Master Memory Hierarchy in Computer Architecture: Online Quizzes

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of a cache in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

To reduce the access time to frequently used data

Answer

To increase the access time to main memory

Answer

To increase the amount of main memory available

Answer

To reduce the amount of hard disk space required

Question 2

Which cache organization allocates data to cache blocks based on a hash function?

Accepted Answer

Fully associative cache

Answer

Unified cache

Answer

Set-associative cache

Answer

Direct-mapped cache

Question 3

What is the main advantage of virtual memory over physical memory?

Accepted Answer

Increased memory capacity

Answer

Faster memory access

Answer

Lower memory cost

Answer

Reduced memory fragmentation

Question 4

What is a potential disadvantage of using a set-associative cache compared to a direct-mapped cache?

Accepted Answer

Increased cache miss rate

Answer

Increased cache size

Answer

Increased cache access time

Answer

Increased cache cost

Question 5

What is a potential drawback of implementing a memory hierarchy in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

Increased system cost and complexity

Answer

Decreased memory access time

Answer

Enhanced cache hit rates

Answer

Diminished bandwidth requirements

Question 6

In a cache organization, the size of the block of data transferred between cache and memory is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Cache line size

Answer

Hit rate

Answer

Page size

Answer

Associativity

Question 7

A key advantage of utilizing a cache memory is:

Accepted Answer

Reduced latency

Answer

Increased bandwidth

Answer

Energy efficiency

Answer

Higher capacity

Question 8

In virtual memory, the process of dividing physical memory into fixed-size blocks is called:

Accepted Answer

Paging

Answer

Segmentation

Answer

Swapping

Answer

Allocation

Question 9

The technique of retrieving frequently used data from slower memory and storing it in faster memory is known as:

Accepted Answer

Caching

Answer

Prefetching

Answer

Swapping

Answer

Virtualization

Question 10

Which metric is commonly used to evaluate the effectiveness of a cache memory?

Accepted Answer

Hit rate

Answer

Access time

Answer

Capacity

Answer

Associativity

Question 11

In a page replacement algorithm, the working set refers to:

Accepted Answer

The set of pages actively used in a given time interval

Answer

The entire set of pages in a process

Answer

The set of pages that are currently in memory

Answer

The set of pages that have been recently accessed

Question 12

Which factor does NOT influence cache performance?

Accepted Answer

Processor speed

Answer

Cache size

Answer

Cache associativity

Answer

Memory bandwidth

Question 13

In a virtual memory system, the portion of memory that appears continuous to the user is known as:

Accepted Answer

Virtual address space

Answer

Logical address space

Answer

Physical address space

Answer

Swap space

Question 14

The primary purpose of a cache memory in a computer system is to:

Accepted Answer

Store frequently accessed data and instructions for faster access

Answer

Manage the allocation of virtual memory to physical memory

Answer

Translate virtual addresses to physical addresses

Answer

Store the entire operating system and user programs

Question 15

A common cache replacement algorithm is:

Accepted Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

Most Recently Used (MRU)

Answer

First-In First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Least Frequently Used (LFU)

Question 16

The main advantage of using a virtual memory system is that it:

Accepted Answer

Allows programs to use more memory than is physically available

Answer

Improves the performance of cache memory

Answer

Reduces the need for secondary storage

Answer

Eliminates the need for a memory management unit

Question 17

The role of a Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB) in a memory hierarchy is to:

Accepted Answer

Store the mapping between virtual and physical addresses

Answer

Manage the allocation of cache memory

Answer

Implement the page replacement algorithm

Answer

Translate logical addresses to physical addresses

Question 18

In computer memory management, what key advantage does the Least Recently Used (LRU) page replacement algorithm offer over the First-In, First-Out (FIFO) algorithm?

Accepted Answer

Prioritizes frequently accessed pages in memory

Answer

Employs a queue-based system for page requests

Answer

Minimizes memory overhead requirements

Question 19

Why is memory protection essential in computer systems?

Accepted Answer

To safeguard against unauthorized memory access.

Answer

To boost system performance.

Answer

To optimize memory resource usage.

Question 20

What is a significant advantage of using a write-back cache over a write-through cache?

Accepted Answer

Reduced write traffic to main memory.

Answer

Improved cache hit rate.

Answer

Increased cache capacity.

Answer

Simplified cache design.

Question 21

Which of these factors does NOT directly affect cache performance?

Accepted Answer

Operating system version

Answer

Cache associativity

Answer

Cache size

Answer

Block size

Question 22

In the context of a cache, what distinguishes a memory hit from a memory miss?

Accepted Answer

A memory hit occurs when the requested data is found in the cache, whereas a memory miss happens when it is not.

Answer

A memory hit occurs when the requested data is in main memory, while a memory miss occurs when it is in the cache.

Question 23

The main advantage of using a hardware-managed TLB over a software-managed TLB is:

Accepted Answer

Enhanced performance due to lower overhead.

Answer

Simplified TLB management.

Answer

Increased accuracy of address translations.

Answer

Reduced memory consumption.