Certified Computing Professional (CCP) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which of the following best describes a 'warm site' in disaster recovery?

A facility with hardware pre-installed but requiring data restoration before use (Correct answer)
An empty building with only power and cooling
A cloud snapshot updated every 24 hours
A fully operational duplicate data center

Correct answer: A facility with hardware pre-installed but requiring data restoration before use

A warm site has hardware and network connectivity in place but lacks current data, requiring restoration from backups before normal operations can resume.

Question 2: Which type of encryption uses the same key for both encryption and decryption?

Symmetric encryption (Correct answer)
Public-key encryption
Asymmetric encryption
Hybrid encryption

Correct answer: Symmetric encryption

Symmetric encryption uses a single shared secret key for both encrypting and decrypting data, making it fast but requiring secure key distribution.

Question 3: A Business Impact Analysis (BIA) primarily identifies:

Network vulnerabilities and attack vectors
Employee performance metrics during crises
Critical business functions and the impact of their disruption (Correct answer)
Hardware replacement costs

Correct answer: Critical business functions and the impact of their disruption

A BIA identifies critical business processes and evaluates the financial and operational impact of their disruption to prioritize recovery efforts.

Question 4: Binary search requires the input array to be:

Randomly ordered
Sorted (ascending or descending) (Correct answer)
Sorted in ascending order only
Stored in a linked list

Correct answer: Sorted (ascending or descending)

Binary search works on any sorted order—ascending or descending—as long as the comparison direction is adjusted accordingly.

Question 5: Which normal form eliminates transitive dependencies among non-key attributes?

First Normal Form (1NF)
Third Normal Form (3NF) (Correct answer)
Second Normal Form (2NF)
Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)

Correct answer: Third Normal Form (3NF)

3NF removes transitive dependencies where a non-key column depends on another non-key column rather than directly on the primary key.

Question 6: What is 'Amdahl's Law' used to predict in parallel computing?

The cache miss rate as a function of cache size
The power consumption increase with each additional core
The optimal number of pipeline stages for a given clock frequency
The maximum speedup achievable by parallelizing a program, limited by its sequential fraction (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The maximum speedup achievable by parallelizing a program, limited by its sequential fraction

Amdahl's Law states that the maximum speedup from parallelism is limited by the fraction of the program that must remain sequential, quantified as 1/(1-P) where P is the parallelizable fraction.

Question 7: What does RTO (Recovery Time Objective) define in a disaster recovery plan?

The cost of recovering from a disaster
The amount of data that can be lost in a disaster
The maximum acceptable downtime before systems must be restored (Correct answer)
The frequency of backup operations

Correct answer: The maximum acceptable downtime before systems must be restored

RTO is the maximum acceptable length of time that a system can be offline before the outage causes unacceptable business impact.

Question 8: The 3-2-1 backup rule states you should have:

3 copies of data, on 2 different media, with 1 stored offsite (Correct answer)
3 sites, 2 hot and 1 cold
3 RPOs, 2 RTOs, 1 BIA
3 backups per day, 2 onsite, 1 encrypted

Correct answer: 3 copies of data, on 2 different media, with 1 stored offsite

The 3-2-1 rule recommends three total copies of data stored on two different types of media with one copy kept offsite for disaster protection.

Question 9: An organization's DR plan assigns a priority of Tier 1 to its order processing system. This means the system:

Has the lowest recovery priority due to its complexity
Can tolerate the longest downtime
Must be recovered first because it is most critical to business operations (Correct answer)
Requires manual recovery procedures only

Correct answer: Must be recovered first because it is most critical to business operations

Tier 1 in DR tiering identifies mission-critical systems that must be restored first because their outage causes immediate, severe business impact.

Question 10: What is the worst-case time complexity of insertion into a hash table that uses open addressing?

O(n²)
O(1)
O(log n)
O(n) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: O(n)

In the worst case (e.g., all keys hash to the same slot), open addressing degrades to O(n) as every slot must be probed.

Question 11: Under the principle of software privacy ethics, which action best upholds user data privacy?

Collecting all available user data for future analysis
Storing data indefinitely to support historical reporting
Collecting only data necessary for the application's function (data minimization) (Correct answer)
Sharing anonymized data with all business partners

Correct answer: Collecting only data necessary for the application's function (data minimization)

Data minimization — collecting only what is necessary — is a foundational privacy principle aligned with GDPR and ethical computing standards.

Question 12: In the context of data mining, 'classification' refers to:

Detecting unusual data points that deviate from the norm
Assigning records to predefined categories based on attributes (Correct answer)
Summarizing large datasets into compact statistics
Grouping similar records into clusters without predefined labels

Correct answer: Assigning records to predefined categories based on attributes

Classification algorithms train on labeled data to predict the category of new records, such as spam vs. not-spam.

Question 13: Which asymmetric key operation is used to create a digital signature?

