Lesson 4.9.2.1

4.9.2.1 Network topology Quiz: AQA Computer Science, Unit 9

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 4.9.2.1, Network topology: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Computer Science (7517), Unit 9: Fundamentals of communication and networking, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. Which network layout connects every device directly to a central node?

    • Bus topology
    • Star topology
    • Mesh topology
    • Ring topology

  2. What type of network topology defines how data flows between connected nodes?

    • Geographic topology
    • Electrical topology
    • Logical topology
    • Physical topology

  3. A network wired as a physical star can behave logically as a bus using what?

    • Mesh protocol
    • Ring protocol
    • Bus protocol
    • Star protocol

  4. What single failure in a physical bus network disables the entire network?

    • Switch failure
    • Backbone break
    • Server outage
    • Router crash

  5. What major advantage does a physical star topology have over a bus topology?

    • Simpler termination
    • Lower cable costs
    • Isolated cable faults
    • No central node

  6. What central device failure disables an entire physical star network?

    • Backbone cable
    • Terminator plug
    • Central switch
    • Network bridge

  7. What term describes the actual physical layout of wires and devices in a network?

    • Physical topology
    • Network protocol
    • Virtual topology
    • Logical topology

  8. Why is adding a new device easy in a physical star network?

    • Shared backbone cable
    • Wireless connection only
    • Dedicated cable connection
    • Ring token loop

  9. A star network has 12 computers, each with its own cable to a switch. How many cables are needed for the computers, assuming one each?

    • 12
    • 24
    • 13
    • 11

  10. Which topology relies entirely on a central device for communication between nodes?

    • Physical star
    • Physical ring
    • Full mesh
    • Physical bus

  11. What enables a physical star topology network to function logically as a bus network?

    • Ring protocol
    • Star protocol
    • Bus protocol
    • Mesh protocol

  12. Which physical topology allows adding new devices without interrupting existing network connections?

    • Ring
    • Bus
    • Star
    • Mesh

  13. In a logical bus topology, which devices receive data transmitted by a host?

    • All devices
    • Only target device
    • Only central switch
    • Only adjacent devices

  14. If one port fails on a star network switch, how many computers lose connection?

    • Seven computers
    • All computers
    • One computer
    • Half the computers

  15. Which central hardware device is commonly used to connect nodes in a physical star topology?

    • Repeater
    • Switch
    • Modem
    • Terminator

  16. What is a key performance disadvantage of a physical bus network topology?

    • High data collisions
    • Difficult installation
    • Central switch failure
    • High cabling cost

  17. What happens to a network if a single end device fails in a star topology?

    • Central switch fails
    • Half network fails
    • Entire network fails
    • Rest continues operating

  18. A switch has 24 ports and 20 computers are connected. How many ports are free?

    • 2
    • 24
    • 20
    • 4

  19. Why is fault tracing simpler in a physical star topology than in a bus topology?

    • Shared main cable
    • Dedicated cable links
    • Fewer connected devices
    • Single central terminator

  20. According to the AQA specification, a physical star network can behave logically as which topology?

    • Tree topology
    • Ring topology
    • Bus topology
    • Mesh topology

All AQA Computer Science quizzes