What is a CD-ROM?

What is a CD-ROM?

• A. Disk that can store up to 680 MB of data; data can only be read from it.
• B. A hard disk drive
• C. A flash memory card
• D. A floppy disk

Answer: (A)

CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. It’s an optical disc that stores data which you can read with a laser, but you can’t normally write to it. Its typical capacity is about 650 MB, with some discs around 700 MB, so saying it can store up to roughly 680 MB and that the data can only be read matches this description. This differs from a hard disk drive, which uses magnetic storage and allows both reading and writing and usually holds far more data. A flash memory card uses solid‑state storage and is usually rewritable, not read-only. A floppy disk is an older magnetic storage format with much smaller capacity.

CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. It’s an optical disc that stores data which you can read with a laser, but you can’t normally write to it. Its typical capacity is about 650 MB, with some discs around 700 MB, so saying it can store up to roughly 680 MB and that the data can only be read matches this description. This differs from a hard disk drive, which uses magnetic storage and allows both reading and writing and usually holds far more data. A flash memory card uses solid‑state storage and is usually rewritable, not read-only. A floppy disk is an older magnetic storage format with much smaller capacity.