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Computer Architecture Quiz

Total questions: 93

Worksheet time: 47mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Computer technology is changing at a __________ pace.

a)

Slow

b)

Slow to medium

c)

Rapid

d)

Non-existent

2.

Computer _________ refers to those attributes that have a direct impact on the logical execution of a program.

a)

Organization

b)

Specifics

c)

Design

d)

Architecture

3.

Architectural attributes include __________ .

a)

I/O mechanisms

b)

Control signals

c)

Interfaces

d)

Memory technology used

4.

_________ attributes include hardware details transparent to the programmer.

a)

Interface

b)

Organizational

c)

Memory

d)

Architectural

5.

It is a(n) _________ design issue whether a computer will have a multiply instruction.

a)

Architectural

b)

Memory

c)

Elementary

d)

Organizational

6.

It is a(n) _________ issue whether the multiply instruction will be implemented by a special multiply unit or by a mechanism that makes repeated use of the add unit of the system.

a)

Architectural

b)

Memory

c)

Mechanical

d)

Organizational

7.

A __________ system is a set of interrelated subsystems.

a)

Secondary

b)

Hierarchical

c)

Complex

d)

Functional

8.

An I/O device is referred to as a __________.

a)

CPU

b)

Control device

c)

Peripheral

d)

Register

9.

When data are moved over longer distances, to or from a remote device, the process is known as __________.

a)

Data communications

b)

Registering

c)

Structuring

d)

Data transport

10.

The _________ stores data.

a)

System bus

b)

I/O

c)

Main memory

d)

Control unit

11.

The __________ moves data between the computer and its external environment.

a)

Data transport

b)

I/O

c)

Register

d)

CPU interconnection

12.

A common example of system interconnection is by means of a __________.

a)

Register

b)

System bus

c)

Data transport

d)

Control device

13.

A _________ is a mechanism that provides for communication among CPU, main memory, and I/O.

a)

System interconnection

b)

CPU interconnection

c)

Peripheral

d)

Processor

14.

_________ provide storage internal to the CPU.

a)

Control units

b)

ALUs

c)

Main memory

d)

Registers

15.

The __________ performs the computer's data processing functions.

a)

Register

b)

CPU interconnection

c)

ALU

d)

System bus

16.

The _________ was the world's first general-purpose electronic digital computer.

a)

UNIVAC

b)

MARK IV

c)

ENIAC

d)

Hollerith's Counting Machine

17.

The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer project was a response to U.S. needs during _________.

a)

The Civil War

b)

The French-American War

c)

World War I

d)

World War II

18.

The ENIAC used __________.

a)

Vacuum tubes

b)

Integrated circuits

c)

IAS

d)

Transistors

19.

The ENIAC is an example of a _________ generation computer.

a)

First

b)

Second

c)

Third

d)

Fourth

20.

The __________ interprets the instructions in memory and causes them to be executed.

a)

Main memory

b)

Control unit

c)

I/O

d)

Arithmetic and logic unit

21.

The memory of the IAS consists of 1000 storage locations called __________.

a)

Opcodes

b)

Wafers

c)

VLSIs

d)

Words

22.

The __________ contains the 8-bit opcode instruction being executed.

a)

Memory buffer register

b)

Instruction buffer register

c)

Instruction register

d)

Memory address register

23.

During the _________ the opcode of the next instruction is loaded into the IR and the address portion is loaded into the MAR.

a)

Execute cycle

b)

Fetch cycle

c)

Instruction cycle

d)

Clock cycle

24.

Second generation computers used __________.

a)

Integrated circuits

b)

Transistors

c)

Vacuum tubes

d)

Large-scale integration

25.

The __________ defines the third generation of computers.

a)

Integrated circuit

b)

Vacuum tube

c)

Transistor

d)

VLSI

26.

The use of multiple processors on the same chip is referred to as __________ and provides the potential to increase performance without increasing the clock rate.

a)

Multicore

b)

GPU

c)

Data channels

d)

MPC

27.

With the __________, Intel introduced the use of superscalar techniques that allow multiple instructions to execute in parallel.

a)

Core

b)

8080

c)

80486

d)

Pentium

28.

The __________ measures the ability of a computer to complete a single task.

a)

Clock speed

b)

Speed metric

c)

Execute cycle

d)

Cycle time

29.

