Computer Architecture MCQs with Answer
What is the purpose of the control unit in a CPU?
a) Perform arithmetic and logical operations
b) Manage input and output operations
c) Control the flow of instructions within the CPU
d) Store temporary data
Answer: c) Control the flow of instructions within the CPU
Which component of the CPU is responsible for storing temporary data during processing?
a) ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
b) Cache Memory
c) Control Unit
d) Registers
Answer: d) Registers
What does the term “clock speed” refer to in CPU specifications?
a) The number of cores in the CPU
b) The amount of cache memory
c) The frequency at which the CPU executes instructions
d) The size of the CPU die
Answer: c) The frequency at which the CPU executes instructions
Which of the following is NOT a type of CPU cache?
a) L1 Cache
b) RAM Cache
c) L2 Cache
d) L3 Cache
Answer: b) RAM Cache
What is the purpose of pipelining in CPU design?
a) Increase the clock speed of the CPU
b) Execute multiple instructions simultaneously
c) Reduce the number of transistors in the CPU
d) Improve the reliability of the CPU
Answer: b) Execute multiple instructions simultaneously
Which type of memory is directly accessed by the CPU for storing frequently used data?
a) RAM (Random Access Memory)
b) ROM (Read-Only Memory)
c) Cache Memory
d) Virtual Memory
Answer: c) Cache Memory
What is the function of the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) in a CPU?
a) Execute instructions stored in memory
b) Manage data transfer between CPU and I/O devices
c) Perform arithmetic and logical operations
d) Control the flow of instructions
Answer: c) Perform arithmetic and logical operations
Which of the following is NOT a component of the von Neumann architecture?
a) Control Unit
b) ALU
c) Cache Memory
d) Memory Unit
Answer: c) Cache Memory
What is the role of the memory management unit (MMU) in a computer system?
a) Execute instructions
b) Control input/output operations
c) Manage memory allocation and address translation
d) Maintain system clock synchronization
Answer: c) Manage memory allocation and address translation
What does the term “bit width” refer to in CPU architecture?
a) The number of bits that can be transferred between CPU and memory
b) The size of the CPU cache
c) The number of bits that can be processed by the CPU simultaneously
d) The frequency of the CPU clock
Answer: c) The number of bits that can be processed by the CPU simultaneously
Which type of instruction set architecture (ISA) allows instructions to operate on memory directly?
a) Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC)
b) Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC)
c) Hybrid Instruction Set Computing (HISC)
d) Advanced Instruction Set Computing (AISC)
Answer: a) Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC)
What is the purpose of the system bus in a computer system?
a) Transfer data between CPU and memory
b) Execute arithmetic operations
c) Manage system resources
d) Control the execution of instructions
Answer: a) Transfer data between CPU and memory
Which type of memory is non-volatile and retains its data even when the power is turned off?
a) RAM (Random Access Memory)
b) Cache Memory
c) ROM (Read-Only Memory)
d) Virtual Memory
Answer: c) ROM (Read-Only Memory)
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a Harvard architecture CPU?
a) Separate memory spaces for data and instructions
b) Simultaneous access to data and instructions
c) More complex instruction decoding
d) Higher instruction throughput
Answer: b) Simultaneous access to data and instructions
What is the purpose of the program counter (PC) in a CPU?
a) Store intermediate results of arithmetic operations
b) Hold the address of the next instruction to be executed
c) Manage data transfer between CPU and memory
d) Control the flow of instructions within the CPU
Answer: b) Hold the address of the next instruction to be executed
What does the term “instruction set architecture” (ISA) refer to?
a) The physical layout of the CPU components
b) The set of instructions that a CPU can execute
c) The speed at which instructions are executed
d) The size of the CPU cache
Answer: b) The set of instructions that a CPU can execute
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a CISC architecture?
a) Large instruction set
b) Complex instructions that perform multiple operations
c) Emphasis on simplicity and speed
d) Variable-length instructions
Answer: c) Emphasis on simplicity and speed
What is the purpose of the instruction decoder in a CPU?
a) Perform arithmetic and logical operations
b) Fetch instructions from memory
c) Translate instructions into signals for execution
d) Manage data transfer between CPU and I/O devices
Answer: c) Translate instructions into signals for execution
Which CPU component is responsible for fetching instructions from memory?
a) ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
b) Control Unit
c) Cache Memory
d) Memory Management Unit (MMU)
Answer: b) Control Unit
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of RISC architecture?
a) Simple instructions that perform basic operations
b) Fixed-length instructions
c) Emphasis on hardware complexity
d) High clock speeds
Answer: c) Emphasis on hardware complexity
What is the purpose of the instruction cache in a CPU?
a) Store frequently accessed instructions
b) Execute arithmetic and logical operations
c) Manage system clock synchronization
d) Control input and output operations
Answer: a) Store frequently accessed instructions
Which type of memory is used to hold the operating system and BIOS firmware?
a) RAM (Random Access Memory)
b) Cache Memory
c) ROM (Read-Only Memory)
d) Virtual Memory
Answer: c) ROM (Read-Only Memory)
What is the role of the data bus in a computer system?
a) Transfer instructions between CPU and memory
b) Control the execution of instructions
c) Transfer data between CPU and I/O devices
d) Manage memory allocation
Answer: c) Transfer data between CPU and I/O devices
What is the purpose of the instruction register (IR) in a CPU?
a) Hold the address of the next instruction to be executed
b) Store intermediate results of arithmetic operations
c) Store the current instruction being executed
d) Translate instructions into signals for execution
Answer: c) Store the current instruction being executed
Which of the following is NOT a function of the memory controller in a computer system?
a) Manage memory access
b) Control data transfer between CPU and memory
c) Execute arithmetic operations
d) Maintain memory integrity
Answer: c) Execute arithmetic operations
What is the purpose of the fetch-decode-execute cycle in CPU operation?
