Chapter 11: Networking Fundamentals and Devices (Set-1)
A computer network mainly helps devices to
A Generate electricity
B Increase screen size
C Share data/resources
D Change file formats
A network connects devices so they can communicate and share resources like files, printers, and internet access. This saves time, reduces cost, and supports teamwork and online services.
A LAN usually covers a
A Whole country
B Single building area
C Whole continent
D Space satellite area
A LAN (Local Area Network) connects devices within a small area like a home, office, or school. It provides high speed, low delay, and is easy to manage.
A WAN is best described as a network that
A Covers large distance
B Works only offline
C Works inside a room
D Uses only cables
A WAN (Wide Area Network) connects networks across cities, states, or countries. The internet is the best example. WAN links are usually slower than LAN due to long distances.
A MAN generally connects networks across a
A Small room
B Single computer
C City or metro
D Single desk area
A MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) covers a city-sized area, bigger than LAN but smaller than WAN. It may connect multiple campuses or offices across the same city.
A PAN is a network around a
A World region
B City roads
C Office building
D Person’s devices
A PAN (Personal Area Network) connects personal devices like phone, laptop, smartwatch, and earbuds—often using Bluetooth or short-range Wi-Fi—within a few meters.
In a client–server network, the server mainly
A Provides shared services
B Requests all services
C Prints only documents
D Stops all connections
In client–server networks, servers provide services like file storage, login, database, and printers. Clients request these services. This setup is easier to control and secure centrally.
In a peer-to-peer network, computers
A Must use a server
B Never share files
C Share resources directly
D Only connect to WAN
Peer-to-peer networks have no dedicated server. Each computer can act as both client and server. It is simple and cheap for small setups, but harder to manage security.
An intranet is used mainly inside
A A public website
B An organization only
C A mobile tower
D A satellite network
An intranet is a private internal network used by employees in an organization. It provides internal pages, documents, and services with controlled access, usually not open to outsiders.
An extranet is mainly an intranet extended to
A Trusted outsiders
B Only one device
C Any random user
D No internet users
An extranet allows limited access to selected external users like partners, vendors, or clients. It shares specific data securely without giving full internal network access.
Bandwidth mainly means
A Network delay time
B Power consumption
C Data carrying capacity
D Screen refresh rate
Bandwidth is the maximum data that can be transmitted per second on a network link. Higher bandwidth usually supports faster downloads and smoother streaming, if other factors are good.
Latency mainly refers to
A Maximum file size
B Cable thickness
C Number of printers
D Time delay in network
Latency is the time taken for data to travel from source to destination. Lower latency improves real-time activities like gaming, voice calls, and video meetings, even if bandwidth is high.
If bandwidth is high but latency is also high, you may notice
A Slow response time
B Faster typing speed
C Better print quality
D Lower monitor size
High bandwidth helps large transfers, but high latency causes delayed responses. So video calls or online games may feel “laggy” even when download speed looks good.
A network used for online banking and shopping is a
A Display device
B Storage device
C Network application
D Input device
Network applications use connectivity to provide services such as banking, email, cloud storage, and video calls. They rely on reliable transmission and secure protocols to protect user data.
In a bus topology, devices mainly share a
A Central switch
B Single backbone cable
C Private router room
D Separate cables each
Bus topology connects all devices to one main cable. It is cheap but a break in the backbone can stop the whole network, and collisions can increase with more devices.
In a star topology, all devices connect to a
A Single main cable
B Circular loop cable
C Single central device
D Random device chain
Star topology connects each device to a central hub or switch. It is easy to troubleshoot and add devices. If one cable fails, only that device is affected.
In a ring topology, data typically travels
A In a circular path
B Random directions always
C Only through internet
D Only through server
In ring topology, devices form a loop and data moves from one node to the next. A break can disrupt the ring unless there is a dual ring or protection method.
A mesh topology is known for
A Single cable only
B One central hub
C No physical links
D Many interconnections
Mesh topology provides multiple paths between devices, improving reliability. Even if one link fails, data can use another path. It is costly due to extra cabling and ports.
