Networks
OCR GCSE Computer Science revision on Networks. Aligned to the OCR GCSE Computer Science J277 specification. This bank has 8 practice questions on this topic.
Sample questions (3 of 8)
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Question 1
What does LAN stand for?
- A) Long Area Network
- B) Local Area Network
- C) Linked Active Node
- D) Low Access Network
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Answer: Local Area Network
LAN = devices in one geographical area (a school, a home, an office) linked together, usually owned and managed by one organisation. WAN = Wide Area Network — spans large distances, often uses third-party infrastructure. The internet is the biggest WAN.
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Question 2
Which network topology has every node connected to every other node?
- A) Star
- B) Bus
- C) Mesh
- D) Ring
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Answer: Mesh
Star: every device connected to a central switch/hub. Bus: every device connected to one shared backbone cable. Ring: each device connected to two neighbours forming a loop. Mesh: every device connected to many others — very fault-tolerant (multiple paths) but expensive. The internet uses a partial mesh.
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Question 3
A STAR topology has the disadvantage that...
- A) It is slow at all times
- B) If the central hub/switch fails
- C) Only 2 devices can be connected
- D) It uses wireless only
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Answer: If the central hub/switch fails
Star topology pros: fast (dedicated cable per device), easy to add/remove devices, isolated failure of one device doesn't affect others. Cons: central hub is a single point of failure, more cable than bus, hub cost. Most modern small networks use star — the resilience is usually achieved with backup hubs / redundant connections.
Want to test yourself on the remaining cards for this topic?
5 more questions on Networks — plus mistakes tracking and spaced repetition across the whole Computer Science spec.