IT March 2014 Paper 2

NATIONAL
SENIOR CERTIFICATE
GRADE 12
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY P2
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014
MARKS: 180
TIME: 3 hours
This question paper consists of 21 pages.
Copyright reserved Please turn over

Information Technology/P2 2 DBE/Feb.–Mar. 2014
NSC
INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION
1. This question paper consists of FIVE sections subdivided as follows:
SECTION A: Multiple-choice questions (10)

SECTION B: Hardware and software (50)
SECTION C: Applications and implications (24)
SECTION D: Programming and software development (47)
SECTION E: Integrated scenario (49)
2. Answer ALL the questions.
3. Read ALL the questions carefully.
4. The mark allocation, in general, gives an indication of the number of

facts/reasons required.
5. Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this
question paper.
6. Write neatly and legibly.

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SECTION A: MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1
Various options are given as possible answers to the following questions. Choose the
answer and write only the letter (A–D) next to the question number (1.1–1.10) in the
ANSWER BOOK.
1.1 A malicious program that resides on your computer and propagates via
network and Internet connections is known as …
A adware.
B a spider.
C a worm.
D a key logger. (1)
1.2 Which of the following refers to a type of file system?
A NTFS
B SMTP
C TCP/IP
D IRC (1)
1.3 In the following pseudocode of an IF-statement the incrementing of a counter

is dependant on the value of B:
IF (B < 4) AND (B > 12)

increase counter by 5
Else
display message
The value of the counter will never be incremented because …
A the value of B is smaller than 4 and smaller than 12, for example 3.
B a negative value has been assigned to B.
C the value of B is greater than 12.
D both conditions will never be true at the same time. (1)
1.4 Which of the following is the domain part of the e-mail address
[email protected]?
A co.za
B user1
C mybusiness
D [email protected] (1)

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1.5 The difference between a firewall and a proxy server is that …
A a proxy server blocks unwanted traffic and a firewall manages Internet

browsing.
B a firewall blocks unwanted traffic and a proxy server manages Internet
browsing.
C a firewall manages incoming traffic and a proxy server manages
outgoing traffic.
D a firewall manages outgoing traffic and a proxy server manages
incoming traffic. (1)
1.6 Which loop structure would be best suited to find the information of a
customer in the database of a big company with more than 100 000 records?
A Single loop
B Unconditional loop
C Conditional loop
D Infinite loop (1)
1.7 Identity theft is the …
A fraudulent action of stealing a user's green ID book while he/she is

online.
B use of driver software to automatically allow access to private
information on a network.
C copying of the username and password of a user on an online
shopping site.
D fraudulent action of collecting sufficient personal information about an
individual in order to assume his/her identity. (1)
1.8 Which of the following can be classified as system software?
A Notepad
B Adobe Reader 8
C Structured Query Language (SQL)
D Scandisk (1)
1.9 A virtual machine is …
A a new prototype for a computer.

B a theoretical computer such as the Turing machine.
C software emulating a computer.
D a computer running multiple operating systems. (1)

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1.10 Which of the tasks numbered (i), (ii) and (iii) is/are the responsibility of a
network administrator?
(i) Install network cables.

(ii) Set up user profiles for the network.
(iii) Analyse the network to ensure effective data transfer.
A Only (i)
B Only (ii)
C (i) and (ii)
D (ii) and (iii) (1)
TOTAL SECTION A: 10

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SCENARIO
Schools will take part in a variety of athletics meetings arranged to take place in some of
the major cities around the country as part of a national competition.
SECTION B: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
QUESTION 2
The organisers in each major city need to set up computer systems to be able to
manage and process the vast amount of data that will be obtained from the registration
of the athletes as well as the results for each event. Volunteers from the local
communities and schools offered their assistance.
2.1 The following diagram, representing some of the components on a

motherboard, was given to one of the volunteers who wanted to know more
about how a computer operates:
CPU
• CU
• Cache
• Registers North bridge RAM
• ALU
• FPU
South bridge BIOS
Certain concepts indicated in the diagram need to be explained to the

volunteer by answering the following questions:
2.1.1 The volunteer observes that the CPU contains registers. Briefly
explain the function of registers. (2)
2.1.2 Explain why instructions loaded in cache memory are processed

faster by the CPU than instructions stored in RAM. (2)
2.1.3 The basic process of how a CPU operates consists of four stages,
namely fetch, decode, execute and store. Briefly describe what
takes place during the DECODE stage. (2)