A hybrid topology means
A Only wireless network
B Only bus network
C Mix of topologies
D Only ring network
Hybrid topology combines two or more topologies like star-bus or star-ring. It is used to meet real network needs, balancing performance, cost, and expandability.
Twisted pair cable is commonly used in
A Ethernet LANs
B Satellite links
C FM radio only
D Power grid lines
Twisted pair cables (like Cat5e/Cat6) are widely used for Ethernet in offices and homes. Twisting reduces interference and crosstalk, making communication more reliable.
Coaxial cable has a
A Glass core center
B Single copper core
C Plastic light core
D No shielding layer
Coaxial cable contains a central copper conductor with insulation and shielding. It resists interference better than basic twisted pair and is used in cable TV and some older networks.
Fiber optic cable transmits data using
A Electricity pulses
B Magnetic waves
C Light signals
D Sound vibrations
Fiber optic cables carry data as light through glass or plastic fibers. They offer very high speed, long distance coverage, and strong resistance to electromagnetic interference.
Wireless communication uses
A Radio waves mainly
B Only metal wires
C Ink on paper
D Vacuum tubes only
Wi-Fi and other wireless networks use radio waves to transmit data. Signal strength, obstacles, and interference affect performance, so placement and channel selection matter.
Attenuation in a cable means
A Signal strength gain
B Faster data always
C Bigger IP range
D Signal strength loss
Attenuation is the weakening of a signal as it travels through a medium. Longer cables and poor quality materials increase attenuation, which can cause errors and slower network speeds.
Interference in networking usually causes
A Cleaner signals
B Extra storage space
C Data errors/noise
D More USB ports
Interference adds unwanted noise to a signal, reducing quality. It may come from electrical devices, other cables, or nearby wireless networks, causing packet loss and slower speed.
A repeater is used to
A Block all signals
B Extend signal range
C Store web pages
D Assign IP addresses
A repeater regenerates and boosts weak signals to travel farther. It is useful in long cable runs or weak Wi-Fi areas, but it does not make the internet faster.
A hub mainly works at the
A Physical layer
B Network layer
C Application layer
D Presentation layer
A hub is a basic device that repeats incoming signals to all ports. It does not learn addresses, so it increases collisions and is less efficient than a switch.
A switch mainly reduces
A File size
B Screen brightness
C Network collisions
D Printer speed
A switch sends frames only to the correct port using MAC addresses. This reduces unnecessary traffic and collisions compared to hubs, improving LAN performance and efficiency.
A switch forwards frames using a
A DNS record list
B MAC address table
C Subnet mask list
D CPU cache list
Switches learn MAC addresses from incoming frames and store them in a MAC table. Then they forward traffic only to the port where the destination MAC is known.
A router is mainly used to
A Print documents fast
B Increase RAM size
C Connect two networks
D Repair hard disks
Routers connect different networks and choose paths for packets using IP addresses. Commonly, a home router connects a local LAN to the internet and routes traffic correctly.
A modem is used to
A Convert signal types
B Store user passwords
C Create folders quickly
D Increase monitor size
A modem modulates and demodulates signals so digital devices can communicate over certain lines like cable or phone networks. Many home internet devices combine modem and router functions.
A bridge is mainly used to
A Block Wi-Fi signals
B Replace DNS server
C Create new websites
D Join LAN segments
A bridge connects two LAN segments and filters traffic using MAC addresses. It helps reduce congestion by not forwarding unnecessary frames, improving performance in segmented networks.
A gateway generally connects
A Similar networks only
B Only two printers
C Different network systems
D Only USB devices
A gateway connects networks using different protocols or architectures. It can translate between systems and is often the entry/exit point for traffic going from a local network to outside networks.
An access point is mainly used to
A Provide Wi-Fi access
B Provide printer ink
C Format hard disks
D Create PDF files
An access point allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi. It expands wireless coverage and supports SSID broadcasting and security settings like WPA2/WPA3.
