Parsons Problems

Drag and drop steps into the correct order

How to Solve Parsons Problems

The steps for each process are shown in the wrong order. Drag them into the correct sequence. This helps you understand the decision-making process for compression.

Problem 1: Deciding Which Compression to Use

Order these steps to decide between lossy and lossless compression for a file.

If data must be exact, choose lossless (ZIP, PNG, FLAC)

Identify what type of file needs to be compressed

If quality loss is acceptable, choose lossy (JPEG, MP3, MP4)

Ask: "Can this file lose any data without problems?"

Drop steps here in order:

Problem 2: How Lossless Compression Works

Order these steps to explain the lossless compression process.

When decompressed, original data is perfectly restored

Find patterns and repeated data in the file

No information is lost - perfect for text, code, and software

Analyse the original file data

Replace repeated sections with shorter references

Drop steps here in order:

Problem 3: How Lossy Compression Works

Order these steps to explain the lossy compression process.

Permanently remove the less important data

Analyse the file to find data humans won't notice

Result: Much smaller file with acceptable quality

Store the remaining data using efficient encoding

Identify frequencies/colours/details that are less important

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Problem 4: Compressing a Software Download

Order the steps to correctly compress software for distribution.

Use lossless compression (ZIP or 7z format)

User extracts files - software works perfectly

Recognise that code must be bit-perfect to work

Distribute compressed file for download

Gather all program files that need to be distributed

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Problem 5: Calculate Compressed File Size

Order the steps to calculate a compressed file size.

Calculate: Compressed size = Original × Remaining percentage

Identify the compression ratio (e.g., 80% reduction)

Note the original file size (e.g., 100 MB)

Example: 100 MB × 0.2 = 20 MB compressed

Calculate remaining: 100% - 80% = 20% remains

Drop steps here in order:

Problem 6: Avoiding Generation Loss

Order the steps for the correct workflow when editing photos.

This prevents quality degradation from multiple saves

Edit using a lossless format (PNG, TIFF, PSD)

Only export to JPEG once, as the final step

Keep the original file as a backup

Save working copies in lossless format throughout editing

Drop steps here in order:

Problem 7: Optimize Website Images

Order the steps to optimize images for a slow-loading website.

Images viewed on web don't need maximum quality

Result: Page loads 10× faster with minimal quality difference

Identify that large images are causing slow loading

Convert to JPEG at 80-85% quality (lossy compression)

Drop steps here in order:

Problem 8: Comparing Lossy and Lossless

Order these facts to explain the key differences between lossy and lossless compression.

Lossy achieves much higher compression (80-95%)

Lossless preserves all original data perfectly

Choose based on: Is exact data or small file size more important?

Compression reduces file size by encoding data efficiently

Lossy permanently removes data humans won't notice

Drop steps here in order:

Your Progress

Problem 1: Not attempted

Problem 2: Not attempted

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Problem 8: Not attempted

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