Downloaded from hlayiso.com
NATIONAL
SENIOR CERTIFICATE
GRADE 12
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY P2
NOVEMBER 2013
MARKS: 180
TIME: 3 hours
This question paper consists of 17 pages.
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Skip to contentAll 2012 papers 

%20(English%20and%20Afrikaans)%20June%202012%20QP_hlayiso.com_--48082933-856d-4044-a34d-c3c2952614eb/v1-a52d38d34bbb677fc423/card.webp)



View all





Information Technology Grade 12 P2 NSC November 2012 QP
Grade 12 Information Technology Paper 2 question paper from the NSC November Exam 2012 (English), 17 pages. Read online or download the free PDF.
Information Technology · Grade 12 · NSC November Exam · 2012. Question paper, 17 pages. Read online or download the PDF.
- Subject
- Information Technology
- Grade
- Grade 12
- Document type
- Question paper
- Year
- 2012
- Exam period
- NSC November Exam
- Paper
- 2
- Curriculum
- CAPS
- Pages
- 17
- File size
- 480.1 KB
Free to read online, no sign-up needed
Loading document…
Loading document…
1 of 17
This exam
NSC November Exam 2012
Questions in this paper
- Question 1.1Systems Technologies1 marks
- Question 1.2Systems Technologies1 marks
- Question 1.3Systems Technologies1 marks
- Question 1.4Systems Technologies1 marks
- Question 1.5Systems Technologies1 marks
- Question 1.6Solution Development and Software Engineering1 marks
Show all 15 questions
- Question 1.7Social Implications1 marks
- Question 1.8Social Implications1 marks
- Question 1.9Systems Technologies1 marks
- Question 1.10Systems Technologies1 marks
- Question 2Systems Technologies49 marks
- Question 3Systems Technologies10 marks
- Question 4Social Implications13 marks
- Question 5Solution Development and Software Engineering47 marks
- Question 6Systems Technologies50 marks
Document textSearch extracted text and jump to a page.
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 2 DBE/November 2013
NSC
INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION
1. This question paper consists of FIVE sections subdivided as follows:
SECTION A: Multiple-choice questions (10)
SECTION B: Hardware and software (49)
SECTION C: Applications and implications (23)
SECTION D: Programming and software development (48)
SECTION E: Integrated scenario (50)
2. Answer ALL the questions.
3. Read ALL the questions carefully.
4. The mark allocation generally gives an indication of the number of
facts/reasons required.
5. Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this
question paper.
6. Write neatly and legibly.
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 3 DBE/November 2013
NSC
SECTION A: MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1
Various options are given as possible answers to the following questions. Choose the
answer and write only the letter (A–D) next to the question number (1.1–1.10) in the
ANSWER BOOK.
1.1 A … is the smallest addressable unit of space on a hard disk drive.
A sector
B cluster
C track
D partition (1)
1.2 The encryption protocol using public key encryption for encoding data sent
over the Internet is known as …
A HTML.
B FTP.
C TCP/IP.
D SSL. (1)
1.3 Which ONE of the following is NOT part of the machine cycle?
A Fetch data.
B Decode instruction.
C Encode data.
D Execute instruction. (1)
1.4 A hardware interrupt is …
A a method used by peripherals to gain the CPU's attention when
they need to communicate.
B used to stop a printer when it continues printing an unwanted print
job.
C used by the memory of a computer to interrupt (or stop) a
peripheral when communicating with the CPU.
D the process that occurs when the power supply unit fails and the
computer stops working. (1)
1.5 Quad pumping is …
A accessing RAM four times per clock cycle.
B using the CPU four times per clock cycle.
C a pipelining technique.
D an alternative to hyperthreading. (1)
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 4 DBE/November 2013
NSC
1.6 Which ONE of the following Boolean expressions is correct?
EXPRESSION RESULT
A TRUE AND NOT FALSE FALSE
B FALSE AND (TRUE OR NOT FALSE) TRUE
C TRUE OR NOT (TRUE OR NOT FALSE) TRUE
D TRUE AND NOT (TRUE AND FALSE) FALSE (1)
1.7 A rootkit is …
A a backdoor program.
B malicious software that activates when a computer system boots
up.
C a program that logs key presses.
D a kit of programs that a hacker uses to infiltrate computer systems. (1)
1.8 … takes place when the sender address and other parts of an e-mail header
