Technology · Unit 18

Technology and Society

Ethics, privacy, jobs and the environment

Technology is not neutral. What gets built reflects who funds it and who is in the room, and the consequences land unevenly.

The unit covers technology ethics, privacy and data, automation and jobs, the digital divide, and technology's environmental cost.

This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 121 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: 121
Difficulty: 1-5

What this unit covers

The Digital Divide
Automation and Jobs
Privacy and Data
Technology Ethics
Technology and the Environment

Where this fits

The final unit. Best after AI and Machine Learning and Cybersecurity.

Where people slip

Automation has historically changed which jobs exist rather than removing work altogether. Whether that pattern holds is an open question, not a settled reassurance.

How the unit is structured

Technology and Society 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.

Step 1 · easierStep 23 · harder

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 121 in the unit altogether.

Automation and Jobs

True or falseLevel 1
1. A dishwasher running its cycle is an example of a machine doing a task automatically.
Answer: True
True, once you start it the dishwasher washes the dishes on its own, which is a form of automation.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
2. Which of these are examples of automation? (Choose all that apply.)
- A robot arm building carscorrect
- A washing machine running a cyclecorrect
- A self-checkout scanning itemscorrect
- A person writing a letter by hand
Robot arms, washing machines, and self-checkouts all do tasks with little human help.
Fill the blankLevel 2
3. Using machines to do work with little human help is called ____.
- automationcorrect
- decoration
- vacation
- celebration
Automation lets machines handle tasks that people used to do by hand.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
4. Which of these is an example of automation?
- A robot arm building cars in a factorycorrect
- A person sweeping a floor with a broom
- Writing a shopping list on paper
- Chatting with a neighbour over the fence
A robot arm building cars does a task on its own with little human help, which is automation.
Odd one outLevel 2
5. Which of these is NOT done by automation?
- Two friends chatting in personcorrect
- A car wash machine cleaning a car
- A self-checkout till
- An ATM giving out cash
Two friends chatting in person is a human activity, not a task done by a machine.
Put in orderLevel 3
6. Put these steps of adding automation to a factory in a sensible order.
Answer: Find a repetitive task -> Design or buy a machine for it -> Test the machine -> Run it in the factory
First you find a repetitive task, then build or buy a machine, test it, and finally use it in the factory.

Privacy and Data

Multiple choiceLevel 1
7. What is 'personal data'?
- Information about a specific person, like their name or location
- Any file stored on a computer
- A popular computer game
- How fast the internet is
Personal data is information about a specific person, such as their name, address, or location.
True or falseLevel 1
8. Your home address is a kind of personal information.
Answer: True
True, your home address tells others where you live, so it is private personal information.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
9. Which of these count as personal information? (Choose all that apply.)
- Your home addresscorrect
- Your birthdaycorrect
- Your email addresscorrect
- The number of days in a week
Your address, birthday, and email all point to you, so they are personal information.
Fill the blankLevel 2
10. Keeping your personal information from being shared without permission is called ____.
- privacycorrect
- gaming
- charging
- printing
Privacy means having control over who can see and use your personal information.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
11. Sort each item into 'Personal data' or 'Not personal data'.
Answer: Your full name = Personal data; Your home address = Personal data; Your phone number = Personal data; The colour of the sky = Not personal data; The fact that 2 plus 2 is 4 = Not personal data
Personal data points to a specific person, while general facts do not.
Guess the numberLevel 5
12. In which year did the European GDPR data protection law take effect?
Answer: 2018 year
The General Data Protection Regulation began to apply in 2018.