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2.1.4 What is the physical connection between the CPU and the north
bridge called? (1)
2.1.5 Different slots, such as AGP and PCI Express, are found on a
motherboard.
(a) What is the purpose of the AGP slot? (1)
(b) To which bridge (north or south) is an AGP slot connected? (1)
(c) Someone told the volunteer that the PCI Express slots are
on-board and not hot-pluggable.
(i) What does on-board mean? (1)
(ii) What does it mean when a device is NOT

hot-pluggable? (1)
2.1.6 All computer systems contain RAM and ROM.
(a) State TWO major differences between RAM and ROM. (2)
(b) Explain the purpose of ROM. (1)
2.2 Large quantities of data related to all the athletes need to be saved on hard
drives (HDD).
2.2.1 Which ONE disk controller, EIDE or SATA, will you recommend for
connecting high-performance hard drives? (1)
2.2.2 Explain TWO aspects that influence the access time of an HDD. (2)
2.2.3 Disk caching will improve performance in terms of the storage and
retrieval of data. Explain what disk caching is. (2)
2.2.4 Thrashing may occur when data is captured and processed.
(a) Explain what thrashing is. (2)
(b) What can be done to prevent thrashing from occurring? (1)

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2.3 One of the organisers is an enthusiastic supporter of open-source software

(OSS).
2.3.1 Tabulate the difference between open-source software and

freeware in terms of any THREE of the following aspects:
• What is included in the package
• Means of distribution
• Support
• Availability of upgrades (3)
2.3.2 Explain the difference between the licensing of freeware and

shareware. (2)
2.4 A cellphone company offered to supply smartphones to the organisers at the

different centres.
2.4.1 Name ONE operating system developed exclusively for use on

smartphones. (1)
2.4.2 Describe THREE responsibilities of the operating system of a

computer system regarding the management of memory. (3)
2.4.3 Some of the organisers complained that some websites show less
content when displayed on the smartphones, compared to
displaying them on regular PCs.
Give a possible reason for the seemingly missing content. (2)
2.5 Data stored about the athletes must be protected against loss or damage.
Although backups will be made regularly, data can still be lost due to
unexpected power failures.
2.5.1 Suggest how the loss of data due to unexpected power failures can
be prevented. (2)
2.5.2 Give TWO reasons, other than power failures, for the loss of or
damage to data. For each reason, suggest a measure that can be
adopted to prevent the loss or damage of data. (4)
2.5.3 Give TWO reasons why the local hard drive of a PC will not be
suitable for backup purposes. (2)

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2.6 The centres in each city that will host athletic events have a set of computers
connected in a LAN, using a switch.
2.6.1 From the organisers' perspective, list THREE advantages of having

a local network at each of the centres. (3)
2.6.2 What type of topology is most likely to be used with these

networks? (1)
2.6.3 In the context of computing, explain the difference between a

router and a switch. (2)
2.7 The organisers created a help desk to support the volunteers at the different
centres. The following conversation took place between one of the volunteers
and the help desk:
Help desk: What antivirus program is installed on your computer?

Volunteer: Firefox.
Help desk: That is not an antivirus program.
Volunteer: Oh, sorry ... Internet Explorer.
2.7.1 Neither Firefox nor Internet Explorer is an antivirus software

application. Identify the category of software that both of these
applications belong to. (1)
2.7.2 Apart from protecting a computer against viruses, state TWO other
forms or useful protection that antivirus software normally offers. (2)
TOTAL SECTION B: 50

NSC
SECTION C: APPLICATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
QUESTION 3: e-COMMUNICATION
The organisers requested that an online website portal be developed where athletes
can view their results and maintain their personal details.
3.1 The website uses cookies.
3.1.1 What is a cookie? (2)
3.1.2 Explain how and why cookies can be misused. (2)
3.2 One of the organiser's computers is sending spam e-mails to all the athletes
without his permission.
3.2.1 Explain what a spam e-mail is. (1)
3.2.2 What can be done to stop a computer from sending spam? (1)
3.2.3 Suggest TWO ways in which the receipt of spam can be limited. (2)
3.3 The organisers want to ensure that athletes' details are kept secure when
they sign into their profiles on the website. This can be done by using
encryption.
3.3.1 Define encryption. (2)
3.3.2 A digital certificate is needed in order to use SSL as an encryption

protocol.
(a) What type of encryption does SSL use? (1)
(b) Define the concept digital certificate. (2)
(c) Name ONE company that issues digital certificates. (1)

[14]

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QUESTION 4: SOCIAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
An entrepreneur decided to use this opportunity to sell marketing material to promote

the different athletics meetings.
4.1 The entrepreneur designed and manufactured T-shirts and sweaters which he
advertised on his website.
4.1.1 What is the term used for conducting transactions, such as buying
and selling products, on the Internet? (1)
4.1.2 Name TWO advantages of advertising and selling these products

on the Internet instead of from a shop. (2)
4.1.3 DoS attacks could have a negative influence on his business.

