Top 92 Computer Hardware MCQ Questions
A computer system consists of two components: hardware and software. Computer hardware is the physical components of a computer that can be seen and touched by the user.
It is one of the basic and necessary parts of the computer system. It may be CPU, storage drives (such as RAM, ROM), keyboards, monitors, cables, speakers, printers, scanners, etc.
In this chapter, we have listed the most important computer hardware MCQ GK questions for various competitive examinations such as IBPS (Clerk, PO), RRB, Group D, SSC, etc.
Here, we have also covered questions of previous years that had been asked in different competitive exams. If you practice these computer hardware MCQ questions, you can definitely answer the questions asked in the competitive exams.
Computer Hardware MCQ GK Questions
1. Any physical components of a computer system that we can see and touch is
(a) Software
(b) Peripheral device
(c) hardware
(d) CPU
Answer: (c)
2. The system unit that contains the most vital part of the personal computer is called
(a) CPU
(b) BIOS chip
(c) Motherboard
(d) Monitor
Answer: (c), a motherboard is the main printed circuit board that is also known as main board or system board.
3. A motherboard consists of
(a) CPU
(b) RAM and BIOS chip
(c) Expansion slots
(d) Heat sink/fan
(e) All of the above
Answer: (e)
Also Read: Basic Components of Computer System
4. Which of the following is considered as the brain of the computer?
(a) Motherboard
(b) RAM
(c) CPU
(d) BIOS chip
Answer: (c), CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the most important component of the computer system. It is a complex integrated circuit consisting of millions of electronics parts. It is also known as a microprocessor or simply processor.
5. Which of the following is primarily responsible for converting input (data) into meaningful output (information)?
(a) RAM
(b) CPU
(c) Storage device
(d) Input and Output device
Answer: (b), Central Processing Unit is primarily responsible for receiving data from input devices, processing the data into information, and transferring the information to memory and output devices.
6. Central Processing Unit in a computer consists of which major components?
(a) Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and Control Unit
(b) Control Unit (CU)
(c) Registers
(d) ALU, Control Unit, and Registers
Answer: (d), CPU in a computer consists of the control unit, arithmetic logic unit, and memory unit. ALU and CU together are known as CPU.
7. Which of the following component of CPU performs arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication and logic operations such as AND, OR, and NOT?
(a) CU
(b) ALU
(c) Both a and b
(d) Register
Answer: (b)
8. Which of the following component of CPU controls input/output devices, generate control signals to the other components of the computer such as read and write signals, and performs the execution of instruction?
(a) ALU
(b) Accumulator
(c) Control Unit
(d) Both a and c
Answer: (c), the function of Control Unit is to coordinate all its functions.
9. Which among the following is the fastest memory in a computer that holds information?
(a) Register
(b) Cache
(c) Main memory
(d) RAM
Answer: (a), Information is moved from memory to registers and then pass the information to the ALU for performing logic and arithmetic operations.
10. Which of the following is not hardware?
(a) Processor chip
(b) Printer
(c) Mouse
(d) Java
Answer: (d)
11. Which of the following are the predominant manufacturers for desktop and laptop processors?
(a) Intel
(b) AMD (Advanced Micro Devices)
(c) Motorola
(d) Both a and b
Answer: (d)
12. Which of the following is temporary storage used to hold data that is used for arithmetic and logical operations and storing its results?
(a) ALU
(b) PC (Program counter)
(c) Accumulator
(d) IR (Instruction Register)
Answer: (c), ALU contains a set of general-purpose registers known as accumulator.
13. Which of the following is a permanent storage location within the CPU used to hold a binary value temporarily for manipulation, and/or for simple calculations?
(a) Main memory
(b) Secondary memory
(c) Register
(d) Both a and b
Answer: (c)
14. Data moves in and out of the CPU through embedded wires called
(a) Bus
(b) Electronic wires
(c) Lines
(d) Cables
Answer: (a), Bus is the communication line between CPU, memory, and peripheral devices. It is commonly used for transferring data between the CPU and computer peripherals, CPU and memory, and different points within the CPU.
