Computer Architecture and Design Quizzes - Master Your Concepts

Question 1

In computer architecture, which technique enhances performance by executing instructions in an overlapping manner?

Accepted Answer

Pipelining

Answer

Concurrency

Answer

Vector processing

Answer

Multithreading

Question 2

Which component is not an essential element of a general-purpose computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Sound card

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Answer

Input/Output devices

Question 3

What is the main advantage of superscalar processors over traditional processors?

Accepted Answer

Increased instruction-level parallelism

Answer

Faster clock speeds

Answer

Improved branch prediction accuracy

Answer

Lower energy consumption

Question 4

Which component is NOT considered a core element of modern computer systems?

Accepted Answer

Software Applications

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Answer

Input/Output (I/O) Devices

Question 5

Which component is not an essential part of a von Neumann computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Operating System

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Answer

Input/Output devices

Question 6

In a computer system, what is the main purpose of the memory hierarchy?

Accepted Answer

Reduce data latency by providing quick access to frequently used data and instructions

Answer

Maximize data storage by permanently storing all data and instructions

Answer

Control the execution of instructions and data processing

Answer

Facilitate data transfer between different system components

Question 7

In a superscalar processor, what is the primary purpose of a branch predictor?

Accepted Answer

Identifying and prefetching instructions, executing them speculatively without knowing the branch outcome.

Answer

Optimizing memory access by directing requests to the correct cache line.

Answer

Dynamically reordering data-dependent instructions for optimal execution.

Answer

Providing hardware support for managing virtual memory.

Question 8

In a typical two-level cache hierarchy, which level is generally larger?

Accepted Answer

Level 2 (L2) cache

Answer

Level 1 (L1) cache

Answer

Both L1 and L2 caches are typically the same size

Answer

The size of L1 and L2 caches varies significantly depending on the system

Question 9

In a pipelined processor architecture, what is a potential drawback?

Accepted Answer

Increased complexity of control logic

Answer

Enhanced performance

Answer

Reduced power usage

Answer

Improved accuracy in branch prediction

Question 10

Which component is NOT considered a core element of a contemporary computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Hard drive

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Answer

Input/Output (I/O) devices

Question 11

Which memory technology is non-volatile, has fast access speeds, but is more expensive per bit?

Accepted Answer

Flash memory

Answer

DRAM

Answer

SRAM

Answer

HDD

Question 12

Which component is NOT a fundamental hardware element of a basic computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Software

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Answer

Input/Output devices

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a fundamental type of computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

CISC architecture

Answer

Von Neumann architecture

Answer

Harvard architecture

Answer

Modified Harvard architecture

Question 14

In computer architecture, which of the following is NOT a type of pipelining?

Accepted Answer

Loop pipelining

Answer

Instruction pipelining

Answer

Arithmetic pipelining

Answer

Memory pipelining

Question 15

Which storage device utilizes non-volatile flash memory, enabling rapid read/write operations that often exceed the capabilities of conventional hard disk drives (HDDs)?

Accepted Answer

SSD

Answer

DRAM

Answer

SRAM

Answer

EEPROM

Question 16

In computer architecture, which component is primarily responsible for executing calculations and logical operations?

Accepted Answer

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Answer

Input/Output (I/O) Devices

Answer

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Answer

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

Question 17

In the design of pipelined processors, which factor is of primary importance?

Accepted Answer

Reducing latency

Answer

Minimizing power consumption

Answer

Increasing hardware complexity

Answer

Improving instruction set architecture

Question 18

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using a pipelined architecture in a processor?

Accepted Answer

Increased power consumption

Answer

Increased clock speed

Answer

Improved instruction throughput

Answer

Reduced latency

Question 19

Which of the following is a key characteristic of pipelining in computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Overlapping stages of instruction execution

Answer

Executing instructions sequentially

Answer

Eliminating penalties for branching instructions

Answer

Lowering the processor's clock speed

Question 20

Which component is not considered a fundamental part of a contemporary processor architecture?

Accepted Answer

Graphics processing unit

Answer

Control unit

Answer

Arithmetic logic unit

Answer

Register file

Question 21

Which of the following is a disadvantage of superscalar processors?

Accepted Answer

Increased power consumption

Answer

Increased instruction throughput

Answer

Improved branch prediction accuracy

Answer

Enhanced memory access efficiency

Question 22

Which technique is **not** employed in modern processors to enhance performance?

