Which term refers to the collection of programs that instruct a computer's operations?

• A. Code
• B. Software
• C. Internet
• D. RAM

Answer: (B)

Software refers to the collection of programs that tell a computer what to do. It includes system software (like the operating system) and application software (like word processors, games, and browsers), as well as the data those programs use. The key distinction is that software is the assembled set of operable instructions and resources that run on the hardware, whereas code is the actual written instructions themselves. RAM is the computer’s temporary memory where active programs and data reside while they run, which is hardware, not the collection of programs. The internet is a network for connecting machines, not the set of programs that run on a computer. So software is the best term for the complete collection of programs that instruct a computer’s operations.