Lesson 4.4.1.3

4.4.1.3 Abstraction Quiz: AQA Computer Science, Unit 4

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.4.1.3, Abstraction: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Computer Science (7517), Unit 4: Theory of computation, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Representational abstraction is best described as:

    • A type of encryption
    • A representation made by removing unnecessary details
    • A graphical drawing of the program's code
    • A list of every detail kept intact so that nothing about the object is lost

  2. Abstraction by generalisation groups items by:

    • Size alone
    • Random selection of items so that every group has a similar size and shape
    • Common characteristics, forming an 'is a kind of' hierarchy
    • Alphabetical order

  3. Information hiding is the process of:

    • Storing data on a remote server
    • Encrypting the whole program so that every comment, variable and file name is hidden
    • Hiding details that do not contribute to an object's essential characteristics
    • Deleting unused variables

  4. Procedural abstraction represents:

    • A user interface
    • A computational method
    • A physical network of computers linked together through routers and switches
    • A database index

  5. Functional abstraction hides which element of a computation?

    • The name of the function
    • The particular computation method
    • The input values and the number of times the function is called
    • The output type

  6. Which example is an instance of representational abstraction for a city map?

    • A map showing roads and stations but omitting trees and houses
    • A photograph of the city showing every street, building and tree
    • A full-scale replica of the city
    • A list of every building address

  7. A class Vehicle has subclasses Car and Bus. Which relationship between Car and Vehicle is shown?

    • A sequence of steps
    • Composition
    • Aggregation of parts
    • Is a kind of, by generalisation

  8. A stack is implemented as an array with a pointer to the top. Which form of abstraction does this illustrate?

    • Functional abstraction
    • Data abstraction
    • Decomposition
    • Procedural abstraction

  9. A sort function hides whether it uses merge sort or bubble sort from its users. Which abstraction is this?

    • Functional abstraction
    • Representational abstraction
    • Composition
    • Decomposition

  10. Which is an example of information hiding?

    • Writing comments in code
    • Using global variables
    • Keeping internal attributes private and exposing only methods
    • Publishing all internal variables so that every part of the program can read them directly

  11. Abstracting away the actual values used in a computation gives what?

    • A data type
    • A function
    • A variable
    • A procedure, which is a computational pattern

  12. A user of a stack needs to know which thing about it?

    • The compiler used to build it
    • Its underlying array layout, including the exact memory address of every item
    • The memory address of each item
    • Only the operations such as push and pop, not how they are implemented

  13. Which pairing is correct?

    • Decomposition: combines data into one object
    • Information hiding: hides details irrelevant to the essential characteristics
    • Composition: divides a problem into sub-problems
    • Generalisation: removes all data

  14. A student says abstraction only makes programs less accurate. Which response is best?

    • Abstraction is useful only when accuracy is ignored, because detail just slows programs
    • Abstraction never removes any detail
    • Abstraction always requires full real-world detail
    • Abstraction removes unnecessary detail, keeping what the required accuracy needs

  15. Which best distinguishes procedural abstraction from functional abstraction?

    • Functional abstraction involves no inputs
    • Procedural abstraction hides the method, while functional abstraction exposes it to all users
    • Procedural abstraction represents a method, and functional abstraction also hides it
    • They are identical

  16. A tree is built from nodes, each holding a value and a list of child nodes. Which principle is shown?

    • Composition, building compound data from simpler data objects
    • Information hiding only
    • Automation
    • Decomposition only, since the tree is divided into a set of independent sub-problems

  17. A route-planning problem is reduced to finding a shortest path in a graph. Which principle is this?

    • Procedural decomposition
    • Information hiding
    • Problem abstraction or reduction
    • Representational abstraction only

  18. Which statement about decomposition is correct?

    • It converts every problem into a graph
    • It removes all details from a problem
    • It merges separate problems into one large problem that is solved in a single step
    • It breaks a problem into sub-problems that each accomplish an identifiable task

  19. A map app stores roads as a graph and ignores the colour of buildings. Which abstraction is this?

    • Information encryption
    • Functional abstraction
    • Representational abstraction, removing unnecessary details
    • Recursion

  20. Why is generalisation an abstraction?

    • It makes every item identical
    • It removes all relationships between items
    • It groups items by common characteristics, hiding differences not needed at that level
    • It sorts items alphabetically

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