Which of the following are considered secondary storage devices?

Which of the following are considered secondary storage devices?

• A. RAM modules
• B. Hard disk, solid state storage, and optical disc
• C. CPU
• D. Monitor

Answer: (B)

Secondary storage comprises non-volatile devices that keep data even when the computer is powered off, providing long-term storage. Hard disks, solid-state storage, and optical discs fit this description because they hold the operating system, applications, and files for extended periods and retain them without power. They typically offer larger capacity than memory and are slower to access, but they’re designed to preserve data between sessions. In contrast, RAM modules are primary storage: fast, directly accessible by the CPU, but volatile and lose data when power is off. The CPU is the processor, not a storage device, and a monitor is an output display. So the items listed as hard disk, solid-state storage, and optical discs are secondary storage devices.

Secondary storage comprises non-volatile devices that keep data even when the computer is powered off, providing long-term storage. Hard disks, solid-state storage, and optical discs fit this description because they hold the operating system, applications, and files for extended periods and retain them without power. They typically offer larger capacity than memory and are slower to access, but they’re designed to preserve data between sessions. In contrast, RAM modules are primary storage: fast, directly accessible by the CPU, but volatile and lose data when power is off. The CPU is the processor, not a storage device, and a monitor is an output display. So the items listed as hard disk, solid-state storage, and optical discs are secondary storage devices.