Technology · Unit 7
Software
Operating systems, apps, files and updates
Software is instructions, and the layers between a click and a transistor switching are the reason a computer can be used without understanding any of them.
The unit covers operating systems, applications, kinds of software, files and folders, and installing and updating.
This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 118 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 5. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.
- Steps
- 23
- Questions
- 118
- Difficulty
- 1-5
What this unit covers
- Updates and Installing
- Operating Systems
- Applications
- Files and Folders
- Kinds of Software
Where this fits
Follows Computer Hardware.
Where people slip
Updates are mostly security fixes rather than new features. Postponing them indefinitely is the most common way an otherwise careful setup becomes vulnerable.
How the unit is structured
Software runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 5 as you progress.
Challenge rounds
Example questions
30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 118 in the unit altogether.
Applications
- Fill the blankLevel 1
1. A short, everyday word for the word application is ____.
- appcorrect
- cap
- map
- nap
We often just say app instead of the longer word application.
- True or falseLevel 1
2. An application is a program that does a specific job, like drawing or playing music.
Answer: True
Each application, or app, is built to help you do one kind of task.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
3. Which of these could be an app on a phone?
- A camera appcorrect
- A music playercorrect
- A map appcorrect
- A battery
A camera app, a music player, and a map app are all apps, but a battery is a physical part.
- Match the pairsLevel 3
4. Match each app to what it is mainly used for.
Answer: Web browser = Visiting websites; Word processor = Writing documents; Media player = Playing music and video; Spreadsheet = Working with numbers
Each kind of app has a main job it is built to do.
- Odd one outLevel 3
5. Which of these is NOT application software?
- Windowscorrect
- Microsoft Word
- Google Chrome
- Spotify
Windows is system software, while the others are applications you install and use.
- Multiple choiceLevel 4
6. An app written to run directly on one operating system, using its own tools, is called a ____ app.
- nativecorrect
- paper
- frozen
- silent
A native app is built specifically for one platform, so it can use that system's features fully.
Files and Folders
- Fill the blankLevel 2
7. File size is often measured in KB, MB, and ____.
- GBcorrect
- MPH
- RPM
- VOL
Gigabytes (GB) are a larger unit used to measure how big files are.
- Odd one outLevel 2
8. Which of these is NOT a place to store or organize files?
- A doorbellcorrect
- A folder
- The desktop
- A hard drive
A doorbell has nothing to do with files, while the others store or organize them.
- Choose all that applyLevel 3
9. Which of these are true about folders, also called directories?
- They can contain filescorrect
- They can contain other folderscorrect
- They help organize the file systemcorrect
- They are a type of CPU
Folders can hold files and other folders and help organize the file system, but they are not a type of CPU.
- Put in orderLevel 3
10. Order these units of digital data from smallest to largest.
Answer: Byte -> Kilobyte -> Megabyte -> Gigabyte
A kilobyte is bigger than a byte, a megabyte is bigger than a kilobyte, and a gigabyte is bigger still.
- Sort into groupsLevel 3
11. Sort each file name by its type.
Answer: song.mp3 = Audio; beat.wav = Audio; photo.jpg = Image; logo.png = Image
Files ending in .mp3 or .wav are audio, while .jpg and .png are images.
- Multiple choiceLevel 4
12. NTFS, exFAT, ext4, and APFS are all examples of ____.
- file systemscorrect
- web browsers
- programming languages
- operating systems
These are file systems, which decide how files are stored and organized on a drive.
Kinds of Software
- Fill the blankLevel 1
13. Programs and apps that run on a computer are called ____.
- softwarecorrect
- hardware
- furniture
- clothing
Software is the name for the programs and apps a computer runs.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
14. Which of these are software?
- A web browsercorrect
- A game appcorrect
- An operating systemcorrect
- A keyboard
- A monitor
A web browser, a game app, and an operating system are software, while a keyboard and monitor are hardware.
- Sort into groupsLevel 2
15. Sort each one into Hardware or Software.
Answer: Mouse = Hardware; Keyboard = Hardware; Web browser = Software; Game app = Software
You can touch hardware like a mouse and keyboard, while software like apps and browsers are programs.
- Multiple choiceLevel 3
16. Software is often split into two big groups: application software and ____ software.
- systemcorrect
- folder
- cable
- paper
System software, like the operating system, runs the computer itself.