are altered to appear as though the e-mail originated from a different source.
A Hoaxing
B Phishing
C Spoofing
D Pharming (1)
1.9 Which ONE of the following is an example of a correctly constructed URL for
a secure website?
A http://www.questionbank.co.za
B https://www.myonlineshop.co.za
C http://www.secure.co.za
D htts://www.secureweb.com (1)
1.10 The two files below are examples of music files.
Which ONE of the following file extensions is most likely to be associated with
these two files?
A wma
B docx
C bmp
D ico (1)
TOTAL SECTION A: 10
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 5 DBE/November 2013
NSC
SCENARIO
A countrywide competition is being held in an effort to discover singing, dancing and
acting talent among young people. A website has been created to promote the
competition. Each week elimination rounds will be held and judged at different centres
around the country. Managers have been appointed at the centres to capture and save
results, type reports and ensure that video footage of each performance is captured.
SECTION B: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
QUESTION 2
2.1 The managers at the centres were given a choice to use one of the following
two devices to perform their tasks:
DEVICE SPECIFICATIONS
Laptop - Intel Core i7 2.4 GHz CPU
- 8 GB RAM
- 1.5 TB HDD
Tablet - nVidia Tegra 1.2 GHz CPU
- 1 GB RAM
- 32 GB SSD
2.1.1 Give TWO reasons why the managers requested to be issued with
the laptop rather than the tablet. (2)
2.1.2 A tablet uses an SSD for storage of data and files.
(a) What does the acronym SSD stand for? (1)
(b) List THREE comparative differences between the features and
performance of an SSD and an HDD in table format. (3)
2.1.3 The tablet has a system recovery partition on its SSD.
(a) Explain what partitioning of a disk means. (2)
(b) Briefly explain why there is a need for a system recovery
partition, specifically on tablets. (1)
2.1.4 Both a tablet and a laptop use cache memory. Explain the purpose
of cache memory in a computer system. (3)
2.1.5 DDR RAM improves the transfer of data between the RAM and the
CPU when compared to SD RAM. Explain how this improvement is
accomplished. (3)
2.1.6 Give TWO reasons why a tablet and a laptop cannot use the same
type of RAM. (2)
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 6 DBE/November 2013
NSC
2.2 All the laptop and desktop computers that will be used during the competition
have Intel Core i7 CPUs while the tablets have ARM CPUs.
2.2.1 List FOUR of the basic components a CPU must contain to be able
to execute instructions. (4)
2.2.2 Different CPUs use different instruction sets. What is a
CPU instruction set? (2)
2.2.3 Both types of CPU support multithreading. Explain the concept of
multithreading. (2)
2.2.4 Name TWO physical aspects of CPUs that are built in during the
manufacturing process to improve the performance of CPUs. (2)
2.3 The managers have been told that they can use FireWire 800 or USB 3.0 to
upload video material of the performances of contestants to the competition's
website.
2.3.1 State TWO advantages of USB over FireWire. (2)
2.3.2 Would the software used for the editing of videos be considered
application software or system software? (1)
2.4 Cellular modems are used to connect to the Internet and upload the results of
the competition each week. The results are stored in a 'cloud'.
2.4.1 Name the type of connection the modem will use with the
uploading of results. (1)
2.4.2 Explain what is meant by the term cloud in this context. (2)
2.4.3 Is the storing of results in a cloud a good idea? Motivate your
answer. (2)
2.5 The results need to be printed each week. The volume of printing is large
because of the high number of contestants at each venue.
2.5.1 The managers decided to use inkjet printers because they are less
expensive. Persuade them to use laser printers instead by giving
TWO good arguments in favour of laser printers. (2)
2.5.2 Spooling is a technique that is used to accommodate large
volumes of printing. Explain what spooling is. (2)
2.5.3 The USB-port used to connect the printer uses serial data transfer.
Explain the difference between serial and parallel data transfer. (2)
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 7 DBE/November 2013
NSC
2.6 Each week the managers have a group conference call to discuss results and
some of the outstanding performances. It is suggested that they use VoIP in