15. The most common buses inside the microcomputer are
(a) Address bus
(b) Address bus and Data bus
(c) Address bus and Control bus
(d) Address bus, Data bus, and Control bus
Answer: (d)
16. Which bus is used to carry data to and from the memory?
(a) Address bus
(b) Data bus
(c) Control bus
(d) None of these
Answer: (b)
17. Which register holds the address of the current instruction being executed?
(a) Instruction register
(b) Memory data register (MDR)
(c) Stack register
(d) Program counter
Answer: (d)
18. Which register holds the actual instruction being executed currently by the computer?
(a) Memory address register (MIR)
(b) Instruction register (IR)
(c) Memory data register (MDR)
(d) Program counter register
Answer: (b)
19. Which register holds the address of a memory location?
(a) Memory data register
(b) Memory address register
(c) Status register
(d) Stack address
Answer: (b)
20. Which register shows the results of arithmetic and logical operations such as carry, overflow, negative?
(a) Stack register
(b) Status register
(c) Memory data register
(d) Memory buffer
Answer: (b)
21. Which of the following register holds a data value that is being stored to or retrieved from the memory location?
(a) PSW
(b) Main memory
(c) Memory data register
(d) Cache register
Answer: (c), Memory data register, sometimes known as the memory buffer register.
22. A device that allows entering data and instruction into a computer system is called
(a) interaction
(b) terminal
(c) communication
(d) input
Answer: (d)
23. Computer gets the input with the help of
(a) mouse and keyboard
(b) joystick
(c) printer
(d) both a and b
Answer: (d)
24. Which of the following are not input devices?
(a) Keyboard, trackball, light pen
(b) Barcode reader, OMR, OCR, MICR
(c) Biometric sensor, scanner, Mic
(d) Plotter, projector, headphones
Answer: (d)
25. Which device is mostly used to enter data or information in a computer system?
(a) Touch screen
(b) mouse
(c) light pen
(d) keyboard
Answer: (d)
26. Which of the following are examples of pointing devices?
(a) Mouse, trackball
(b) joystick, light pen
(c) touch screen
(d) All
Answer: (d)
27. Which of the following is not a type of mouse?
(a) Wireless mouse
(b) Optical mouse
(c) Mechanical mouse
(d) Electromechanical mouse
Answer: (d)
28. Which of the keys are also known as modifier keys?
(a) Shift
(b) Ctrl
(c) Alt
(d) All the above
Answer: (d)
29. Which keys are also known as toggle keys?
(a) Caps lock, Num lock
(b) Control key, Enter key
(c) Shift, Esc
(d) Both a and b
Answer: (a)
30. Which key is used to indent a paragraph?
(a) Spacebar
(b) Tab
(c) Shift
(d) None
Answer: (b), Tab key is used to move the cursor over to the right to a pre-set point.
31. Which key is used to open the Start menu?
(a) Windows
(b) Alt
(c) Ctrl + Alt
(d) None of these
Answer: (a)
32. Which key is used to erase data from the computer’s memory and characters on the screen?
(a) Backspace
(b) Delete
(c) Shift + Alt
(d) Both a and b
Answer: (b)
33. The first computer architecture was designed in
(a) 1970
(b) 1985
(c) 1968
(d) 1975
Answer: (a)
34. Which bus is used to connect external devices?
(a) Address
(b) Data
(c) Control
(d) External
Answer: (d)
35. Which of the following is not an integral part of the computer system?
(a) CPU
(b) Mouse
(c) Monitor
(d) UPS
Answer: (d)
36. Which of the following device provides surge protection and battery backup power during a power outage?
(a) Battery strip
(b) Surge strip
(c) UPS
(d) USB
Answer: (c)
37. Which of the following is a temporary storage location attached to CPU for input and output operations?
(a) Memory chip
(b) Register
(c) Buffer
(d) Core
Answer: (c)
38. Which of the following is used to measure the speed of the CPU (processor)?
(a) Processing speed
(b) Unit
(c) Coprocessor
(d) Clock speed
Answer: (d), Clock speed is the speed of the CPU at which the processor executes instructions.
39. A uniform interval of CPU time allocated for performing a task is called
(a) real time
(b) seek time
(c) time slice
(d) unit time
Answer: (c)
40. What is the full form of DMA?
(a) Direct memory access
(b) Dynamic memory access
(c) Double memory access
(d) None of these
Answer: (a)
41. Which of the following statement is not correct about DMA?
(a) DMA is much faster and more efficient than a CPU processor to perform I/O in the computer system.
(b) DMA sends data from memory to an I/O device directly, without using CPU in the computer.
(c) DMA takes a lot of time to transfer data from memory to I/O.
(d) Without DMA, CPU reads the block of data from memory and writes it to an I/O device in the computer.
