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How Online Security Works
Phishing, second factors, ransomware and why length beats punctuation in a password.
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Phishing is best described as what?
How the Network Works
Ten questions on how the internet actually functions, each correcting a common conflation.
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
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Frequently asked questions about How the Network Works
How many questions are in How the Network Works?
How the Network Works has 10 questions and takes about 7 minutes to finish. It is rated Medium and sits in our The Internet category.
How is How the Network Works scored?
Each of the 10 correct answers adds 10 XP, up to 100 XP for a clean run. Wrong answers cost you nothing, and your full question-by-question review is shown at the end.
Are the answers to How the Network Works explained?
Yes. All 10 questions carry a written explanation of why the correct answer is right, so the quiz works as a study sheet as well as a test.
Can I replay How the Network Works?
Yes, as often as you like. The questions and the answer options are reshuffled on each run, and you can use Practice Mistakes afterwards to retry only the ones you missed. No account is needed to play.
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