Computer Architecture Quiz: Hardware Components

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Which module does the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) belong to?

I/O Peripherals

Data Path (correct)

Control Unit

Memory

In the compilation process, which stage is responsible for constructing a symbol table and abstract syntax tree?

Assembler

Backend

Linker

Syntax Analyzer (Parser) (correct)

What is the primary function of the linker in the compilation process?

Arranges the symbol table in memory

Performs syntax rules checking

Combines partial programs and libraries (correct)

Translates assembly language code

During the Fetch Stage of the instruction cycle, which hardware components are active?

Instruction Memory and Program Counter Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of a benchmark in computer systems?

To compare the performance of different computers Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the IO or Peripherals?

To act as an interface between the processor and the outside world Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary factor that contributes to propagation delay in digital circuits?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What component of the CPU is responsible for storing a small number of pieces of information?

Registers Signup and view all the answers

Which component of the CPU carries data between different components?

Interconnection Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the ALU?

To perform calculations and operations on data Signup and view all the answers

What component of the CPU stores a large number of pieces of information?

Memory Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the component that contains the ALU and Registers?

To coordinate the flow of information Signup and view all the answers

What is the 32-bit hexadecimal representation of the instruction 'divu $s4, $a3'?

0x02C7001B Signup and view all the answers

What is the maximum amount of memory that can be accessed in the MIPS architecture?

Up to 4GB Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the 'nor' instruction in MIPS?

To perform a bitwise NOR operation Signup and view all the answers

What instruction should be used to implement an 'if (a!=b)' decision in assembly?

bne Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the 'addi' instruction in MIPS?

To add an immediate value to a register Signup and view all the answers

What register is automatically updated by the 'jal' instruction in MIPS?

$ra Signup and view all the answers

What is the number of symbols used in the decimal number system?

10 Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct binary representation of the decimal value 35 in 8-bit 2's complement format?

00100011 Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct hexadecimal representation of the binary value 0000101011111100 using 4 hex places?

0x0AFC Signup and view all the answers

What indicates an even number in the two's complement representation?

The least significant bit is 0 Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of the binary addition 00000011 + 00101011 in 8-bit 2's complement format?

00101110 Signup and view all the answers

What is the decimal representation of the 2's complement value 11011100?

-24 Signup and view all the answers

What is the 2's complement representation of the decimal value -32 using 8 bits?

11001000 Signup and view all the answers

What is the decimal representation of the 2's complement value 11101111?

-1 Signup and view all the answers

What is the most significant byte of a multi-byte datatype stored in a big-endian system?

At a higher address than the least significant byte Signup and view all the answers

What exception will occur if a variable of type unsigned short stores a value of 65535 and is incremented?

Overflow Signup and view all the answers

Which register is read from as the instruction `subu $t1, $v1, $t3` is executed?

$v1 Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the `sra` instruction?

To perform arithmetic right shift Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of increasing instruction count?

Increased throughput Signup and view all the answers

What is the reason a load instruction can cause a stall?

The memory read operation takes too long Signup and view all the answers

Can forwarding alone resolve all hazards in the given code?

False, due to dependencies between instructions Signup and view all the answers

What is the description of a 1-bit history table branch prediction?

A history table is used to store a single bit, mapped to the branch instruction address Signup and view all the answers

What is required to implement a pipelined design in a single-cycle processor?

All of the above options Signup and view all the answers

What type of memory technology is typically used for main system memory?

DRAM Signup and view all the answers

What type of memory should be placed close to the CPU in a memory hierarchy design?

SRAM Signup and view all the answers

Which type of memory is the cheapest?

Disk Signup and view all the answers

What type of locality is a level 1 cache focused on supporting?

Temporal Locality Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of an architecture that executes one instruction on many sets of data at a time?

SIMD Signup and view all the answers