- Odd one outLevel 3
17. Which of these is application software, not system software?
- A photo editing appcorrect
- The operating system
- A device driver
- A disk cleanup tool
A photo editing app is an application, while the others are system software that runs the computer.
- Match the pairsLevel 4
18. Match each kind of software to an example.
Answer: Operating system = Windows; Application software = Photoshop; Utility software = Antivirus; Development tool = A code editor
Each category of software has a typical example that fits it.
Operating Systems
- Fill the blankLevel 1
19. The ____ system is the main program that starts when you turn on a computer.
- operatingcorrect
- cooking
- drawing
- racing
The operating system loads first and then lets you open your apps.
- True or falseLevel 1
20. An operating system is the main software that runs a computer or phone.
Answer: True
The operating system controls the device and lets all your other apps run.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
21. Which of these are operating systems?
- Windowscorrect
- Androidcorrect
- macOScorrect
- Microsoft Word
- A monitor
Windows, Android, and macOS are all operating systems that run devices.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
22. Match each company to the operating system it makes.
Answer: Microsoft = Windows; Apple = macOS; Google = Android
Microsoft makes Windows, Apple makes macOS, and Google makes Android.
- Multiple choiceLevel 3
23. Controlling a computer by typing text commands instead of clicking is done through a ____.
- command line interfacecorrect
- graphical interface
- touchscreen
- printer port
A command line interface lets you type commands to control the computer.
- Type the answerLevel 3
24. A GUI, the kind of interface with windows and icons you click, stands for graphical user ____.
Answer: interface
GUI stands for graphical user interface, the visual way we interact with software.
Updates and Installing
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
25. What often happens after you install an update?
- The app works better or gets new featurescorrect
- The app disappears forever
- Your screen breaks
- The app turns into hardware
After an update, an app usually works better or gains new features.
- Put in orderLevel 2
26. Put these steps in order to add a new app.
Answer: Open the app store -> Find the app you want -> Tap Install -> Open the app to use it
You open the store, find the app, install it, then open it to use it.
- True or falseLevel 2
27. Removing an app you no longer want is called uninstalling it.
Answer: True
Uninstalling takes an app off your device, the opposite of installing it.
- Choose all that applyLevel 3
28. Which of these are good reasons software gets updated?
- To fix bugscorrect
- To patch security holescorrect
- To add new featurescorrect
- To make the app impossible to open
Updates fix bugs, patch security holes, and add features, but they should never break the app on purpose.
- Fill the blankLevel 4
29. A pre-release test version of software given to some users to find bugs is called a ____ version.
- betacorrect
- final
- retail
- stable
A beta version is an early release used to test and find problems before the final launch.
- Type the answerLevel 5
30. Version numbers written as major.minor.patch, like 3.4.1, use a naming scheme called ____ versioning.
Answer: semantic
Semantic versioning uses the major.minor.patch pattern to show how big a change is.
Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.
How you practise
This unit mixes 9 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.
- Choose all that apply
- Fill the blank
- Match the pairs
- Multiple choice
- Odd one out
- Put in order
- Sort into groups
- True or false
- Type the answer
Practise Software
118 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.
Play this unitRead about Software
Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.
- What Is an Operating System? How Your Device Manages Hardware and AppsLearn how it manages memory, files, hardware, apps, and user input so a computer or phone can work as one system.August 14, 2026 · 6 min read
- What Is an API? How Software Programs CommunicateLearn how application programming interfaces let software request data or actions through defined rules, endpoints, and responses.August 14, 2026 · 6 min read
- What Is Open Source Software? Code Anyone Can Read, Change and ShareOpen source software is published with its source code and a licence letting anyone use, alter and pass it on.September 14, 2026 · 5 min read
More units in Technology
- What is Technology?What technology is, and the tools and machines around us
- Everyday TechnologyThe gadgets we use at home and on the go
- Meet the ComputerWhat a computer is and its main parts
- The InternetWebsites, email, searching and going online
- Staying Safe OnlinePasswords, privacy and being kind and careful online
- Computer HardwareThe physical parts that make a computer work
- Networks and the InternetHow devices connect and talk to each other
- Coding BasicsWhat code is, and the ideas behind it