1. technology and computing
2. software
3. databases

Sample Questions
Sample questions in various technical fields are presented below. The middle category of the exam
questions is identified in angle brackets (< >). See page 116 for the correct answers.
(1) Short question format
1. Strategy
<Corporate Activities>
80
100
60
40
50
20
0
A
B
C
D
E
Cumulative ratio (%)
100
150
Cumulative ratio (%)
Quantity of defective items
Number of defective components
Q1. In the figure illustrated below, categories of defective electronic components are arranged in
a bar graph in descending order of the number of defective components, and the cumulative
ratio of the number of defective components is shown in a line graph. What is this type of
figure called?
0
Defect category
a) Cause-and-effect diagram
c) Pareto chart
b) Matrix diagram
d) Venn diagram
<Legal Affairs>
Q2. When you create a webpage, which of the following uses of published work is legal to do
without asking the copyright holder?
a) Modifying an illustration appeared in a magazine and using it for your own corporate
advertising on the webpage
b) Scanning a pattern created by a famous designer in a curtain catalog, changing the color,
and using it on the webpage because it is a fitting background graphic
c) Scanning a photo released in a newspaper and using it on the webpage to provide
up-to-date information
d) Using statistical data published in a white paper on trade as the basis for creating a chart
on the webpage to illustrate vehicle sales volume
102
<Business Strategy Management >
Q3. A company has product lines including four items. The table shown below summarizes the
survey results of the sales, market share, and market growth rate for each item that year.
Which of the following represents the corresponding product portfolio matrix (PPM)? Here,
the size (area) of each circle represents sales.
Product
A
B
C
D
8
12
4
16
Market share (%)
10
4
3
8
Market growth rate (%)
15
8
20
4
Sales (in million dollars)
a)
b)
Market growth rate
10
5
0
c)
5
市場占有率
Market
share
5
5
10
Market share
市場占有率
Market growth rate
20
10
5
10
15
市場成長率
15
市場成長率
Market growth rate
10
0
d)
5
Market
share
市場占有率
15
10
20
0
20
市場成長率
15
市場成長率
Market growth rate
20
10
5
0
103
10
5
市場占有率
Market share
<Business Industry >
Q4. Which of the following explains a service that makes use of GPS?
a) Automating payment to enable vehicles to pass through toll gates efficiently on toll
roads such as expressways
b) Broadcasting by means of an artificial satellite; installing receiving facilities such as
antennas for individual households or residential complexes to enable individuals or
groups of users to receive satellite broadcast
c) Connecting PCs to a network without any cables, by means of radio waves or infrared
rays, in locations such as stores where laying cable is difficult or offices where furniture
is often rearranged
d) Indicating the user’s position on a map displayed on a mobile device by means of
information from satellites
<System Strategy>
Q5. Which of the following explains BPR?
a) Accelerating business expansion by incorporating other company’s functions, which are
insufficient in one’s own company, through a corporate acquisition
b) Analyzing the workflows and value chains that enterprises use to produce value in the
form of products and services
c) Promoting quality control activities which aim at delivering zero-defect products, not
only in manufacturing departments but throughout the enterprise
d) Reengineering business processes fundamentally to enhance business processing
capabilities and cost-effectiveness by taking full advantage of information technologies
<System Planning>
Q6. The diagram below shows the workflow in sales and distribution business, from receipt of
orders to delivery of goods. In the diagram, which of the following should be inserted in the
rectangular box A? Here, shaded portions are intentionally not shown.
Order
Received
Inventory
Allocated
a) Delivery instructions
c) Shipping
Aa
Product
Removed
from Shelf
b) Loading
d) Taking inventory
104
Delivery
<System Planning>
Q7. When selecting a system vendor who develops the next mission-critical system, your boss
directed you to prepare an RFP as a leader. Which of the following appropriately explains
this RFP?
a) A document to ask a system vendor to submit a proposal of the next mission-critical
system development
b) A document to make inquiries to in-house users about issues of the current
mission-critical system
c) A document to make inquiries to in-house users about requirements for the next
mission-critical system
d) A document to submit an order of the next mission-critical system development to a
system vendor
2. Management
<System Development Engineering>
Q8. Which of the following is the appropriate sequence of program development?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Design, programming, and testing
Design, testing, and programming
Programming, design, and testing
Testing, design, and programming
<Project Management >
Q9. A project with 50 work items of equivalent labor was planned to be finished in 10 days. The
fifth day is now over, and only 20 work items have been completed so far. By how many
days is the project delayed at this point? Here, the delay is given by the difference from the
number of days it should have taken to complete the work items that are currently finished.
a) 1
b) 2
c) 4
105
d) 5
<Service Management>
Q10. Which of the following is a characteristic of a service desk in operations management of
information systems?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Inquiries are about temporary issues, so records are not necessary.