Explain what a DoS attack is and why it could influence his
business negatively. (2)
4.2 The entrepreneur uses Google to find young athletes in South Africa to help
promote his products. He obtains the following results:
4.2.1 Why will the search phrase used in this example produce different
results when used in another search engine? (1)
4.2.2 Recommend a way that will improve the search results for the
information he requires. (1)

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4.3 The entrepreneur would like to make his business as environmentally friendly
as possible.
4.3.1 In computing terms, describe TWO ways in which he can achieve

making his business as environmentally friendly as possible. (2)
4.3.2 He recently bought the latest computer equipment for his business.
What would you recommend the entrepreneur does with his
outdated computer equipment? (1)
[10]
TOTAL SECTION C: 24

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SECTION D: PROGRAMMING AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
QUESTION 5: ALGORITHMS AND PLANNING
The data on athletes is managed using custom software designed for the athletics
meetings and is stored in a database. A separate GUI is developed for user access.
5.1 The tblAthletes table below is currently used to store athletes' details and
event results.
Field Name Data Type Description

AthleteNumber Number Unique number assigned to each athlete
AthleteName Text Name of athlete
DateOfBirth Text Athlete's date of birth
Club Text The club the athlete is a member of
PhoneNumber Number Athlete's phone number
Event Text Event the athlete entered for
Result Text Numerical result for the event
5.1.1 Which field in this table is the most suitable primary key? (1)
5.1.2 Identify TWO fields in the table with poorly chosen data types and
recommend more appropriate data types. Write down only the
name of the field and the suggested data type. (2)
5.1.3 How will they ensure that the date of birth will always be entered in
the format DD/MM/YYYY? (1)
5.1.4 What measure can be taken to ensure that the field containing the
athlete's name will never be left blank? (1)
5.1.5 Athletes may take part in a maximum of six events.
(a) Explain why the current design of the database table is not
suitable to capture the events in which the athletes would like
to participate and the results. (2)
(b) Describe the best way in which the design of the database can
be changed so as to be able to capture all possible
events/results for an athlete participating in more than one
event. (3)
5.2 User and technical documentation was provided with the software that is used
to manage athlete information.
5.2.1 Describe TWO features of good user documentation, apart from

page layout and the format of the text. (2)

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5.2.2 The technical documentation should include a printout of the

programming code.
(a) Give TWO reasons why comments should be included in

programming code. (2)
(b) Name TWO other topics, apart from the programming code,
that should be included in the technical documentation. (2)
5.3 The programmers used defensive programming techniques and error

handling in their programming code.
5.3.1 What is defensive programming? (1)
5.3.2 During a test of the software that was developed, the program
stopped working with the following error message:
'execution halted – an overflow error occurred'
(a) Explain why overflow errors normally occur. (1)
(b) Suggest TWO ways in which programming code can be used

to prevent a runtime error such as this one from occurring. (2)
5.4 The interface below is used to capture information of athletes. Study the
diagram and answer the questions that follow.
Enter information
Name:
DOB:
Address:
Gender:
Submit details
5.4.1 The interface contains context-sensitive help. What is context-

sensitive help? (1)

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5.4.2 Critically comment on TWO aspects of the user-friendliness of the

user interface in the diagram on the previous page, excluding the
use of context-sensitive help. (2)
5.4.3 Describe TWO ways, excluding the use of context-sensitive help, in

which the user interface can be improved to ensure that valid data
will be entered. (2)
5.5 An algorithm needs to be developed as part of the management software that

the programmers are busy developing.
5.5.1 Explain why it is important to develop an algorithm before a

program is coded. (2)
5.5.2 The following algorithm has been designed to find and display the
results of a specific athlete but it contains a few logical errors:
Line
1 Input the name of the athlete
2 found  false
3 assign the index of first element in the array to the counter
4 Repeat while not found
5 If input name equals the name in the array at the
position indicated by the counter
6 found  true
7 Increase counter by one
8 found  false
9 End repeat loop
10 If found
11 Display name and result
Use the test data that follows and the names 'John' and 'Dave' as
input data to test the algorithm.
Use line numbers to identify and explain the logical errors

encountered.
Test data:
Peter Sam John Wayne Garry
11.3 10.9 12.4 11.7 10.5 (6)

