Cambridge International AS & A Level

* 1 6 1 2 7 9 9 2 0 7 *

COMPUTER SCIENCE 9618/31

Paper 3 Advanced Theory October/November 2023

1 hour 30 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are needed.

INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer all questions.
● Use a black or dark blue pen.
● Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
● Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
● Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
● Do not write on any bar codes.
● You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working.
● Calculators must not be used in this paper.

INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 75.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
● No marks will be awarded for using brand names of software packages or hardware.

This document has 16 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

DC (PQ/CB) 318339/3
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1 Real numbers are stored in a computer using floating-point representation with:

• 12 bits for the mantissa

• 4 bits for the exponent
• two’s complement form for both the mantissa and exponent.

(a) Write the normalised floating-point representation of +65.25 in this system.

Show your working.

Mantissa Exponent

Working .....................................................................................................................................

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(b) Explain the problem that will occur in storing the normalised floating-point representation of
+65.20 in this system.

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2 (a) Draw one line to connect each protocol to its most appropriate use.

Protocol Use

to provide peer-to-peer file sharing

HTTP

when retrieving email messages from a

mail server over a TCP/IP connection
BitTorrent

when transmitting hypertext documents

SMTP

to map MAC addresses onto IP addresses

IMAP
when sending email messages towards
the intended destination

[4]

(b) Outline the purpose of the Link layer in the TCP / IP protocol suite.

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3 Describe what is meant by enumerated and pointer data types.

Enumerated ......................................................................................................................................

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Pointer ..............................................................................................................................................

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[4]

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4 (a) Describe sequential and random methods of file organisation.

Sequential file organisation .......................................................................................................

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Random file organisation ..........................................................................................................

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(b) Outline the process of sequential access for serial and sequential files.

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5 Describe the features of SISD and MIMD computer architectures.

SISD .................................................................................................................................................

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MIMD ................................................................................................................................................

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6 This diagram represents a logic circuit.

A
B Z
C

(a) Complete the truth table for the given logic circuit.

Working space
A B C D Z

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1

0 0 1 0

0 0 1 1

0 1 0 0

0 1 0 1

0 1 1 0

0 1 1 1

1 0 0 0

1 0 0 1

1 0 1 0

1 0 1 1

1 1 0 0

1 1 0 1

1 1 1 0

1 1 1 1
[3]

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(b) Simplify the given Boolean expression using Boolean algebra.

Show your working.

Y = A.B.C.D + A.B.C.D + A.B.C.D + A.B.C.D

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7 (a) A student buys a new computer.

State one benefit to the student of a user interface and give an example.

Benefit ......................................................................................................................................

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Example ....................................................................................................................................

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[2]

(b) Two of the process states are the running state and the ready state.

Identify one other process state.

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(c) Outline conditions under which a process could change from the running state to the ready
state.

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8 (a) A pseudocode algorithm finds a customer account record in a random file and outputs it. The
records are stored using the user-defined data type TAccount.

TYPE TAccount
DECLARE AccountNumber : INTEGER
DECLARE LastName : STRING
DECLARE FirstName : STRING
DECLARE Address : STRING
DECLARE ContactNumber : STRING
ENDTYPE

Complete the file handling pseudocode.

The function Hash() takes the customer account number as a parameter, calculates and
returns the hash value.

DECLARE Customer : TAccount

DECLARE Location : INTEGER
DECLARE AccountFile : STRING

.................................................................................................. "AccountRecords.dat"

............................................................... AccountFile ..........................................................

OUTPUT "Please enter an account number"
INPUT Customer.AccountNumber

Location Hash( ..............................................................................................................)

SEEK ..................................................................................................................... , Location

............................................................. AccountFile, ..........................................................

OUTPUT Customer // output customer record
CLOSEFILE AccountFile
[5]

(b) Define the term exception handling.

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(c) State two possible causes of an exception.

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9 (a) (i) Write the infix expression for this Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) expression:

5 2 – 5 4 + * 9 /

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(ii) Show how the contents of the following stack will change as the RPN expression in
part (a)(i) is evaluated.

[4]

(b) Explain how a stack can be used to evaluate RPN expressions.

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10 A stack is to be set up using the information in the table.

Identifier Data type Description

BasePointer INTEGER points to the bottom of the stack

TopPointer INTEGER points to the top of the stack

Stack REAL 1D array to implement the stack

A constant, with identifier Capacity, limits the size of the stack to 25 items.

(a) Write the pseudocode for the required declarations.

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(b) Complete the pseudocode function Pop() to pop an item from Stack.

// popping an item from the stack

FUNCTION Pop()...............................................................................
DECLARE Item : REAL
Item 0

............................................................................... BasePointer THEN

Item ...............................................................................

TopPointer ...............................................................................
ELSE
OUTPUT "The stack is empty – error"
ENDIF

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ENDFUNCTION
[5]

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(c) Compare and contrast the queue and stack Abstract Data Types (ADT).

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11 A declarative programming language is used to represent subjects that students can choose to
study.

Students must choose two subjects.

01 subject(mathematics).
02 subject(physics).
03 subject(chemistry).
04 subject(computer_science).
05 subject(geography).
06 subject(history).
07 subject(english).
08 subject(biology).
09 student(tomaz).
10 student(josephine).
11 student(elspeth).
12 student(nico).
13 student(teresa).
14 student(pietre).
15 choice1(tomaz, mathematics).
16 choice1(teresa, chemistry).
17 choice1(pietre, mathematics).
18 choice1(nico, mathematics).
19 choice1(elspeth, chemistry).
20 choice2(tomaz, computer_science).
21 choice2(nico, geography).

These clauses have the meanings:

Clause Meaning
01 Mathematics is a subject.
09 Tomaz is a student.
15 Tomaz has chosen mathematics as his first choice.
20 Tomaz has chosen computer science as his second choice.

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(a) Anthony is a student who would like to study history and geography.

Write additional clauses to represent this information.

22 .............................................................................................................................................

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[3]

(b) Using the variable X, the goal:

choice1(X, chemistry)

returns

X = teresa, elspeth

Write the result returned by the goal:

choice1(X, mathematics)

X = ..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(c) Students must choose two different subjects such that:

N may choose S, if N is a student and S is a subject and N has not chosen S as the first
choice.

Write this as a rule.

may_choose_subject(N, S)

IF .............................................................................................................................................

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12 Artificial neural networks have played a significant role in the development of machine learning.

Explain what is meant by the term artificial neural network.

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© UCLES 2023 9618/31/O/N/23