order to save costs.
2.6.1 Briefly explain the basic concept VoIP. (2)
2.6.2 Name a VoIP client that the managers could use to host the
conference call. (1)
2.6.3 Name ONE other way (besides a conference call) in which the
managers could have discussions and collaborate online. (1)
2.7 The error message 'Missing DLL files' appeared when one of the managers
wanted to use an application installed on his laptop.
2.7.1 Give ONE possible reason why the DLL files are missing. (1)
2.7.2 What needs to be done so that the manager will be able to use the
software again? (1)
2.7.3 When new software is installed on a computer system running a
Windows operating system an entry is made into the registry of the
system. Explain in computing terms what the registry is. (2)
TOTAL SECTION B: 49
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 8 DBE/November 2013
NSC
SECTION C: APPLICATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
QUESTION 3: e-COMMUNICATION
Friends and family of the contestants requested that video footage of the two best
performances after each round be made available to them to watch again.
3.1 Someone requested the managers to e-mail them the video footage as an
attachment. Give TWO reasons why this request is possibly not feasible. (2)
3.2 The organisers made the videos available as podcasts.
3.2.1 Explain the concept of podcasting. (1)
3.2.2 Why will podcasting be an advantage for people who want to watch
the video more than once? (1)
3.2.3 Name ONE example of an electronic medium that can be used to
inform friends and family when a new podcast is available. (1)
3.3 Friends and family who want to download multimedia files of all the events
must preferably have a broadband Internet connection.
3.3.1 Explain the term broadband. (2)
3.3.2 ADSL is an example of a cabled broadband connection.
(a) Is ADSL a digital or an analogue connection? (1)
(b) Give ONE advantage of an ADSL connection. (1)
3.3.3 Give an example of another cabled broadband connection. (1)
[10]
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 9 DBE/November 2013
NSC
QUESTION 4: SOCIAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
The organisers are hosting a website for the competition that publishes results and
information about the contestants.
4.1 The parents of the contestants are concerned about personal information
such as contact details that are published on the competition's website.
4.1.1 Justify the parents' concerns by describing TWO ways in which
personal information provided on a website can be misused. (2)
4.1.2 Suggest ONE measure that a contestant can take to protect
personal information that needs to be published on the Internet. (1)
4.2 Even though personal information can be protected an activity known as
social engineering could be used to gain access to the information.
4.2.1 Explain what social engineering is. (2)
4.2.2 Describe ONE way in which social engineering can be prevented. (1)
4.3 One of the contestants has been removed from the competition because he
tweeted insulting remarks about another contestant.
4.3.1 What is meant by the term tweet? (1)
4.3.2 What term is used to refer to the practice of publishing insulting
remarks about people on an online or public forum? (1)
4.4 Some of the contestants want the organisers to create a blog for the
competition.
4.4.1 What is a blog? (1)
4.4.2 How would the contestants be advantaged by the blog? (1)
4.5 Entries must be done electronically on the website. A request was made that
there must also be an alternative way to handle the entries because of the
digital divide in South Africa. What is meant by the term digital divide? (1)
4.6 Members of the IT team can work on the voting system from home instead of
at the head office. Discuss the disadvantages of working from home from the
IT members' point of view. (2)
[13]
TOTAL SECTION C: 23
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 10 DBE/November 2013
NSC
SECTION D: PROGRAMMING AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
QUESTION 5: ALGORITHMS AND PLANNING
The organisers of the competition need to capture, store and manage information
about the contestants. An IT team was appointed to develop software to help the
organisers to perform these tasks.
5.1 Before the start of the competition the IT team had to create a user-friendly
interface for the organisers to capture information about the contestants. They
