Which statement best describes a dumb terminal?

• A. A display monitor and keyboard, with no processing capabilities.
• B. A computer with CPU and memory.
• C. A tablet connected to network.
• D. A display with built-in processor.

Answer: (A)

A dumb terminal is an input/output device that has no processing power of its own; all computing happens on a central host. It consists of just a display and a keyboard that send keystrokes to the host and show the host’s screen updates. That separation—terminal I/O without local CPU or memory—defines it. The option describing a display monitor and keyboard with no processing capabilities fits this exactly, since there’s no local computation happening. The other options point to devices with their own CPUs or processing features (a PC with CPU and memory, a tablet, or a display with a built-in processor), which means they’re not dumb terminals.