COMP 100A
KISII UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS
FIRST YEAR EXAMINATION FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN APPLIED COMPUTER SCIENCE
SECOND SEMESTER 2023/2024
[JAN – APRIL, 2024]
COMP 100A: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ARCHITECTURE
STREAM: Y1 S2 TIME: 2 HOURS
DAY: THURSDAY, 12:00 - 2:00 P.M. DATE: 04/04/2024
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Do not write anything on this question paper.
2. Answer question ONE (Compulsory) and any other TWO questions.
QUESTION ONE [30 Marks]
a). Explain any FOUR types of memory and their relevance to the computer
[5 Marks]
b). Explain the following logic gates:
i) AND Gate [2 Marks]
ii) OR Gate [2 Marks]
iii) NOT Gate [2 Marks]
iv) NAND Gate [2 Marks]
c). Describe THREE types of I/O interrupts [3 Marks]
d). Explain any FOUR factors that are considered in computer data representation
[4 Marks]
e). Explain the difference between each of the following: [6 Marks]
i). Computer Architecture and Computer Organization
ii). Structure and Function
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f). Explain the THREE main categories of computer architecture [4 Marks]
QUESTION TWO [20 Marks]
a). Using a diagram, explain how the organization of computer Hardware is based on
the Von-
Newman Architecture [8 Marks]
b). Describe the role of data bus and address bus and state the benefit of increasing
the width of the bus. [7 Marks]
c). Illustrate and explain the key components within the CPU and their functions
[5 Marks]
QUESTION THREE [20 Marks]
a). Differentiate the following terms.
(i) Computer organization and computer architecture [2 Marks]
(ii) DMA and interrupt driven [2 Marks]
(iii) Machine language and High-level language [2 Marks]
b). The FIVE stages of the simple MIPS pipeline are: instruction fetch, instruction
decode and register read, execute or calculate address, memory access, and register
write. Explain the purpose of each of these stages [10 Marks]
c). Convert the following to the specified base.
(i) DCBA16 to Decimal and Octal [2 Marks]
(ii) 432110 to Binary and Hexadecimal [2 Marks]
QUESTION FOUR [20 Marks]
a). State the function of the following in computer system
i). Accumulator [2 Marks]
ii). Instruction Register [2 Marks]
iii). Memory Address Register [2 Marks]
iv). Program Counter [2 Marks]
b). State the TWO major components of the Central Processing Unit citing what each
does. [4 Marks]
c). Registers are useful during the execution of instructions. Discuss FOUR registers
found in a computer processor [8 Marks]
QUESTION FIVE [20 Marks]
a). Describe the following character representation
(i) ASCII [2 Marks]
(ii) ANSI [2 Marks]
(iii) EBCDIC [2 Marks]
(iv) Unicode [2 Marks]
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b). Discuss the Fetch and the Execute cycle steps of a computer program cycle. Use
the following diagram to show your understanding on the program execution.
[8 Marks]
c). As a system administrator was performing routine check –up on computers, he
came across a computer that was “TOO SLOW.’’ What could be the cause of this
and propose any possible solutions. [4 Marks]
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