had to decide on suitable controls for the GUI for the entering of the
information.
5.1.1 The category options of the competition are Dance, Drama and
Music. The following two controls have been suggested:
Suggestion A:
Suggestion B:
Give TWO reasons why Suggestion A is a better choice. (2)
5.1.2 The input control in the screen shot below may cause users to
select both options when they enter the gender of a contestant.
Suggest how this situation can be prevented. (1)
5.1.3 Only contestants between the ages of 13 and 18 are allowed to
take part in the competition.
The following control is used to enter the age of the contestants:
Explain why data entered using this control will be valid but not
necessarily correct. Use an example with actual values as part of
your explanation. (2)
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 11 DBE/November 2013
NSC
5.2 A database has been created with two tables (tblContestants and
tblSchools) containing data about the contestants. Study the structure of the
database tables along with the additional information below and answer the
questions that follow.
Structure of database tables:
Additional information:
• Contestants may enter for up to three items.
• Each item is performed in a specific category.
• The ListOfItems field contains the list of items the contestant entered for
in the following format:
<Category, Description of first item>;<Category, Description
of second item>;<Category, Description of third item>
EXAMPLE: Joanne Johnson is registered to perform a monologue in the
drama category and a keyboard item in the music category.
For this contestant the ListOfItems field in the tblContestants
table contains the following information:
Drama,Monologue;Music,Keyboard
5.2.1 When the secretary tries to add data of newly registered
contestants into the tblContestants table, an error message is
displayed when she enters a value into the School_ID field.
(a) Select the type of error that occurs in this case from the given
list below. Write only the letter (A–C) next to the question
number (5.2.1(a)).
A Update anomaly
B Insert anomaly
C Delete anomaly (1)
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 12 DBE/November 2013
NSC
(b) What needs to be done to be able to register the new
contestants that cannot be registered currently? (1)
5.2.2 It has been decided to use a database rather than a text file to
store the data about the contestants.
(a) Give TWO reasons why a database is a better structure to
keep data about contestants than a text file. (2)
(b) What type of key is the School_ID field in the tblContestants
table? (1)
(c) Another table needs to be added to convert the database into
first normal form. Draw the new table, indicating the name of
the table and appropriate fields and keys.
NOTE: Draw only the new table and NOT the two given
tables. (5)
(d) Explain the relationship between the newly defined table in
QUESTION 5.2.2(c) and the relevant given table
(tblContestants or tblSchools) with specific reference to the
fields involved. (2)
5.2.3 When developing a program to manipulate the database it was
decided to work with objects.
(a) Define an object in computer programming terms. (2)
(b) Give ONE example of an object that needs to be created for
this program. (1)
(c) A class for this program has been defined with public
attributes. Give TWO reasons why this is NOT good
programming practice. (2)
5.3 The name and score of each contestant in the Drama category of the
competition are saved using two parallel arrays named arrNames and
arrScores. The scores are in the range 0–100 (both included).
The following algorithm was developed to determine the winner:
Line
1 highest score 100
2 Initialise loop counter
3 Repeat for all the elements of arrScores
4 if highest score < arrScores [counter]
5 arrScores [counter] highest score
6 End if
7 Increase loop counter
8 End repeat
9 Display highest score
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 13 DBE/November 2013
NSC
5.3.1 The output will not be correct due to TWO logical errors. Identify
the instructions causing the logical errors and write down their line
numbers and the correct instructions. (4)
5.3.2 The name of the contestant with the highest score must also be
displayed.
Write line(s) of pseudocode that need to be added to the given
algorithm to accomplish this task. Use the line numbers to indicate
the position where the new line(s) of pseudocode should be
