MPPSC 2018 Prelims Q78: Which of the following is not an essential component,

Q: What is the answer to MPPSC 2018 Prelims Q78?

C. Correct — C, Telephone. Video conferencing needs to capture and show live video plus capture and play back sound. So the essential pieces are a video camera (captures your image), a display device (shows the other side's video), a microphone (captures your voice) — and a speaker plus a network connection. A telephone is not part of this set: it is a separate voice-only device and adds nothing a video-conferencing system needs. Hence it is the odd one out.

MPPSC 2018 Prelims Paper-I · Question 78 of 100

Verified against the official question paper. Answer as per the official MPPSC answer key.

Which of the following is not an essential component, required for video-conferencing system?

(a)Video camera
(b)Display device
(c)Telephone
(d)Microphone

Answer

Why

Correct — C, Telephone. Video conferencing needs to capture and show live video plus capture and play back sound. So the essential pieces are a video camera (captures your image), a display device (shows the other side's video), a microphone (captures your voice) — and a speaker plus a network connection. A telephone is not part of this set: it is a separate voice-only device and adds nothing a video-conferencing system needs. Hence it is the odd one out.

Why the others are wrong

(a)Video camera — Essential — it captures the live video of the participant, the core of a video call.
(b)Display device — Essential — a monitor/screen is needed to see the other participants' video.
(d)Microphone — Essential — it captures the participant's voice so the audio can be transmitted.

Concept

A video-conferencing system links people at different locations in real time with two-way audio and video. Its essential hardware is: a camera (video input), a microphone (audio input), a display/monitor (video output), a speaker (audio output), and a network/internet connection to carry the data. Software (a codec that compresses and decompresses the audio-video) ties it together.

Read the question carefully — it asks which item is NOT essential. Three options (camera, display, microphone) are input/output devices the system genuinely needs; the telephone is a stand-alone voice device that sits outside a video-conferencing setup.

Key facts

Essential inputs: video camera (image) and microphone (voice).
Essential outputs: display device (to see video) and speaker (to hear audio).
A network/internet connection carries the compressed audio-video stream.
A telephone is a separate voice-only device — not a component of a video-conferencing system.

Study next

Input vs output devicesCodecs and audio-video compressionBandwidth and network requirements for streamingVoIP and internet telephonyCollaboration platforms (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams)

Common traps

Assuming a telephone is needed because both involve talking
Overlooking the speaker and network connection, which are also essential

MPPSC asks 'which is/ is not a component' for common systems (video conferencing, computers, networks); UPSC leans toward the underlying concepts (codecs, bandwidth, VoIP).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
In a video-conferencing system, which device captures the participant's live image?
- (a)Video camera
- (b)Speaker
- (c)Printer
- (d)Scanner
Answer(a) Video camera.
practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following is essential to transmit the audio-video stream between two video-conferencing sites?
- (a)A network/internet connection
- (b)A photocopier
- (c)A barcode reader
- (d)A joystick
Answer(a) A network/internet connection.