Common Software & Tools MCQs: 12 Solved ICT Questions Explained

Common-software MCQs look like simple product recall, but their distractors repeatedly swap application software with system software, online storage with e-mail, a browser with a search engine, and hardware with software. Classify each noun by role: application software performs user tasks, system software manages or translates, hardware is physical, online storage keeps files, a browser opens web content, and a search engine retrieves results. Attempt each one before reading its decisive distinction. If the underlying terms still feel mixed, first revise ICT for Teaching Exams: Fundamentals Explained. Commit to an option before reading the explanation.

Common Software & Tools MCQs: how to attempt the set

Write twelve slots: 1 __, 2 __, 3 __, 4 __, 5 __, 6 __, 7 __, 8 __, 9 __, 10 __, 11 __, 12 __. On pass one, label the noun as application, system software, hardware, online service or abbreviation. On pass two, ask what it does and where it runs: a word processor creates a document, an operating system manages resources, a mouse sends input, cloud storage keeps files, and a browser opens web content. Eliminate any option whose function breaks the label.

Application software, system software and hardware MCQs

User tasks belong to application software, system management belongs to system software, and physical devices are hardware.

Q1. Application software, UGC NET Paper I January 2026

Which of the following are application software?

A. Spreadsheet

B. Word Processor

C. Operating system

D. Database

E. Compiler

• A. A, C and D only

• B. B, C and E only

• C. A, D and E only

• D. A, B and D only

Answer: D. A, B and D only. A spreadsheet can total ten marks in cells B2:B11, a word processor can prepare an 800-word report, and a database can retrieve one student from 500 records. These are user tasks, while an operating system schedules CPU time and a compiler translates source code, placing C and E under system software.

Q2. True statements about software, UGC NET Paper I January 2026

Which of the following statements about software are true?

A. Software is executed directly from the secondary storage.

B. Microsoft EXCEL is an example of system software.

C. A Keylogger is an example of spyware.

D. An EXCEL workbook may contain multiple spreadsheets.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. A and B only

• B. C and D only

• C. A and C only

• D. B and D only

Answer: B. C and D only. Audit the statements as A = false, B = false, C = true, D = true: in the conventional execution model, program code moves from secondary storage into RAM before the CPU executes it, and Excel is application software. A keylogger is classed as spyware here, while one workbook can contain sheets named January, February and March.

Q3. Software versus input and storage hardware, UGC NET Paper I January 2026

Which of the following is related to computer software?

• A. Spreadsheet

• B. Mouse

• C. Stylus

• D. Pen drive

Answer: A. Spreadsheet. Put 12 in cell B2 and 18 in B3; SUM(B2:B3) = 30, showing the spreadsheet performing a software task. A mouse and stylus are input hardware, while a pen drive is storage hardware, so the three distractors are physical devices.

Online productivity, storage and collaboration tools

Storage, organisation and sharing functions identify the relevant tool.

Q4. Dropbox and Google Docs, UGC NET Paper I December 2023

Given below are two statements:

Statement (I): Dropbox is an example of e-mail service on the Internet.

Statement (II): Google Docs is an online word processor.

In light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

• A. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are true.

• B. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are false.

• C. Statement (I) is true but Statement (II) is false.

• D. Statement (I) is false but Statement (II) is true.

Answer: D. Dropbox stores and synchronises a file such as notes.docx; it is not the service that sends an e-mail message. Google Docs lets a user create and edit a text document online, so Statement II is true while Statement I is false. For a wider comparison of office-productivity roles, revise MS Office for CS Teaching Exams.

Q5. Content-curation tool, UGC NET Paper I December 2023

Which of the following ICT tools allows users to organize and curate content from various sources such as websites, articles, and videos?

• A. Edpuzzle

• B. Wakelet

• C. Pixton

• D. Screen-cast-o-matic

Answer: B. Wakelet. One collection can hold two website links, one article and one video in an organised sequence. The decisive phrase is organize and curate content from various sources; the other tools serve different creation or lesson workflows.

Q6. Digital bulletin-board tool, UGC NET Paper I December 2023

Which collaborative ICT tool allows user to create digital bulletin boards to share and gather information ?