Service desks passively await user inquiries; they do not initiate communication.
Service desks should be consolidated into a single window for inquiries.
The scope of inquiries is limited to the method of operations.
<System Audit>
Q11. Which of the following is the role of system auditors?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Advising audited departments about recommendations and measures for improvements
Appointing auditors
Determining security policies
Requesting audited departments to make improvements
3. Technology
<Basic Theory>
Q12. In the following Venn diagrams including three areas A, B, and C, which shaded area is
“common to A and B but not C”?
A
a)
B
C
B
A
c)
B
A
b)
A
d)
C
B
106
C
C
<Algorithms and Programming>
Q13. In the communication network shown below, how many nodes from B to L cannot be
reached from A? Here, information can be transmitted only in the direction of arrows.
B
A
G
C
D
E
F
J
K
L
H
I
a) 1
b) 3
c) 4
d) 6
<Computer Components>
Q14. In the basic configuration of PCs shown below, which of the following combinations of
functional units corresponds to the rectangular boxes 1 through 3?
1
Flow of instructions
Auxiliary
Storage
Input
Flow of data, including programs
2
3
Output
1
2
3
a
Control unit
Processing unit
Main memory
b
Main memory
Control unit
Processing unit
c
Main memory
Processing unit
Control unit
d
Processing unit
Main memory
Control unit
107
<System Components>
Q15. Which of the following is the most appropriate processing that should be performed by the
server in a client/server system?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Processing to check the format of input data
Processing to display pull-down menus
Processing to preview printing results
Processing to update databases
<Software>
Q16. Which of the following is a characteristic of open source software?
a)
b)
c)
d)
All copyrights are waived.
A warranty is available in case of problems.
Only one copy may be made for the purpose of backup.
The source code can be obtained.
<Hardware>
Q17. A disk is labeled 1 through 6 clockwise around the outer edge. The disk spins clockwise and
completes a cycle once every 6 seconds. The disk is in a dark room, and only the portion on
top (outlined with a dotted line here) is illuminated for a moment by a spotlight at a flashing
interval of a specified period of time. Which of the following patterns of numbers can be
seen when the spotlight is set to flash every 5 seconds?
6
2
5
1
3
4
a) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
c) 1, 4, 1, 4, 1, 4
b) 1, 3, 5, 1, 3, 5
d) 1, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
108
<Human Interface>
Q18. In screen design, in which of the following situations would it be better to select an option
from a list of candidates than enter data directly?
a)
b)
c)
d)
In the situation where each input item must be checked or corrected
In the situation where large amounts of data such as sentences are entered
In the situation where many different values are valid as input data
In the situation where the types and content of input data are limited
<Multimedia>
Q19. Which of the following is a device that is used for catching image projected from imaging
equipment such as a video cassette recorder and storing it on a computer as digital data?
a) Capture card
b) Scanner
c) Sound card
d) Tablet
<Databases>
Q20. Which of the following product groups can be found when searching the “Product
Inventory” table for products with a sales price of 500 dollars or more per unit and an
inventory of less than 10 units?
Product Inventory
Product
Code
Product Name
Manufacturer
Sale Price
Inventory
Inspector
100
Large refrigerator
AAA
3,000
10
Smith
110
Medium refrigerator
AAA
2,000
6
Smith
120
Small refrigerator
BBB
1,000
8
Smith
130
Portable refrigerator
BBB
400
3
Smith
200
Air purifier
CCC
600
22
Miller
210
Air ionizer
DDD
450
18
Miller
300
Coffee maker
EEE
150
5
Johnson
400
Air conditioner
FFF
1,200
7
Brown
a) Large refrigerator, medium refrigerator, small refrigerator, air purifier, and air
conditioner
b) Large refrigerator, medium refrigerator, small refrigerator, portable refrigerator, air
purifier, coffee maker, and air conditioner
c) Medium refrigerator, small refrigerator, and air conditioner
d) Medium refrigerator, small refrigerator, portable refrigerator, coffee maker, and air
conditioner
109
<Networks>
Q21. Which of the following is indicated by URLs, which are used on the Internet?
