Study Guide

Field 046: Technology Education (Subtest I)
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Competency 0001
Understand innovation and design.

A design team has just finished evaluating several possible designs for a product. Which of the following steps should the team take next?

  1. List design specifications.
  2. Produce working drawings.
  3. Select an optimal design.
  4. Design the manufacturing process.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
After evaluating all designs under consideration, a design team will usually select an optimal design from the group. The purpose of the design evaluation is to provide data for the selection of the optimal design.
Competency 0001
Understand innovation and design.

A design team at a toy company is planning a new toy fire truck that sprays water and has operating sirens and emergency lights. To determine the feasibility of the proposed operating mechanisms for the spray, siren, and lights, the team's first step should be to create a:

  1. simulation.
  2. prototype.
  3. thumbnail.
  4. mock-up.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
The design team would like to evaluate the feasibility of one of the subsystems of a product. To assess whether a subsystem will actually work, the team should construct a working model or prototype of the proposed toy truck.
Competency 0002
Understand careers and employability skills.

Which of the following employment opportunities is most likely to require a background in computer network technology?

  1. Webmaster
  2. database specialist
  3. system administrator
  4. word-processing technician
Answer
Correct Response: C.
The job of a computer system administrator is to keep a computer network operating efficiently. Responsibilities include installing, configuring, and maintaining the software and hardware related to the computer network.
Competency 0002
Understand careers and employability skills.

A worker with which of the following titles is most likely to be responsible for tracking the movement of vehicles in a large corporate fleet?

  1. quality engineer
  2. operations analyst
  3. management engineer
  4. systems analyst
Answer
Correct Response: B.
The scheduling and tracking of vehicles in a transportation system is the responsibility of a company's operations division. An analyst in this area would collect and analyze data and then use the analysis to improve efficiency in the system.
Competency 0002
Understand careers and employability skills.

A safety coordinator at a power plant has expressed concern that some of the plant's safety procedures are outdated and should be revisited. Which of the following responses would be most appropriate for the safety coordinator's supervisor to make?

  1. Agree to review the company's safety procedures with upper management at a future meeting.
  2. Explain to the coordinator that changes to safety procedures cannot be based on opinions of one worker.
  3. Evaluate the company's safety record and compare it with that of other power plants.
  4. Ask the coordinator for specific details concerning the procedures, and determine the merit of the coordinator's concerns.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
Workers' concerns regarding safety should always be taken seriously. In this case, a supervisor should listen to the worker's concerns, ask for any additional details that might help in an analysis of the situation, and then determine the merits of the worker's concerns. If the concerns are determined to have merit, appropriate action should be taken to ensure safety at the plant.
Competency 0003
Understand safety and the environment.

An electrical worker is replacing wiring in a residential apartment and shuts off the appropriate circuit breakers so that there is no current in the circuits being repaired. Which of the following additional precautions would be most important for the worker to take in this situation?

  1. turning off the electrical switches in the apartment
  2. tagging the circuit, closing and locking the electrical service box
  3. notifying the electric company of the work being done
  4. disconnecting the main service wires to the electrical service box
Answer
Correct Response: B.
The electrical worker must ensure that the circuits being worked on are not carrying current. Shutting off the circuit breakers will prevent current from flowing in those circuits, but the worker must also close and lock the service box so that nobody turns the current on again without the electrical worker's knowledge.
Competency 0003
Understand safety and the environment.

A manufacturing design department uses a stereolithography system that includes a Class IIIb laser. The system's cabinet permits access to the laser beam. Injury to the workers would be most likely to occur if an operator were to place which of the following types of material in the beam?

  1. damp wood
  2. dyed fabric
  3. molten plastic
  4. polished metal
Answer
Correct Response: D.
Direct viewing of the beam of a Class IIIb laser can be harmful to a person's eyes. Placing a piece of polished metal in the path of a laser would cause the beam to be reflected. The reflected beam would not be significantly reduced in intensity and could cause damage to a person's eyes.
Competency 0004
Understand the role of technology in society and globalization.