inserted into the given algorithm. (4)
5.4 Programmers who created the software were requested to create a test plan
along with other technical documentation to ensure that the software is up to
standard.
5.4.1 The system design document (SDD) is one of the first documents
developed. List THREE aspects that form part of the SDD. (3)
5.4.2 List THREE aspects that should be included in the test plan. (3)
5.4.3 Why is it important to include hardware and software requirements
in user documentation? (1)
5.5 A text file is used to store the date, time and password of each user that logs
onto the local server at each centre where the elimination rounds of the
competition take place.
Example of the content of the text file:
Date: 15/08/2013
Time: 15:00:00
Password: AB1002
Date: 15/08/2013
Time: 15:30:00
Password: PS1022
:
Activities are suspicious when either of the following applies:
• A person logs onto the network before 07:30 in the morning or after
16:00 in the afternoon.
• The password is not in the prescribed format – two capital letters and
four digits.
An algorithm is supplied that should be able to read the data from the text file,
to test whether the time or password is suspicious (meets the conditions set
out above) and to write all the information of a suspicious activity to a new text
file.
(The algorithm is given on the next page.)
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 14 DBE/November 2013
NSC
Line
1 Open text file with logon information
2 Open new suspicious_activity file
3 Repeat while not end of log file
4 Read three lines from log file
5 Extract the date, time and password
6 validTime call code to test for a valid login time with
the hour and minute when the user logged in as
parameters
7 validPass call code to test for a valid password with
the password as parameter
8 IF ...
9 Save date, time and password to suspicious_activity file
10 Close the log file
11 End repeat
12 Close suspicious_activity file
5.5.1 The function/method called in line 6 uses the following two
parameters:
• Hour
• Minute
(a) What are parameters in terms of programming? (2)
(b) Suggest a suitable data type for these parameters. Explain
your choice of data type. (2)
5.5.2 The function/method called in line 7 will use 'try …' protection
blocks.
Write down the general structure of a 'try …' protection block AND
briefly explain the purpose of each section. (3)
5.5.3 Write down the logical condition to complete the IF-statement in
line 8 of the given algorithm. (2)
5.5.4 If this algorithm is correctly coded and executed, it will cause an
error in line 4 due to a mistake that was made in line 10.
(a) Explain the cause of the error. (1)
(b) Briefly explain how to correct the mistake. (1)
TOTAL SECTION D: 48
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 15 DBE/November 2013
NSC
SECTION E: INTEGRATED SCENARIO
QUESTION 6
During the final round of the competition the audience in the auditorium votes for
contestants to determine a winner. The event is also broadcast live on television.
Members of the television audience at home are also able to vote by SMS.
6.1 The audience in the auditorium has been provided with remote voting
controllers that allow them to press a button to transmit their vote wirelessly
via Bluetooth technology to a local server at the auditorium.
6.1.1 Is Bluetooth a suitable technology to use in this scenario? Motivate
your answer. (2)
6.1.2 What is the transmission rate of standard Bluetooth devices
(3 Mbps or 3 Gbps)? (1)
6.1.3 An audience member's voting controller does not connect to the
wireless network although the member is within range of the
server.
Name TWO possible troubleshooting steps that can be followed to
solve the problem. Replacing the voting controller is not an option. (2)
6.2 All the votes received from the audience in the auditorium and SMSs from the
television audience are stored in a relational database. The database is
maintained by a database administrator.
6.2.1 Explain what a relational database is. (2)
6.2.2 Give the name of ONE example of an existing database system
that could be used to create this database. (1)
6.2.3 Name TWO specific responsibilities of a database administrator. (2)
6.3 The live broadcast of the final round of the event can be streamed.
6.3.1 Explain what is meant by streamed. (2)
6.3.2 Name TWO components that are required to be able to stream a
live event. (2)
