Communications Systems and Word Processing
(a) Name a teletext service that is available through an ordinary television signal.
(b) Name a widely used public View data service that uses the telephone network.
(c) Apart from costs and equipment, describe two main differences between these two forms of videotext.
(a) What is communications software?
(b) When would communications software be used’?
(c) Explain the difference between Ceefax/Oracle and Prestel.
(d) Explain why you often need a modem to transmit data between computers over a telephone link.
(e) Describe an application which would use communications software.
(a) View data systems such as Prestel provide users with a wide range of information. The diagram on p. 203 shows the stages necessary for a user to access a particular page of information. Complete the flowchart by choosing suitable statements from the list provided.
Statements
Enter page number
Enter password
Dial computer
Load communication software
Does the page exist ?
Exit code selected?
Copy page
Enter a key word
(b) State the main charges that would be made for accessing information from Prestel. Your
answer should not include the cost of any equipment or software.
A class in Hilltown High School is using a word processing package to prepare a school recipe booklet.
(a) Tom has to key in a recipe for country scones. The recipe for country scones is very like the recipe for plain scones. Tom has already saved the recipe for plain scones as a file called ‘plain’. Tom decides to enter the country scone recipe by loading the file ‘plain’ and editing it.
Here is part of the recipe for plain scones showing the changes to be made for country scones:
Fill in the blanks, using words from the following list, to describe the changes to be made:
Deleted inserted justified amended printed
line 1: ‘Plain’ has to be
line 3: ‘200’ has to be .
and ‘wholemeal’ has to be
line 5: ‘Pinch of Baking Powder’ has to be .
(b) What program must be in t.he computer’s memory before Tom edits the file ‘plain’?
(c) Tom makes all the changes but doesn’t save the new version under the name ‘country’. He
saves it under the name ‘plain’ again.
Which scone recipe does ‘plain’ now contain?
(d) There is only one scone recipe on Tom’s disc. Explain clearly what happened to the one that is ‘lost’.
(e) Fortunately the teacher has a backup copy of the lost recipe on her disc.
Below are listed the steps that Tom has to follow to copy it back onto his disc .. Tom has only a single disc drive.
Step 1 is clearly marked. You have to mark steps 2, 3, 4 and 5.
(f) At the end of each recipe there is a statement of its cost. For example, ‘cost = £1.20’.
If the price of eggs or margarine goes up, the teacher has to work out the new cost of each recipe.
Here are different kinds of computer programs.
simulator graphics spreadsheet word processing
Which kind of program can do this calculation for you?
(a) The secretary at Freeman and Cumming uses a typewriter to type letters, legal documents and notes of meetings.
Some of the letters and legal documents are of the same basic form with individual client’s details added. The final copy of legal documents must always be free from typing corrections. Some of these documents are very long.
Describe four facilities of a word processor that would be of particular help to the secretary to get through her work more quickly.
(b) Mr Freeman and Mrs Cumming are wondering whether to buy a word processor or employ an assistant secretary instead.
This is what Mr Freeman thinks:
I am against the idea of buying a word processor for these reasons.
1 We would need to spend a lot of money immediately on a word processor.
2 Word processors are less reliable than typewriters.
3 Our present secretary would have to go on a long and expensive training course.
4 An assistant secretary would, in the end, cost us more money but could do other office jobs like filing. A word processor could only be used to produce letters and documents.
I would therefore prefer to appoint an assistant secretary.
Mrs Cumming would prefer to buy a word processor. She intends to reply to Mr Freeman explaining why she agrees with some of these points but disagrees with others.
What should she say in reply?
(c) Mrs Cumming and Mr Freeman decided in the end to buy a word processor and they sent their secretary on a training course. She found the word processor very easy to use. Describe two features that could make word-processing packages user-friendly.
A school uses a word processor to produce a large number of standard letters. The letters are sent to parents informing them of the details of examination entries for their children. A data file containing details of each student’s entries is merged with the document shown on the next page to produce the letters.
Part of the document above will not be printed out when letters are sent to parents. Parts of the document will be replaced with items from the data file during the merge.
(a) Underline the part that will neither be printed nor replaced when letters are sent to parents.
(b) The data below represents part of the data file. It includes one full record and part of two other records.
Computer Studies
Mr Jones
Paul
Jones
Mathematics
French
English
Art
Mr& Mrs Hill
Sally
Explain how each field in the full record above would be included in the document to produce a letter that could be sent to a parent.
(c) Describe four ways in which a word processor might be used to improve the appearance and accuracy of such letters