Studyledge

Storage Devices and Network Hardware: Question 1

Syllabus 3.4

Multiple choice 1 mark

A desktop computer in a small office is fitted with an internal expansion card so that the computer can join the office's wired network. This card is not the part that stores program instructions permanently, and it is not the device that directs data between different networks. Instead, at the moment this card leaves the factory, it is permanently given a unique address that will never change for as long as the card exists.

Which piece of hardware is being described?

Choose an answer to check it, then compare with the worked solution below.
Show worked solution Hide worked solution

Worked solution

Step 1: Identify what each candidate device actually does

  • A network interface card (NIC) is the hardware fitted inside a single computer that lets it connect to a network at all; a NIC is given a MAC address at the point of manufacture, and that address never changes.
  • A router is a separate piece of hardware that sends data to specific destinations on a network, can assign IP addresses to devices, and can connect a local network to the internet. It is not fitted inside another computer as an expansion card.
  • A RAM module is primary storage, accessed directly by the CPU to run programs currently in use; it has nothing to do with joining a network.
  • A ROM chip is also primary storage, holding fixed instructions needed when the computer starts up; it does not provide network access either.

Step 2: Match the clues in the scenario

The scenario describes an internal expansion card, fitted specifically so the computer can join the wired network, which is given a unique, permanent address the moment it is manufactured. This matches the NIC exactly: it is the hardware required to access a network, and its MAC address is fixed for life at manufacture.

Step 3: Rule out the distractors

  • Not the router: the router is a separate networking device that directs data and connects the whole office network to the internet. The scenario is about a card inside one computer.
  • Not the RAM module or ROM chip: both are primary storage used directly by the CPU to run and start up programs, with no role in giving the computer network access or an address for the network.

Final answer

The hardware being described is the network interface card (NIC), option A.