Decrypting the message with the recipient's public key
Encrypting a hash of the message with the sender's private key (Correct answer)
Hashing the message with the recipient's private key
Encrypting the message with the sender's public key

Correct answer: Encrypting a hash of the message with the sender's private key

A digital signature is created by hashing the message and then encrypting that hash with the sender's private key, allowing anyone with the public key to verify authenticity.

Question 14: Which property of a binary heap ensures the parent node's key is always greater than or equal to its children's keys?

Balanced property
Max-heap property (Correct answer)
BST property
Min-heap property

Correct answer: Max-heap property

The max-heap property states that every parent node has a key ≥ its children, placing the maximum at the root.

Question 15: Which cipher is theoretically unbreakable when used correctly because its key is as long as the message and used only once?

Vigenère cipher
Blowfish cipher
Caesar cipher
One-time pad (Correct answer)

Correct answer: One-time pad

The one-time pad is provably unbreakable when the key is truly random, at least as long as the message, secret, and never reused.

Question 16: The ACM Code of Ethics requires computing professionals to avoid harm. Which of the following best exemplifies this principle?

Disclosing a known software vulnerability to protect users (Correct answer)
Using open-source software to reduce costs
Choosing the fastest algorithm for performance
Documenting code thoroughly

Correct answer: Disclosing a known software vulnerability to protect users

Disclosing known vulnerabilities aligns with the ethical obligation to avoid harm by protecting users from preventable security risks.

Question 17: In database terminology, what is 'cardinality' of a relationship?

The order in which tables are joined
The numerical ratio of entities in a relationship (1:1, 1:N, M:N) (Correct answer)
The number of rows in a result set
The number of attributes in a table

Correct answer: The numerical ratio of entities in a relationship (1:1, 1:N, M:N)

Cardinality describes how many instances of one entity can relate to instances of another entity in a relationship.

Question 18: SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) IT controls primarily aim to:

Secure payment card transaction data
Protect consumer privacy data collected online
Ensure the integrity and accuracy of financial reporting systems (Correct answer)
Govern export of encryption technology

Correct answer: Ensure the integrity and accuracy of financial reporting systems

SOX Section 404 requires organizations to implement and document IT controls that protect the reliability and integrity of financial reporting data.

Question 19: A hash table resolves collisions using chaining by storing colliding elements in a:

Binary tree at each bucket
Linked list at each bucket (Correct answer)
Sorted array at each bucket
Stack at each bucket

Correct answer: Linked list at each bucket

Chaining stores all keys that hash to the same bucket in a linked list attached to that bucket.

Question 20: In a relational schema, a foreign key constraint ensures which property?

Domain integrity
Referential integrity (Correct answer)
User-defined integrity
Entity integrity

Correct answer: Referential integrity

A foreign key constraint enforces referential integrity by ensuring that a value in one table corresponds to an existing value in the referenced table.

Question 21: Which join type returns all rows from both tables, filling NULL where no match exists?

INNER JOIN
RIGHT OUTER JOIN
FULL OUTER JOIN (Correct answer)
LEFT OUTER JOIN

Correct answer: FULL OUTER JOIN

A FULL OUTER JOIN returns all rows from both tables, placing NULL in columns where a matching row from the other table does not exist.

Question 22: In Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), what is the role of a Certificate Authority (CA)?

To generate private keys for end users
To issue and sign digital certificates that bind public keys to identities (Correct answer)
To store private keys in a secure hardware module
To encrypt all network traffic between parties

Correct answer: To issue and sign digital certificates that bind public keys to identities

A Certificate Authority issues digital certificates and digitally signs them to bind a public key to an entity's identity, establishing trust in the PKI.

Question 23: In Test-Driven Development (TDD), what is the correct order of the development cycle?

Write test → Write code → Refactor (Correct answer)
Write code → Write test → Refactor
Refactor → Write test → Write code
Write test → Refactor → Write code

Correct answer: Write test → Write code → Refactor

TDD follows a Red-Green-Refactor cycle: write a failing test first, write minimum code to pass it, then refactor while keeping tests passing.

Question 24: An employee is given access to only the specific files needed for their current project. This practice reflects which security principle?

Separation of duties
Need to know (Correct answer)
Defense in depth
Accountability

Correct answer: Need to know

The need-to-know principle limits information access to only what is required for a person's specific role or task.

Question 25: What is the primary purpose of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)?

To define employee roles during non-emergency operations
To document all IT assets and their replacement costs
To schedule routine maintenance windows
To ensure critical business operations continue during and after a disaster (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To ensure critical business operations continue during and after a disaster

A BCP outlines procedures and strategies to ensure essential business functions remain operational or resume quickly after a disruptive event.

Question 26: When documenting activities related to relational & nosql database design, which practice is considered essential for CCP certification holders?

Completing documentation only when requested by auditors or supervisors
Recording only outcomes while omitting the methods and processes used
Keeping documentation in personal notes that are not accessible to other team members
Maintaining comprehensive records that include procedures, observations, results, and any anomalies (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Maintaining comprehensive records that include procedures, observations, results, and any anomalies

Comprehensive documentation that includes procedures, observations, results, and any anomalies is essential in relational & nosql database design. This supports quality assurance, enables peer review, and satisfies regulatory and audit requirements.

