WGU Updated Introduction-to-IT Exam Questions and Answers by cayden

1.Providing Valuable Ethical Guidelines to IT Professionals:

oProfessional associations establish codes of ethics and codes of conduct that outline expected behavior for IT professionals.

oThese guidelines address ethical considerations related to privacy, security, honesty, and professional responsibility.

oBy adhering to these standards, IT professionals contribute to the well-being of society and uphold the public good1.

2.Engaging in the Development and Adoption of Industry-Leading Practices:

oAssociations collaborate with industry experts to develop globally-accepted best practices.

oThey promote ethical behavior by disseminating these practices through seminars, conferences, and certification courses.

oBy following these standards, IT professionals ensure the integrity and trustworthiness of their work2.

References

•ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct: The ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) provides a comprehensive code of ethics for computing professionals.

•Chapter 8: The Making of a Profession: Values, Ethics, and Conducts: This chapter discusses the role of professional associations in establishing ethical guidelines.

•Code of Professional Ethics | IS/IT Certifications | ISACA: ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association) emphasizes compliance and governance in IT ethics3.

•Ethics and the IT Professional | EDUCAUSE Review: Various associations, including AITP (Association of Information Technology Professionals), contribute to ethical guidance

The third generation of computing is known for major advances in operating systems, especially the move toward multiprogramming, time-sharing concepts, and improved resource management. During this era, computers became powerful enough to support operating systems that could coordinate multiple programs and users more effectively, enabling shared use of memory, processing time, and peripheral devices. This meant that instead of a computer running only one program at a time with long idle periods, the operating system could schedule tasks, allocate memory, and manage input and output to keep the system busy and efficient. These developments matched the growth of integrated circuits, which improved speed and reliability and made more advanced system software practical. Third-generation systems also emphasized better user interaction through terminals and more standardized system environments. While later generations improved operating systems further, the third generation is widely credited in Information Technology history with establishing the operating system as a central system layer for managing shared resources. Therefore, the correct answer is the third generation.

A compiler converts an entire source code program into machine code before the program is executed. In Information Technology and programming fundamentals, compilation is a translation process where the compiler reads the full source code, checks syntax and often performs optimization, and then produces an output file such as an executable or object code. This compiled output can be stored and run later without needing to retranslate the source code each time. This approach differs from interpretation, where code is translated and executed step by step at runtime. An assembler translates assembly language into machine code, but it is specific to assembly language rather than general high-level source code. The operating system is system software that manages hardware resources and provides services to applications, but it is not the translation method for converting source code into machine code. Because the question asks for the method that converts all source code into machine code for later execution, the correct answer is compiler.

A wire length rounded to the nearest tenth requires a numeric type that can store fractional values, such as 2.3 meters or 15.7 centimeters. In programming and database systems, floating-point data types are designed to represent real numbers that include decimal portions. This makes floating point the appropriate choice for measurements, scientific values, averages, and any quantity where partial units are meaningful. Using an integer would lose the fractional component because integers store only whole numbers, which would make the rounded-to-the-tenth requirement impossible to preserve. Character and character string types store text symbols rather than numeric quantities intended for arithmetic and comparisons. In Information Technology curricula, floating-point types are often introduced alongside integers to highlight the difference between counting values and measurement values. Although some databases prefer fixed-point decimal types for financial precision, for a physical measurement like wire length, floating point is commonly accepted and matches the options provided. Therefore, the correct data type for a wire length rounded to the nearest tenth is floating point.