Accepted Answer

Decreasing cache size

Answer

Loop unrolling

Answer

Register renaming

Answer

Speculative execution

Question 23

Within a computer system, which component is not directly involved in executing instructions?

Accepted Answer

Operating system

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Question 24

A key characteristic of a superscalar processor that distinguishes it from scalar processors is its ability to:

Accepted Answer

Simultaneously execute multiple instructions within a single clock cycle.

Answer

Store a significantly larger amount of data in its cache memory.

Answer

Utilize a highly intricate branch prediction mechanism.

Answer

Operate with exceptionally low power consumption.

Question 25

In computer architecture, which metric is NOT typically used to evaluate computer systems?

Accepted Answer

Availability

Answer

Throughput

Answer

Latency

Answer

Power efficiency

Question 26

Which component is NOT an essential part of a computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Compiler

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Answer

Input/Output (I/O) devices

Question 27

Identify the techniques commonly employed to improve processor performance:

Accepted Answer

Pipelining

Accepted Answer

Superscalar execution

Accepted Answer

Branch prediction

Answer

Cache coherence

Question 28

Which of the following is a software component, rather than a hardware component, of computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Operating system

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of superscalar processors?

Accepted Answer

Reduced energy consumption

Answer

Increased parallelism

Answer

Improved branch prediction accuracy

Answer

Optimized memory access

Question 30

Which principle in computer architecture aims to enhance memory access speed by anticipating upcoming memory access patterns?

Accepted Answer

Temporal locality

Answer

Instruction pipelining

Answer

Spatial locality

Answer

Cache coherence

Question 31

In a pipelined computer architecture, which technique specifically aims to mitigate performance penalties introduced by branch instructions?

Accepted Answer

Branch prediction

Answer

Loop unrolling

Answer

Cache optimization

Question 32

In RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) configurations, which RAID level provides a balance between data redundancy and performance by mirroring data across multiple disks?

Accepted Answer

RAID 1

Answer

RAID 0

Answer

RAID 5

Answer

RAID 10

Question 33

Which power optimization technique dynamically adjusts the voltage of a processor based on its workload?

Accepted Answer

Dynamic Voltage Scaling

Answer

Clock Gating

Answer

Power Gating

Answer

Instruction Set Optimization

Question 34

Which element is NOT part of the memory hierarchy in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Answer

Cache

Answer

Main memory

Answer

Secondary storage

Question 35

Which component is NOT part of the classic von Neumann computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Graphics processing unit (GPU)

Answer

Processor (CPU)

Answer

Memory (RAM)

Answer

Input/output devices

Question 36

Pipelining in computer architecture offers several advantages. Which of these is NOT a benefit?

Accepted Answer

Reduced power consumption

Answer

Increased instruction throughput

Answer

Improved performance for arithmetic operations

Question 37

In the realm of big data, which technique is extensively utilized to effectively manage and process vast and complex datasets?

Accepted Answer

MapReduce

Answer

Sequential processing

Answer

Binary search

Answer

Monte Carlo simulation

Question 38

In pipelined processors, which technique allows for the execution of multiple instructions concurrently, boosting overall performance?

Accepted Answer

Superscalar execution

Answer

Branch prediction

Answer

Register renaming

Question 39

Which storage device type combines non-volatile memory with fast data transfer speeds?

Accepted Answer

Solid state drive (SSD)

Answer

Hard disk drive (HDD)

Answer

Magnetic tape

Answer

Optical disc

Question 40

In computer architecture, which memory organization stores both instructions and data in the same memory space?

Accepted Answer

Von Neumann architecture

Answer

Harvard architecture

Question 41

In computer architecture, which instruction is specifically designed to compare the values stored in two registers or memory locations?

Accepted Answer

CMP

Answer

ADD

Answer

JMP

Answer

SUB

Question 42

In cloud storage, which data replication strategy prioritizes data availability and reliability by storing multiple copies of data across geographically dispersed locations?

Accepted Answer

Geographic Replication

Answer

Erasure Coding

Answer

Block-Level Replication

Answer

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT a hardware component of a typical computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Operating system

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Answer

Input/Output devices

Question 44

In a modern processor, what is the primary function of a branch predictor?

Accepted Answer

Predicting the outcome of conditional branches to optimize performance

Answer

Enhancing the precision of floating-point calculations

Answer

Minimizing cache misses

Answer

Detecting and rectifying memory errors

Question 45

To boost performance, which processor design approach is widely used in contemporary processors?