Question 27: What distinguishes a hash function from encryption?

Hashing is a one-way function with no decryption key (Correct answer)
Hashing is faster than encryption
Hashing uses larger keys than encryption
Hashing requires two parties to share a key

Correct answer: Hashing is a one-way function with no decryption key

Hashing is a one-way function designed to be irreversible; there is no key and the original data cannot be recovered from the hash.

Question 28: What cryptographic concept ensures that a sender cannot later deny having sent a message?

Integrity
Confidentiality
Non-repudiation (Correct answer)
Availability

Correct answer: Non-repudiation

Non-repudiation, typically achieved through digital signatures, prevents a sender from denying authorship of a message they signed.

Question 29: In graph theory, a graph where all edges have a direction is called a:

Undirected graph
Weighted graph
Cyclic graph
Directed graph (digraph) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Directed graph (digraph)

A directed graph (digraph) has edges with a specific direction, represented by arrows from one vertex to another.

Question 30: Which graph representation uses a 2D matrix to indicate edges between vertices?

Adjacency list
Edge table
Incidence matrix
Adjacency matrix (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Adjacency matrix

An adjacency matrix uses an n×n boolean (or weighted) matrix where entry [i][j] indicates an edge from vertex i to vertex j.

Question 31: Which attack exploits the mathematical relationship between a public key and its certificate to impersonate a trusted entity?

Brute-force key attack
Man-in-the-middle attack using a forged or rogue certificate (Correct answer)
Replay attack
Side-channel timing attack

Correct answer: Man-in-the-middle attack using a forged or rogue certificate

A man-in-the-middle attack using a rogue certificate intercepts communications by presenting a forged certificate trusted by the victim, allowing the attacker to impersonate the legitimate server.

Question 32: Which algorithm is the foundation of RSA encryption's security?

The difficulty of factoring large prime numbers (Correct answer)
The difficulty of reversing SHA-256 hashes
The difficulty of breaking elliptic curve equations
The difficulty of solving discrete logarithm problems

Correct answer: The difficulty of factoring large prime numbers

RSA's security relies on the computational difficulty of factoring the product of two large prime numbers back into its prime factors.

Question 33: What is the time complexity of accessing an element by index in an array?

O(n²)
O(1) (Correct answer)
O(log n)
O(n)

Correct answer: O(1)

Arrays provide O(1) random access because elements are stored at contiguous memory addresses.

Question 34: From a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) perspective, which cloud model typically has the HIGHEST ongoing management labor costs for the customer?

PaaS
SaaS
IaaS (Correct answer)
All have identical TCO

Correct answer: IaaS

IaaS requires customers to manage OS patches, security configurations, middleware, and application stacks, resulting in the highest ongoing labor costs among cloud models.

Question 35: Which risk response strategy involves implementing controls to reduce the probability or impact of a risk?

Risk acceptance
Risk mitigation (Correct answer)
Risk avoidance
Risk transfer

Correct answer: Risk mitigation

Risk mitigation involves taking proactive steps such as adding controls, redundancy, or process improvements to lower a risk's likelihood or reduce its impact.

Question 36: In version control with Git, what does a 'merge conflict' indicate?

Two branches have incompatible changes to the same file region (Correct answer)
Two branches have identical files
The remote repository is out of sync with the local clone
A branch has been deleted remotely

Correct answer: Two branches have incompatible changes to the same file region

A merge conflict occurs when Git cannot automatically reconcile differences because two branches changed the same part of a file differently.

Question 37: Which RAID level provides disk mirroring with no parity, offering full redundancy?

RAID 5
RAID 1 (Correct answer)
RAID 6
RAID 0

Correct answer: RAID 1

RAID 1 mirrors data across two drives, so if one fails the other contains an identical copy, providing full redundancy at the cost of 50% storage efficiency.

Question 38: A view in a relational database is best described as:

A physical copy of a table stored on disk
A backup snapshot of the database
A virtual table based on a stored SQL query (Correct answer)
An index on multiple columns

Correct answer: A virtual table based on a stored SQL query

A view is a named, stored SELECT statement that presents data from one or more tables without storing the data itself.

Question 39: A cold site in disaster recovery is best described as:

A mobile recovery unit
A cloud-based backup solution
A facility fully mirroring the primary data center
A facility with power and connectivity but no pre-installed hardware or data (Correct answer)

Correct answer: A facility with power and connectivity but no pre-installed hardware or data

A cold site provides only the basic infrastructure (power, HVAC, connectivity) and requires equipment installation and data restoration before use.

Question 40: Which property of a cryptographic hash function ensures that two different inputs cannot produce the same hash output?

Avalanche effect
Collision resistance (Correct answer)
Preimage resistance
Key diffusion

Correct answer: Collision resistance

Collision resistance means it is computationally infeasible to find two different inputs that produce the same hash output.

Question 41: What is the primary purpose of IT infrastructure?

