INSTRUCTION SHEET, DAY 1, MAY 27, 2004:
2004 Ph.D. Core Exam
MIS Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
May 27, 2004
Venue: Room 214, McClelland Hall
Time: 9AM—12:30 PM
INSTRUCTIONS: (Please read carefully before you begin the exam)
1. Please arrive at 8:30 a.m. on May 27 and May 28 so that the exam can begin promptly at
9:00 a.m. The exam will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. and end promptly at 12:30 p.m. No
extensions are allowed.
2. This exam consists of 12 questions; 6 questions on each day. You are required to answer
all 12 questions. Please allocate roughly 30 minutes per question.
3. Each question is worth 100 points. Some questions do not have the points breakdown.
Answer accordingly using your judgment.
4. For each question, state your assumptions clearly.
5. Please make sure that you start each new question on a new page.
6. At the top of each question that you answer, please identify two things:


The number of the question that you are answering and
The code name given to you at the beginning of the exam. Do not write your real
name anywhere on the exam, only your code name.
7. Please make two (2) diskette copies of the files containing your answers. Please turn in
both diskettes and the exam questions, to the proctor at the end of the exam.
8. You are allowed to take a restroom or lunch break only if no one else is already taking one.
You should get the proctor’s consent before taking a break, and also inform him as soon as
you return from your break.
9. Please make sure that you save your answers periodically.
ensure that you do not lose work.
It is your responsibility to
10. The exam is CLOSED BOOK. Accessing the web on the computer is NOT allowed and will
be severely penalized.
11. Some questions have multiple parts. Make sure you answer all of them and number them
properly.
12. You have been provided with MSWORD and POWERPOINT.
GOOD LUCK!!!
INSTRUCTION SHEET, DAY 2, MAY 28, 2004:
2004 Ph.D. Core Exam
MIS Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
May 28, 2004
Venue: Room 214, McClelland Hall
Time: 9AM—12:30 PM
INSTRUCTIONS: (Please read them carefully before you begin the exam)
1. Please arrive at 8:30 a.m. on May 27 and May 28 so that the exam can begin promptly at
9:00 a.m. The exam will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. and end promptly at 12:30 p.m. No
extensions are allowed.
2. This exam consists of 12 questions; 6 questions on each day. You are required to answer
all 12 questions. Please allocate roughly 30 minutes per question.
3. Each question is worth 100 points. Some questions do not have the points breakdown.
Answer accordingly using your judgment.
4. For each question, state your assumptions clearly.
5. Please make sure that you start each new question on a new page.
6. At the top of each question that you answer, please identify two things:


The number of the question that you are answering and
The code name given to you at the beginning of the exam. Do not write your real
name anywhere on the exam, only your code name.
7. Please make two (2) diskette copies of the files containing your answers. Please turn in
both diskettes and the exam questions, to the proctor at the end of the exam.
8. You are allowed to take a restroom or lunch break only if no one else is already taking one.
You should get the proctor’s consent before taking a break, and also inform him as soon as
you return from your break.
9. Please make sure that you save your answers periodically.
ensure that you do not lose work.
It is your responsibility to
10. The exam is CLOSED BOOK. Accessing the web on the computer is NOT allowed and will
be severely penalized.
11. Some questions have multiple parts. Make sure you answer all of them and number them
properly.
12. You have been provided with MSWORD and POWERPOINT.
GOOD LUCK!!!
Question 1. MIS 531A
Instructor: (Purdin)
Many modern programming languages provide three levels of available data structures.
They all include a set of basic built-in types, such as integers, characters, and references
(pointers). In addition, each language provides its own set of pre-fabricated, complex data
structures. For example, Java includes the following hierarchy of available
structures.
Perl has hashes. Python provides tuples and dictionaries Beyond this, these languages
allow for the creation and use of extended libraries. Java, for example, supplies libraries of
data structures that include such things as queues heaps and graphs .
Assume that one of the languages mentioned above (or a similar language) has been
been chosen to complete a software project. Decisions must be made about whether to
use only built-in data structures, to use available data structure libraries, or to use the
languages facilities to construct a local, proprietary data structure library. Discuss the
implications of each of these choices. Identify the trade-offs. Consider the maintenance
implications. How would the selection of a non-objective language, such as C, affect these
deliberations?
Question 1. MIS 531A
Instructor: (Chen)
1. Graphs Searching: (100 points)
In the following graph, nodes are represented as alphabets and links contain costs.
