Manarat Dhaka International School & College

Sample Questions and Answers

Class 8
Subject: Computer Studies
Chapter #2: Data transmission

1 State the factors that need to be considered when transmitting data

Answer:
Essentially, three factors need to be considered when transmitting data:
1. the direction of data transmission (for example, can data transmit in one direction only, or
in both directions)
2. the method of transmission (for example, how many bits can be sent at the same time)
3. how will data be synchronised (that is, how to make sure the received data is in the
correct order).
2 Define different modes of data transmission. Give an example of each.
Answer:
Simplex data transmission
Simplex mode occurs when data can be sent in ONE DIRECTION ONLY (for example, from
sender to receiver). An example of this would be sending data from a computer to a printer.
Half-duplex data transmission
Half-duplex mode occurs when data is sent in BOTH DIRECTIONS but NOT AT THE SAME TIME
(for example, data can be sent from ‘A’ to ‘B’ and from ‘B’ to ‘A’ along the same transmission line,
but they can’t both be done at the same time). An example of this would be a walkie-talkie where
a message can be sent in one direction only at a time; but messages can be both received and
sent.
Full-duplex data transmission
Full-duplex mode occurs when data can be sent in BOTH DIRECTIONS AT THE SAME TIME (for
example, data can be sent from ‘A’ to ‘B’ and from ‘B’ to ‘A’ along the same transmission line
simultaneously). An example of this would be a broadband internet connection.

3 Explain what is meant by:

(a) serial data transmission
(b) parallel data transmission
Answer:
(a) Serial data transmission occurs when data is sent ONE BIT AT A TIME over a SINGLE
WIRE/CHANNEL. Bits are sent one after the other as a single stream. Serial data transmission
works well over long distances.
(b) Parallel data transmission occurs when SEVERAL BITS OF DATA (usually one byte) are
sent down SEVERAL CHANNELS/WIRES all at the same time. Parallel data transmission works
well over short distances.
4 Give advantages and disadvantages of serial and parallel data transmission.
Advantage of Serial transmission
 Use of single communication line reduces the transmission line cost by the factor of n as
compared to parallel transmission.
 Cross-talk and skewing are not problems since the data is transmitted on only 1-2 signal
wires.
Disadvantages of Serial transmission
 Use of conversion devices at source and destination end may lead to increase in overall
transmission cost.
 This method is slower as compared to parallel transmission as bits are transmitted serially
one after the other.

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 Advantage of parallel transmission
 Multiple bits of information are sent at the same time.
 At identical clock speeds, parallel transfers are faster than serial transfers because more
data is being transferred.
Disadvantage of parallel transmission
 Many wires or traces (wire-like connections on the motherboard or expansion cards) are
needed, leading to interference concerns and thick, expensive cables.
 Excessively long parallel cables or traces can cause data to arrive at different times. This
is referred to as “signal skew”. Parallel cables that are too long can cause signal skew,
allowing the parallel signals to become "out of step" with each other.
5 What is USB? Give three advantages and three disadvantages of USB.
Answer:
The UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS (USB) is an asynchronous serial data transmission method.
Advantages of USB
 Devices plugged into the computer are automatically detected
 The connectors can only fit one way; this prevents incorrect connections being made
 This has become the industry standard; this means that considerable support is available
to users.
Disadvantages of USB
 The cable length is usually short (maximum 5 meters)
 The present transmission rate is limited to less than 500 megabits per second
 The older USB standard (e.g. 1.1) may not be supported in the near future

6 The contents of three binary registers have been transmitted from one computer to another. Even
parity has been used as an error detection method.
The outcome after transmission is:
Register A and Register C have been transmitted correctly.
Register B has been transmitted incorrectly.

Complete the Parity bit for each register to show the given outcome.

Answer:

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7

Explain how you found the error.

Answer:
• Byte number = 4
• Bit number = 5
Explanation: All the 1s were counted vertically and horizontally. An even parity has been used but
odd number of ones were found in byte 4 and bit 5. The intersection of byte 4 and bit 5 gives the
incorrect bit.
8 Explain how checksum is used to check if data has been changed or corrupted following data
transmission.
Answer:
The checksum process is as follows:
 when a block of data is about to be transmitted, the checksum is calculated from the block
of data
 the calculation is done using an agreed algorithm (this algorithm has been agreed by
sender and receiver)
 the checksum is then transmitted with the block of data
 at the receiving end, the checksum is recalculated by the computer using the block of data
(the agreed algorithm is used to find the checksum)
 the re-calculated checksum is then compared to the checksum sent with the data block
 if the two checksums are the same, then no transmission errors have occurred; otherwise
a request is made to re-send the block of data.

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9 Explain how echo check is used to check if data has been changed or corrupted following data
transmission.
Answer:
The echo check process is as follows:
• a copy of the data is sent back to the sender
• the returned data is compared with the original data by the sender’s computer
• if there are no differences, then the data was sent without error
• if the two sets of data are different, then an error occurred at some stage during the data
transmission
10 Describe Automatic Repeat Requests (ARQs).
It uses acknowledgement / request and time-out. Check is performed on receiving data by parity
check, check sum etc. If error is detected, request is sent to resend data. Receiver sends an
acknowledgement that data is received. If acknowledgement is not received in set time, data is
resent.

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