Answer: (c)
42. CPU is fabricated on a single integrated circuit board that is known as
(a) Motherboard
(b) Microprocessor
(c) CU
(d) ALU
Answer: (b)
43. The main task of the central processing unit is to
(a) carry out program instruction
(b) store data or information for further use
(c) process data and information
(d) Both a and c
Answer: (d)
44. Which of the following unit helps to establish the communication between memory and ALU in the computer?
(a) CMU
(b) CCU
(c) CPU
(d) None
Answer: (c)
45. Internal memory of central processing unit is nothing but
(a) a set of registers
(b) a set of ALU and CU
(c) buses
(d) None
Answer: (a)
46. Which of the following invented the first microprocessor?
(a) Vint Cerf
(b) Terence Percival
(c) John Mauchly
(d) Ted Hoff
Answer: (d)
47. The microprocessor consists of millions of
(a) registers
(b) microchips
(c) transistors
(d) semiconductors
Answer: (c)
48. The microprocessor of a computer system
(a) understand machine language and low-level language
(b) understand machine language and high-level language
(c) understand only machine language
(d) understand only assembly language
Answer: (c)
49. Which memory unit communicates directly with the CPU?
(a) Main memory
(b) Register
(c) Secondary memory
(d) Auxiliary memory
Answer: (a)
50. Which memory is used for storing data and program instructions currently being executed by CPU?
(a) Mass memory
(b) Auxiliary memory
(c) Internal memory
(d) Non-volatile memory
Answer: (c)
51. Which of the following components remains on the motherboard?
(a) CMOS battery
(b) PCI slot
(c) Case fan
(d) Expansion slot
(e) All of these
Answer: (e)
52. The read and write operations in the computer is carried out through
(a) data bus
(b) address bus
(c) control bus
(d) All of these
Answer: (c)
53. Which of the following key should be pressed to move to the beginning of a line of text?
(a) Page up
(b) Shift
(c) Home
(d) Enter
Answer: (c)
54. Which key is used to launch the Start button?
(a) Esc
(b) Shift
(c) Windows
(d) Shortcut
Answer: (c)
55. What kind of device is a computer mouse?
(a) Input
(b) Output
(c) Pointing device
(d) Both a and c
Answer: (d)
56. Which button is known as a middle button used as the third mouse button?
(a) Right button
(b) Left button
(c) Scroll wheel
(d) None of these
Answer: (c)
57. A joystick is primarily used for which purpose?
(a) controlling sound on the screen
(b) computer gaming
(c) enter text
(d) draw pictures
Answer: (b)
58. Which input device moves in all directions, controls the movement of the cursor, and continues moving in the previously pointing direction?
(a) Mouse
(b) Trackball
(c) Joystick
(d) Both a and c
Answer: (c)
59. Which of the following input device is a handheld electro-optical pointing device that is used for making drawings, graphics, and for menu selection?
(a) Light pen
(b) Touch screen
(c) Trackball
(d) Joystick
Answer: (a), Light pen contains a photocell in a small tube that senses the light from the screen when it becomes closer to the screen and produces a pulse.
60. Which input device is mainly used to detect marks on paper?
(a) Barcode reader
(b) OMR
(c) OCR
(d) MICR
Answer: (b), OMR stands for optical mark reader that uses a beam of light reflected on the paper to capture the presence and absence of data. It is also known as optical mark recognition. It is mainly used to read the answer to objective-type tests, voting applications, etc.
61. Which of the following input device is used for marking attendance of employees/students in organizations/institutions and security purposes?
(a) OCR
(b) Webcam
(c) Biometric sensor
(d) Both a and c
Answer: (c)
62. Which input device is widely used for acquiring textual data from images?
(a) MICR
(b) OCR
(c) Scanner
(d) Sensor
Answer: (b), OCR stands for optical character recognition.
63. Optical Character Recognition is used for the preparation of
(a) electricity bills
(b) insurance premium
(c) telephone bills
(d) All of these
Answer: (d)
64. What is the full form of MICR?
(a) Magnetic Ink Character Register
(b) Magnetic Ink Code Reader
(c) Magnetic Ink Code Register
(d) Magnetic Ink Code Recognition
Answer: (d)
65. Which input device is used in banks for processing cheques to recognize the magnetic encoding numbers printed at the bottom of a cheque?
(a) OCR
(b) MICR
(c) OMR
(d) All of these
Answer: (b)
66. Which of the following is/are the type of smart card reader?
(a) Memory card reader
(b) Microprocessor card
(c) Both a and b
(d) None of these
Answer: (c)
67. Which input device is used to recognize the physical or behavioral traits of the individual?
(a) Smart card
(b) MICR
(c) Bar code
(d) Biometric sensor
Answer: (d)
68. Which of the following optical input device converts data and images on paper into digital form?
(a) Printer
(b) Scanner
(c) Projector
(d) Scanner
Answer: (d), Scanner device uses light as an input source to convert an image into an electronic form that can be stored on the computer. It scans both pictures and texts.