Accepted Answer

Adopting a multi-core architecture

Answer

Elevating the processor's operating frequency

Answer

Diminishing the memory cache's size

Question 46

Which computer architecture technique aims to boost processor performance by executing multiple instructions simultaneously within a single clock cycle?

Accepted Answer

Superscalar execution

Answer

Pipelining

Answer

Branch prediction

Answer

On-chip networks

Question 47

Which component is not an essential part of a computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Network interface controller

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Answer

Input/output devices

Question 48

Which component in a computer system is dedicated to handling data transfers between the processor and external devices?

Accepted Answer

I/O Controller

Answer

Processor

Answer

Memory

Question 49

According to the von Neumann architecture, which component is responsible for storing data and programs?

Accepted Answer

RAM

Answer

CPU

Answer

ALU

Answer

Bus

Question 50

Which of the following is the primary function of the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

Performing arithmetic and logical operations

Answer

Storing data

Answer

Controlling the flow of data

Answer

Translating instructions

Question 51

In computer architecture, which addressing mode involves using a register to store the address of the operand?

Accepted Answer

Register

Answer

Immediate

Answer

Indirect

Answer

Base

Question 52

In computer architecture, which of the following is NOT a type of computer bus?

Accepted Answer

Power supply

Answer

Address bus

Answer

Data bus

Answer

Control bus

Question 53

What is the key distinction between a microprocessor and a microcontroller?

Accepted Answer

A microprocessor requires external memory and peripherals, while a microcontroller has them integrated.

Answer

A microcontroller is typically faster than a microprocessor.

Answer

A microprocessor is typically more expensive than a microcontroller.

Answer

There is no difference between a microprocessor and a microcontroller.

Question 54

In the von Neumann architecture, which component is responsible for executing instructions?

Accepted Answer

Control unit

Answer

Arithmetic logic unit

Answer

Memory address register

Answer

Stack

Question 55

What is the function of a multiplexer in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

Selects one of multiple inputs to be the output

Answer

Amplifies signals

Answer

Stores data temporarily

Answer

Performs arithmetic operations

Question 56

How does a cache differ from main memory in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

Cache is faster but has a smaller capacity than main memory

Answer

Main memory is faster but has a smaller capacity than cache

Answer

Cache stores frequently accessed data, while main memory stores all data

Answer

Cache and main memory perform the same function

Question 57

What is the primary function of a compiler in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

Translates high-level code into assembly language

Answer

Executes assembly language instructions

Answer

Manages memory allocation

Answer

Debugs code

Question 58

When designing a memory hierarchy, which factor is NOT typically considered?

Accepted Answer

Security

Answer

Capacity

Answer

Speed

Answer

Cost

Question 59

What is the primary distinction between symmetric and asymmetric multiprocessing?

Accepted Answer

In symmetric multiprocessing, all processors have access to all memory, but in asymmetric multiprocessing, only one processor has access to all memory

Answer

In asymmetric multiprocessing, all processors have access to all memory, but in symmetric multiprocessing, only one processor has access to all memory

Answer

Symmetric multiprocessing is faster than asymmetric multiprocessing

Answer

Asymmetric multiprocessing is faster than symmetric multiprocessing

Question 60

Which of the following are essential components of a computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Processor, Memory, and Input/Output Devices

Answer

Operating System, Software, and Hardware

Answer

Keyboard, Mouse, and Monitor

Answer

Compiler, Interpreter, and Debugger

Question 61

What is the primary function of a register file in a processor?

Accepted Answer

Storing frequently accessed data and instructions for rapid processing

Answer

Performing complex mathematical calculations

Answer

Controlling the flow of instructions within the processor

Answer

Providing long-term data storage

Question 62

Which memory addressing mode offers the most efficient access to data stored in memory?

Accepted Answer

Direct Addressing

Answer

Immediate Addressing

Answer

Indirect Addressing

Answer

Indexed Addressing

Question 63

What is the fundamental purpose of a cache memory in a computer system?

Accepted Answer

Reducing the latency associated with accessing main memory

Answer

Expanding the overall memory capacity of the system

Answer

Protecting data from unauthorized access

Answer

Simplifying memory management tasks

Question 64

What is the primary goal of utilizing a multi-core processor?

Accepted Answer

Enhancing overall processing power

Answer

Reducing energy consumption

Answer

Improving memory bandwidth

Answer

Increasing clock speed