a)
b)
c)
d)
E-mail addresses for use in the Internet
Information sources (resources) on the Internet
IP addresses of servers connected to the Internet
Owners of PCs connected to the Internet
<Security>
Q22. If a user at an enterprise forgets his/her own password, which of the following is an
appropriate way in which a security administrator should inform the user of his/her
password after confirming his/her identity?
a) A security administrator decodes the password which is managed in an encrypted form,
and then sends it to the user in the form of an internal document classified as
confidential.
b) A security administrator informs the user of an initial value after initializing the user’s
password, and then the user changes it to a new password.
c) A security administrator makes a copy of the password, which is managed in an
encrypted form, in the common area, and then informs the user of the decryption key by
telephone.
d) A security administrator retrieves the password which is managed on his/her own
computer and then informs the user of that password by e-mail.
110
(2) Medium question format
Question A
Read the following description concerning computer security measures and rules,
and then answer questions Q23 through Q26 .
After Mr. M was hired, he was assigned to a department that has rules concerning the initial
settings of newly installed PCs. Some of these rules are as follows:
Excerpt from “Rules for Initial Settings of New PCs”
(1) Prepare computers by installing the specified antivirus software and enabling the
automatic update function.
(2) Change the default values of Web browser security settings, such as limitation of software
like Java applets running on Web browsers, to security levels specified by the system
administrator, without leaving them intact.
(3) Enabling automatic OS updates, as a measure in case security holes and the like are
discovered.
(4) Before installing software other than application software provided by the department,
obtain approval from the department director.
Q23. A new employee, Mr. M was provided with a new PC, so he promptly started configuring
his PC according to “Rules for Initial Settings of New PCs.” Which of the following actions
is not appropriate in consideration of the four rules (1) through (4)?
Answer group:
a) After configuring the antivirus software, he ran a complete scan of the hard disks to
check for viruses, just in case.
b) He did not know how to configure the Web browser, so he asked the system
administrator for configuration instructions.
c) Since the new PC came bundled with a three-month trial version of antivirus software
preinstalled, he configured it for automatic updates and started using this software.
d) When he enabled automatic OS updates, an update started immediately, so he followed
the instructions displayed to complete the update.
111
Q24. Mr. M did not understand the reason for changing the browser settings, as required by the
rule (2) of the “Rules for Initial Settings of New PCs,” so he asked the system administrator,
Mr. N. Which of the following is an appropriate reply from Mr. N ?
Answer group:
a) To execute automatic updates when browser vulnerabilities are discovered and updates
to fix them are released
b) To implement security measures when a browser-based mail service called webmail is
used
c) To prevent execution of malicious scripts and installation of unauthorized programs,
which are activated by clicking a button or the like on some web pages
d) To prohibit employees from browsing web pages of personal interest or fee-based sites,
which are not associated with their jobs, during working hours
Q25. The system administrator, Mr. N explained to Mr. M: “The most critical reason for
organizations to establish these kinds of rules is that
.” Which of the following is
the most appropriate description that should be inserted in the above blank box
?
Answer group:
a) a virus on one employee’s PC may spread and infect other employees’ PCs
b) PCs infected by a virus may become temporarily unusable, or the data on them may
become corrupt
c) virus infections may cause large amounts of unneeded data to be sent over the LAN,
increasing the network load and possibly interfering with business processes of the
organization
d) virus infections may cause personal or confidential information to be leaked on the
Internet
Q26. The system administrator, Mr. N told Mr. M, “Peer-to-peer software such as Winny and
Share has caused many incidents recently. That is why we established the rule (
).”
Which rule number of the “Rules for Initial Settings of New PCs” should be inserted in the
above blank box
?
Answer group:
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
112
d) 4
Question B Read the following description concerning business data and its processing, and
then answer questions Q27 through Q30 .