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5.5.3 After the software has been developed with no logical errors, users
complain that names they enter cannot be found, although the
names appear in the array.
(a) What could be the reason why a name in the array cannot be
located? (1)
(b) Briefly explain why defensive programming will not be able to

prevent this problem from occurring. (1)
5.6 The programmer who created the application software used object-orientated
programming (OOP) principles. Study the class diagram below and answer
the questions that follow.
ATHLETE
- Name
Attributes
- Address
- DateOfBirth
+ Gender
+ Club
+ Constructor()
+ Constructor(Name, Address, DateOfBirth)
- getName():string
Methods
- getAddress():string
+ setAddress(Address)
+ IsValidDateOfBirth(DateOfBirth):boolean
+ toString():string
5.6.1 Identify a suitable data structure that can be used to store a

collection of athlete objects. (1)
5.6.2 Explain why the class shown in the diagram violates the principle of
data encapsulation. (1)
5.6.3 Address is a parameter in the constructor of the class. Why is it

necessary to also have a setAddress(Address) method? (1)
5.6.4 Two constructors are included in the class diagram. This is known
as overloading.
(a) Explain why it is advisable to have these two constructors from

the point of view of application development. (2)
(b) Can methods, other than constructors, also be overloaded? (1)

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5.6.5 The following method call was made:
IsValidDateOfBirth(day,month,year)
Explain why an error message will be displayed when this method

call is executed. (2)
5.7 The following data structures can be used to store and manipulate data in a
program:
• A two-dimensional array
• An array of type string
• A string
• An array of objects
In each of the following cases, decide which ONE of the above will be the
best to use:
5.7.1 A list of names of the 15 cities where some of the athletics

meetings will take place (1)
5.7.2 All the details of each of the 15 organisers of the athletics

meetings, including their names and contact details (1)
5.7.3 The title of an athletics meeting (1)
5.7.4 Booking of seats at one of the athletics meetings (1)
TOTAL SECTION D: 47

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SECTION E: INTEGRATED SCENARIO
QUESTION 6
Six client computers and one server computer to be networked were installed at the
head office. An administrative office has been set up in each city where athletics
meetings will take place to collate and send results to the head office.
6.1 The organisers have been offered either an ADSL or a 3G Internet connection
to connect the various administrative offices to the head office in order to
create a VPN.
6.1.1 Expand the acronym 3G. (1)
6.1.2 State TWO possible problems that could occur when using a 3G
connection. (2)
6.1.3 ADSL is an asymmetric service. Briefly explain what asymmetric

service means. (1)
6.1.4 Explain what a VPN is. (2)
6.2 The organisers looked at the performance of one the computers in the newly
installed network using the Windows Task Manager.
3%
679 MB

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6.2.1 There is a reference to 'system cache' in the diagram on the

previous page. What is the size of the cache memory of this
computer in MB? (1)
6.2.2 The organisers are concerned about the high number of threads.
Explain what a thread is in computing terms. (2)
6.2.3 A computer system can use several different processing

techniques. Explain the following processing techniques:
(a) Multitasking (3)
(b) Multiprocessing (2)
6.2.4 Why is it possible for this computer to do multiprocessing? (1)
6.2.5 The screenshot of the task manager was taken during normal
operation of the computer. Why does this computer not necessarily
need a faster CPU? (1)
6.3 Not all the athletes can afford a personal trainer. The organisers decided on
using an expert system using artificial intelligence that can be of help to train
these young athletes.
6.3.1 Explain the term artificial intelligence. (1)
6.3.2 What does an expert system consist of? (2)
6.4 Each athlete competing in the half-marathon event will receive an RFID tag.
6.4.1 Briefly explain how an RFID tag functions. (2)
6.4.2 State TWO advantages of using RFID tags from the event
manager's perspective. (2)
6.4.3 Marshals on duty at strategic points along the road agreed to use
their smartphones as a means of communicating with fellow
marshals along the road during the event.
(a) Explain why Wi-Fi will NOT be a suitable connection type. (1)
(b) Suggest TWO ways in which the marshals can communicate

using their smartphones with minimal or no additional costs. (2)

