CSET Preliminary Educational Technology Test Practice Questions

1. A teacher gets a new printer, but it will not print. She finds out that she needs to add a driver. A driver is:

A) A set of instructions that lets the computer know how to communicate with a peripheral device.
B) A different monitor for the computer.
C) A USB line.
D) The disk that came with the printer.

2. An excellent source of educational research material is:

A) Encyclopedia Britannica.
B) ERIC.
C) OSHA.
D) CNN.

3. Which of the following describes a peer-reviewed journal?

A) A journal that does not publish articles unless they have been evaluated and approved by one or more independent experts in the same field
B) A newspaper that includes critical comments of recent articles
C) A personal account of one's life that is shared with other people
D) A journal in electronic form

4. Which of the following adaptive technologies would benefit a student who is visually impaired but not blind?

A) Hands-free keyboard control mechanism
B) Touch screen
C) Software that magnifies everything by 2 to 16 times
D) Text-to-speech software

5. The main purpose of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) of 2002 is:

A) To limit the amount of time children spend online.
B) To restrict unsupervised children from using the Internet in libraries.
C) To keep children from seeing explicit content on the Internet.
D) To mandate crossing guards around all elementary schools.

CSET Preliminary Educational Technology Test Answers

1. Answer: A

A driver is a software file that lets the computer know how to communicate with a peripheral device, in this case a printer. Printer drivers are provided by the manufacturer and can be downloaded online.

2. Answer: B

ERIC stands for Education Resources Information Center. It is an online, searchable database of educational information. Answer choice A, Encyclopedia Britannica, would not have in-depth educational research material. Answer choice C, OSHA, stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Answer choice D, CNN, is a television news channel.

3. Answer: A

In a peer-reviewed journal, every article must be reviewed by one or more experts in the field. Journals differ from magazines in that they are usually put out by an association, institution or society in order to publish information in a particular field of research. Answer choices B, C, and D are incorrect.

4. Answer: C

While all of the answers are ways to adapt computer technology for disabled people, only answer C is appropriate for someone who is visually impaired.

5. Answer: C

CIPA is mainly about keeping children from viewing pornography or explicit material online. Answer choice C, regarding the library, is incorrect, but in 2001 there was an American Library Association (ALA) suit challenging whether CIPA is constitutional or whether it violates the freedom of speech. The courts ruled that the First Amendment is not violated by this act. Answers A and D are incorrect.