ARM processors are designed to meet the needs of _________.

a)

Embedded real-time systems

b)

Application platforms

c)

Secure applications

d)

All of the above

30.

One increment, or pulse, of the system clock is referred to as a _________.

a)

Clock tick

b)

Cycle time

c)

Clock rate

d)

Cycle speed

31.

At a top level, a computer consists of CPU, memory, and I/O components.

a)

True

b)

False

32.

The basic function of a computer is to execute programs.

a)

True

b)

False

33.

Program execution consists of repeating the process of instruction fetch and instruction execution.

a)

True

b)

False

34.

Interrupts do not improve processing efficiency.

a)

True

b)

False

35.

An I/O module cannot exchange data directly with the processor.

a)

True

b)

False

36.

A key characteristic of a bus is that it is not a shared transmission medium.

a)

True

b)

False

37.

Interrupts do not improve processing efficiency.

a)

True

b)

False

38.

An I/O module cannot exchange data directly with the processor.

a)

True

b)

False

39.

A key characteristic of a bus is that it is not a shared transmission medium.

a)

True

b)

False

40.

Computer systems contain a number of different buses that provide pathways between components at various levels of the computer system hierarchy.

a)

True

b)

False

41.

In general, the more devices attached to the bus, the greater the bus length and hence the greater the propagation delay.

a)

True

b)

False

42.

It is not possible to connect I/O controllers directly onto the system bus.

a)

True

b)

False

43.

The method of using the same lines for multiple purposes is known as time multiplexing.

a)

True

b)

False

44.

Timing refers to the way in which events are coordinated on the bus.

a)

True

b)

False

45.

With asynchronous timing the occurrence of events on the bus is determined by a clock.

a)

True

b)

False

46.

Because all devices on a synchronous bus are tied to a fixed clock rate, the system cannot take advantage of advances in device performance.

a)

True

b)

False

47.

The unit of transfer at the link layer is a phit and the unit transfer at the physical layer is a flit.

a)

True

b)

False

48.

A key requirement for PCIe is high capacity to support the needs of higher data rate I/O devices such as Gigabit Ethernet.

a)

True

b)

False

49.

Virtually all contemporary computer designs are based on concepts developed by __________ at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton.

a)

John Maulchy

b)

John von Neumann

c)

Herman Hollerith

d)

John Eckert

50.

The von Neumann architecture is based on which concept?

a)

Data and instructions are stored in a single read-write memory

b)

The contents of this memory are addressable by location

c)

Execution occurs in a sequential fashion

d)

All of the above

51.

A sequence of codes or instructions is called __________.

a)

Software

b)

Memory

c)

An interconnect

d)

A register

52.

The processing required for a single instruction is called a(n) __________ cycle.

a)

Execute

b)

Fetch

c)

Instruction

d)

Packet

53.

A(n) _________ is generated by a failure such as power failure or memory parity error.

a)

I/O interrupt

b)

Hardware failure interrupt

c)

Timer interrupt

d)

Program interrupt

54.

A(n) _________ is generated by some condition that occurs as a result of an instruction execution.

a)

Timer interrupt

b)

I/O interrupt

c)

Program interrupt

d)

Hardware failure interrupt

55.

The interconnection structure must support which transfer?

a)

Memory to processor

b)

Processor to memory

c)

I/O to or from memory

d)

All of the above

56.

A bus that connects major computer components (processor, memory, I/O) is called a __________.

a)

System bus

b)

Address bus

c)

Data bus

d)

Control bus

57.

The __________ are used to designate the source or destination of the data on the data bus.

a)

System lines

b)

Data lines

c)

Control lines

d)

Address lines

58.

The data lines provide a path for moving data among system modules and are collectively called the _________.

a)

Control bus

b)

Address bus

c)

Data bus

d)

System bus

59.

A __________ is the high-level set of rules for exchanging packets of data between devices.

a)

Bus

b)

Protocol

c)

Packet

d)

QPI

60.

Each data path consists of a pair of wires (referred to as a __________) that transmits data one bit at a time.

a)

Lane

b)

Path

c)

Line

d)

Bus

61.

The _________ receives read and write requests from the software above the TL and creates request packets for transmission to a destination via the link layer.

a)

Transaction layer

b)

Root layer

c)

Configuration layer

d)

Transport layer

62.

