Computer Architecture Quizzes: Test Your Understanding

Question 1

Which component is NOT part of the von Neumann model?

Accepted Answer

Operating system

Answer

Central processing unit (CPU)

Answer

Memory

Answer

Input/output (I/O) devices

Question 2

In the memory hierarchy, which level typically offers the fastest access and smallest capacity?

Accepted Answer

Cache memory

Answer

Main memory

Answer

Secondary storage

Answer

Tertiary storage

Question 3

A pipeline in a microprocessor aims to:

Accepted Answer

Enhance the execution of multiple instructions concurrently

Answer

Reduce the operational frequency of the CPU

Answer

Minimize the power consumption of the chip

Answer

Improve system reliability

Question 4

Which benefit is associated with using a virtual memory system?

Accepted Answer

Programs can access more memory than physically available

Answer

System performance is noticeably enhanced

Answer

The amount of required memory is reduced

Answer

The need for a physical hard drive is eliminated

Question 5

The primary purpose of a DMA controller in a computer system is to:

Accepted Answer

Transfer data directly between memory and I/O devices

Answer

Manage the execution of instructions by the CPU

Answer

Store temporary data during program execution

Answer

Provide a user-friendly graphical interface

Question 6

An interrupt service routine (ISR) is designed to:

Accepted Answer

Handle events requiring immediate attention

Answer

Control the flow of data to and from the CPU

Answer

Allow the CPU to interact with the operating system

Answer

Store user programs in memory

Question 7

The primary function of a network interface card (NIC) in a computer system is to:

Accepted Answer

Establish a connection between the computer and a network

Answer

Manage the flow of data between the CPU and memory

Answer

Provide a graphical user interface

Answer

Store temporary data during program execution

Question 8

What is a distinguishing feature of the Harvard architecture compared to the von Neumann architecture?

Accepted Answer

Separate memory and I/O bus structures

Answer

Shared memory and I/O bus structures

Answer

Same address space for instructions and data

Answer

Lower performance than the von Neumann architecture

Question 9

What is the main purpose of a register file?

Accepted Answer

To store frequently used data for quick access

Answer

To execute arithmetic and logical operations

Answer

To control the flow of data within the processor

Answer

To manage virtual memory

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a type of computer bus?

Accepted Answer

Power bus

Answer

Data bus

Answer

Address bus

Answer

Control bus

Question 11

Which memory type is non-volatile?

Accepted Answer

EEPROM

Answer

SRAM

Answer

DRAM

Answer

SDRAM

Question 12

Which addressing mode enables a program to work with data directly stored within the instruction?

Accepted Answer

Immediate addressing

Answer

Register addressing

Answer

Direct addressing

Answer

Indirect addressing

Question 13

RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architectures prioritize:

Accepted Answer

Increased register count

Answer

Elaborate instructions

Answer

Diminished execution speed

Question 14

What is the primary function of the control unit in a computer's architecture?

Accepted Answer

Managing the flow of instructions and data

Answer

Executing instructions

Answer

Storing data

Answer

Performing arithmetic calculations

Question 15

How do superscalar architectures enhance performance?

Accepted Answer

Execute multiple instructions simultaneously

Answer

Increase memory bandwidth

Answer

Reduce data hazards

Answer

Optimize branch prediction

Question 16

Improved: What is the primary function of a control unit in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

Decoding instructions and generating control signals

Answer

Fetching instructions from memory

Answer

Executing instructions

Answer

Storing data

Question 17

What component has the most significant impact on a computer's overall performance?

Accepted Answer

CPU speed

Answer

RAM capacity

Answer

Storage speed

Question 18

Which component of a computer system is responsible for executing the instructions of a program?

Accepted Answer

(A) Control Unit

Answer

(B) Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

Answer

(C) Memory Unit

Answer

(D) Input/Output (I/O) Unit

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a level in the memory hierarchy of a computer system?

Accepted Answer

(C) Virtual memory

Answer

(A) Cache memory

Answer

(B) Main memory

Answer

(D) Secondary storage

Question 20

The instruction set architecture (ISA) defines:

Accepted Answer

(A) The set of instructions that a processor can execute

Answer

(B) The physical layout of the processor

Answer

(C) The software applications that run on the computer

Answer

(D) The communication protocols between the processor and other components

Question 21

Which of the following is an advantage of a pipelined processor architecture?

Accepted Answer

(A) Increased instruction execution speed

Answer

(B) Reduced power consumption

Answer

(C) Simplified instruction set design

Answer

(D) Enhanced data security

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT a component of the von Neumann architecture?

Accepted Answer

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

Answer

Input/Output devices

Answer

Memory

Answer

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Question 23

Which instruction set architecture (ISA) type is characterized by a limited number of instructions and a restricted addressing range?

Accepted Answer

Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC)

Answer

Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC)

Answer

Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW)

Answer

Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC)

Question 24

Which level of the memory hierarchy typically offers the fastest access time but is also the most expensive per bit?

Accepted Answer

Registers

Answer

Secondary storage

Answer

Cache

Answer

Main memory

Question 25

Which technique involves overlapping the fetch, decode, and execute stages of instruction execution to enhance performance?

Accepted Answer

Pipelining

Answer

Superscalar execution

Answer

Branch prediction

Question 26

Which type of parallel computing architecture involves performing the same operation on multiple data elements simultaneously?

Accepted Answer

Single Instruction, Multiple Data (SIMD)

Answer

Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC)

Answer

Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC)

Answer

Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC)

Question 27

Which design principle of the Harvard architecture distinguishes it from the von Neumann architecture?

