What does HTTP stand for?

Hyperlink Text Transport Program

The Domain Name System does what?

Translates domain names into IP addresses

In networking, a server is what?

A computer that provides services or data to other machines

The physical building housing equipment

Bandwidth measures what?

How much data a connection can carry in a given time

"Open source" software is characterised by what?

Its source code being publicly available to inspect and modify

A web browser is what?

Software for retrieving and displaying web pages

The internet and the World Wide Web are related how?

The web is one service running on the internet

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The Internet Medium ⚡ 10 Questions ⏱️ ~7 Mins +100 XP

How the Network Works

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Ten questions on how the internet actually functions, each correcting a common conflation.

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~7m

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About this topic

The internet is a stack of fairly simple ideas that get muddled together in everyday speech, starting with the widespread confusion between the internet and the web. This quiz separates them and covers addressing, domain names, protocols and the software that sits on top. It also covers open source, which underpins a large share of the infrastructure. The explanations describe each mechanism plainly and name the confusion it is usually caught up in.

Questions & answers

How the Network Works: all 10 questions and answers

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1What does HTTP stand for?
- A HyperText Transfer Protocol Correct
- B Hosted Terminal Transfer Path
- C Hyperlink Text Transport Program
- D High Transfer Text Process
Answer: A. HyperText Transfer Protocol

Why: HTTP governs how browsers request pages and servers reply. HTTPS adds encryption so the traffic cannot easily be read in transit.
2An IP address identifies what?
- A A device on a network Correct
- B A file's location on a disk
- C A website's owner
- D An email account
Answer: A. A device on a network

Why: Every connected device has an IP address so traffic can be routed to it. IPv6 was introduced because the older IPv4 supply ran short.
3What does URL stand for?
- A Unified Retrieval Layer
- B Universal Reference Link
- C User Registered Location
- D Uniform Resource Locator Correct
Answer: D. Uniform Resource Locator

Why: A URL specifies where a resource is and how to fetch it. It includes the protocol, the domain and the path.
4The Domain Name System does what?
- A Translates domain names into IP addresses Correct
- B Assigns email addresses
- C Encrypts web traffic
- D Stores website content
Answer: A. Translates domain names into IP addresses

Why: DNS acts as the network's directory, turning a readable name into a numeric address. Without it, sites would have to be reached by number.
5In networking, a server is what?
- A The physical building housing equipment
- B Any mobile device
- C A type of cable
- D A computer that provides services or data to other machines Correct
Answer: D. A computer that provides services or data to other machines

Why: A server responds to requests from clients such as browsers. The same physical machine can run many separate server programs.
6Bandwidth measures what?
- A How many devices are connected
- B How much data a connection can carry in a given time Correct
- C How secure a connection is
- D How far a signal travels
Answer: B. How much data a connection can carry in a given time

Why: Bandwidth is capacity, usually in bits per second. Latency, a separate measure, is the delay before data starts arriving.
7Wi-Fi transmits data using what?
- A Sound waves
- B Infrared light
- C Magnetic pulses
- D Radio waves Correct
Answer: D. Radio waves

Why: Wi-Fi uses radio frequencies, commonly around 2.4 and 5 GHz. Higher frequencies carry more data but pass through walls less well.
8"Open source" software is characterised by what?
- A Having no copyright
- B Being developed by governments
- C Its source code being publicly available to inspect and modify Correct
- D Being free of charge only
Answer: C. Its source code being publicly available to inspect and modify

Why: Open source licences grant rights to use, study and modify the code. Free of charge is common but is not what the term actually means.
9A web browser is what?
- A A type of server
- B An internet provider
- C Software for retrieving and displaying web pages Correct
- D A search engine
Answer: C. Software for retrieving and displaying web pages

Why: The browser fetches pages and renders them for the user. A search engine is a website you visit using a browser, not the browser itself.
10The internet and the World Wide Web are related how?
- A The web is one service running on the internet Correct
- B They are entirely unconnected
- C They are the same thing
- D The internet runs on the web
Answer: A. The web is one service running on the internet

Why: The internet is the underlying network of connected machines, dating from the 1960s and 70s. The web, invented around 1989, is one service running on it, alongside email and others.

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