1. Which of the following is a function of the ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)?

a) Control data flow

b) Perform arithmetic and logical operations
c) Manage memory
d) Fetch instructions

Answer: b) Perform arithmetic and logical operations

2. What is the purpose of the Control Unit in the CPU?

a) Perform calculations
b) Control data flow within the CPU
c) Store instructions
d) Fetch data from memory

Answer: b) Control data flow within the CPU

3. Which memory type is the fastest in terms of data access speed?

a) RAM
b) ROM
c) Cache memory
d) Hard Disk

Answer: c) Cache memory

4. In which unit of the computer system is the CPU located?

a) Input Unit
b) Output Unit
c) Control Unit
d) Central Processing Unit

Answer: d) Central Processing Unit

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

a) ALU
b) Control Unit
c) Memory
d) Register File

Answer: d) Register File

6. What is the main difference between RISC and CISC processors?

a) RISC uses more complex instructions

b) CISC has a smaller instruction set
c) RISC uses a larger instruction set
d) RISC uses simpler instructions with a regular instruction format

Answer: d) RISC uses simpler instructions with a regular instruction format

7. Which of the following is the smallest unit of data in a computer system?

a) Bit
b) Byte
c) Word
d) Kilobyte

Answer: a) Bit

8. Which of the following is true about RAM?

a) It is non-volatile
b) It stores permanent data
c) It is volatile and loses data when the power is turned off
d) It is a type of cache memory

Answer: c) It is volatile and loses data when the power is turned off

9. Which instruction in an instruction cycle fetches the next instruction from memory?

a) Fetch
b) Decode
c) Execute
d) Write

Answer: a) Fetch

10. What is the function of the MAR (Memory Address Register)?

a) Holds the data to be stored in memory

b) Holds the address of the data to be fetched from memory
c) Stores the program counter
d) Stores the control signals
Answer: b) Holds the address of the data to be fetched from memory

11. Which of the following is used to reduce the gap between CPU and memory speeds?

a) Cache memory
b) Hard disk
c) RAM
d) Virtual memory

Answer: a) Cache memory

12. Which of the following is the most significant feature of the Harvard architecture?

a) It uses a single memory for both instructions and data

b) It uses separate memory for instructions and data
c) It is used for general-purpose computing
d) It does not use registers

Answer: b) It uses separate memory for instructions and data

13. What does the CPU's Program Counter (PC) register store?

a) The current instruction to be executed

b) The address of the next instruction to be executed
c) The result of the last executed instruction
d) The address of the operand

Answer: b) The address of the next instruction to be executed

14. Which of the following is true about cache memory?

a) It is slower than RAM

b) It is typically larger than main memory
c) It stores frequently accessed data to speed up CPU performance
d) It is used for long-term storage of data

Answer: c) It stores frequently accessed data to speed up CPU performance

15. Which type of memory is used to store the firmware of a computer?

a) RAM
b) ROM
c) Cache memory
d) Hard disk

Answer: b) ROM

16. Which is the first step of the instruction cycle?

a) Decode the instruction

b) Fetch the instruction
c) Execute the instruction
d) Store the result

Answer: b) Fetch the instruction

17. In which stage of the instruction cycle does the control unit decode the instruction?

a) Fetch
b) Decode
c) Execute
d) Write back

Answer: b) Decode

18. What is the purpose of a register in the CPU?

a) To store instructions
b) To store intermediate data during computation
c) To perform arithmetic operations
d) To store data permanently

Answer: b) To store intermediate data during computation

19. Which of the following is a characteristic of RISC architecture?

a) Complex instructions
b) Large instruction set
c) Simple instructions executed in one cycle
d) Multiple cycles for most instructions

Answer: c) Simple instructions executed in one cycle

20. What is pipelining in CPU design?

a) The process of fetching multiple instructions at the same time
b) The simultaneous execution of multiple instructions
c) The process of executing instructions in a sequence, one after another
d) The technique of breaking down the instruction cycle into smaller stages

Answer: d) The technique of breaking down the instruction cycle into smaller stages