Technology Ethics

Multiple choiceLevel 1
13. What does 'technology ethics' mean?
- Thinking about what is right and fair when using technologycorrect
- Making technology run as fast as possible
- Selling as many gadgets as you can
- Fixing a cracked phone screen
Technology ethics is thinking carefully about what is right and fair when we make and use technology.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
14. Which of these are fair questions to ask about a new app? (Choose all that apply.)
- Does it treat users honestly?correct
- Does it respect people's privacy?correct
- Is it safe for people to use?correct
- What is the app's favourite food?
- Does it only work on Tuesdays?
Good ethics questions ask if an app is honest, respects people, and keeps them safe.
Fill the blankLevel 2
15. Deciding whether it is right and fair to use a technology is a question of ____.
- ethicscorrect
- speed
- money
- colour
Ethics is the study of what is right, fair, and good, including in technology.
Match the pairsLevel 2
16. Match each ethics idea to what it means.
Answer: Fairness = Treating all users equally; Honesty = Telling users the truth; Privacy = Respecting personal information; Safety = Keeping users from harm
Fairness, honesty, privacy, and safety are all everyday ethics ideas for technology.
Odd one outLevel 2
17. Which of these is NOT really an ethics question about a new app?
- What colour is the logo?correct
- Is it honest with users?
- Does it respect privacy?
- Is it fair to everyone?
The logo colour is a design choice, not a question about what is right or fair.
True or falseLevel 2
18. Just because we are able to build a new technology, it always means we should use it.
Answer: False
False, being able to build something does not automatically mean it is a wise or fair thing to do.

Technology and the Environment

Fill the blankLevel 1
19. Old phones and computers that are thrown away are called e-____.
- wastecorrect
- mail
- book
- card
E-waste is a short way of saying electronic waste.
True or falseLevel 1
20. Computers and phones use electricity, which uses energy.
Answer: True
True, all our devices run on electricity, and making that electricity uses energy.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
21. Which of these help reduce technology's impact on the environment? (Choose all that apply.)
- Recycling old devices properlycorrect
- Repairing devices instead of replacing themcorrect
- Using energy-efficient devicescorrect
- Throwing electronics in the normal rubbish bin
Recycling, repairing, and using energy-efficient devices all lower technology's environmental impact.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
22. What is a better thing to do with a broken old phone than putting it in the normal bin?
- Recycle it at a proper collection pointcorrect
- Bury it in the garden
- Throw it into a river
- Burn it at home
Recycling a phone at a proper collection point keeps harmful parts out of the ground and reuses materials.
Odd one outLevel 2
23. Which of these is NOT a good way to reduce electronic waste?
- Throwing devices into the oceancorrect
- Repairing devices
- Recycling devices
- Donating working devices
Throwing devices into the ocean pollutes the environment instead of reducing waste.
Put in orderLevel 2
24. Put the life of a phone in order, from first to last.
Answer: A new phone is made -> You use the phone -> The phone stops working -> The phone is recycled
A phone is made, then used, then it stops working, and finally it should be recycled.

The Digital Divide

True or falseLevel 1
25. Everyone in the world has exactly the same access to computers and the internet.
Answer: False
False, access varies a lot depending on cost, location, and other factors, which creates the digital divide.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
26. Which of these can help reduce the digital divide? (Choose all that apply.)
- Affordable internet planscorrect
- Public computers at librariescorrect
- Free classes on using computerscorrect
- Making all devices more expensive
Affordable internet, public computers, and skills classes all help more people get online.
Fill the blankLevel 2
27. The gap between people who can use the internet and those who cannot is called the digital ____.
- dividecorrect
- camera
- cable
- battery
The digital divide separates those with technology access from those without it.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
28. Which of these could cause a digital divide?
- Not being able to afford a computer or internetcorrect
- Owning too many phones
- Being able to type very fast
- Watching lots of videos
If someone cannot afford a computer or internet, they are cut off from technology many others use.
Odd one outLevel 2
29. Which of these does NOT help close the digital divide?
- Making the internet more expensivecorrect
- Free public wifi
- Cheaper computers
- Computers people can use at libraries
Making the internet more expensive would leave out even more people, widening the gap.
Type the answerLevel 2
30. The gap between people who can access technology and those who cannot is called the digital ____.
Answer: divide
Closing the digital divide means helping more people get online.

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 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

Choose all that apply
Fill the blank
Guess the number
Match the pairs
Multiple choice
Odd one out
Put in order
Sort into groups
True or false
Type the answer

Practise Technology and Society

121 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

More units in Technology

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