Processor Structure and Function

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What is the primary function of the Control Unit in a processor?

Performing arithmetic and logical operations on data

Controlling the movement of data and instructions into and out of the processor (correct)

Fetching instructions from memory

Temporarily storing data during instruction execution

What is the purpose of the internal processor bus?

To perform arithmetic and logical operations

To transfer data between registers and the ALU (correct)

To connect the processor to the system bus

To control the flow of data in the processor

During the instruction cycle, what happens during the 'fetch data' stage?

The processor reads an instruction from memory

The processor reads data from memory or an I/O module (correct)

The instruction is decoded to determine the required action

The processor writes data to memory or an I/O module

What is the purpose of registers in a processor?

To temporarily store data during instruction execution Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) in a processor?

To perform arithmetic and logical operations on data Signup and view all the answers

What is the sequence of events during the instruction cycle?

Fetch instruction, interpret instruction, fetch data, process data, write data Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of user-visible registers in a processor?

To optimize the use of main memory Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the control unit in the processor?

To control the operation of the processor and execute programs Signup and view all the answers

What is the hierarchy of memory levels in a processor?

Registers, cache, main memory Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the program counter (PC) register?

To contain the address of an instruction to be fetched Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the condition codes in a processor?

To set flags based on the result of operations Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the Memory Address Register (MAR) in instruction execution?

To contain the address of a location in memory Signup and view all the answers

In the MC68000 microprocessor, how many address registers are available?

9 Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the status register in a microprocessor?

To indicate the status of the processor Signup and view all the answers

During the instruction cycle, what occurs in the indirect stage?

Memory accesses are performed Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the carry flag in a microprocessor?

To indicate a carry or borrow in arithmetic operations Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between the Intel 8086 and Intel 80386 microprocessors?

The 8086 is 16-bit, while the 80386 is 32-bit Signup and view all the answers

In what mode can certain privileged instructions be executed in a microprocessor?

Supervisor mode Signup and view all the answers