21. What does the Control Unit manage in a CPU?

a) The data flow within the CPU

b) The storage of data in memory
c) The execution of instructions in the correct sequence
d) The reading of data from memory

Answer: c) The execution of instructions in the correct sequence

22. Which memory type is non-volatile and used to store the boot-up instructions?

a) RAM
b) ROM
c) Cache memory
d) Hard Disk

Answer: b) ROM

23. In a multi-core processor, what is the primary advantage?

a) More RAM available

b) Faster instruction execution
c) Increased parallel processing capability
d) Reduced need for cache memory

Answer: c) Increased parallel processing capability

24. What does the term “clock speed” refer to in a computer system?

a) The time taken to execute a single instruction

b) The number of instructions executed per second
c) The speed at which the CPU executes instructions
d) The number of cycles per second in the CPU

Answer: d) The number of cycles per second in the CPU

25. Which of the following is NOT part of the Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle?

a) Fetch the instruction

b) Decode the instruction
c) Execute the instruction
d) Store the instruction

Answer: d) Store the instruction

26. What is the function of the bus in a computer system?

a) It connects the input and output devices to the CPU

b) It moves data between different components of the computer
c) It stores data temporarily for the CPU
d) It powers the CPU

Answer: b) It moves data between different components of the computer

27. What is virtual memory used for?

a) To store instructions permanently

b) To extend the computer's physical memory by using disk space
c) To store data that the CPU frequently uses
d) To reduce the size of the hard disk

Answer: b) To extend the computer's physical memory by using disk space

28. Which of the following is true about a stack in computer memory?

a) It stores data in a last-in, first-out (LIFO) manner

b) It stores data in a first-in, first-out (FIFO) manner
c) It stores data in a random access manner
d) It cannot be used to store function calls

Answer: a) It stores data in a last-in, first-out (LIFO) manner

29. Which of the following is an example of secondary storage?

a) RAM
b) Hard disk
c) Cache memory
d) Registers

Answer: b) Hard disk

30. Which of the following processor features can improve the performance of a CPU by executing
multiple instructions simultaneously?

a) Pipelining
b) Overclocking
c) Virtual memory
d) Caching

Answer: a) Pipelining

31. Which of the following best describes a superscalar processor?

a) It executes instructions sequentially

b) It has a single ALU
c) It can execute more than one instruction per clock cycle
d) It does not require a cache

Answer: c) It can execute more than one instruction per clock cycle

32. What is the primary function of the system bus in a computer system?

a) To connect input and output devices to the CPU

b) To connect the CPU to the main memory
c) To store instructions
d) To execute arithmetic operations

Answer: b) To connect the CPU to the main memory

33. Which of the following is an advantage of using a cache memory?

a) It increases the size of the system memory

b) It stores data that is less frequently used
c) It speeds up data access by storing frequently used data
d) It stores all data permanently

Answer: c) It speeds up data access by storing frequently used data

34. What is a data path in a CPU?

a) A register that stores the current instruction

b) A path that stores control signals
c) The collection of hardware used to perform operations on data
d) The part of the CPU used for instruction fetching

Answer: c) The collection of hardware used to perform operations on data

35. Which of the following is a function of the Instruction Register (IR)?

a) It stores the memory address of the next instruction

b) It stores the current instruction being executed
c) It stores the status of the CPU
d) It holds the result of the most recent operation

Answer: b) It stores the current instruction being executed

36. Which of the following represents a microprocessor's instruction set architecture (ISA)?

a) RAM
b) The set of operations that the processor can perform
c) The cache memory organization
d) The way data is stored in the registers

Answer: b) The set of operations that the processor can perform

37. In the context of computer architecture, what does SIMD stand for?

a) Single Instruction, Multiple Data

b) Single Instruction, Single Data
c) Multiple Instructions, Multiple Data
d) Multiple Instructions, Single Data

Answer: a) Single Instruction, Multiple Data

38. Which of the following refers to a program that helps a computer determine how it will interact
with hardware?

a) Firmware
b) Software
c) Drivers
d) Operating System

Answer: c) Drivers

39. What does an interrupt allow a CPU to do?

a) Perform tasks sequentially without interruption
b) Immediately respond to external events or hardware requests
c) Store data in memory
d) Run multiple programs simultaneously