7
2 5
A ---- B ---R ---K
4/
3/ /6
/
/ /
E ---- F ---P
5
4




Please perform a Depth-First-Search (DFS) to find all paths from K to E. Please draw a
tree to show your process. (20 points)
Please perform a branch-and-bound search to find the optimal (minimum) path from K
to E. Please draw a tree to show your process. (20 points)
What are the similarities and differences between branch-and-bound search, hill
climbing, and genetic algorithms-based search? (30 points)
Please describe a Web application that can utilize graph search algorithms. Please
present the application, selection of algorithm, system design, and expected output. (30
points)
Question 2. MIS 531A
Instructor: (Purdin)
Data encapsulation abstract data types and generic abstract data types are important
issues in software development. Discuss what each of these is, why it is important, and
how they are related. Discuss the relationship of these concepts to object-oriented
programming languages and object-oriented program design.
Question 2. MIS 531A
Instructor: (Chen)
Data/Web Mining: (100 points)
 Please summarize the major steps/phases in constructing a
Feedforward/Backpropagation (FF/BP) neural network. (30 points)
 What are the positive and negative effects of learning rate and momentum terms for
FF/BP neural networks? (20 points)
 Please present a business application that you could use FF/BP for data mining.
Describe the business problem, problem representation, FF/BP system design, and
expected result. (30 points)
 What are the similarities and differences between data mining and web mining? (20
points)
Question 3. MIS 531B
Each question is worth 100 points and will take no more than ½ hour to answer.
In relational databases there are two major integrity rules: Entity Integrity and
Referential Integrity. (a) Define these two rules clearly. (b) Why are these two rules
important? (c) Create an example of a relational schema with at least three tables.
Clearly explain the practical implications of the two rules using your schema. (d) How
can these two rules be enforced using Oracle?
Question 4. MIS 531B
Each question is worth 100 points and will take no more than ½ hour to answer.
Modern relational database systems allow the creation and maintenance of Views. (a)
What are views? (b) How are they different from Base tables (c) What is the purpose of
views – Give examples to explain the reasons views are created. (d) What are some
limitations of views? Give examples to explain your answer.
Question 5. MIS 507B
Part 1.
Consider a packet arriving at a router in today’s Internet.
Define the following quantities:
Let R be the link bandwidth in bits per second.
Let L be the packet length in bits.
Let s be the propagation speed in the medium, in bits per second.
Let d be the distance of the link in cm between this router and the next one.
When do packets queue in router buffers?
When packet arrival rate exceeds output link capacity
What are the four sources of packet delay? For each source, write briefly about what is
occurring that causes the delay, or what the delay is dependent on at that step. In two of
the categories, use a mathematical expression using the variables we defined above to
quantify the delay for those categories. In the other two categories, just describe the delay
verbally.
Part 2. Consider today’s Internet in the USA. Describe and diagram the tier structure in
today’s Internet. Would you call it hierarchical? What type of ISP is at the center? Name
a company positioned at the center. How do the ISPs at the center interconnect? What
other types of ISPs are there? Who is a customer of whom?
Question 6. MIS 507B
Part 1.
In today’s Internet, what is an Internet network protocol? In your answer, include the term
“peer processes” and explain what that term means. What do the protocols define?
Include and explain in your answer: syntax, semantics, and rules.
Part 2.
Explain the flow of events in HTTP in the communication between a web client and a web
server. Start from when a client wants to communicate to a server. Include in your answer
TCP and Socket. What port is normally accessed on the server?
What does it mean to say HTTP is stateless?
What is an RTT?
How many RTTs do you need per object in non-persistent HTTP?
Explain how persistent HTTP differs from non-persistent HTTP. Why does persistent
HTTP cut down on the number of RTTs needed?
Make sure to consider persistent HTTP with and without pipelining. How many RTTs do
you need in these two types of persistent HTTP? In your answer, assume the client has
asked for a web HTML page with the GET method and that web page contains a number
of referenced objects, let’s say GIF images.
Question 7. MIS 696A
Define and Describe a Dissertation Topic:
a. (25 pts.) Describe a research problem (In 500 words or less) for your dissertation
topic.
b. (25 pts.) Create a figure or chart that is a good representative of the dissertation.
c. (25 pts.) Identify two papers that are key building blocks for the dissertation.
d. (25 pts.) Explain how you would evaluate the topic of interest in your dissertation.
