Week 1 — Quiz (auto-graded) · Intro to Computing & Computational Thinking

Introduction to Computer Science · CSCI 1101 Fall 2026 · Prof. Okafor Fictional sample

Course: Introduction to Computer Science — CS1 / Programming Fundamentals in Python (CSCI 1101) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Okafor
Objective tested: Objective 1 — computational thinking; writing & running a first program; tracing print output; reading errors.
Points: 10 (1 each) · Assignment group: Quizzes (10% of grade) · Due: end of Module 1.

This is the human-readable quiz with its vetted answer key and feedback. The import-ready Classic QTI is in F-quiz-week-01-qti.xml (generated by the shared validated script — parses with 10 items, every single-answer item exactly one correct). Execution gate: PASS — every "what does this print?" key below was produced by actually running the code in Python, not hand-traced. The Canvas placement block is at the bottom of this file.

Blueprint

#	Type	Concept	Objective
1	Multiple choice	What a program / algorithm is (computational thinking)	1
2	Multiple choice	Programs run top-to-bottom (predict output order)	1
3	Multiple choice	Predict the output — operator precedence (`2 + 3 * 4`)	1
4	Multiple choice	Predict the output — string join vs. add (`"2" + "3"`)	1
5	Multiple answer	True statements about `print`, strings, and running code	1
6	Matching	Term → meaning (algorithm / string / comment / NameError)	1
7	Multiple choice	Debugging — `Print("hello")` (case sensitivity)	1
8	True / False	"`print` and `Print` are the same" misconception	1
9	Multiple choice	Predict the output — `print` with commas	1
10	Multiple choice	Reading an error — missing `)` is a SyntaxError	1

No trick questions; distractors are plausible mis-traces (left-to-right arithmetic, string-vs-number confusion, wrong error type).

Questions, key, and feedback

Q1 (MC). In programming, an algorithm is best described as —
- A. a programming language like Python
- B. a step-by-step plan for solving a problem ✅
- C. an error message the computer displays
- D. a piece of computer hardware
Feedback: An algorithm is the step-by-step plan for solving a problem, independent of any language. Writing that plan in Python (or any language) is coding. (A is a language; C is an error; D is hardware.)

Q2 (MC). What does this program display?

print("first")
print("second")

A. second then first
B. first then second (on two lines) ✅
C. first second on one line
D. firstsecond
Feedback: A program runs its statements top to bottom, and each print puts its text on its own line. So you get first, then second. (Order matters — the computer does exactly what you wrote, in order.)

Q3 (MC). What does this program print?

print(2 + 3 * 4)

A. 20
B. 14 ✅
C. 24
D. 9
Feedback: Operator precedence: multiplication happens before addition, so 3 * 4 = 12, then 2 + 12 = 14 — not left-to-right (which would wrongly give 20). (Run-verified: the program prints 14.)

Q4 (MC). What does this program print?

print("2" + "3")

A. 5
B. 23 ✅
C. 2 + 3
D. an error
Feedback: The quotes make these strings, and + joins strings instead of adding them, so "2" + "3" is "23". (Without quotes, print(2 + 3) would print 5. The quotes change the meaning. Run-verified: 23.)

Q5 (Multiple answer — select all that apply). Which of the following statements are true?
- A. print() displays text on the screen ✅
- B. A program runs its statements from top to bottom ✅
- C. print(2 + 3) displays 23
- D. Text inside quotation marks is called a string ✅
- E. Python ignores capitalization, so Print and print both work
Feedback: print displays output (A), programs run top-to-bottom (B), and quoted text is a string (D). C is false — print(2 + 3) prints 5 (numbers add). E is false — Python is case-sensitive, so Print is not the command.

Q6 (Matching). Match each term to its meaning.
| Term | Correct meaning |
|---|---|
| Algorithm | A step-by-step plan for solving a problem |
| String | Text inside quotation marks |
| Comment | A note after # that Python ignores |
| NameError | Using a name Python doesn't recognize (e.g., a forgotten quote) |
Feedback: An algorithm is the plan; a string is quoted text; a comment (#) is a note for humans that Python skips; a NameError happens when you use a name Python doesn't know (often a forgotten pair of quotes).