a) Perform arithmetic operations
b) Manage data transfer between CPU and memory
c) Control the flow of instructions within the CPU
d) Execute instructions stored in memory
Answer: d) Execute instructions stored in memory
Which component of the CPU is responsible for performing arithmetic operations?
a) Control Unit
b) Cache Memory
c) ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
d) Registers
Answer: c) ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
What is the purpose of the memory address register (MAR) in a CPU?
a) Hold the address of the next instruction to be executed
b) Store intermediate results of arithmetic operations
c) Store the current instruction being executed
d) Hold the address of the memory location to be accessed
Answer: d) Hold the address of the memory location to be accessed
Which of the following is a characteristic of a pipelined CPU?
a) Executes instructions sequentially
b) Executes multiple instructions simultaneously
c) Emphasizes hardware complexity
d) Uses a large instruction set
Answer: b) Executes multiple instructions simultaneously
What is the purpose of the write-back stage in the CPU pipeline?
a) Fetch instructions from memory
b) Store intermediate results of arithmetic operations
c) Execute arithmetic and logical operations
d) Control input and output operations
Answer: b) Store intermediate results of arithmetic operations
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a superscalar CPU?
a) Executes multiple instructions simultaneously
b) Uses multiple execution units
c) Emphasizes simplicity of instructions
d) Utilizes out-of-order execution
Answer: c) Emphasizes simplicity of instructions
What is the purpose of speculative execution in CPU design?
a) Improve memory access latency
b) Predict the outcome of branches to execute instructions in advance
c) Reduce power consumption
d) Increase clock speed
Answer: b) Predict the outcome of branches to execute instructions in advance
Which of the following is NOT a typical component of the CPU control unit?
a) Program Counter (PC)
b) Instruction Register (IR)
c) Memory Address Register (MAR)
d) Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
Answer: d) Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
What is the role of the write buffer in CPU architecture?
a) Store instructions for future execution
b) Manage data transfer between CPU and memory
c) Hold data temporarily during write operations
d) Control the flow of instructions within the CPU
Answer: c) Hold data temporarily during write operations
Which of the following is a characteristic of a vector processor?
a) Executes instructions sequentially
b) Performs scalar arithmetic operations
c) Emphasizes parallel processing of data
d) Uses a large instruction set
Answer: c) Emphasizes parallel processing of data
What is the purpose of branch prediction in CPU design?
a) Reduce cache misses
b) Improve memory access latency
c) Predict the outcome of conditional branches
d) Increase clock speed
Answer: c) Predict the outcome of conditional branches
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a multithreaded CPU?
a) Executes multiple threads simultaneously
b) Emphasizes parallel processing of instructions
c) Utilizes multiple cores
d) Executes instructions sequentially
Answer: d) Executes instructions sequentially
What is the purpose of the microcode in CPU architecture?
a) Translate high-level programming languages into machine code
b) Manage memory allocation and address translation
c) Control the operation of the CPU components
d) Execute arithmetic and logical operations
Answer: c) Control the operation of the CPU components
Which of the following is NOT a typical step in the execution stage of the CPU pipeline?
a) Fetch
b) Decode
c) Execute
d) Write-back
Answer: b) Decode
What is the role of the interrupt controller in CPU architecture?
a) Manage memory allocation
b) Control input/output operations
c) Handle external events and signals
d) Execute arithmetic operations
Answer: c) Handle external events and signals
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a Harvard architecture CPU?
a) Separate memory spaces for data and instructions
b) Simultaneous access to data and instructions
c) More complex instruction decoding
d) Higher instruction throughput
Answer: b) Simultaneous access to data and instructions
What is the purpose of the system bus in a computer system?
a) Transfer data between CPU and memory
b) Execute arithmetic operations
c) Manage system resources
d) Control the execution of instructions
Answer: a) Transfer data between CPU and memory
What is the role of the memory management unit (MMU) in a computer system?
a) Execute instructions
b) Control input/output operations
c) Manage memory allocation and address translation
d) Maintain system clock synchronization
Answer: c) Manage memory allocation and address translation
What is the purpose of the memory controller in a computer system?
a) Manage memory access
b) Control data transfer between CPU and memory
c) Execute arithmetic operations
d) Maintain memory integrity
Answer: a) Manage memory access
What is the purpose of the instruction decoder in a CPU?
a) Perform arithmetic and logical operations
b) Fetch instructions from memory
c) Translate instructions into signals for execution
d) Manage data transfer between CPU and I/O devices
Answer: c) Translate instructions into signals for execution
Which of the following is a characteristic of a pipelined CPU?
a) Executes instructions sequentially
b) Executes multiple instructions simultaneously
c) Emphasizes hardware complexity
d) Uses a large instruction set
Answer: b) Executes multiple instructions simultaneously
What is the purpose of the instruction cache in a CPU?
a) Store frequently accessed instructions
b) Execute arithmetic and logical operations
c) Manage system clock synchronization
d) Control input and output operations
Answer: a) Store frequently accessed instructions
Which of the following is NOT a function of the memory controller in a computer system?
a) Manage memory access
b) Control data transfer between CPU and memory
c) Execute arithmetic operations
d) Maintain memory integrity
Answer: c) Execute arithmetic operations
What is the purpose of the fetch-decode-execute cycle in CPU operation?
a) Perform arithmetic operations
b) Manage data transfer between CPU and memory
c) Control the flow of instructions within the CPU
d) Execute instructions stored in memory
Answer: d) Execute instructions stored in memory
Which CPU component is responsible for performing arithmetic operations?
a) Control Unit
b) Cache Memory
c) ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
d) Registers
Answer: c) ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)