To create mobile games only.
To support business operations and technology needs (Correct answer)
To write content for social media.
To entertain users.

Correct answer: To support business operations and technology needs

IT infrastructure comprises the foundational components like hardware, software, networks, and facilities that are essential for an organization's operations. Its primary purpose is to provide the necessary technological backbone to support business processes, facilitate communication, and enable the delivery of services. Without robust infrastructure, modern businesses cannot function effectively.

Question 42: Which term describes the process of testing disaster recovery plans through simulation without actually switching over production systems?

Full interruption test
Parallel test
Checklist review
Tabletop exercise (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Tabletop exercise

A tabletop exercise is a discussion-based session where team members walk through a disaster scenario verbally to identify gaps without disrupting operations.

Question 43: What is the average-case time complexity for searching in a balanced binary search tree (BST)?

O(1)
O(log n) (Correct answer)
O(n log n)
O(n)

Correct answer: O(log n)

A balanced BST halves the search space at each level, yielding O(log n) average-case search time.

Question 44: Which SQL aggregate function returns the number of rows that match a condition?

MAX()
SUM()
COUNT() (Correct answer)
AVG()

Correct answer: COUNT()

COUNT() returns the total number of rows (or non-null values of a column) that satisfy the query condition.

Question 45: What is Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) in the context of TLS?

A guarantee that session keys are never stored on disk
An algorithm that generates keys resistant to quantum computer attacks
A property ensuring that compromise of long-term keys does not expose past session keys (Correct answer)
A protocol extension that prevents man-in-the-middle attacks on TLS handshakes

Correct answer: A property ensuring that compromise of long-term keys does not expose past session keys

PFS ensures that each session uses an ephemeral key derived independently, so that even if the server's long-term private key is later compromised, previously recorded sessions remain protected.

Question 46: In the context of process states, what does it mean for a process to be in the 'blocked' state?

The process has been swapped out to disk
The process is waiting for an event such as I/O completion (Correct answer)
The process is waiting for a CPU time slice
The process has finished execution

Correct answer: The process is waiting for an event such as I/O completion

A blocked process is waiting for an event (e.g., I/O completion) before it can continue execution.

Question 47: What is the purpose of a Message Authentication Code (MAC)?

To encrypt a message so only the recipient can read it
To establish a session key between communicating parties
To compress a message before secure transmission
To verify both the integrity and authenticity of a message using a shared secret key (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To verify both the integrity and authenticity of a message using a shared secret key

A MAC is computed using both the message content and a shared secret key, allowing the recipient to verify that the message was not tampered with and came from a legitimate sender.

Question 48: Which metric measures the average time a system operates before experiencing a failure?

MTTR (Mean Time To Recovery)
SLA (Service Level Agreement)
RTO (Recovery Time Objective)
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)

MTBF quantifies system reliability by calculating the average operational time between failures, helping organizations predict maintenance needs.

Question 49: A digital signature on an email message provides evidence about which security property?

Confidentiality
Non-repudiation (Correct answer)
Redundancy
Availability

Correct answer: Non-repudiation

Digital signatures provide non-repudiation by proving the sender's identity and preventing them from denying they sent the message.

Question 50: Which database model is based on objects and classes?

Network model
Hierarchical model
Object-oriented model (Correct answer)
Relational model

Correct answer: Object-oriented model

The object-oriented database model organizes data into objects, which are instances of classes. This model supports concepts like encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism, allowing for complex data structures and relationships that mirror real-world entities more closely. It contrasts with relational models that use tables and rows.

Question 51: What does the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol accomplish?

It authenticates users via digital certificates
It encrypts data using a shared symmetric key
It allows two parties to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel without prior contact (Correct answer)
It generates random keys for block cipher algorithms

Correct answer: It allows two parties to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel without prior contact

Diffie-Hellman allows two parties to jointly derive a shared secret key over an unsecured channel without ever transmitting the secret itself.

Question 52: How does adding a cryptographic salt to a password before hashing defend against rainbow table attacks?

It ensures each password produces a unique hash even if two users have the same password (Correct answer)
It encrypts the hash output using the salt as a symmetric key
It increases the password length, making brute-force infeasible
It applies multiple rounds of hashing to slow down attackers

Correct answer: It ensures each password produces a unique hash even if two users have the same password

A random salt is appended to the password before hashing, making precomputed rainbow tables useless because the same password with different salts produces entirely different hashes.

Question 53: Which backup strategy involves copying only the files that have changed since the last full backup?

Differential backup
Incremental backup (Correct answer)
Mirror backup
Full backup

Correct answer: Incremental backup

Incremental backup copies only data changed since the last backup of any type, minimizing storage use but requiring multiple sets for restoration.

Question 54: Which indexing structure is most efficient for range queries on numerical data in relational databases?

B-tree index (Correct answer)
Bitmap index
Full-text index
Hash index

Correct answer: B-tree index

B-tree indexes store data in sorted order, making them ideal for range queries since rows within a range can be traversed sequentially.