Describe the methodology you would use in the evaluation.
Question 8. MIS 696A
a. (40 pts.) In the process of analyzing data from an experiment, a questionnaire and
an interview, what can you do to increase the likelihood that you will interpret the
data in an unbiased way? Give a list of 4 examples and explain each thoroughly.
b. (20 pts.) Describe and define the field of MIS. In general terms, what are the
distinguishing characteristics between an MIS program and a Computer Science
program?
c. (40 pts.) Describe the evolution of the research/academic field of MIS from the
1960s to the present times. Describe key developments that shaped the field of
MIS and the key contributors.
Question 9. MIS 611B
Assume you have just been given an opportunity to do a case study to answer some
research questions you have.
a) Give 3 examples of different kinds of qualitative research methods. (10 pts)
b) Briefly describe your case study. Consider this a general, initial focus for your
case study. This focus should consist of: (35 pts)




Your research question(s)?
A setting, such as faculty offices, poolrooms, bingo parlor, help desk, etc.
A phenomenon in which you are interested, such as the culture of
computer scientists, online community, driving, social control, or people’s
adaptation to new technology. (These are just examples.)
When you choose a setting or phenomenon you wish to study, you also
make an initial cut at defining comparisons you wish to make. For example,
in Sutton and Rafaeli’s study of convenient store workers, they looked at
busy and slow stores. Comparisons can help greatly in understanding a
setting or phenomenon.
c) What kind of sample would you select for your study and why? (10 pts)
d) Describe how you would go about building a theory using case study? What
steps would you take to ensure that your research is of high quality? (35 pts)
e) What are the strengths and weaknesses of doing case research? (10 pts)
Question 10. MIS 611B
In class, we discussed how values play an important role in science, and what makes
social science research “scientific.”
a) Define the word “values” in terms of the role that they play in influencing the
process of scientific investigation. (10 pts)
b) Most people think that research in the physical and life sciences are more valuefree than others. Why do you think this is the case? In answering this question
identify and describe the essential differences between research in the physical
sciences and social sciences. Provide an example of how real research in the
physical and life sciences are influenced by values and social context. (45 pts)
c) Describe the major features of the scientific method of investigation. Distinguish
between scientific and casual observation. (20 pts)
d) Describe the major components of a scientific theory of social behavior. Name
three important properties or features of a productive scientific theory. (25 pts)
Question 11. MIS 541A
The following diagrams developed during requirements analysis describe a simple Home
Loan Processing business process that is to be supported by an online system. The table
below describes the tasks and their underlying semantics, the input and out put data and
the different agent who executes the tasks. In Figure 1, a basic DFD is provided. The ovals
denote processes that execute the appropriate tasks. Data flows are not completely
labeled. In Figure 2, an activity diagram is provided illustrating the task execution
sequence. In Figure 3, a class diagram relating the key classes is provided. In Figure 4, a
state transition diagram from the perspective of the lifecycle of a LOANAPP object is
provided (for one customer). (NOTE ALLTHE FIGURES ARE NOT COMPLETE;
HOWEVER THE BASIC IDEA BEHIND THE PROCESS IS PROVIDED). If needed make
assumptions as necessary.
Note that in Figure 4, all arcs do not have the conditions/events labeled. You can fill them
in as you interpret the Figures for your reference.
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
a. Identify three key differences between Figure 1 and Figure 2 as to the semantics of the
diagrams. (20)
b. What is the relationship between the Classes in Figure 3 and the tasks in the Table?
How would you relate the two? (20)
c. What is being communicated by the STD in Figure 4? Where is the equivalent
information available in the other figures? (30)
d. During conventional requirements analysis, when is it preferable to use Activity
diagrams versus Sequence diagrams versus Usecase diagrams. Suggest an example
of each in the context of the HomeLoan Process. (30)
Question 12. MIS 541A
When the Online Mortgage Application system is in production, many customers may
access the system concurrently. To provide for efficient scheduling of the different tasks,
the requirements engineering team is also asked develop the requirements for a very
simplistic Task Scheduler. The task scheduler routes the tasks in the process to
appropriate agents and then back.
What additional entities – namely, data, process and control- would you add to the above
diagrams? What additional issues may one need to consider regarding the same? Outline
a solution. (You need not draw diagrams but describe the same in words if that is more
effective.) Keep your answers to the minimum of 2 pages. (100)