At the end of the nineteenth century, a device that emitted and controlled the path of a beam of electrons was invented. The invention of this device led most directly to:

  1. radio.
  2. radar.
  3. lasers.
  4. television.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
A cathode ray tube includes a filament that emits a stream of electrons, as well as a pair of deflection plates or coils that allow the electron stream to be deflected to strike any point on a viewing screen. The viewing screen is coated with a phosphor that glows briefly when it is struck by electrons. The picture tubes of televisions are cathode ray tubes.
Competency 0004
Understand the role of technology in society and globalization.

Which of the following behaviors is permitted under the single-user license that accompanies most computer software?

  1. copying the software for archival and backup purposes
  2. installing the software on a network server
  3. copying the software for educational use by students
  4. installing the software on multiple machines in the same company
Answer
Correct Response: A.
The single-user license that accompanies most computer software restricts use of the software to one computer. However, creation of a backup copy is an appropriate precaution and is allowed under the terms of most single-user licenses.
Competency 0004
Understand the role of technology in society and globalization.

Which of the following is a requirement for obtaining a utility patent for an invention?

  1. The invention must be described in words and in drawings.
  2. The invention must have a working prototype.
  3. The invention must contribute to scientific understanding.
  4. The invention must be based on current technology.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
A utility or non-provisional patent is one of the three types of patents available in the United States and is the type usually thought of when people speak of patents. Two of the important components of an application for a utility patent are drawings and a clear, concise description of the invention for which a patent is being sought.
Competency 0005
Understand the universal systems models.

In an automobile, which of the following parts provides an interface between the engine and the starting system?

  1. timing belt
  2. drivetrain
  3. camshaft
  4. solenoid
Answer
Correct Response: D.
The purpose of an automobile's solenoid is to engage and disengage the starter motor from the engine's flywheel. When an automobile is started, current is applied to the solenoid. This induces a magnetic field in the solenoid, which moves a plunger that engages the gears of the automobile's starter motor. The spinning starter motor turns the automobile's engine. After the engine starts, a spring returns the solenoid's plunger to its resting position.
Competency 0005
Understand the universal systems models.

Use the diagram below to answer the question that follows.


Which of the following is the correct label for Block II in the diagram?

  1. Process
  2. Resources
  3. Control
  4. Specification
Answer
Correct Response: A.
In the Universal System Model, a process acts on inputs to produce outputs. This process of converting inputs to outputs is monitored by the feedback component of the system.
Competency 0005
Understand the universal systems models.

Which of the following components of project management is most likely to involve communication skills and the ability to create and deliver a presentation?

  1. developing the project plan
  2. acquiring approval for the project plan
  3. implementing the project plan
  4. updating the project plan
Answer
Correct Response: B.
Acquiring approval for a project requires communication of project details in a clear and concise manner and format. This often involves the preparation of materials in a variety of formats, including text-based, electronic, and verbal, and the presentation of this material to individuals and groups.
Competency 0006
Understand integration with other academic disciplines.

A security system uses a password that consists of a letter followed by two digits. How many possible passwords are there using this system?

  1. 126
  2. 1,000
  3. 2,600
  4. 2,699
Answer
Correct Response: C.
The allowed values for this password range from A00 to Z99. The numerical component of the password allows for 100 unique combinations. Since there are 26 possible letters that can be assigned to each of these 100 combinations, the total number of possible passwords is (26)(100) or 2,600.
Competency 0006
Understand integration with other academic disciplines.

Use the diagram below to answer the question that follows.


The contents of a 5-liter container of gas at a pressure of 2 atmospheres and a 10-liter container of an identical gas at a pressure of 4 atmospheres are pumped into a third container that was previously empty but now contains the two gases at a pressure of 1 atmosphere. What is the size of the third container?

  1. 400 liters
  2. 100 liters
  3. 50 liters
  4. 5 liters
Answer
Correct Response: C.
In this system, the product of pressure and volume will remain the same after the contents of the top containers are pumped into the bottom container. For the top left container, the product is 2 atm × 5 L = 10 atm L. For the top right container, the product is 4 atm × 10 L = 40 atm L. The sum of the two tanks is 10 atm L + 40 atm L = 50 atm L. The product of pressure and volume for the bottom tank must therefore equal 50 atm L. Since its volume is 1 atm, its pressure must be 50 L.