6.3.3 An entrepreneur is recording the live broadcast on his home
computer. He plans to sell copies of the recording. Discuss the
ethical issues of these activities. (2)
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 16 DBE/November 2013
NSC
6.4 An existing cabled network is used by the judges at the event centre to
transmit their scores electronically to a server at the centre. The organisers
are planning to use a wireless network for this purpose in future.
6.4.1 State TWO advantages of a wireless network over a cabled
network. (2)
6.4.2 State TWO additional hardware components that are required to
create the wireless network. (2)
6.4.3 Which network protocol would be appropriate to use for the
wireless network? (1)
6.5 While uploading results, one of the organisers noticed suspicious activities on
his computer. He suspects unauthorised software is running on his computer
to gain access to competition results.
6.5.1 State TWO types of programs that can be used to retrieve data
from a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user. (2)
6.5.2 Explain how the organiser could check whether there is any
unauthorised software running on his computer. (1)
6.5.3 Describe TWO ways in which the organisers can prevent their
computers from being accessed by unauthorised software. (2)
6.6 Some judges use Apple Mac computers while others use computers running
on the Microsoft Windows operating system. Both these operating systems
are proprietary software.
6.6.1 Describe THREE functions of an operating system. (3)
6.6.2 State TWO advantages of a proprietary operating system over an
open source operating system. (2)
6.6.3 Explain why software designed for the Apple Mac cannot run on a
computer that uses the Microsoft Windows operating system. (2)
6.7 The organisers of the competition have been advised to use cloud storage for
the video material.
6.7.1 The cloud server probably uses RAID technology. Briefly explain
what RAID is. (Expanding the acronym will NOT be accepted as an
answer.) (2)
Copyright reserved Please turn over
Downloaded from hlayiso.com
Information Technology/P2 17 DBE/November 2013
NSC
6.7.2 Several levels of RAID can be implemented. Motivate why the
cloud server will probably use RAID 1 rather than RAID 0. (2)
6.7.3 'Cloud computing' can be beneficial for green solutions in terms of
hardware. Explain this statement briefly. (2)
6.8 Projects such as this create a variety of IT-related job opportunities.
6.8.1 Give a summary of the main responsibilities of a systems analyst. (2)
6.8.2 Apart from a database administrator and a systems analyst, name
TWO other types of IT specialists who will most probably be
employed by the organiser of this project. (2)
6.9 ICT provides more effective solutions for the capturing of data and generating
results than a paper-based voting system.
Motivate why the above statement is valid by referring to TWO of the following
aspects:
• Faster and improved data processing
• Improved data storage
• Improved communication (2)
6.10 Some of the parents who do not use the Internet regularly often need some
basic information about browsing the Internet.
6.10.1 Give ONE example of a well-known Internet search engine. (1)
6.10.2 Give TWO hints for conducting an effective Internet search AND
give an example with each hint which is applicable to a search for
the website for this competition. (4)
TOTAL SECTION E: 50
GRAND TOTAL: 180
Copyright reserved
Study this subject
Recommended for this subject

Question paper
Information Technology Grade 12 P2 NSC November 2012 QP

Memorandum
Information Technology Grade 12 P2 NSC November 2012 Memo
%20(English%20and%20Afrikaans)%20June%202012%20QP_hlayiso.com_--48082933-856d-4044-a34d-c3c2952614eb/v1-a52d38d34bbb677fc423/card.webp)
Question paper
Information Technology Grade 12 P2 NSC June 2012 QP (Afr)

Question paper
Information Technology Grade 12 P2 NSC November 2022 QP

Question paper
Information Technology Grade 12 P2 NSC November 2019 QP

Question paper
Information Technology Grade 12 P2 NSC November 2018 QP
More from Grade 12 Information Technology

Memorandum
Information Technology Grade 12 P1 NSC June 2025 Memo (Eng)

Memorandum
Information Technology Grade 12 P1 2024 Memo (Eng)

Memorandum
Information Technology Grade 12 P2 2024 Memo (Eng)

Memorandum
Information Technology Grade 12 P1 2023 Memo (Afr)

Memorandum
Information Technology Grade 12 P2 2023 Memo (Afr)

Memorandum