Pre-Master’s Programme Science and Technology question paper

Pre-Master’s Programme Science and Technology

Examination August 2021 Duration 2 hours

Section A

Answer ALL the question

Q1. Name the world’s first digital computer 1 MARK

Q2 Name the world’s first business computer 1 MARK

Q3 Name the three  great ships designed and built by Isambard kingdom Brunel

1.

2.

3.

3 MARK

Q4. Name the first major engineering project completed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his father Marc Brunel

1 MARK

Q5 Thomas Edison invented the light bulb

True or False [underline one]

1 MARK

Q6 Name three people who influenced Darwin’s thinking on evolution.

1.

2.

3.

3 MARK

Q7 Name three scientists who contributed to the development of the vacuum tube

1.

2.

3.

3 MARK

Q8 Fred Sanger won two Nobel prizes in Chemistry

True or False  [underline one]

1 MARK

Q9 List the three co-inventors of the transistor

1.

2.

3.

3 MARK

Q10 Tim Berners-Lee invented the internet

True or False  [underline one]

1 MARK

Q11 Marc Andreessen created both the Mosaic browser and Netscape Navigator browser True or False  [underline one]

1 MARK

 

Q12 Sir Paul Nurse strongly believes that recent global warming is due to man’s over-utilisation of fossil fuels

True or False  [underline one]

1 MARK

 

 

TOTAL 20 MARKS

 

Section B

Answer ANY four 4 questions only.

Q1 Write a brief essay on the evolutionary and revolutionary development of the world wide web, making reference to H.G.Well, Vannevar Bush, J.C.R.Licklider, Tim Berners-Lee, Marc Andreessen. 

20 MARKS

Q2 Write brief notes on two of the following:

[1] Bletchley Park and the Colossus.

10 MARKS

[2] Fred Sanger

10 MARKS

[3] The invention of the transistor

10 MARKS

[4] Leonardo da Vinci

10 MARKS

20 MARKS

 

Q3 Write a brief essay on the life and works of Thomas Edison.How does Edison’s approach to invention compare to the approach of the modern inventors Kia Silverbrook and Shunpei Yamazaki? 

20 MARKS

Q4.Write a brief essay on  the science behind global warming and tackling climate change. 

20 MARKS

Q5 Write brief notes on the life and works of Charles Darwin. Indicate those natural

philosophers[scientists] and others who influenced Darwin’s thinking prior to the publication of The Origin of Species.

20 MARKS

Q6 Write a brief essay on the life and works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

20 MARKS

Q7 The meeting of Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler and Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II was a seminal moment in the history of science. Explain.

20 MARKS

Q8 Write brief notes on the development of the modern computer.

20 MARKS

Q9

1.       Which measure of central tendency should be used with caution when working with numerical data?  Give a reason for your answer and also suggest where this measure is more appropriately used.

[4]

2.       Provide a possible chart type that might be used for presenting data in each the following cases, giving a justification of your choices:

a)       Where there are two pieces of information regarding a person/object.

b)      Where there is a lot of data that can be put into groups.

[4]

3.       Briefly discuss some basic principles you should adhere to when presenting data in chart form. 

Also state which method of presentation you should generally avoid in a scientific context.

[4]

4.       Discuss what is meant by the term ‘skewed’ when referring to a data set, and how this would affect which measure of central tendency and associated measure of spread you would use.

[8]

20 MARKS