BREB Assistant General Manager (IT) Preliminary Exam: 2016প্রশ্ন ও সমাধান

Correct answer: (d) Structured Query Language

SQL stands for Structured Query Language, the standardized language for defining, querying and changing data in relational databases. It is used by MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL and others, and is pronounced "S-Q-L" or "sequel".

Why the other options are wrong

• (a) Search and Query Language: not the expansion; SQL does far more than search (it also defines tables and changes data).
• (b) Simulation of Query Language: a made-up expansion with no meaning.
• (c) Standard Query Language: tempting because SQL is an ISO standard (ISO/IEC 9075), but the "S" stands for Structured, not Standard.

Tip: SQL = Structured Query Language; it is a standard, but "Standard" is not its name.

Sources: IBM i documentation: Structured Query Language; IBM: What Is Structured Query Language (SQL)?; PostgreSQL Documentation: Appendix D. SQL Conformance

Correct answer: (d) Cache

Cache memory is a small, very fast SRAM memory placed between the CPU and main memory to hold recently and frequently used instructions and data. Typical access times show the gap:

• L1 cache ≈ 1 ns
• DRAM main memory ≈ 50–100 ns, so cache is roughly 50–100 times faster
• Disk (SSD/HDD): millions of clock cycles

Why the other options are wrong

• (a) RAM: main memory is built from DRAM and is many times slower than cache; that is the very reason cache exists.
• (b) Secondary Memory: hard disks and SSDs are the slowest level of the hierarchy.
• (c) DRAM: this is the technology main memory (RAM) uses, so it has the same speed as (a), slower than cache.

Tip: Speed order: registers > cache (SRAM) > main memory (DRAM) > SSD > HDD. Faster is smaller and costlier per byte.

Source: Memory hierarchy (University of Vermont CS 2210)

Correct answer: (a) Open Source

.NET is a free, cross-platform, open-source developer platform. It is a .NET Foundation project maintained by Microsoft and the community on GitHub, and its source code and binaries are released under the MIT license. Microsoft announced on 12 November 2014 that .NET Core, including the runtime and the framework libraries, would be open source and developed on GitHub; today's .NET is the continuation of .NET Core.

The original .NET Framework is a Windows-only implementation that is now in maintenance; the question asks about .NET as a platform, which is open source.

Why the other options are wrong

• (b) Closed Source: This described Microsoft's original, proprietary approach to .NET before the 2014 announcement. It does not describe .NET today.
• (c) Browser: .NET is a development platform (runtime, libraries, compilers and SDK) for building applications. It is not a web browser.
• (d) None of these: Wrong, because (a) is correct.

Tip: .NET = free, open-source (MIT), cross-platform development platform since .NET Core (2014).

Sources: Introduction to .NET - Microsoft Learn; .NET Core is Open Source - .NET Blog (Microsoft)

Exam note: This answer depends on the date: before November 2014 the expected answer would have been "Closed Source". The paper as printed keys (a), which matches .NET today. If the question reappears unchanged, choose (a).

Correct answer: (b) Optical character recognition

OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. Software analyses an image of text, such as a scanned page, a photo or a PDF made from a scan. It recognises the shape of each character and outputs machine-readable text that can be edited, searched and copied. Typical uses are digitising printed documents, reading number plates and data entry from forms.

Why the other options are wrong

• (a) Optical CPU recognition: made up. OCR recognises characters, not processors.
• (c) Optical character reading: close but not the standard expansion. The "R" stands for recognition, the process of identifying each character.
• (d) other character reading: made up. The "O" stands for optical, meaning the input is captured as an image.

Tip: OCR = Optical Character Recognition (printed text). The related OMR = Optical Mark Recognition (filled bubbles, as on MCQ answer sheets).

Source: What is optical character recognition (OCR)? — IBM