Answer: b) Immediately respond to external events or hardware requests

40. What is the primary role of the system clock in a computer?

a) To control the flow of data in and out of the CPU

b) To synchronize the timing of operations in the CPU
c) To store the current date and time
d) To fetch the instructions from memory

Answer: b) To synchronize the timing of operations in the CPU

41. Which of the following is NOT a function of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)?

a) Arithmetic operations like addition and subtraction

b) Logical operations like AND, OR, and NOT
c) Control of data flow between registers
d) Bit manipulation

Answer: c) Control of data flow between registers

42. In a 32-bit processor, how many bits are used to address memory?

a) 32
b) 16
c) 64
d) 128

Answer: a) 32

43. Which of the following terms refers to the architecture where data and instructions are stored in
the same memory space?

a) Harvard architecture
b) RISC architecture
c) Von Neumann architecture
d) CISC architecture

Answer: c) Von Neumann architecture

44. Which of the following is an example of a low-level instruction in a computer's instruction set?

a) MOV
b) IF
c) LOOP
d) PRINT

Answer: a) MOV

45. Which CPU component temporarily holds data being transferred between the processor and
memory?

a) Register
b) Cache
c) Bus
d) Data path

Answer: b) Cache

46. In a cache memory, what is the term "cache hit" used to describe?

a) A request for data that is found in the cache

b) A request for data that is not found in the cache
c) Data being transferred to the cache
d) Data being written to the main memory

Answer: a) A request for data that is found in the cache

47. What does the term "word size" refer to in computer architecture?

a) The size of a memory address

b) The size of a processor's cache
c) The number of bits the processor can process at once
d) The amount of memory available for the processor

Answer: c) The number of bits the processor can process at once

48. What is the primary role of the memory management unit (MMU)?

a) To fetch instructions
b) To decode instructions
c) To map logical addresses to physical addresses
d) To manage cache

Answer: c) To map logical addresses to physical addresses

49. Which of the following refers to the ability of the CPU to perform multiple operations in parallel?

a) Pipelining
b) Superscalar architecture
c) Caching
d) Multiprogramming

Answer: b) Superscalar architecture

50. What is the primary function of the Stack Pointer (SP)?

a) To store the memory address of the next instruction

b) To store the result of arithmetic operations
c) To point to the top of the stack in memory
d) To store data temporarily during execution

Answer: c) To point to the top of the stack in memory

51. What is the primary purpose of Direct Memory Access (DMA) in computer systems?

a) To allow peripherals to directly control the CPU

b) To enable peripherals to transfer data directly to memory, bypassing the CPU
c) To increase the clock speed of the processor
d) To control the memory addressing of I/O devices

Answer: b) To enable peripherals to transfer data directly to memory, bypassing the CPU

52. In DMA, which component is responsible for managing the transfer of data between memory and
the I/O device?

a) Control Unit
b) DMA Controller
c) ALU
d) Program Counter

Answer: b) DMA Controller

Certainly! Here are 2 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on Vector Processing for MCA students:
53. Which of the following best describes vector processing in computer architecture?

a) It performs arithmetic operations on a single data element at a time

b) It performs arithmetic operations on multiple data elements simultaneously using vector registers
c) It is primarily used for controlling data flow within the CPU
d) It processes data in a sequential manner, similar to scalar processing

Answer: b) It performs arithmetic operations on multiple data elements simultaneously using vector
registers

54. In a shared memory system, how do multiple processors access the memory?

a) Each processor has its own dedicated memory

b) Processors communicate through message passing
c) All processors share a common memory space, allowing them to read and write data
d) The memory is distributed across multiple machines

Answer: c) All processors share a common memory space, allowing them to read and write data

55. What is the primary challenge in managing a distributed system?

a) Ensuring that all devices are physically located in the same data center
b) Managing communication and synchronization between geographically dispersed components
c) Limiting the number of users accessing the system
d) Maintaining a single point of failure for ease of recovery

Answer: b) Managing communication and synchronization between geographically dispersed

components