Interrupt Handling and DMA: Enhance Your Computer Architecture Skills

Question 1

What is the fundamental difference between an interrupt and a trap?

Accepted Answer

Interrupts are triggered by external events, while traps are triggered by internal system events

Answer

Traps are triggered by external events, while interrupts are triggered by internal system events

Answer

Interrupts are non-maskable, while traps are maskable

Answer

Traps are non-maskable, while interrupts are maskable

Question 2

What is the main function of the interrupt vector table in an interrupt handling system?

Accepted Answer

To store the memory addresses of the interrupt handlers

Answer

To manage the priority of interrupts

Answer

To generate interrupt requests

Answer

To store the current state of the system during an interrupt

Question 3

What is the primary role of a priority encoder in an interrupt handling system?

Accepted Answer

To prioritize interrupt requests based on their importance

Answer

To generate interrupt vectors

Answer

To manage interrupt requests

Answer

To store the interrupt status of devices

Question 4

What is the primary role of a DMA controller?

Accepted Answer

To manage DMA transfers

Answer

To detect and respond to interrupts

Answer

To execute interrupt service routines

Answer

To synchronize CPU and I/O devices

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a type of DMA transfer?

Accepted Answer

Programmed transfer

Answer

Single-word transfer

Answer

Block transfer

Answer

Cyclic transfer

Question 6

What is the purpose of a DMA channel?

Accepted Answer

To provide a dedicated path for DMA transfers

Answer

To store data during DMA operations

Answer

To control the timing of DMA transfers

Answer

To resolve DMA conflicts

Question 7

What is the primary function of a DMA request (DRQ) line?

Accepted Answer

To indicate that the DMA controller is requesting data from the CPU

Answer

To indicate that the CPU is requesting data from the DMA controller

Answer

To signal the completion of a DMA transfer

Answer

To synchronize DMA operations between multiple devices

Question 8

What is the main advantage of using multiple DMA channels?

Accepted Answer

Increased I/O concurrency

Answer

Reduced DMA transfer times

Answer

Lower power consumption

Answer

Simplified software implementation

Question 9

What is a disadvantage of using DMA (Direct Memory Access) compared to programmed I/O?

Accepted Answer

Increased hardware complexity

Answer

Reduced CPU overhead

Answer

Enhanced I/O performance

Answer

Simplified program code

Question 10

What is the primary purpose of interrupt masking?

Accepted Answer

To selectively disable specific interrupts from being processed by the system

Answer

To accelerate the overall interrupt handling process

Answer

To reduce the frequency of interrupt requests

Answer

To enhance the reliability of the computer system

Question 11

What is the primary objective of an interrupt service routine (ISR)?

Accepted Answer

To execute the necessary actions in response to the specific event that triggered the interrupt

Answer

To record the state of the CPU registers at the time of the interrupt

Answer

To determine the priority level of the interrupt

Answer

To disable all other interrupts during its execution

Question 12

In DMA operations, which component orchestrates data transfer between memory and I/O devices?

Accepted Answer

DMA Controller

Answer

CPU

Answer

Interrupt Service Routine (ISR)

Answer

Peripheral Device

Question 13

Which mechanism allows the CPU to respond to external events?

Accepted Answer

Interrupt Handling

Answer

Polling

Answer

Direct Memory Access

Answer

I/O Port Mapping

Question 14

What is the main advantage of Direct Memory Access (DMA)?

Accepted Answer

Reduced CPU overhead during I/O operations

Answer

Improved data transfer rates

Answer

Simplified hardware design

Answer

Increased system stability

Question 15

What is the key difference between synchronous and asynchronous DMA?

Accepted Answer

Synchronous DMA requires CPU initiation, while asynchronous DMA does not.

Answer

Asynchronous DMA is faster than synchronous DMA.

Answer

Synchronous DMA provides better data integrity than asynchronous DMA.

Answer

Asynchronous DMA is more commonly used in modern computer systems.

Question 16

What is the primary distinction between hardware and software interrupts?

Accepted Answer

Hardware interrupts are triggered by external devices, while software interrupts are triggered by software.

Answer

Software interrupts are more common than hardware interrupts.

Answer

Hardware interrupts have a higher priority than software interrupts.

Answer

Software interrupts require more processing time than hardware interrupts.

Question 17

What is the primary purpose of an interrupt vector table?

Accepted Answer

To store the addresses of interrupt service routines

Answer

To hold data for the operating system

Answer

To track the status of I/O devices

Answer

To manage memory allocation

Question 18

What is the main role of the DMA controller in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

To manage the transfer of data between memory and peripherals

Answer

To handle interrupts generated by DMA devices

Answer

To schedule DMA requests

Answer

To translate DMA addresses

Question 19

Which of the following is a common cause of interrupt conflicts?

Accepted Answer

Sharing the same interrupt vector

Answer

Using different interrupt priorities

Answer

Having multiple devices connected to the same controller

Answer

Insufficient DMA channels

Question 20

What is the key difference between synchronous and asynchronous DMA?

Accepted Answer

Synchronous DMA waits for a request from the CPU, while asynchronous DMA does not

Answer

Synchronous DMA is faster than asynchronous DMA

Answer

Asynchronous DMA requires a DMA controller, while synchronous DMA does not

Answer

There is no difference between synchronous and asynchronous DMA

Question 21

What is the primary responsibility of an interrupt service routine (ISR)?

Accepted Answer

To process and handle specific interrupt requests

Answer

To acknowledge and clear the interrupt controller

Answer

To restore the CPU state after interrupt handling

Answer

To prioritize and manage multiple interrupt requests

Question 22

Which interrupt priority scheme is commonly used to determine the order in which interrupts are serviced?

Accepted Answer

Fixed priority

Answer

Dynamic priority

Answer

Round-robin priority

Answer

Least recently used (LRU) priority

Question 23

What is the primary purpose of a DMA descriptor?

Accepted Answer

To define the source and destination addresses for DMA transfers

Answer

To control data transfer size and speed

Answer

To generate interrupts upon completion of data transfer

Answer

To manage and arbitrate multiple DMA requests

Question 24

Which common method is employed to acknowledge an interrupt?

Accepted Answer

Writing to a specific register

Answer

Sending a dedicated signal to the interrupt controller

Answer

Executing a specific instruction

Answer

Polling the interrupt controller repeatedly

Question 25

What is the primary responsibility of a DMA engine in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

Managing and executing DMA transfers between devices and memory

Answer

Generating interrupts to notify the CPU upon DMA completion

Answer

Prioritizing and arbitrating DMA requests to optimize data transfer efficiency

Answer

Handling and servicing interrupt requests from various sources