Ryan Liu Period 5 Lopez Score: 67/67
The Journey
To prepare for the upcoming MC Quiz, I focused primarily on reviewing lessons from my student teaching experience. These lessons proved highly beneficial in offering comprehensive insights into various topics, particularly those related to Big Ideas 4 and 5, which emphasized lesson programming and real-world applications in computing. These lessons helped me with a lot of the fact based questions. Additionally, I conducted online research to supplement information on topics from the student lessons that I felt needed further exploration. Having some experience in algorithmic coding, I found the Collegeboard Pseudocode/algorithm questions relatively manageable. They seemed to require thoughtful consideration and logical reasoning. I discovered that a successful strategy for these questions involved mapping out algorithms on paper such as ones that involved math/computation or using fingers to trace on-screen elements, especially in the case of robot problems. The most challenging problems for me involved technical details related to the functioning of the internet and information transfer. Although I answered these questions correctly this time, I recognize the need to solidify my understanding of such information as for a lot of these questions, I had to double check with my peers as I wasn’t so confident in my answer choice. That being said, by discussing some of the more difficult questions with peers, I was able to learn a lot and correct my mistakes. To improve, I plan to watch Collegeboard videos on these topics, take notes, and review the material regularly to ensure I am well-prepared for the AP test scheduled for next May. I will also continue asking my peers questions that I need help with so that I can better understand topics that I struggle with.
Questions that I found challenging
Q9: An Internet user has a need to send private data to another user. Which of the following provides the most security when transmitting private data?
A Certifying the data with a Creative Commons license before sending it
B Sending the data using a high-bandwidth connection
C Sending the data using public-key encryption
D Sending the data using redundant routing
Answer: C Using public-key encryption, anyone can encrypt a message using the recipient’s public key. However, the encrypted message can only be deciphered with the recipient’s private key. This ensures that the sender has the assurance that only the intended recipient has the capability to access the data, providing a heightened level of security.
Why it was challenging: Overall, I’m just not very knowledgable in the field of encryption-decryption using public & private keys. I figured out this question using logic. This shows that I need to spend more time on this field by watching informative videos or asking peers to explain it.
Q14: The following algorithm is intended to take a positive integer as input and display its individual digits in order from right to left. For example, if the input is 512, the algorithm should produce the output 2 1 5. Step 3 of the algorithm is missing.
Step 1: Input a positive integer from the user and store it in the variable number.
Step 2: Divide number by 10 and record the integer quotient and the remainder. The integer quotient is the quotient with any part after the decimal point dropped. For example, when 127 is divided by 10, the quotient is 12.7, the integer quotient is 12 and the remainder is 7.
Step 3: (missing step)
Step 4: Repeat steps 2 and 3 until number is 0.
Which of the following can be used as step 3 so that the algorithm works as intended?
A Step 3: Display the remainder of number divided by 10 and store the remainder in number.
B Step 3: Display the remainder of number divided by 10 and store the integer quotient in number.
C Step 3: Display the integer quotient of number divided by 10 and store the remainder in number.
D Step 3: Display the integer quotient of number divided by 10 and store the integer quotient in number.
Answer: B In this step, the algorithm will iteratively conduct integer division on the “number,” revealing the remainder (specifically, the rightmost digit), until the “number” becomes 0. For instance, if the input is 512, the algorithm will exhibit the remainder 2, then update the “number” to the integer quotient 51, followed by displaying the remainder 1. This process continues, with the “number” being updated to the integer quotient 5 and displaying the remainder 5, until finally, the “number” is updated to 0, leading to the termination of the algorithm.
Why it was challenging: This question involved a lot of math and was confusing to map it all out in my head. It took me a while to realize that to display the opposite number, you would have to display the initial remainder first, and add on (rightmost digit) the next remainders until the final number is 0, meaning that all the digits of the original number have been sorted through. The trick to this question was to realize that number is the one being modulo by 10 meaning that the quotient would have to be stored in number
Q40: Which of the following best explains how a certificate authority is used in protecting data?
A A certificate authority certifies the safety of a particular Web site so that users know that it does not contain any viruses.
B A certificate authority issues passwords that grant access to secure databases.
C A certificate authority maintains a secure database that maps all Web domain names to the IP addresses of the servers where the sites are hosted.
D A certificate authority verifies the authenticity of encryption keys used in secured communications.
Answer: D Certificate authorities are organizations responsible for issuing digital certificates, validating and confirming the ownership of public keys.
Why it was challenging: I didn’t know what a certificate authority was and had to search it up: “A certificate authority (CA) is a trusted entity that issues Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates. These digital certificates are data files used to cryptographically link an entity with a public key. Web browsers use them to authenticate content sent from web servers, ensuring trust in content delivered online.” - TechTarget
Q51: Which of the following best describes the impact of Creative Commons?
A Creative Commons gives creators of digital content the ability to indicate how their works can be legally used and distributed, enabling broad access to digital information.
B Creative Commons gives Internet users the right to legally use and distribute any previously copyrighted work, enabling broad access to digital information.
C Create Commons provides lossless transmission of messages, enabling reliable distribution of digital information.
D Creative Commons provides private transmission of messages, enabling secure distribution of digital information.
Answer: A Creative Commons licensing allows copyright owners to specify the ways in which their works can be used or distributed. This allows individuals to access or modify these works without the risk of violating copyright laws.
Why it was challenging: Similar to the last question where I just didn’t know the definition of the term (in this case Creative Commons): “Creative Commons is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share.” - Wikipedia
Final Review
The MCQ revealed areas where I lacked proficiency, prompting further research to expand my knowledge. Analyzing the results allowed me to pinpoint topics of uncertainty and delve deeper for clarity, even for questions answered correctly but with lingering doubts. Despite progress, the quiz exposed gaps in my understanding of certain coding concepts and algorithms. The collaborative nature of past team teaching significantly contributed to my learning depth, and I look forward to the hands-on coding emphasis in future lessons. To address identified weaknesses, I plan to review challenging topics and improve algorithmic knowledge using resources like College Board videos and external websites. Overall, the MCQ marked a substantial milestone in my progress, indicating significant improvement from previous assessments.