Question 55: In a singly linked list, each node contains data and a pointer to which node?

The head node
The tail node
The next node (Correct answer)
The previous node

Correct answer: The next node

In a singly linked list, each node holds a reference (pointer) to the next node in the sequence.

Question 56: A SaaS provider experiences a major outage. Which of the following is the PRIMARY risk this poses to their enterprise customers?

Increased compute costs
Need to rebuild the application
Requirement to patch servers
Loss of control over business continuity (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Loss of control over business continuity

When a SaaS provider has an outage, customers lose access to critical business applications and have no direct recourse to restore service, risking business continuity.

Question 57: Which data structure uses a LIFO (Last In, First Out) access pattern?

Binary Tree
Stack (Correct answer)
Queue
Linked List

Correct answer: Stack

A stack follows LIFO order, meaning the last element pushed is the first one popped.

Question 58: What is the key length used by AES-256?

512 bits
192 bits
128 bits
256 bits (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 256 bits

AES-256 uses a 256-bit key, which is the longest standard key size for AES and provides the highest security level of the AES variants.

Question 59: What is a failover cluster primarily used for?

Load balancing across multiple servers
Automatically switching to a standby system when the primary fails (Correct answer)
Archiving old data to cold storage
Encrypting data during transmission

Correct answer: Automatically switching to a standby system when the primary fails

A failover cluster monitors nodes and automatically redirects workloads to a surviving node when a failure is detected, minimizing downtime.

Question 60: What is the purpose of register renaming in modern processors?

To increase the number of addressable registers in the ISA
To eliminate false data dependencies (WAW and WAR hazards) by mapping ISA registers to a larger physical register file (Correct answer)
To rename variables in compiled code for better cache utilization
To assign registers to threads in a multithreaded processor

Correct answer: To eliminate false data dependencies (WAW and WAR hazards) by mapping ISA registers to a larger physical register file

Register renaming maps architectural registers to a larger set of physical registers, eliminating write-after-write (WAW) and write-after-read (WAR) hazards that would otherwise stall the pipeline.

Question 61: What is key escrow in cryptography?

A method to split a key into multiple shares requiring cooperation to reconstruct
A system where encryption keys are held by a trusted third party for authorized recovery (Correct answer)
A technique for generating keys from passwords using PBKDF2
An algorithm for securely distributing symmetric keys over public networks

Correct answer: A system where encryption keys are held by a trusted third party for authorized recovery

Key escrow is the practice of depositing encryption keys with a trusted third party so they can be recovered by authorized entities such as law enforcement or an employer.

Question 62: Which compliance regulation specifically protects the privacy of US patients' health information?

PCI DSS
SOX
GDPR
HIPAA (Correct answer)

Correct answer: HIPAA

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) establishes national standards for protecting sensitive patient health information in the US.

Question 63: Which document formally authorizes a project and identifies the project manager?

Project Charter (Correct answer)
Work Breakdown Structure
Project Scope Statement
Statement of Work

Correct answer: Project Charter

The Project Charter officially authorizes the project, defines high-level objectives, and names the project manager.

Question 64: A doubly linked list differs from a singly linked list in that each node has pointers to:

Every other node
Two next nodes
The head and tail only
Both the next and previous nodes (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Both the next and previous nodes

A doubly linked list maintains both a next and a previous pointer in each node, enabling bidirectional traversal.

Question 65: Which data model represents data as a collection of nodes and edges, making it ideal for social networks and recommendation engines?

Graph model (Correct answer)
Relational model
Hierarchical model
Document model

Correct answer: Graph model

Graph databases store data as nodes (entities) and edges (relationships), efficiently traversing highly connected datasets.

Question 66: Which programming structure is used to repeat a block of code?

Loops (Correct answer)
Conditionals
Classes
Functions

Correct answer: Loops

Loops are programming constructs designed to execute a block of code repeatedly until a certain condition is met or for a specified number of times. They are essential for automating repetitive tasks, iterating through collections of data, and improving code efficiency. Loops prevent redundant code and enable processing large datasets.

Question 67: Which of the following is NOT typically included in a PaaS offering?

Development frameworks and tools
Application deployment pipelines
Database management services
Physical server procurement and maintenance (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Physical server procurement and maintenance

PaaS abstracts physical infrastructure away from customers; physical server procurement and maintenance is handled by the cloud provider, not offered as a PaaS feature.

Question 68: What is a rainbow table attack?

A side-channel attack that measures electromagnetic emissions
An attack that cycles through every possible key combination
A precomputed table of hash values used to reverse hash functions and recover passwords (Correct answer)
An attack that exploits collisions in public key certificates

Correct answer: A precomputed table of hash values used to reverse hash functions and recover passwords

A rainbow table is a precomputed lookup table that maps hash values back to their plaintext inputs, allowing rapid password recovery without brute-force computation.

Question 69: Which of the following best describes 'polymorphism' in object-oriented programming?

