UP High Court RO / ARO 07 Jan 2022 Shift 2

Which of the following can only have sequential access ? निम्नलिखित में से किसकी केवल अनुक्रमिक पहुँच हो सकती है ?

Verified Answer
A. Disk/डिस्क
B. Tape/टेप
C. CD-ROM/सी.डी. रोम
D. DVD-ROM/डी.वी.डी. रोम

Explanation:

This question tests your understanding of data storage access methods. Sequential access means that to get to a particular piece of data, you must read through all the data that comes before it. \nOption A: Disk (Hard Disk Drives) offers direct or random access. This means that any block of data can be accessed directly without having to read through preceding blocks. The read/write head can move directly to the desired track and sector. \nOption B: Tape (Magnetic Tape) is a classic example of a storage medium that provides only sequential access. To read data from the middle or end of a tape, the tape must be wound forward or backward past all the data stored before the desired location. You cannot jump directly to a specific point. \nOption C: CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) provides direct or random access. Data can be accessed by moving the laser head directly to the desired track and sector on the disc, similar to a hard disk, although typically slower. \nOption D: DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read-Only Memory) also provides direct or random access, functioning similarly to CD-ROMs but with higher storage capacity. The laser can directly locate and read data from any part of the disc. \nTherefore, among the given options, only Tape storage is inherently limited to sequential access.