The TL supports which of the following address spaces?

a)

Memory

b)

I/O

c)

Message

d)

All of the above

63.

The QPI _________ layer is used to determine the course that a packet will traverse across the available system interconnects.

a)

Link

b)

Protocol

c)

Routing

d)

Physical

64.

No single technology is optimal in satisfying the memory requirements for a computer system.

a)

True

b)

False

65.

A typical computer system is equipped with a hierarchy of memory subsystems, some internal to the system and some external.

a)

True

b)

False

66.

External memory is often equated with main memory.

a)

True

b)

False

67.

The processor requires its own local memory.

a)

True

b)

False

68.

Cache is not a form of internal memory.

a)

True

b)

False

69.

The unit of transfer must equal a word or an addressable unit.

a)

True

b)

False

70.

Both sequential access and direct access involve a shared read-write mechanism.

a)

True

b)

False

71.

In a volatile memory, information decays naturally or is lost when electrical power is switched off.

a)

True

b)

False

72.

To achieve greatest performance the memory must be able to keep up with the processor.

a)

True

b)

False

73.

Secondary memory is used to store program and data files and is usually visible to the programmer only in terms of individual bytes or words.

a)

True

b)

False

74.

The L1 cache is slower than the L3 cache.

a)

True

b)

False

75.

With write back updates are made only in the cache.

a)

True

b)

False

76.

It has become possible to have a cache on the same chip as the processor.

a)

True

b)

False

77.

All of the Pentium processors include two on-chip L1 caches, one for data and one for instructions.

a)

True

b)

False

78.

Cache design for HPC is the same as that for other hardware platforms and applications.

a)

True

b)

False

79.

__________ refers to whether memory is internal or external to the computer.

a)

Location

b)

Access

c)

Hierarchy

d)

Tag

80.

Internal memory capacity is typically expressed in terms of _________.

a)

Hertz

b)

Nanos

c)

Bytes

d)

LOR

81.

For internal memory, the __________ is equal to the number of electrical lines into and out of the memory module.

a)

Access time

b)

Unit of transfer

c)

Capacity

d)

Memory ratio

82.

"Memory is organized into records and access must be made in a specific linear sequence" is a description of __________.

a)

Sequential access

b)

Direct access

c)

Random access

d)

Associative

83.

individual blocks or records have a unique address based on physical location with __________.

a)

Associative

b)

Physical access

c)

Direct access

d)

Sequential access

84.

For random-access memory, __________ is the time from the instant that an address is presented to the memory to the instant that data have been stored or made available for use.

a)

Memory cycle time

b)

Direct access

c)

Transfer rate

d)

Access time

85.

The ________ consists of the access time plus any additional time required before a second access can commence.

a)

Latency

b)

Memory cycle time

c)

Direct access

d)

Transfer rate

86.

A portion of main memory used as a buffer to hold data temporarily that is to be read out to disk is referred to as a _________.

a)

Disk cache

b)

Latency

c)

Virtual address

d)

Miss

87.

A line includes a _________ that identifies which particular block is currently being stored.

a)

Cache

b)

Hit

c)

Tag

d)

Locality

88.

__________ is the simplest mapping technique and maps each block of main memory into only one possible cache line.

a)

Direct mapping

b)

Associative mapping

c)

Set associative mapping

d)

None of the above

89.

When using the __________ technique all write operations made to main memory are made to the cache as well.

a)

Write back

b)

LRU

c)

Write through

d)

Unified cache

90.

The key advantage of the __________ design is that it eliminates contention for the cache between the instruction fetch/decode unit and the execution unit.

a)

Logical cache

b)

Split cache

c)

Unified cache

d)

Physical cache

91.

The Pentium 4 _________ component executes micro-operations, fetching the required data from the L1 data cache and temporarily storing results in registers.

a)

Fetch/decode unit

b)

Out-of-order execution logic

c)

Execution unit

d)

Memory subsystem

92.

In reference to access time to a two-level memory, a _________ occurs if an accessed word is not found in the faster memory.

a)

Miss

b)

Hit

c)

Line

d)

Tag

93.

A logical cache stores data using __________.

a)

Physical addresses

b)

Virtual addresses

c)

Random addresses

d)

None of the above