can you recommend us a Raid to use" [...]

Well, in my opinion asking this question during a job interview is not necessarily bad. Maybe the interviewer wants the applicant to point out that this question could be indicative of a few misconceptions on his part.

 

9 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

My favorite stupid question is “can I go to the bathroom?”  If you can’t you would have exploded long ago.

When I had exam supervisor duty at the university, this was by far the most frequently asked question. I never insisted on the difference between "can" and "may", that would not have been fair in that situation.

 

17 hours ago, Boomwebsearch said:

I would say that Desktop Computer A would be more capable of creating backup files, although this is not really a good question with very limited context and Desktop Computer B says "g4-bit" which I would think is a mistake for "64 bit". Contact the instructor of the class and request for further context if possible and explain that this question provides very limited context with a not specific question.

That question in itself is stupid as pointed out by many of you. In addition to that, the table with the specs is clumsily written: Why does it say "Desktop Computer A" and "A Desktop Computer B" (with the "A" in front of the second label). The expression "RAM Memory" is redundant, it makes it look like the author didn't know what the "M" in RAM stands for. It is also funny that the author is emphasizing the fact that the OS is genuine.

If I had such a teacher I most certainly never would stop arguing with him/her because these silly questions would cast serious doubt on his/her

skills.

[Lord Vile]

1 hour ago, Sakkura said:

Sandy Bridge was 2011.

Typo  

[Bombastinator]

1 hour ago, greenhorn said:

Well, in my opinion asking this question during a job interview is not necessarily bad. Maybe the interviewer wants the applicant to point out that this question could be indicative of a few misconceptions on his part.

 

When I had exam supervisor duty at the university, this was by far the most frequently asked question. I never insisted on the difference between "can" and "may", that would not have been fair in that situation.

 

That question in itself is stupid as pointed out by many of you. In addition to that, the table with the specs is clumsily written: Why does it say "Desktop Computer A" and "A Desktop Computer B" (with the "A" in front of the second label). The expression "RAM Memory" is redundant, it makes it look like the author didn't know what the "M" in RAM stands for. It is also funny that the author is emphasizing the fact that the OS is genuine.

If I had such a teacher I most certainly never would stop arguing with him/her because these silly questions would cast serious doubt on his/her

skills.

Still my favorite.  I visualize exploding children like that scene in “big trouble little China” is that wrong?

[Boomwebsearch]

2 hours ago, greenhorn said:

If I had such a teacher I most certainly never would stop arguing with him/her because these silly questions would cast serious doubt on his/her

skills.

 

A good teacher should be more than happy to learn from students, I would recommend pointing out the mistakes politely, and the teacher should be willing to listen to your concern/s and embrace the improvements that you suggest if they are valid.

[greenhorn]

55 minutes ago, Boomwebsearch said:

 

A good teacher should be more than happy to learn from students, I would recommend pointing out the mistakes politely, and the teacher should be willing to listen to your concern/s and embrace the improvements that you suggest if they are valid.

That is true, but at some point you have to ask yourself whether the teacher is at all qualified to teach that subject. Every human makes mistakes of course, teachers are not exempt from that rule, but some people are outright incompetent to the point where pointing out the mistakes politely won't fix the underlying problem.

I just want to add that I do have great respect for good teachers, just in case someone got a different impression from my previous post.

[Takumidesh]

"RAM Memory"

 

Is this a real CS program? that you are paying money for? I would report this to school administration, it has typos, uses dated information, is obviously not clearly written, and really is just a bad question in general.

[amckern]

I would back up to USB and not dvd, that 4.2gb is too small for me.

[Kisai]

22 hours ago, Lord Vile said:

Can’t be from 2007 windows 7 launched in 2009 and sandy bridge launched in 2012. 
 

What’s the highest level maths exam you’ve sat? They more most definitely like this, as are physics (where I’ve had questions that are actually unanswerable), chemistry, biology and electrical engineering.

 

Again... nitpicks. That's why I said "roughly", because the information was already suspect and unreliable.

 

If you want to get super nitpicky, the Acer M1939 is a LGA 1155 mATX board with 6 USB ports. The E5800 would be on a LGA775 board which likely would have USB ports as well. 

 

The E5800 is November 28, 2010

The i3-2100 is February 20, 2011

 

Since OEM's order and build things in advance, it's likely those machines didn't even end up on a shelf until mid 2011.

 

You can not rely on assumptions in a testing environment, they simply want you to answer based on the information provided. Overthink it, and you'll get it wrong by using your personal experience.

 

This is what corporate "policy" nonsense is all about, training the workers to not think.

 

[kasugatei]

I am not surprised, some schools and universities still teach their students about floppies, magnetic tapes etc. Like not just mentioning it, but more like going into details of those extinct formats.

 And yes, I agree with majority here that both answers are technically correct since eg. USB drives were readily available during the first days of Windows 7

[mr moose]

You guys are reading way to far into this.   If you have to make an assumption about something then your answer is wrong.  The only information they give is that one of the computers has a DVD writer the other doesn't,  If they don't specifically mention NAS, servers, cloud backups or USB drives then they literally are only asking you which can make a back up of data and files with the hardware given. 

 

 

 

 

[GDRRiley]

It’s a stupid set of questions. It reminds me of the AP principles test. What a joke. 
this is why I hate comp sci. so much bad and pointless teaching 

[Eigenvektor]

1 hour ago, mr moose said:

You guys are reading way to far into this.   If you have to make an assumption about something then your answer is wrong.  The only information they give is that one of the computers has a DVD writer the other doesn't,  If they don't specifically mention NAS, servers, cloud backups or USB drives then they literally are only asking you which can make a back up of data and files with the hardware given.

It's clear which answer the teacher wants, but it's still a stupid question. Both PCs are capable of backups.

 

Right now, I have to make the assumption you have a writeable media at hand. I can just as well assume you have a USB stick available. In fact I would say the chance of someone owning a USB stick or USB drive in this day and age is far more likely then them having a writable DVD.

 

(I would also argue that a writable DVD is a bad backup medium because they degrade over time... but that's another discussion)