Examiner's Eye
Play the role of the examiner. Read the student answers below and decide whether to award the mark. Avoid the common misconceptions!
Q: What is the difference between a LAN and a WAN?
"A LAN is a wireless connection, while a WAN uses cables."
Correct to Reject! This is a very common misconception. Both LANs and WANs can use both wires (copper/fibre) and wireless connections. The difference is purely geographical scale and ownership of the infrastructure.
Q: Define a Peer-to-Peer network.
"Networks that don't have a central server, making them much cheaper to set up because you don't need a server OS."
Spot on! Award the mark. Peer-to-Peer networks are decentralised and computers deal with their own local files, cutting the heavy costs of dedicated central server hardware.
Q: Explain the role of a Router and a Switch.
"A switch directs packets to different networks like the internet, while a router connects devices inside the same room."
Correctly Rejected! The student has completely flipped the definitions. A Switch connects devices together on a single LAN. A Router connects different networks (e.g. a LAN to a WAN).