The step-by-step instructions that tell the computer how to do its work is called a _____ program.

The step-by-step instructions that tell the computer how to do its work is called a _____ program.

• A. Software
• B. Hardware
• C. Firmware
• D. Middleware

Answer: (A)

Software are the step-by-step instructions that tell the computer what to do. These instructions come in the form of programs, from the operating system that manages resources to individual apps that perform specific tasks. The computer’s hardware executes these instructions, moving data, performing calculations, and controlling devices according to the software’s guidance. Hardware, on the other hand, is the physical stuff—the processor, memory, storage, and peripherals—that carries out the tasks dictated by software. Firmware is a specialized type of software stored directly in hardware, like BIOS or embedded controllers; it provides low-level control but isn’t the broad category that covers all the programs that tell the computer how to work. Middleware is software that helps different programs communicate or work together, not the basic set of instructions that run on the computer itself. So the best fit for “the step-by-step instructions that tell the computer how to do its work” is software.

Software are the step-by-step instructions that tell the computer what to do. These instructions come in the form of programs, from the operating system that manages resources to individual apps that perform specific tasks. The computer’s hardware executes these instructions, moving data, performing calculations, and controlling devices according to the software’s guidance.

Hardware, on the other hand, is the physical stuff—the processor, memory, storage, and peripherals—that carries out the tasks dictated by software. Firmware is a specialized type of software stored directly in hardware, like BIOS or embedded controllers; it provides low-level control but isn’t the broad category that covers all the programs that tell the computer how to work. Middleware is software that helps different programs communicate or work together, not the basic set of instructions that run on the computer itself.

So the best fit for “the step-by-step instructions that tell the computer how to do its work” is software.