Q7 (MC). This program does not run:

Print("hello")

What is wrong, and how do you fix it?
- A. Nothing is wrong; it prints hello
- B. Print is capitalized; Python is case-sensitive, so use lowercase print ✅
- C. The quotation marks are wrong; remove them
- D. You must add a semicolon at the end
Feedback: Python is case-sensitive — only lowercase print is the built-in command, so Print("hello") raises NameError: name 'Print' is not defined. The fix is print("hello"). (Removing the quotes (C) would cause a different error; Python doesn't need semicolons (D).)

Q8 (True / False). "In Python, print and Print mean the same thing."
- True
- False ✅
Feedback: False. Python is case-sensitive: print is the built-in command, but Print is an unknown name (it raises a NameError). Capitalization matters everywhere in Python.

Q9 (MC). What does this program print?

print("CS", "is", "fun")

A. CSisfun
B. CS is fun ✅
C. "CS", "is", "fun"
D. CS,is,fun
Feedback: When you give print several values separated by commas, it displays them with a single space between each, so you get CS is fun. (The quotes aren't printed, and the commas become spaces, not commas. Run-verified: CS is fun.)

Q10 (MC). You run this line:

print("hi"

Python refuses to run it and reports an error. What type of error is this?
- A. a NameError, because hi is undefined
- B. a SyntaxError, because the closing parenthesis ) is missing ✅
- C. no error; it prints hi
- D. a TypeError, because strings can't be printed
Feedback: A missing ) breaks Python's grammar, so Python reports a SyntaxError ('(' was never closed) and won't run any of the code. The fix is to add the ). (A NameError is for unknown names — not the issue here; strings print fine.)

Answer key (quick reference)

Q	Answer
1	B
2	B
3	B (`14`)
4	B (`23`)
5	A, B, D
6	Algorithm→plan / String→quoted text / Comment→note after # / NameError→unknown name
7	B
8	False
9	B (`CS is fun`)
10	B (SyntaxError)

Quality gate (self-checked): each single-answer item has exactly one correct option; the multiple-answer item keys A, B, D (and requires C and E unselected); the matching item pairs four terms to four distinct meanings. Execution gate: PASS — the keys for the predict-the-output items (Q2 first/second; Q3 14; Q4 23; Q9 CS is fun) and the error items (Q7 NameError; Q10 SyntaxError) were each produced by running the code in Python, not hand-traced. Distractors are plausible mis-traces (Q3 20 = left-to-right; Q4 5 = treating strings as numbers).

Item-bank entries (for variants + the midterm/final)

All ten items are tagged course=CSCI1101 · week=1 · objective=1 · topic=computational-thinking-and-first-program and deposited in Item Bank: Week 1 — Intro to Computing. The midterm (Week 8) and the per-term variant updates draw fresh items from this bank. (Tags: q1 algorithm, q2 top-to-bottom, q3 precedence, q4 string-join, q5 true-statements, q6 vocab-match, q7 debug-case, q8 case-sensitive, q9 print-commas, q10 syntaxerror.)

Canvas placement block

canvas_object   = Quizzes::Quiz
title           = "Week 1 Quiz — Intro to Computing & Computational Thinking"
assignment_group = "Quizzes"
points_possible = 10
grading_type    = points
due_offset_days = 6        # 6 days after module start
published       = true
shuffle_answers = true
ai_permitted    = false    # AI is not permitted on quizzes
provenance      = "~ Prof. Okafor's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"

This is the human-readable quiz with its vetted answer key and rationale. The import-ready Classic-QTI version (F-quiz-week-01-qti.xml) ships inside the course's .imscc package — it lands in the Canvas gradebook on import.

~ Prof. Okafor's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com