Computer Fundamentals
🔒 Log in to trackCore abbreviations and full forms
🔒 Log in to trackAlmost every exam has one to three direct full-form questions. There is no logic to apply. Learn the full forms in families, and read every word of every option. Wrong options usually change just one word.
Why this subtopic is pure marks
Every exam asks one to three direct full-form questions. You only need to know a table. Learn the table in families, so one wrong word cannot slip past you.
CPU and system family
| Short | Full form |
|---|---|
| CPU, ALU, CU | Central Processing Unit, Arithmetic Logic Unit, Control Unit |
| BIOS | Basic Input Output System |
| POST | Power-On Self-Test |
| UPS | Uninterruptible Power Supply |
| USB | Universal Serial Bus |
| GUI, CLI | Graphical User Interface, Command Line Interface |
Memory family
| Short | Full form |
|---|---|
| RAM, ROM | Random Access Memory, Read Only Memory |
| PROM, EPROM, EEPROM | Programmable, Erasable Programmable, Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM |
| SRAM, DRAM | Static RAM, Dynamic RAM |
| Cache | Fast memory between CPU and RAM. Not an abbreviation |
Device and media family
| Short | Full form |
|---|---|
| VDU | Visual Display Unit (the monitor) |
| LCD, LED, OLED | Liquid Crystal Display, Light Emitting Diode, Organic LED |
| CRT | Cathode Ray Tube (the old heavy monitor) |
| HDD, SSD | Hard Disk Drive, Solid State Drive |
| CD, DVD | Compact Disc, Digital Versatile Disc |
| OCR, OMR, MICR | Optical Character Recognition, Optical Mark Recognition, Magnetic Ink Character Recognition |
| DPI, PPI | Dots Per Inch (printers), Pixels Per Inch (screens) |
| CAD, PCB, PDA | Computer-Aided Design, Printed Circuit Board, Personal Digital Assistant |
| IC, VLSI | Integrated Circuit, Very Large Scale Integration |
How wrong options are built
Exams do not ask hard full forms. They give you plausible wrong ones.
- UPS as "Uninterrupted". The correct word is Uninterruptible.
- POST as "Power On System Test". The correct form is Power-On Self-Test.
- VDU as "Video Display Unit". The correct word is Visual.
- PPI for printers. Printers use DPI. PPI is for screens.
Watch: One wrong adjective decides the answer. Read every word of every option.
Two hooks that settle many questions
Reader trio. OCR reads Characters, such as a scanned page turned into editable text. OMR reads Marks, such as bubble answer sheets. MICR reads magnetic Ink, such as the code line on a bank cheque.
ROM ladder. PROM can be programmed once. EPROM is erased with Ultraviolet light. EEPROM is erased electrically, right in the circuit. Each step makes erasing easier.
Tip: Expand the letters yourself before you look at the options. Then match word by word.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Direct full-form recall
The question asks the full form of BIOS, ALU, GUI or USB. Four expansions are options.
Recall the family table the term belongs to.
Expand the letters yourself first.
Compare word by word with the options.
Expanding first stops the options from tempting you.
The full form of GUI is -
Show solutionHide solution
G is Graphical, U is User, I is Interface.
It means windows and icons, not typed commands.
Graphical User Interface
Plausible wrong expansions
All four options look almost the same. The wrong ones change one word, such as Uninterrupted, Video or Power On System Test.
Read every word of every option.
Recall the fixed traps: Uninterruptible, Power-On Self-Test, Visual.
Trust the table, not the sound of the option.
The setter swaps a single word to test careful reading.
The accepted full form of UPS is -
Show solutionHide solution
Recall the trap word: Uninterruptible.
A UPS is a battery backup that switches in when mains power fails.
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Abbreviation and its use
The question gives an abbreviation such as DPI, MICR or VDU and asks its use or device.
Readers: OCR characters, OMR marks, MICR magnetic ink.
Resolution: DPI for printers, PPI for screens.
VDU is the monitor. BIOS starts the machine.
Each abbreviation has one home use.
MICR technology is mainly used in -
Show solutionHide solution
MICR is Magnetic Ink Character Recognition.
It reads the characters printed on a cheque.
Cheque processing in banks
Odd one out or wrong pair
The question asks which item is not a memory term, or which pair is wrongly matched.
Expand each option.
Memory family: RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, SRAM, DRAM, Cache.
The option outside the family is the answer.
Family tables make the odd item easy to spot.
Which of these is NOT related to memory? RAM, ROM, PROM, RTOS
Show solutionHide solution
RAM, ROM and PROM are memory terms.
RTOS is Real-Time Operating System, an OS type.
RTOS
ROM family questions
The question asks how PROM, EPROM or EEPROM is programmed or erased.
PROM: programmed once.
EPROM: erased with ultraviolet light.
EEPROM: erased electrically, in the circuit.
One idea covers all three: each step is easier to erase.
Which memory can be erased electrically without leaving the circuit?
Show solutionHide solution
Erasing by electricity is the last rung.
That is EEPROM.
EEPROM
Shortcuts that save time
PROM, then EPROM, then EEPROM. Each step is easier to erase. UV light for EPROM, Electricity for EEPROM.
How is an EPROM erased?
Show solutionHide solution
The E in EPROM stands for erasable.
Recall the hook: UV for EPROM.
With ultraviolet light
OCR reads Characters. OMR reads Marks. MICR reads Ink on cheques. Say Characters, Marks, Ink.
Which technology reads bank cheques?
Show solutionHide solution
Cheques carry magnetic ink.
Magnetic ink points to MICR.
MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition)
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Expanding UPS as Uninterrupted Power Supply.
The accepted form is Uninterruptible Power Supply.
Reading POST as Power On System Test.
POST is Power-On Self-Test.
Expanding VDU as Video Display Unit.
VDU is Visual Display Unit.
Mixing DPI and PPI.
DPI (dots) is for printers. PPI (pixels) is for screens.
Picking an option after reading only its first words.
Compare every word. One swapped adjective is the trap.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Know CPU, ALU, CU, BIOS, GUI and USB cold.
UPS is Uninterruptible. POST is Power-On Self-Test. VDU is Visual Display Unit.
ROM ladder: PROM (program once), EPROM (erase with UV light), EEPROM (erase electrically).
OCR reads characters, OMR reads marks, MICR reads magnetic ink on cheques.
DPI is for printers (dots). PPI is for screens (pixels).
SRAM is Static RAM. DRAM is Dynamic RAM. Cache is not an abbreviation.
Practice: 14 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 4 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.