NIC stands for
A New Internet Cable
B Network Input Connector
C Network Interface Card
D Node Interface Code
A NIC is the hardware that connects a device to a network. It has a unique MAC address and can be wired (Ethernet port) or wireless (Wi-Fi adapter).
An IP address mainly identifies
A A networked device
B A keyboard model
C A monitor size
D A printer brand
An IP address is a logical address used to identify devices on a network for communication. It helps route data to the correct destination, unlike MAC which is hardware-based.
IPv4 address length is
A 48-bit
B 64-bit
C 128-bit
D 32-bit
IPv4 uses 32 bits and is written in dotted decimal format like 192.168.1.10. Due to limited addresses, IPv6 was introduced with a much larger address space.
IPv6 address length is
A 32-bit
B 64-bit
C 128-bit
D 96-bit
IPv6 uses 128 bits and is written in hexadecimal groups. It provides a huge number of unique addresses and supports improved features like simplified headers and better auto-configuration.
A subnet mask is used to
A Hide monitor pixels
B Identify network part
C Increase router heat
D Change MAC address
A subnet mask separates the network portion and host portion of an IP address. It helps devices decide whether the destination is on the same network or must go via a gateway.
The default gateway is typically the
A Printer IP address
B Monitor serial number
C Router IP address
D Keyboard driver name
The default gateway is the device that forwards traffic to other networks, usually the router. If a destination is outside the local subnet, the computer sends packets to the gateway.
DNS mainly converts
A Names to IPs
B Files to folders
C Images to text
D Cables to wireless
DNS translates domain names like example.com into IP addresses so computers can locate servers. Without DNS, users would need to remember numeric IP addresses for websites and services.
A private IP is commonly used inside
A Public internet only
B Local internal networks
C Space networks only
D TV broadcast network
Private IP addresses are used inside home or office networks and are not directly reachable from the internet. NAT usually translates private IPs to a public IP for internet access.
A public IP is mainly used for
A Internal printer only
B Offline word processing
C Internet-facing identity
D Keyboard compatibility
A public IP address is routable on the internet and identifies your network or device externally. ISPs assign public IPs so internet traffic can reach the correct destination network.
DHCP mainly provides
A Virus removal
B File compression
C Screen recording
D Automatic IP assignment
DHCP automatically assigns IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS to devices. This avoids manual configuration errors and helps prevent IP conflicts when many devices join the network.
A static IP is an IP that
A Is manually fixed
B Changes frequently
C Never uses DNS
D Works only offline
A static IP address is set manually and stays the same unless changed. It is useful for servers, printers, and devices that need predictable addresses for easy access and configuration.
A MAC address is
A Same for all devices
B Website name system
C Hardware unique address
D Internet speed value
A MAC address is a unique physical address assigned to a network interface. It works at the data link layer and helps switches deliver frames on a LAN to the correct device.
The command ping is used to
A Test connectivity
B Create new subnet
C Change IP format
D Encrypt all traffic
Ping checks if a device can reach another device using ICMP and measures response time. It helps troubleshoot network issues like unreachable hosts, high latency, or packet loss.
Traceroute helps to find
A Monitor resolution
B Path of packets
C CPU temperature
D Printer queue size
Traceroute shows the route packets take through routers to reach a destination. It helps identify where delays or failures occur along the path, useful for diagnosing routing problems.
SSID refers to
A Router power rating
B IP address format
C Wi-Fi network name
D Antivirus database
SSID is the name of a Wi-Fi network shown to users when selecting a network. It identifies the wireless network; security depends on encryption like WPA2/WPA3 and strong passwords.
A safer Wi-Fi security option is
A WEP encryption
B Open network mode
C No password set
D WPA2/WPA3
WPA2 and WPA3 provide strong encryption for Wi-Fi. WEP is outdated and easily broken. A strong password and updated router firmware greatly improve wireless security.
A guest network is useful to
A Separate visitor access
B Share admin password
C Disable router security
D Remove Wi-Fi name
A guest network lets visitors use internet without accessing your main devices. It helps protect personal files and smart devices by isolating guests from the primary LAN, improving security and privacy.