Entry Diagnostic
Use a blank note and a disposable practice folder. Attempt each item before consulting the key. Mark independent, with help, or not yet; a correct answer copied from a solution is not independent evidence. A screen reader, voice input or enlarged text does not count as conceptual help.
A. Computer basics
A1. Create launchpad-practice with a notes subfolder. Save a plain-text session.txt containing two sentences inside notes. Close and reopen it; show the actual filename and extension.
A2. Starting from launchpad-practice, locate notes/session.txt. Starting from the folder containing launchpad-practice (one level above it), explain why the same relative path no longer identifies the same file. Show the full path without publishing your personal username.
A3. Copy session.txt to session-backup.txt. Change only the copy, then show that the original is unchanged. Explain how a copy differs from a shortcut or alias.
A4. Explain the difference between a browser, a text editor and a terminal. Save a deliberate edit, reopen the file, and demonstrate where the edit appears. You may use the graphical interface for these tasks.
B. Arithmetic and units
B1. Three sessions last 25, 15 and 20 minutes. Find their total and average, naming the unit of each answer.
B2. You finish 3 of 12 exercises. Express completion as a fraction in simplest form, a decimal and a percentage.
B3. Convert 1.5 hours to minutes. A file is 2,400 bytes and contains records of 300 bytes each; how many complete records fit? State the units that cancel.
B4. Evaluate 3 + 2 × 4, (3 + 2) × 4, and 2^5 in ordinary mathematical notation. Explain the difference between multiplication and exponentiation. Do not use Python syntax to interpret ^ here.
C. Algebra: needed before Semester 01
C1. Solve 3x + 5 = 20, showing the same operation on both sides.
C2. For f(n) = 2n + 3, calculate f(4) and explain what the input and output mean.
C3. A task costs T(n) = 5 + 2n milliseconds. Find T(0) and T(10). Identify the fixed cost and cost per item.
C4. Solve 2x + 1 ≤ 9, then test one allowed and one disallowed value. Explain why testing just one allowed value is not the full solution.
D. Technical reading and help
D1. Read this complete local specification: “A duration is a whole number from 1 through 240 inclusive. Blank input means no sessions; an empty field inside comma-separated input is invalid.” Predict the status of 1, 240, 0, a blank line and 10,. Explain which words justify your decisions.
D2. Open the Missing Semester shell introduction. Read only the “Navigating in the shell” section and locate the explanation of current working directory. This is a documentation-lookup exercise: no full lecture, new tool installation or shell mastery is required. You may check the path claim using your file manager and the A1 folder. Write the page title, URL, one claim in your own words and a way to check that claim locally. Lookup is expected here; copying a command without explanation does not complete the task.
D3. Rewrite “It does not work” as a useful request for help. Use a fictional example and include the goal, environment, exact steps, expected result, observed result and one attempt to isolate the problem. Finish with a specific question. Do not include passwords or personal file paths.
Now use the answer key, choose repairs and complete the record. Keep wrong answers so your later comparison is meaningful.