ThatQuiz Test Library Take this test now
History of computer hardware
Contributed by: Mead
  • 1. The history of computer hardware dates back to the early 20th century, with the invention of the first mechanical computers. These early machines were large and cumbersome, using mechanical components like gears and levers to perform calculations. The development of electronic computers came in the mid-20th century, with the introduction of vacuum tubes and transistors that allowed for faster and more efficient processing. The invention of the integrated circuit in the 1950s was a major breakthrough, leading to the miniaturization of computer components and the development of the first personal computers in the 1970s. The evolution of computer hardware has since continued at a rapid pace, with advancements in semiconductor technology, storage devices, and networking capabilities driving the development of faster, smaller, and more powerful computers.

    What year was the first electronic general-purpose computer created?
A) 1970
B) 1946
C) 1963
D) 1955
  • 2. Who is known as the 'Father of the Computer'?
A) John von Neumann
B) Alan Turing
C) Ada Lovelace
D) Charles Babbage
  • 3. Which component is often referred to as the 'brain' of the computer?
A) RAM
B) GPU
C) CPU
D) Hard Drive
  • 4. What does BIOS stand for in a computer context?
A) Basic Internal Operating System
B) Binary Input/Output System
C) Basic Input/Output System
D) Basic Integrated Output System
  • 5. Who developed the first commercially successful microprocessor in 1971?
A) Intel
B) IBM
C) AMD
D) NVIDIA
  • 6. What communication interface is commonly used to connect external devices to a computer?
A) Ethernet
B) HDMI
C) Thunderbolt
D) USB
  • 7. What was the first computer mouse made of?
A) Plastic
B) Wood
C) Metal
D) Rubber
  • 8. Which company introduced the first commercially successful personal computer in 1981?
A) IBM
B) Apple
C) Commodore
D) Microsoft
  • 9. Which computer pioneer coined the term 'bug' when referring to a computer problem?
A) Steve Jobs
B) Bill Gates
C) Niklaus Wirth
D) Grace Hopper
  • 10. What year was the first personal computer, the Altair 8800, released?
A) 1975
B) 1960
C) 1980
D) 1990
  • 11. What does ROM stand for in computing?
A) Random Output Mode
B) Read-Optical Memory
C) Remote Operating Module
D) Read-Only Memory
  • 12. Which type of memory is volatile and loses its data when power is turned off?
A) Hard Drive
B) RAM
C) ROM
D) SSD
  • 13. Which decade saw the introduction of the first hard drive?
A) 1950s
B) 1970s
C) 1960s
D) 1980s
  • 14. Who developed the concept of the first computer mouse?
A) Steve Jobs
B) Larry Page
C) Bill Gates
D) Douglas Engelbart
  • 15. What year was the first Apple Macintosh computer released?
A) 2005
B) 1976
C) 1984
D) 1999
  • 16. What technology is used in modern computer monitors to display images?
A) Light Emitting Diode (LED)
B) Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
C) Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED)
D) Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
  • 17. What company first introduced the CD-ROM drive for personal computers?
A) Apple
B) IBM
C) Microsoft
D) Sony
  • 18. What does CPU stand for in computing?
A) Computer Power Unit
B) Control Panel Unit
C) Central Processing Unit
D) Central Powering Unit
  • 19. Who co-founded Intel Corporation in 1968?
A) Larry Page
B) Gordon Moore
C) Michael Dell
D) Steve Wozniak
  • 20. Who developed the first graphical web browser?
A) Bill Gates
B) Marc Andreessen
C) Steve Jobs
D) Tim Berners-Lee
  • 21. Who co-founded Apple Inc. alongside Steve Jobs?
A) Mark Zuckerberg
B) Bill Gates
C) Larry Page
D) Steve Wozniak
  • 22. What does HTML stand for in the context of web development?
A) Highly Technical Manufacturing List
B) Hypertext Markup Language
C) Hyper Transfer Main Link
D) Home Tool Management Loop
  • 23. In what year was the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard introduced?
A) 1978
B) 1985
C) 1996
D) 2002
  • 24. Which electrical component stores electric charge temporarily, aiding in the smooth operation of a computer system?
A) Transistor
B) Capacitor
C) Resistor
D) Inductor
  • 25. Who famously said '640K ought to be enough for anybody' in reference to computer memory?
A) Larry Page
B) Steve Jobs
C) Tim Cook
D) Bill Gates
  • 26. Which computer hardware component is responsible for storing permanent data?
A) RAM
B) GPU
C) Hard Drive
D) CPU
  • 27. Which of the following is considered a primary input device for a computer?
A) Printer
B) Speaker
C) Keyboard
D) Monitor
  • 28. In computing, what does LAN stand for?
A) Lowest Administration Number
B) Local Area Network
C) Large Array of Networks
D) Long Access Node
  • 29. Which company produced the first computer mouse?
A) Xerox
B) IBM
C) Microsoft
D) Apple
  • 30. What year was the first hard disk drive (HDD) introduced?
A) 2001
B) 1956
C) 1980
D) 1968
  • 31. What type of display technology uses liquid crystals to produce images?
A) LED
B) OLED
C) LCD
D) CRT
  • 32. Which storage medium has the fastest read/write speeds among the following?
A) Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
B) Floppy Disk
C) Solid State Drive (SSD)
D) Optical Disc
  • 33. What does GUI stand for in computing?
A) Graphical User Interface
B) Gaming Units Interface
C) Global User Integration
D) General Utility Interaction
  • 34. Which company introduced the first consumer-grade digital camera?
A) Nikon
B) Kodak
C) Canon
D) Sony
  • 35. Who developed the concept of the modern computer keyboard layout known as QWERTY?
A) John Mauchly
B) Adam Osborne
C) J. Presper Eckert
D) Christopher Latham Sholes
Created with That Quiz — a math test site for students of all grade levels.