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6.5 One of the organisers stumbled upon information on a social media website
indicating that a specific athlete used a banned substance.
6.5.1 Give an example of a social media website that could have been
used to publish this information about the athlete. (1)
6.5.2 Is the organiser allowed to act upon this information? Motivate your
answer. (2)
6.5.3 It was established that the profile does not belong to the athlete
implicated. What kind of computer crime was committed against
the athlete in this case? (1)
6.6 The organisers are hosting a website with information about the different
athletics meetings. It has been suggested that the website should contain
hyperlinks.
6.6.1 Explain the advantage of using hyperlinks. (1)
6.6.2 Name TWO other features of a well-designed website. (2)
6.6.3 Websites are normally accessed using a web browser and a URL.
Explain what a URL is and give an example of a URL as part of
your answer. (2)
6.7 Fingerprint readers are used to let authorised organisers enter the
administration office.
6.7.1 What is technology such as a fingerprint reader called? (1)
6.7.2 Name TWO other examples of this type of technology that could
also be used. (2)
6.8 The network at the head office uses the client-server model.
6.8.1 Name ONE other type of network model. (1)
6.8.2 State TWO advantages of the client-server model. (2)
6.9 The Ethernet network communication standard is used at the head office.
6.9.1 Ethernet uses packet-switching. Briefly explain the concept of

packet-switching. (3)
6.9.2 Ethernet uses a protocol to transmit and receive data.
(a) What is a protocol? (2)
(b) Name the protocol used by Ethernet. (1)

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6.9.3 Which topology is used where Ethernet is implemented? (1)
6.9.4 What is the name of the organisation that evaluates and approves
network standards? (1)
TOTAL SECTION E: 49
GRAND TOTAL: 180
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NATIONAL

This question paper consists of 21 pages.

Copyright reserved Please turn over

INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION

1. This question paper consists of FIVE sections subdivided as follows:

SECTION A: Multiple-choice questions (10)

2. Answer ALL the questions.

3. Read ALL the questions carefully.

4. The mark allocation, in general, gives an indication of the number of

6. Write neatly and legibly.

Copyright reserved Please turn over

SECTION A: MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

1.2 Which of the following refers to a type of file system?

1.3 In the following pseudocode of an IF-statement the incrementing of a counter

IF (B < 4) AND (B > 12)

The value of the counter will never be incremented because …

Copyright reserved Please turn over

1.5 The difference between a firewall and a proxy server is that …

A a proxy server blocks unwanted traffic and a firewall manages Internet

1.7 Identity theft is the …

A fraudulent action of stealing a user's green ID book while he/she is

1.8 Which of the following can be classified as system software?

1.9 A virtual machine is …

A a new prototype for a computer.

Copyright reserved Please turn over

(i) Install network cables.

Copyright reserved Please turn over

SECTION B: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

2.1 The following diagram, representing some of the components on a

South bridge BIOS

Certain concepts indicated in the diagram need to be explained to the

2.1.2 Explain why instructions loaded in cache memory are processed

Copyright reserved Please turn over

(a) What is the purpose of the AGP slot? (1)

(b) To which bridge (north or south) is an AGP slot connected? (1)

(i) What does on-board mean? (1)

(ii) What does it mean when a device is NOT

2.1.6 All computer systems contain RAM and ROM.

(b) Explain the purpose of ROM. (1)

2.2.4 Thrashing may occur when data is captured and processed.

(a) Explain what thrashing is. (2)

(b) What can be done to prevent thrashing from occurring? (1)

Copyright reserved Please turn over

2.3 One of the organisers is an enthusiastic supporter of open-source software

2.3.1 Tabulate the difference between open-source software and

2.3.2 Explain the difference between the licensing of freeware and

2.4 A cellphone company offered to supply smartphones to the organisers at the

2.4.1 Name ONE operating system developed exclusively for use on

2.4.2 Describe THREE responsibilities of the operating system of a

Give a possible reason for the seemingly missing content. (2)

Copyright reserved Please turn over

2.6.1 From the organisers' perspective, list THREE advantages of having

2.6.2 What type of topology is most likely to be used with these

2.6.3 In the context of computing, explain the difference between a

Help desk: What antivirus program is installed on your computer?

2.7.1 Neither Firefox nor Internet Explorer is an antivirus software

Copyright reserved Please turn over

SECTION C: APPLICATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

3.1 The website uses cookies.

3.1.1 What is a cookie? (2)