A quick self-check on the Computer Science reading. Answer each question, then check your work — an explanation appears once you do.

Question 1

True or false: "Computer Science is the scientific study of computers."

Select one answer, then check.

  • Correct. The reading opens by saying Computer Science is not really about computers, and it is not really a science — it is more about solving problems.
  • Not quite. The reading explicitly says Computer Science is not really about computers, and it is not really a science — it's more about solving problems.

Question 2

Which of the following are TRUE?

Select all that apply, then check.

  • Not true. Programming means giving a computer a precise series of instructions, and the order in which they run matters a great deal.
  • Not true. The reading's Limitations section says the opposite: programs can only do what people have told them to do, so you must be very clear and explicit when writing them.
  • Correct. A program is a series of instructions, and programming is how programmers create them.
  • Not true. The reading never mentions any licensing requirement for programming.
  • Not true. The reading says programming shows up in every field, from engineering to the sciences to the arts and humanities — the opposite of small and narrow.
  • Correct. The reading notes that programs run on laptops, phones and cars — almost everything runs programs now.

Question 3

Put these three phases of a program into their correct order.

Drag the items into order, or use the arrow buttons, then check.

  1. Input
  2. Processing
  3. Output

A program takes input, processes it, and then produces output: it cannot process data it has not received yet, or show a result it has not computed.

Question 4

Select all of the following that are common synonyms for the term "program":

Select all that apply, then check.

  • Correct. The reading lists Code alongside Software, Applications and Scripts as terms for a program.
  • Correct. The reading explicitly lists Software as another term for a program.
  • Correct. The reading explicitly lists Applications as another term for a program.
  • Not quite. A computer is the machine that runs a program, not another word for the program itself.
  • Not quite. Hardware is the physical machine — the opposite of the software/program running on it.