Your name________________________________ Computer Literacy
Last updated: 03/23/2009
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Dear Palm Harbor Senior Center Students,

On the first day of class, I gave you this handout and told you that you can check on your progress by seeing how many of these questions you can answer. By the end of our second class on January 16th, I have covered all the questions that are in red. Underlined words are links that will take you to sites answering the questions. Answer links are only provided for some of the questions. Richard Gordon

Comprehension Questions

To prove that you are learning the materials I plan to cover in the first two classes, you should be able to answer the following questions. (Note: January 17th. Looks like I planned to cover too much ground because what I actually did cover appears in red.)

1. What kinds of jobs can you do with a computer?
2. What does your computer have that is similar to a storage room with many file cabinets?
3. What storage does your computer use that is similar to an attaché case? Hint: portable.
4. What are the major hardware components of a computer?
5. What are some computer accessories?
6. How is the computer keyboard different from a typewriter?
7. When do you use the Esc key?
8. Why is a surge protector used?
9. What is a UPS and why is it used?
10. How do you turn on a computer?
11. How should you shut down and turn off a computer?
12. How can you access Help for using Windows?
13. How can you access Help for all your Windows programs?
14. What is the operating system of a PC (Personal computer)?
15. Give examples of application-software programs that come with Windows?
16. Give an example of a wordprocessing program? A spreadsheet program? A database program?
17. How can you format a diskette?
18. How can you copy a diskette?
19. How can you make a folder for your work on your computer’s harddrive?
20. What is the difference between documents and programs?
21. How can you save or store your documents?
22. What is the difference between a diskette and a harddisk?
23. What letter usually represents the diskette drive? The harddrive?
24. How should you insert a diskette into its drive? What should you be especially careful about?
25. How and why do you write-protect a diskette?
26. What happens if you forget to remove your diskette from its drive after you have shut down your computer?
27. What is the desktop?
28. Name five icons on your desktop?
29. How do you move icons on your desktop?
30. When do you single click? Double click?
31. How and when do your right click?
32. Where do you find the Windows Taskbar?
33. How do you start a program?
34. How can you change the mouse clicking speed?
35. How and when do you use the scroll bar?
36. How do you size windows?
37. How do you move windows?
38. How do you open the program Solitaire?
39. How can playing the game Solitaire help you get more proficient in using the computer?
40. How can you access Help in Solitaire?
41. How can you start the Calculator program?
42. How do you start the Paint program?
43. How can you create pictures (graphics) using Paint?
44. How can you save your Paint graphics?
45. How can you open WordPad?
46. What is a menu?
47. How can you open a menu with keys instead of the mouse?
48. How can you write a simple letter using WordPad?
49. How can you delete an incorrect word or single letter?
50. When do you use the backspace key?
51. When do you use the delete key?
52. How can you insert a Paint graphic into a WordPad document?
53. How can you change your computer’s time?