Fundamentals of Computer Science (CS 101) is a free course that will be live on this page by 30 May 2025. This is a foundation course on computer science, and will serve as a stepping stone for more focused courses in this field. The course will require regular participation by sharing your answers by email, and a Final Exam/Quiz of 50 Questions (multiple choice, with one or more correct answers). You need at least 80% score to earn a Completion Certificate.
CS 101 Knowledge Assessment for Course Completion.
To evaluate students’ understanding of CS 101, following are 25 questions that cover key concepts and skills, which are covered in the course, and they will be evaluated in the Final Exam/Quiz.
Section 1: Fundamentals
1. What is the difference between a hardware and software?
2. Define the term “algorithm” and provide an example.
3. What is the purpose of a programming language?
4. Explain the concept of “variables” in programming.
5. What is the difference between a “compiler” and an “interpreter”?
Section 2: Data Types and Operators
6. What are the basic “data types” in programming (e.g., integers, floats, strings)?
7. Explain the difference between =, ==, and === operators.
8. How do you perform “arithmetic operations” (e.g., addition, subtraction) in a programming language?
9. What is the purpose of “logical operators” (e.g., AND, OR, NOT)?
10. How do you “compare two values” in a programming language?
Section 3: Control Structures
11. What is the purpose of “conditional statements” (e.g., if-else)?
12. What is the difference between a “for loop” and a “while loop”?
13. How do you use a “switch statement” in programming?
14. What is the purpose of “break” and “continue” statements?
15. How do you “handle errors and exceptions” in programming?
Section 4: Functions and Modules
16. What is a “function” in programming, and why is it useful?
17. Explain the concept of function arguments and return types.
18. How do you “reuse code” using functions?
19. What is a “module or library” in programming?
20. How do you “import and use modules” in a programming language?
Section 5: Problem-Solving
21. Write a simple algorithm to solve a real-world problem (e.g., calculating the area of a rectangle).
22. How do you approach debugging a program?
23. Explain the concept of step-by-step execution in programming.
24. How do you optimize the performance of a program?
25. Describe a scenario where you would use a loop to solve a problem.
By answering these questions, students will demonstrate their understanding of fundamental CS concepts, problem-solving skills, and ability to apply programming principles to real-world problems.