Practice Test 2

26. A campus startup wants to attach cheap sensors to dorm refrigerators so students get alerts when shared groceries are running low. Ten years ago the idea would have been too expensive for a student market, but now the founders can build it with tiny chips and low-cost connectivity.

Which concept BEST explains why this idea became practical?

27. A student buys a very cheap laptop with lots of storage but very little RAM. She then complains that opening several browser tabs and Zoom at the same time feels painfully slow even though she still has hundreds of gigabytes free.

Which explanation is MOST accurate?

28. A professor says cloud AI tools are partly a consequence of the same computing trend that made phones powerful and cheap. A student replies that lower prices should reduce demand, because when things get cheaper they must become less important.

Which idea MOST directly shows why the student is wrong?

29. A company stores video files for years but also needs to edit them quickly during production. An intern says, “Let’s just buy the biggest drive possible. That should also make editing faster.” Her manager says she is mixing up three different ideas that matter when moving and using data.

Which set of ideas is the manager MOST likely referring to?

30. A startup wants to advertise that its product uses “quantum computing” to solve every customer’s everyday spreadsheet problems instantly on a laptop browser. An investor is skeptical and says the claim sounds unrealistic for the current market.

What is the BEST reason for the investor’s skepticism?

31. A student intern says, “I know Canvas is software, but I still do not get why my company’s IT manager cares so much about the operating system on the laptops.” Her supervisor explains that without it, applications would have to handle hardware details on their own and users would have a much harder time using the machines.

Which statement BEST captures that explanation?

32. A startup founder is comparing Google Sheets, desktop Excel, Linux, and a CRM tool. She says, “I need a simple way to classify software beyond just naming the brand.” Her mentor tells her to ask not only what the software does, but also who can change the source code, where it runs, and what standards it uses.

What idea is the mentor applying?

33. A manager is choosing between two systems. One would connect sales, inventory, accounting, and purchasing in one integrated database-backed system. The other would leave each department using separate apps and manual exports.

Which type of system is the manager MOST likely considering in the first option?

34. A software company redesigns its app so new users can click menus, radio buttons, and check boxes instead of typing commands. Usage rises sharply among nontechnical employees who previously avoided the software.

Which concept BEST explains the improvement?

35. A retailer stores all customer purchase data in a system that lets employees add, update, and query records for sales analysis and order handling. The CIO says this layer matters because most enterprise applications depend on it for persistence and input/output.

Which concept is she describing?

36. A student startup is deciding between building on an open-source web stack or paying for a full proprietary stack. The founders like OSS because they can start cheaply and customize the system, but one teammate worries that “free” might not really mean low total cost once support and maintenance are considered.

Which concept is the teammate MOST directly raising?

37. A firm is considering OSS for a customer portal. One manager says, “I like the idea that many developers can inspect the code, spot weaknesses, and improve it quickly.” Another manager says that argument is often summarized with a short phrase about bugs.

Which phrase is she referring to?

38. A software company gives away its core product as open source, then earns money by selling enterprise support, hosting, and consulting. A confused intern says, “If the software is free, the company must not have a real business model.”

Which response is MOST accurate?

39. A dorm-room startup could never have afforded a giant proprietary software stack ten years ago. Today it launches with Linux, open-source databases, and free development tools, then spends its limited cash on marketing and product testing instead.

How does OSS MOST affect entrepreneurship in this scenario?

40. A student says Linux matters mainly because it is a cheaper personal laptop option. Her classmate says that misses the bigger MIS point from class.

Which statement BEST captures the bigger point?

41. A student startup uses Google Docs, Canva, and an online CRM without buying servers or installing much locally. The founders like that they can start quickly, pay monthly, and let someone else handle updates and maintenance.

Which delivery model are they relying on MOST directly?

42. A firm is deciding whether to build its own data center or move to cloud infrastructure. The CFO notes that cloud computing can reduce the big up-front purchase of servers, databases, and support contracts, which makes it easier for smaller competitors to launch.

Which industry effect follows MOST directly from that change?

43. A software company debates shifting from selling boxed desktop software to a browser-based subscription model. One executive says the change would create more predictable recurring revenue and make piracy less serious because users no longer receive a full installable product copy.

Which model is she advocating?

44. A retailer uses AWS servers but still builds and manages its own applications on top of that rented computing base. Another company uses Salesforce tools to create custom apps without managing the deeper stack itself.

Which pairing BEST matches those two cases?

45. A university department adopts a GenAI writing assistant through a paid enterprise contract instead of telling employees to use free public versions. The department says the paid version is preferable even if the free one seems “good enough” for casual use.

Which reason is MOST consistent with the chapter?

46. A student team is building an app for a campus club. Every week, more officers ask for “just one more feature,” but the deadline and budget stay the same. The lead developer says the biggest threat is no longer coding skill but the expanding project target.

Which concept BEST describes this problem?

47. A company wants a custom scheduling tool. One manager says, “Let’s build it ourselves because we want control.” Another says, “Let’s buy something off the shelf because we need speed.” A third says, “Let’s rent a hosted tool because we want low up-front cost and easy updates.”

Which decision framework are they debating?

48. A department lets a nontechnical employee build a workflow app in a low-code tool. It works at first, but later no one understands the logic, security is weak, and the app does not scale when many users join.

Which risk of LCNC is MOST clearly shown?

49. A project manager tells executives that the team can add more features, finish sooner, or use fewer resources, but not all three at once. One executive replies, “Then just do all of them. Good teams should not have tradeoffs.”

Which concept shows why the executive is mistaken?

50. A company used a rigid plan for a new internal system and required every requirement to be nailed down before development began. By the time the system shipped, several user needs had changed and the product felt outdated. A newer manager argues for shorter cycles, frequent reviews, and smaller releases next time.

Which methodology is the newer manager MOST likely favoring?