Primary storage
Name:
Date:
Class:
A
Quick Questions
Shade in the A or B circle for each question.
1. Which statement describes primary storage?
2. Primary storage is made up of which two types of memory?
3. Why is primary storage fast to access?
4. Which of these is part of primary storage?
5. Which part of primary storage holds the programs and data currently being used?
B
Match the Pairs
Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.
| Left column | Right column | |
|---|---|---|
| 1primary storage | Aprimary_storage = [RAM, ROM] | |
| 2CPU <-> RAM + ROM | BMemory the CPU can access directly, made up of RAM and ROM | |
| 3Primary storage has two kinds: RAM and ROM | CCPU -> primary storage (direct, fast) | |
| 4Direct access by the CPU makes primary storage fast | DHDD and SSD are secondary storage, not primary storage. Primary storage is RAM and ROM. | |
| 5primary storage = HDD + SSD | EThe CPU accesses primary storage directly. It does not need to go through a secondary storage device. | |
| 6The CPU can only reach primary storage through the hard drive | FThe CPU accesses both kinds of primary storage directly |
C
Definitions
primary storage
D
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.
1.
Primary storage is made of RAM and ___
2.
The CPU accesses primary storage ________
3.
___ is temporary primary storage
4.
ROM stores the ________ instructions
5.
Direct CPU access makes primary storage ____
E
Spot the Error
Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.
Question 1
A
primary = ['RAM', 'SSD']
B
for part in primary:
C
print(part)
Question 2
A
ram_kind = 'primary'
B
rom_kind = 'primary'
C
hdd_kind = 'primary'
D
print(ram_kind, rom_kind)
Question 3
A
ram_volatile = False
B
rom_volatile = False
C
print(ram_volatile)
Question 4
A
ram = 'temporary'
B
rom = 'temporary'
C
print(ram, rom)
Question 5
A
# Primary storage contents
B
ram = 'running programs'
C
rom = 'start-up instructions'
D
print('ROM holds', ram)
Answer Key
Primary storage
Section A: Quick Questions
Q1
B — Memory that the CPU can access directly
Q2
A — RAM and ROM
Q3
A — The CPU can access it directly
Q4
B — ROM
Q5
A — RAM
Section B: Match the Pairs
Q1
primary storage → Memory the CPU can access directly, made up of RAM and ROM
Q2
CPU <-> RAM + ROM → The CPU accesses both kinds of primary storage directly
Q3
Primary storage has two kinds: RAM and ROM → primary_storage = [RAM, ROM]
Q4
Direct access by the CPU makes primary storage fast → CPU -> primary storage (direct, fast)
Q5
primary storage = HDD + SSD → HDD and SSD are secondary storage, not primary storage. Primary storage is RAM and ROM.
Q6
The CPU can only reach primary storage through the hard drive → The CPU accesses primary storage directly. It does not need to go through a secondary storage device.
Section C: Definitions
Q1
primary storage — Memory the CPU can access directly, so it is fast. It is made up of RAM (temporary, holds running programs and data) and ROM (permanent, holds start-up instructions).Section D: Fill in the Blanks
Q1
Primary storage is made of RAM and ROMQ2
The CPU accesses primary storage directlyQ3
RAM is temporary primary storageQ4
ROM stores the start-up instructionsQ5
Direct CPU access makes primary storage fastSection E: Spot the Error
Q1
A — Primary storage is made up of RAM and ROM. An SSD is secondary storage, so the list should be ['RAM', 'ROM'].
Q2
C — A hard disk drive is secondary storage, not primary storage. Only RAM and ROM are primary. It should be hdd_kind = 'secondary'.
Q3
A — RAM is volatile because it loses its contents when the power is off. It should be ram_volatile = True.
Q4
B — ROM is permanent (non-volatile) memory and keeps its contents without power. It should be rom = 'permanent'.
Q5
D — The variable ram describes what RAM holds, so the label must say 'RAM holds'. Mixing up ROM and RAM gives a wrong statement.