Discovering Computers
Fundamentals Second Edition

End of Chapter Solutions

chapter Eleven

Information System Development
and Programming Languages

Checkpoint

True/False

1. T

2. F

3. F

4. F

5. T

6. F

7. T

8. T

9. T

10. F

Multiple Choice

1. b

2. b

3. a

4. d

5. c

6. d

7. a

8. d

Matching

1. b

2. d

3. a

4. c

5. f

Short Answer

1. A project leader is a member of the project team who manages and controls the budget and schedule of the project. To plan and schedule a project effectively, the project leader identifies: the goal, objectives, and expectations of the project, collectively called the scope; required activities; time estimates for each activity; cost estimates for each activity; the order of activities; and activities that can take place at the same time.

2. Feasibility is a measure of how suitable the development of a system will be to the company. Operational feasibility measures how well the proposed information system will work. Schedule feasibility measures whether the established deadlines for the project are reasonable. Technical feasibility measures whether the company has or can obtain the hardware, software, and people needed to deliver and then support the proposed information system. Economic feasibility measures whether the lifetime benefits of the proposed information system will be greater than its lifetime costs.

3. A request for quotation (RFQ) identifies the products a company wants, and the vendor quotes a price for the listed product(s). With a request for proposal (RFP), the vendor selects the product(s) that meets a company’s specified requirements and then quotes the price(s). A request for information (RFI) is a less formal method that uses a standard form to request information about a product or service.

4. A chief security officer is responsible for the physical security of a company’s property and people and also is in charge of securing computing resources. The CSO also is responsible for developing a computer security plan, which summarizes in writing all the safeguards that are in place to protect a company’s information assets.

5. A compiler is a separate program that converts an entire source program into machine language before executing it. An interpreter, by contrast, translates and executes one program code statement at a time. An advantage of an interpreter is that when it finds errors, it displays feedback immediately, allowing a programmer to correct the error before the next line is translated. A disadvantage is that interpreted programs do not run as fast as compiled programs.