100 Computer Quiz Questions & Answers 2026

Computer Hardware — 25 Questions

1. What does CPU stand for? (Central Processing Unit — the "brain" of the computer)
2. What does RAM stand for? (Random Access Memory — temporary working memory)
3. What does GPU stand for? (Graphics Processing Unit)
4. What is a motherboard? (Main circuit board connecting all computer components)
5. What does SSD stand for? (Solid State Drive — faster than HDD, no moving parts)
6. What does HDD stand for? (Hard Disk Drive — uses magnetic platters)
7. What is the BIOS? (Basic Input/Output System — firmware for booting the computer)
8. What is a heat sink? (Component that dissipates heat from CPU/GPU)
9. What does USB-C do differently? (Universal connector — can transmit data, video, and power)
10. What is a pixel? (Smallest element of a digital image or screen)
11. What does MHz/GHz measure in a CPU? (Clock speed — cycles per second)
12. What is cache memory? (Fast memory in CPU for frequently used data)
13. What is HDMI? (High-Definition Multimedia Interface — video/audio connection)
14. What does 64-bit mean for a processor? (Can process 64 bits of data at once — more memory addressable)
15. What is overclocking? (Running CPU/GPU faster than rated speed)
16. What is a NIC? (Network Interface Card — enables network connectivity)
17. What is RAID? (Redundant Array of Independent Disks — multiple drives for performance/redundancy)
18. What is a PSU? (Power Supply Unit — converts AC to DC for computer components)
19. What does "bit" vs "byte" mean? (1 byte = 8 bits)
20. How many bytes in a kilobyte? (1,024 bytes)

Operating Systems & Software — 25 Questions

1. What are the three main desktop OS types? (Windows, macOS, Linux)
2. Who makes Windows? (Microsoft)
3. What is Linux? (Open-source OS kernel — used in servers, Android, and desktop distros)
4. What does OS stand for? (Operating System)
5. What is a file extension? (.txt, .pdf, .jpg — identifies file type)
6. What does .exe mean? (Executable file — Windows program)
7. What is an open-source program? (Source code is publicly available and free to modify)
8. What does GUI stand for? (Graphical User Interface)
9. What does CLI stand for? (Command Line Interface — text-based)
10. What is a driver? (Software allowing OS to communicate with hardware)
11. What is virtualization? (Running multiple virtual machines on one physical machine)
12. What is a kernel? (Core of an OS managing hardware and system calls)
13. What does "sudo" do in Linux? (Super User Do — runs command with admin privileges)
14. What is a cookie in web browsers? (Small file storing user data/session info)
15. What is a VPN? (Virtual Private Network — encrypts internet connection and masks IP)

Networking & Internet — 25 Questions

1. What is an IP address? (Unique numerical label for a device on a network)
2. What is IPv4 vs IPv6? (IPv4 = 32-bit (4.3 billion addresses); IPv6 = 128-bit (virtually unlimited))
3. What does DNS stand for? (Domain Name System — translates domain names to IP addresses)
4. What is a MAC address? (Media Access Control — unique hardware identifier for network device)
5. What does HTTP stand for? (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
6. What is a router? (Device directing network traffic between networks)
7. What is a firewall? (Security system monitoring and filtering network traffic)
8. What does LAN stand for? (Local Area Network — small geographic area)
9. What does WAN stand for? (Wide Area Network — large geographic area — the internet is a WAN)
10. What is bandwidth? (Maximum data transfer rate of a network)
11. What is packet switching? (Breaking data into packets sent independently over a network)
12. What does FTP stand for? (File Transfer Protocol)
13. What is a subnet mask? (Divides IP address into network and host portions)
14. What is port 80 used for? (HTTP — standard web traffic)
15. What is port 443 used for? (HTTPS — secure web traffic)