Ms. F was hired by a membership-based mail-order cosmetics company. She works in the
sales department under a senior employee, where she analyzes sales performance data. Each
product has a unique name without duplication and its classification is organized. For data
analysis, the sales performance data and member ledger for the past year are as follows:
[Sales Performance Data]
Sales_date Member_number Product_name
Category
Unit_price Quantity Sales_amount
Emulsion A
Basic skin care
30
1
30
2007-10-07
100302
Rouge C
Lipstick
20
2
40
2007-10-08
110210
Lotion B
Basic skin care
15
1
15
...
...
...
...
...
...
123001
...
2007-10-06
[Member Ledger]
Telephone_number
New York
500 Washington Ave.,
Kingston
914-XXX-XXXX
Anna Smith
Florida
561-XXX-XXXX
100003
Helen Brown
North Carolina
2200 Yamato Road,
Boca Raton
4100 Capital Blvd.,
Raleigh
...
...
Member_name
100001
Susan Johnson
100002
Address_1
919-XXX-XXXX
...
...
Address_2
...
Member_number
Note: Address_1 indicates the State part of each member’s address information and Address_2, the
remaining address information.
Q27. Ms. F is to summarize monthly sales performance in a table, by product. To calculate
monthly sales performance by product, which of the following combinations of sales
performance data is required, at the very least?
Answer group:
a) Product_name and Sales_amount
b) Sales_date, Product_name, and Sales_amount
c) Sales_date, Product_name, Category, and Sales_amount
d) Sales_date, Product_name, Category, Unit_price, and Sales_amount
113
Q28. Ms. F is to summarize last month’s sales performance in a table, by product. Based on
overall sales performance data, which of the following is an appropriate process to calculate
monthly sales performance by product?
Answer group:
a) 1. Calculate the total sales of products with the same “Product_name.”
2. Sort the data by “Category.”
3. Extract the data of products that were sold last month, based on “Sales_date.”
b) 1. Extract the data for last month, based on “Sales_date.”
2. Sort the extracted data by “Category.”
3. Calculate the total of unit prices for products in the same “Category.”
c) 1. Extract the data for last month, based on “Sales_date.”
2. Sort the extracted data by “Product_name.”
3. Calculate the total sales of products with the same “Product_name.”
d) 1. Sort the data by “Product_name.”
2. Calculate the total sales of products with the same “Product_name.”
3. Extract the data of products that were sold last month, based on “Sales_date.”
Q29. To check the rate of increase in monthly sales by product, Ms. F is to compare the monthly
sales performance for last month and the month before last, by product. Which of the
following expressions is used to calculate the rate of increase?
Answer group:
a) Sales performance last month – sales performance two months ago
b) (Sales performance last month – sales performance two months ago) / 2
c) (Sales performance last month
– sales performance two months ago) / Sales performance last month
d) (Sales performance last month
– sales performance two months ago) / Sales performance two months ago
114
Q30. Ms. F is to summarize last month’s sales performance in a table, by State (Address_1).
Based on member address, which of the following is an appropriate process to calculate
monthly sales performance by State?
Answer group:
a) 1. Extract the data for last month from the sales performance data, based on “Sales date.”
2. Sort the extracted sales performance data by “Member_number.”
3. Calculate the total sales of products with the same “Member_number.”
b) 1. Extract the data for last month from the sales performance data, based on “Sales date.”
2. Using member numbers as the key, join the extracted sales performance data and the
member ledger.
3. Sort the joined information by “Address_1.”
4. Calculate the total sales in units of the same State.
c) 1. Using member numbers as the key, join sales performance data and the member
ledger.
2. Sort the joined information by “Address_1.”
3. Calculate the total sales in units of the same State.
d) 1. Using member numbers as the key, join sales performance data and the member
ledger.
2. Sort the joined information by “Member_number.”
3. Calculate the total sales of products with the same “Member_number.”
4. Sort the data by “Address_1.”
5. Calculate the total sales in units of the same State.
115
(3) Correct Answers
Format
Small
Medium
Question
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10
Q11
Q12
Q13
Q14
Q15
Q16
Q17
Q18
Q19
Q20
Q21
Q22
Q23
Q24
Q25
Q26
Q27
Q28
Q29
Q30
Answer
c
d
a
d
d
a
a
a
a
c
a
b
d
a
d
d
a
d
a
c
b
b
c
c
d
d
b
c
d
b
116