Accepted Answer

Separate instruction and data memory spaces

Answer

Use of a single accumulator

Answer

Load-store architecture

Question 28

Which type of cache organization combines the benefits of direct mapping and set associativity?

Accepted Answer

Set-associative cache

Answer

Direct-mapped cache

Answer

Fully associative cache

Answer

Victim cache

Question 29

Which type of bus arbitration protocol assigns a dedicated arbiter to control access to the shared bus?

Accepted Answer

Centralized bus arbitration

Answer

Priority-based arbitration

Answer

Round-robin

Answer

Daisy-chaining

Question 30

Which I/O interface relies on the processor to periodically check for the availability of data from an I/O device?

Accepted Answer

Programmed I/O

Answer

Channel I/O

Answer

Interrupt-driven I/O

Answer

Direct memory access (DMA)

Question 31

According to the von Neumann model, which of the following is NOT a core component of a digital computer system?

Accepted Answer

Network Interface Card

Answer

Memory

Answer

Input/output devices

Answer

Central processing unit

Question 32

In the context of computer architecture, which level of the memory hierarchy typically has the lowest latency?

Accepted Answer

Registers

Answer

Main memory

Answer

Cache

Question 33

What is the main purpose of an instruction set architecture (ISA)?

Accepted Answer

To define the interface between software and hardware

Answer

To implement the operating system

Answer

To specify the physical design of the computer

Question 34

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor?

Accepted Answer

Simpler and fewer instructions

Answer

Slower clock speed

Answer

Greater power consumption

Answer

More complex and numerous instructions

Question 35

Which of the following best describes the primary function of a compiler?

Accepted Answer

Translating high-level programming language code into machine code

Answer

Managing memory allocation

Answer

Executing machine code instructions

Answer

Storing and retrieving data

Question 36

What is the primary benefit of using a cache memory in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

Reducing the average time to access frequently used data

Answer

Executing instructions more efficiently

Answer

Storing temporary data and variables

Answer

Loading the operating system into memory

Question 37

What is the primary objective of implementing a virtual memory system in a computer?

Accepted Answer

Allowing the operating system to manage memory more efficiently

Answer

Speeding up memory access operations

Answer

Reducing the overall cost of the computer system

Answer

Increasing the physical memory capacity

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT a component of the von Neumann model?

Accepted Answer

Output Unit

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Question 39

Which level of the memory hierarchy offers the fastest access speed but the smallest storage capacity?

Accepted Answer

Registers

Answer

Cache

Answer

Main memory

Answer

Secondary storage

Question 40

Which of the following computer buses is designed to transmit data?

Accepted Answer

Data bus

Answer

CPU register

Answer

Control unit

Answer

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

Question 41

The component of the computer responsible for managing and coordinating all other components is the:

Accepted Answer

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Answer

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Answer

Input/Output (I/O) device

Answer

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

Question 42

The memory optimization technique that involves storing frequently used data closer to the processor for faster access is known as:

Accepted Answer

Caching

Answer

Segmentation

Answer

Virtualization

Answer

Paging

Question 43

The addressing mode where the operand's address is directly specified within the instruction is called:

Accepted Answer

Immediate addressing

Answer

Register addressing

Answer

Indirect addressing

Answer

Auto-increment addressing

Question 44

The software design principle that involves decomposing a complex program into smaller, manageable units is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Modularity

Answer

Encapsulation

Answer

Portability

Answer

Optimization

Question 45

Which of the following components is NOT part of the von Neumann architecture?

Accepted Answer

Separate instruction and data paths

Answer

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Answer

Input/Output (I/O) devices

Answer

Memory

Question 46

What is the main advantage of a Harvard architecture over a von Neumann architecture?

Accepted Answer

Simultaneous fetching of instructions and data

Answer

Increased processing speed for complex calculations

Answer

Lower memory requirements

Answer

Enhanced security features

Question 47

A program counter (PC) in a CPU is primarily responsible for:

Accepted Answer

Keeping track of the address of the next instruction to be executed

Answer

Storing the results of arithmetic operations

Answer

Managing memory allocation

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT a typical stage in the instruction cycle?

Accepted Answer

Data transmission

Answer

Decode

Answer

Fetch

Answer

Execute

Question 49

What is the purpose of a memory hierarchy in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

To balance speed and cost by providing multiple levels of memory with varying access times and capacities

Answer

To increase the size of the main memory

Question 50

Which type of memory is typically the fastest but also the most expensive?

Accepted Answer

Cache memory

Answer

ROM

Answer

RAM

Answer

Secondary storage

Question 51

A cache hit occurs when:

Accepted Answer

The requested data is found in the cache memory

Answer

The CPU encounters an error during data access

Answer

The memory management unit (MMU) allocates a new memory block

Answer

The operating system performs a context switch

Question 52

What is the primary function of an instruction set architecture (ISA)?

Accepted Answer

To define the set of instructions that a CPU can understand and execute

Answer

To manage memory allocation and protection

Answer

To control input and output operations

Question 53

Which of the following is a common addressing mode used in computer architectures?

Accepted Answer

Register indirect addressing

Answer

Sequential addressing

Answer

Direct addressing

Answer

Random addressing

Question 54

What is the primary difference between a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) and a CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing) architecture?

Accepted Answer

RISC uses a smaller set of simpler instructions, while CISC uses a larger set of more complex instructions.

Answer

RISC is more efficient for complex computations, while CISC is better for simple tasks.