• A. X-mind

• B. Padlet

• C. Book creator

• D. Infogram

Answer: B. Padlet. Picture a class board where 30 students each add one note, image or link, leaving all 30 contributions on one shared surface for the teacher. That bulletin-board function separates Padlet from mind mapping, book creation and infographic creation.

Q7. Search engine, browser, game and paraphrasing tool, UGC NET Paper I June 2025

Match List - I with List - II :

• A. A-II, B-III, C-IV, D-I

• B. A-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II

• C. A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II

• D. A-IV, B-III, C-II, D-I

Answer: B. A-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II. Enter operating system notes into Yahoo, open a result in Firefox, identify Solitaire as a game, and use Quillbot for paraphrasing. Map every item by its primary function before comparing the complete option combinations.

Open-source analysis and OCR abbreviation MCQs

Open-source licensing distinguishes the data-analysis software, while OCR requires its full expansion.

Q8. Open-source data-analysis software, UGC NET Paper I December 2023

Which among the following is an open source software for data analysis?

• A. SPSS

• B. MATLAB

• C. R

• D. MINITAB

Answer: C. R. For the vector 2, 4, 6, 8, the mean is (2 + 4 + 6 + 8) / 4 = 20 / 4 = 5. Among these options, R is the open-source choice; SPSS, MATLAB and MINITAB are proprietary products.

Q9. OCR full form, UGC NET Paper I November 2020

What is the full form of the abbreviation OCR?

• A. Optical Character Recognition

• B. Online Computer Reader

• C. Optical Computer Recognition

• D. Optical Control Reader

Answer: A. Optical Character Recognition. A scan containing Invoice 17 can become the editable characters Invoice 17; recognising characters is the defining job. The distractors retain plausible technical words but do not give the accepted expansion.

Firmware, malware and program execution MCQs

Firmware starts the machine, the operating system loads code into RAM, and the CPU executes it. The motherboard connects components.

Q10. BIOS, utility software and spyware, UGC NET Paper I December 2023

Which of the following statements is/are true ? (A) BIOS is an example of Application Software (B) A utility software is an example of firmware (C) Spyware is an example of malware Choose the correct answer from the options given below :

• A. (A) Only

• B. (B) Only

• C. (C) Only

• D. (B) and (C) Only

Answer: C. (C) Only. BIOS is firmware rather than an end-user application, and utility software is a software category rather than an example of firmware. Spyware is malware because it covertly monitors or collects information. Firmware begins hardware initialisation at startup, while a disk-cleanup utility runs after the operating system is available.

Q11. Loading software for CPU execution, UGC NET Paper I October 2020

Which of the following statements is true in respect of computers?

• A. Software is loaded into secondary storage from RAM and is then executed by CPU.

• B. Software is loaded into RAM from secondary storage and is then executed by CPU.

• C. Software is loaded into RAM from secondary storage and is then executed by motherboard.

• D. Software is loaded into secondary storage from RAM and is then executed by motherboard.

Answer: B. Consider a 20 MB program stored on an SSD: the operating system loads the needed code and data into RAM, then the CPU fetches and executes the instructions. Options A and D reverse the load direction, while C and D wrongly assign execution to the motherboard.

Operating-system and software-role identification

Each pair is correct only when both terms match.

Q12. Correct software pair, UGC NET Paper I November 2020

Identify the correct pair from the following:

• A. AVI - File Transfer Protocol

• B. Excel - Word Processing Software

• C. HDD - Cloud Storage Facility

• D. Ubuntu - Operating System

Answer: D. Ubuntu - Operating System. report.avi is a multimedia container file, Excel is spreadsheet software, and a 1 TB HDD is a physical local storage device rather than a cloud facility. In Excel, =SUM(A1:A4) over 2, 3, 4, 5 produces 14; Ubuntu is the only correctly matched operating system in the options.

The short version

Classify first, then test the function. Applications serve users, system software manages or translates, hardware is physical, and online tools match defining actions. Reattempt every miss from blank slots.

For structured practice, use the NTA UGC NET Paper 1 Course or browse UGC NET Preparation Courses and Test Series. The IISc Administrative Assistant 2026 Course also covers this ICT area. Choose your route, then solve these twelve again.