69. Which of the following is a video capturing device?
(a) Monitor
(b) Scanner
(c) Projector
(d) Webcam
Answer: (d)
70. What kind of device is a digital camera?
(a) Input
(b) Output
(c) I/O
(d) None
Answer: (a)
71. Which of the following device is a visual display unit (VDU)?
(a) Webcam
(b) Projector
(c) Monitor
(d) None
Answer: (c), A computer monitor is an output device.
72. The clarity of an image depends on which factors?
(a) Resolution of the screen
(b) Dot pitch
(c) Refresh rate
(d) All of the above
Answer: (d)
73. What is the full form of CRT device?
(a) Cathode Ray Tube
(b) Crystal Ray Tube
(c) Cathode Ray Transistor
(d) None
Answer: (a)
74. LCD stands for
(a) Liquid Crystal Display
(b) Light Crystal Display
(c) Liquid Cathode Display
(d) None
Answer: (a)
75. What does TFT stand for?
(a) Transistor Film Transistor
(b) Thin Film Transistor
(c) Thin Film Transducer
(d) None
Answer: (b)
76. What is the full form of LED?
(a) Light Emitted Diode
(b) Light Emitter Diode
(c) Liquid Emitted Diode
(d) Both a and c
Answer: (d)
77. The speed of a printer is measured in
(a) CPS (Character per second)
(b) LPM (Lines Per Minute)
(c) PPM (Pages Per Minute)
(d) All of the above
Answer: (d)
78. What kind of device is a printer?
(a) Input
(b) Output
(c) Storage
(d) All
Answer: (b)
79. The resolution of a printer is numerically measured in
(a) DPI
(b) PPI
(c) LPM
(d) All
Answer: (a), DPI stands for Dots Per Inch.
80. Which of the following device is/are both input and output devices?
(a) Plotter
(b) Modems
(c) Touch screen
(d) Headsets
(e) All, except plotter
Answer: (e)
81. Which of the following device uses a pen, pencil, marker, or other writing tools for creating vector graphics?
(a) Speaker
(b) Plotter
(c) Electrostatic printer
(d) Projector
Answer: (b), Plotter is a kind of output device like a printer that produces images on paper. It is mainly used to make large drawings or images such as construction plans, AUTOCAD, CAD/CAM, etc.
82. What kind of devices are headphones and speakers?
(a) Input
(b) Output
(c) Both input and output
(d) Input/Output Port
Answer: (b)
83. What is the full form of USB in data cables?
(a) Universal Structural Bus
(b) Unicode Serial Bus
(c) Universal Serial Bus
(d) Universal Smart Bus
Answer: (c)
84. Which port is used to connect audio and video multimedia devices like video camera?
(a) Parallel Port
(b) Serial Port
(c) USB
(d) Firewire
Answer: (d)
85. Which of the following port has slow speed data transmission?
(a) Parallel Port
(b) Serial Port
(c) USB
(d) Firewire
Answer: (b)
86. Which port is used to connect a printer to the computer system?
(a) Firewire
(b) Serial Port
(c) Parallel Port
(d) Both a and b
Answer: (c)
87. Which port is used to connect Hard drive and new DVD drive in the computer system?
(a) Parallel Port
(b) Serial Port
(c) Firewire
(d) Both a and c
Answer: (c)
88. Which of the following software can interpret voice data into words that can be understood by a computer?
(a) Word Recognition Software
(b) Speech Recognition Software
(c) Speech Input Software
(d) Talking Software
Answer: (b)
89. External devices such as keyboards, modems, printers, and projectors are known as
(a) add-on devices
(b) PC expansion slot devices
(c) peripherals
(d) None
Answer: (c)
90. Which of the following are properties of USB ports?
(a) Platform independent
(b) Platform dependent
(c) Software dependent
(d) Software independent
Answer: (a)
91. The data transfer from the central processing unit to peripheral devices of computer is achieved through
(a) interfaces
(b) buffer memory
(c) modems
(d) I/O ports
Answer: (d)
92. Which of the following generates high-quality output?
(a) Impact printer
(b) Non-impact printer
(c) Plotter
(b) Scanner
Answer: (b)
Hope that this chapter has covered almost all the important computer hardware MCQ GK questions with answers and explanations. We have also covered the most important previous year’s questions asked in different competitive exams like IBPS (clerk, PO), SSC, RRB, etc.
All the best!!!