The ability of different objects to respond to the same interface in different ways (Correct answer)
The ability to hide internal implementation details
The process of creating objects from classes
The inheritance of attributes from a parent class

Correct answer: The ability of different objects to respond to the same interface in different ways

Polymorphism allows objects of different types to be treated through a common interface, each responding according to its own type.

Question 70: Which data structure is most appropriate for implementing an undo feature in a text editor?

Stack (Correct answer)
Array
Hash Table
Queue

Correct answer: Stack

A stack is ideal for undo because each action is pushed on the stack and the most recent action (last pushed) is reversed first.

Question 71: Which normal form eliminates transitive dependencies in a relational table?

First Normal Form (1NF)
Second Normal Form (2NF)
Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)
Third Normal Form (3NF) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Third Normal Form (3NF)

3NF removes transitive dependencies by ensuring every non-key attribute depends only on the primary key.

Question 72: What is 'data vaulting' in the context of disaster recovery?

Physically locking tape drives in a fireproof safe
Testing data integrity after a backup completes
Encrypting data before it is written to disk
Electronically transmitting backup data to a secure offsite storage facility (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Electronically transmitting backup data to a secure offsite storage facility

Electronic vaulting (data vaulting) automatically transfers backup data over a network to an offsite facility, eliminating the need for physical media transport.

Question 73: Which ethical obligation requires IT professionals to maintain competence in their field?

Continuing professional development (Correct answer)
Confidentiality
Non-maleficence
Honesty

Correct answer: Continuing professional development

Continuing professional development is the ethical duty to keep skills and knowledge current so professionals can serve clients and the public effectively.

Question 74: What is the purpose of TCP's congestion control mechanism?

Prevent a fast sender from overwhelming a slow receiver
Prevent routers from discarding packets when the network is congested (Correct answer)
Encrypt data in transit
Assign ports to application processes

Correct answer: Prevent routers from discarding packets when the network is congested

TCP congestion control (slow start, congestion avoidance, fast retransmit) reduces transmission rate when it detects network congestion to avoid overwhelming routers.

Question 75: What SQL keyword prevents duplicate rows from appearing in a query result?

DISTINCT (Correct answer)
NOT NULL
GROUP BY
UNIQUE

Correct answer: DISTINCT

SELECT DISTINCT eliminates duplicate rows from the result set, returning only unique combinations of the specified columns.

Question 76: A circular linked list differs from a standard linked list in that the last node's pointer points to the:

Previous node
Head (first) node (Correct answer)
Itself
Null/None

Correct answer: Head (first) node

In a circular linked list, the tail node's next pointer wraps back to the head, forming a continuous loop.

Question 77: Which technology replicates data to a secondary location in real time to support near-zero RPO?

Asynchronous replication
Scheduled batch transfer
Synchronous replication (Correct answer)
Tape rotation

Correct answer: Synchronous replication

Synchronous replication writes data simultaneously to both primary and secondary locations, ensuring zero or near-zero data loss but requiring low-latency links.

Question 78: What is the primary ethical obligation of a CCP professional when a conflict of interest arises during relational & nosql database design activities?

Proceed while favoring the outcome that benefits the professional personally
Disclose the conflict to all relevant parties and recuse from the decision if necessary (Correct answer)
Resolve the conflict privately without informing stakeholders
Ignore the conflict if it does not directly affect the current task

Correct answer: Disclose the conflict to all relevant parties and recuse from the decision if necessary

The primary ethical obligation when a conflict of interest arises in relational & nosql database design is to disclose it to all relevant parties and, if necessary, recuse from the decision. This maintains professional integrity and stakeholder trust.

Question 79: Mean Time To Recovery (MTTR) measures:

The average time between system failures
The probability of a system failing within a given period
The cost per hour of system downtime
The average time required to restore a failed system to full operation (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The average time required to restore a failed system to full operation

MTTR is the average elapsed time from when a failure occurs until the system is fully operational again, used to evaluate the efficiency of recovery processes.

Question 80: Which abstract data type operates on a FIFO (First In, First Out) principle?

Queue (Correct answer)
Stack
Heap
Graph

Correct answer: Queue

A queue processes elements in FIFO order — the first element enqueued is the first dequeued.

Question 81: What does the CAP theorem state about distributed databases?

Consistency and Availability are mutually exclusive in all systems
Partition tolerance is optional in well-designed systems
A system can guarantee Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance simultaneously
A system can guarantee at most two of Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance (Correct answer)

Correct answer: A system can guarantee at most two of Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance

The CAP theorem states that a distributed system can only guarantee two of the three properties: Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance.

Question 82: What distinguishes a daemon process from a regular process?

Daemons run in the background without a controlling terminal, providing system services (Correct answer)
Daemons always run at real-time priority
Daemons consume more memory than regular processes
Daemons can only be created by the root user

Correct answer: Daemons run in the background without a controlling terminal, providing system services

A daemon is a background process detached from any terminal that continuously provides services such as logging or networking.

Question 83: Which project management process group is concerned with tracking, reviewing, and regulating project progress?

Initiating
Planning
Monitoring and Controlling (Correct answer)
Executing

Correct answer: Monitoring and Controlling

The Monitoring and Controlling process group measures performance against the plan and implements corrective actions.

Question 84: Which property of relational databases ensures that a committed transaction remains persistent even after a system failure?

Durability (Correct answer)
Atomicity
Isolation
Consistency

Correct answer: Durability

Durability, the 'D' in ACID, guarantees that once a transaction is committed, its effects are permanently recorded even in the event of a crash.

Question 85: The space complexity of an adjacency list representation for a graph with V vertices and E edges is:

O(V + E) (Correct answer)
O(V²)
O(E²)
O(V × E)

Correct answer: O(V + E)

An adjacency list stores each vertex once and each edge once (or twice for undirected), giving O(V + E) space.

Question 86: Which of the following describes the key property used by Ternary Search?

It jumps ahead by cube-root steps
It uses hashing to find the target
It divides the search space into two equal halves
It divides the search space into three equal parts (Correct answer)

Correct answer: It divides the search space into three equal parts

Ternary Search divides the search space into three parts using two midpoints, eliminating one-third of candidates per iteration for O(log₃ n) complexity.

Question 87: What is data warehousing primarily designed for?

Managing live customer orders
Real-time transaction processing
Storing unstructured multimedia files
Analytical reporting and decision support (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Analytical reporting and decision support

A data warehouse consolidates historical data from multiple sources to support complex analytical queries and business intelligence.

Question 88: Which security protocol provides end-to-end encryption for email including digital signatures and encryption of message bodies?

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
SMTP over TLS (STARTTLS)
S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) (Correct answer)
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

Correct answer: S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)

S/MIME provides cryptographic security for email by supporting digital signing and encryption of message content, ensuring confidentiality and authenticity end-to-end.

Question 89: In a binary tree, a node with no children is called a:

Parent
Leaf (Correct answer)
Root
Branch

Correct answer: Leaf

A leaf node is a node in a binary tree that has no left or right child.

Question 90: What is the primary difference between stream ciphers and block ciphers?

Stream ciphers encrypt data one bit or byte at a time, while block ciphers encrypt fixed-size chunks of data (Correct answer)
Block ciphers are always faster than stream ciphers for large data volumes
Stream ciphers are used for stored data and block ciphers for network transmission
Stream ciphers use asymmetric keys while block ciphers use symmetric keys

Correct answer: Stream ciphers encrypt data one bit or byte at a time, while block ciphers encrypt fixed-size chunks of data

Stream ciphers process plaintext one bit or byte at a time using a keystream, while block ciphers operate on fixed-length groups of bits, making them suited for different use cases.

Question 91: What does sharding accomplish in a NoSQL or distributed database context?

Encrypts data partitions for security
Compresses infrequently accessed data to cold storage
Horizontally partitions data across multiple nodes to distribute load (Correct answer)
Creates read-only replicas for reporting

Correct answer: Horizontally partitions data across multiple nodes to distribute load

Sharding splits a large dataset into smaller partitions (shards) distributed across multiple nodes, enabling horizontal scaling and parallel query execution.

Question 92: What is steganography in the context of information security?

Converting data into an unreadable format using keys
Compressing data to reduce transmission overhead
Hiding data within other non-secret data to conceal its existence (Correct answer)
Encrypting data using a symmetric algorithm

Correct answer: Hiding data within other non-secret data to conceal its existence

Steganography hides secret information within ordinary, non-secret files (such as images or audio) so that the existence of the hidden message is concealed.

Question 93: Which traversal visits a binary tree's left subtree, then the root, then the right subtree?

Level-order
Post-order
Pre-order
In-order (Correct answer)

Correct answer: In-order

In-order traversal (Left → Root → Right) visits nodes in ascending order for a binary search tree.

Question 94: Which SQL clause is used to filter groups after a GROUP BY operation?

HAVING (Correct answer)
ORDER BY
FILTER
WHERE

Correct answer: HAVING

HAVING filters the result of GROUP BY aggregations, whereas WHERE filters individual rows before grouping.

Question 95: In cryptography, what does the term 'key derivation function (KDF)' refer to?

An algorithm that generates public/private key pairs from random seeds
A function that derives one or more cryptographic keys from a master secret or password (Correct answer)
A method for splitting a single key into multiple shares
A protocol for exchanging keys securely over an untrusted network

Correct answer: A function that derives one or more cryptographic keys from a master secret or password

A KDF takes a secret value such as a password or master key and derives one or more strong cryptographic keys using techniques like PBKDF2, bcrypt, or HKDF.

Question 96: What does RPO (Recovery Point Objective) represent?

Maximum tolerable data loss measured in time (Correct answer)
The geographic location of backup systems
The cost of data restoration
The number of recovery sites required

Correct answer: Maximum tolerable data loss measured in time

RPO defines the maximum age of data that must be recovered from backup storage for normal operations to resume after a failure.

Question 97: A priority queue dequeues elements based on:

Insertion order
Random selection
Assigned priority value (Correct answer)
Alphabetical order

Correct answer: Assigned priority value

A priority queue always removes the element with the highest (or lowest) priority value, regardless of insertion order.

Question 98: Which data structure is best suited for implementing breadth-first search (BFS) in a graph?

Queue (Correct answer)
Heap
Stack
Priority Queue

Correct answer: Queue

BFS uses a queue to explore vertices level by level, processing each neighbor before moving deeper.

Question 99: Which SQL command is used to remove all rows from a table quickly without logging individual row deletions?

TRUNCATE (Correct answer)
DROP
DELETE
REMOVE

Correct answer: TRUNCATE

TRUNCATE removes all rows from a table rapidly by deallocating data pages rather than logging each row deletion.

Question 100: Which component ensures security in a database system?

Security module (Correct answer)
Backup utility.
Query processor.
Report generator.

Correct answer: Security module

The security module in a database system is specifically designed to enforce security policies. It controls user access, manages permissions, and ensures data confidentiality and integrity by preventing unauthorized actions. This component is crucial for protecting sensitive information within the database.

Question 101: Which memory protection technique assigns each process a base register and a limit register?

Inverted page tables
Segmentation
Paging
Base-and-limit registers (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Base-and-limit registers

Base-and-limit registers define the legal address range for a process, and any access outside that range causes a trap.

Question 102: UDP is preferred over TCP in applications where:

Connection state must be maintained
Packets must arrive in order
Low latency matters more than guaranteed delivery (Correct answer)
Data integrity is the top priority

Correct answer: Low latency matters more than guaranteed delivery

UDP's connectionless, low-overhead nature makes it ideal for real-time applications like VoIP and video streaming where speed outweighs reliability.

Question 103: Which type of disaster recovery site is fully equipped and operational, ready to take over immediately?

Warm site
Cold site
Hot site (Correct answer)
Mirror site

Correct answer: Hot site

A hot site is a fully operational duplicate of the primary site that can take over immediately with little to no downtime.

Question 104: In an entity-relationship (ER) diagram, a weak entity is characterized by:

Having multiple candidate keys
Being represented with a single rectangle
Having no attributes
Lacking a primary key on its own and depending on a strong entity (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Lacking a primary key on its own and depending on a strong entity

A weak entity cannot be uniquely identified by its own attributes alone and relies on the primary key of a related strong entity for identification.

Question 105: In SSL/TLS, what does the handshake process primarily accomplish?

It compresses the data for faster transmission
It verifies that the data payload contains no malware
It negotiates cipher suites and establishes session keys for secure communication (Correct answer)
It fragments large packets into smaller transmission units

Correct answer: It negotiates cipher suites and establishes session keys for secure communication

The TLS handshake negotiates the protocol version and cipher suite, authenticates the server, and establishes a shared session key for encrypting subsequent communication.

Question 106: What is 'speculative execution' in modern CPU design?

Delaying instruction execution until all operands are ready
Executing instructions before it is certain they will be needed, based on predictions (Correct answer)
Running the same instruction on multiple cores to verify results
Executing instructions at a lower voltage to save power speculatively

Correct answer: Executing instructions before it is certain they will be needed, based on predictions

Speculative execution allows the CPU to execute instructions ahead of confirmed need (e.g., after a predicted branch), discarding results if the speculation proves incorrect.

Question 107: Which sorting algorithm is typically used for sorting linked lists efficiently?

Quick Sort
Heap Sort
Counting Sort
Merge Sort (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Merge Sort

Merge Sort works well on linked lists because merging two sorted lists is O(n) without random access, unlike Quick Sort which needs efficient pivot access.

Question 108: In the context of security controls, what is the primary purpose of a deterrent control?

To detect intrusions after they occur
To identify vulnerabilities before exploitation
To restore systems to a known good state
To discourage potential attackers from attempting an attack (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To discourage potential attackers from attempting an attack

Deterrent controls aim to discourage would-be attackers by making an attack seem difficult, risky, or not worthwhile.

Question 109: Differential backup differs from incremental backup in that it:

Copies all data changed since the last full backup, regardless of intermediate backups (Correct answer)
Runs less frequently than incremental backups
Compresses data more aggressively than incremental backups
Copies only data changed since the last backup of any type

Correct answer: Copies all data changed since the last full backup, regardless of intermediate backups

Differential backups always back up all changes since the last full backup, making restoration simpler (full + latest differential) but using more storage than incremental.

Question 110: Which security control category includes policies, procedures, and security awareness training?

Administrative controls (Correct answer)
Physical controls
Technical controls
Logical controls

Correct answer: Administrative controls

Administrative controls include management-level safeguards such as policies, procedures, and training programs.

Certified Computing Professional (CCP)

The ICCP Certified Computing Professional (CCP) validates broad computing knowledge across software engineering, data management, security, and IT management. Candidates must pass a written examination and demonstrate at least 48 months of experience in computer-based information systems.

110

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90 min

Time Limit

70%

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