Question 1

Which of the following is true about RISC CPU hardware?
A) it is less complicated and can perform pipelining more effectively than CISC hardware
B) it is more complicated and must run at slower clock speeds than CISC hardware
C) instructions take a widely varying number of clock cycles
D) all current CPUs are based on it

Accepted Answer

RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture is designed to be less complicated than CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) architecture, allowing for more efficient pipelining. This simplicity enables faster execution of instructions by having a smaller set of simpler instructions, rather than a wide variety of complex ones.

Question 2

Which hardware component predicts what data will be needed and makes that data available to the CPU's internal memory?
A) cache controller
B) data bus
C) address bus
D) registers

Accepted Answer

The cache controller is responsible for predicting what data will be needed by the CPU and pre-fetching that data to make it available in the CPU's cache (a type of internal memory), which helps in speeding up the data access time for the CPU.

Question 3

You will be using a mobile device that is based on RISC architecture for a new project. Which of the following CPU families is most likely running in the device?
A) AMD Ryzen 7
B) Intel Xeon
C) ARM
D) Pentium

Accepted Answer

ARM processors are based on the RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture, which is commonly used in mobile devices due to its efficiency and power-saving capabilities.

Question 4

You are troubleshooting a computer that is in the design phase. The problem you see is that the CPU is not receiving information about the status of resources and devices connected to the computer. The CPU is also not receiving IRQs. What component of the computer do you suspect could be the problem?
A) CPU cache
B) data bus
C) control bus
D) address bus

Accepted Answer

The control bus is responsible for carrying control signals, including commands from the CPU and status signals from other devices, as well as interrupt requests (IRQs). If the CPU is not receiving information about the status of resources or IRQs, it indicates a problem with the control bus.

Question 5

A RISC CPU performs more complex instructions and uses a uniform number of clock cycles for each instruction.

Accepted Answer

A RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) CPU is designed to perform simpler instructions, typically using a single clock cycle per instruction, unlike CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) CPUs that can perform more complex instructions possibly using variable numbers of clock cycles.

Question 6

Which feature of RISC CPUs allows the processor to operate on one instruction at the same time it is fetching one or more subsequent instructions?
A) caching
B) CPU scheduling
C) coprocessing
D) pipelining

Accepted Answer

Pipelining is a technique used in RISC CPUs that allows the processor to fetch the next instruction while it is executing the current instruction, thereby increasing the instruction throughput.

Question 7

What type of material is used to manufacture CPUs used on modern PCs?
A) silicon
B) argon
C) teflon
D) radon

Accepted Answer

Silicon is the primary material used in the manufacture of CPUs for modern PCs due to its excellent semiconductor properties.

Question 8

The address bus almost always runs faster than the external clock speed of the CPU.

Accepted Answer

The address bus speed is tied to the CPU's external clock speed, as it is used to communicate between the CPU and memory or other devices, and does not operate independently at a faster rate.

Question 9

A bus is the part of a CPU that performs computational and logic work.

Accepted Answer

The bus in a CPU is responsible for transferring data and signals among the various components of the computer, not for performing computational and logic work.

Question 10

Approximately how much data could a CPU with an external clock speed of 2 GHz and a 32-bit data bus transfer per second?
A) 4 Gigabits
B) 8 Gigabits
C) 4 Gigabytes
D) 8 Gigabytes

Accepted Answer

A 2 GHz CPU with a 32-bit data bus can transfer 2 billion cycles per second, with each cycle transferring 32 bits. This results in 64 billion bits per second, which is equivalent to 8 Gigabytes per second.

Question 11

Which of the following is best described as a technology that enables a single processor core to appear as two logical processors to the OS and allows multiple parts of a single process to run simultaneously?
A) multitasking
B) hyper-threading
C) RISC
D) virtualization

Accepted Answer

Hyper-threading is a technology developed by Intel that allows a single processor core to appear as two logical processors to the operating system, enabling it to run multiple threads simultaneously, which can improve the efficiency of CPU usage.

Question 12

If your address bus is 16-bits wide, approximately how much memory can your computer address?
A) 64K bytes
B) 1024K bytes
C) 4G bits
D) 64K bits

Accepted Answer

A 16-bit address bus can address 2^16 memory locations. Since each location is typically 1 byte, this amounts to 65,536 bytes, or approximately 64K bytes.

Question 13

What was the primary difference between the 8088 processor and the 8086 processor?
A) The 8088 processor cost more than the 8086 processor.
B) The 8088 processor had 8 cores compared to 6 cores on the 8086.
C) The 8086 processor had a 16-bit data bus compared to the 8-bit bus of the 8088.
D) The 8086 processor had 86 registers compared to 88 registers on the 8088.

Accepted Answer

The primary difference between the 8088 and 8086 processors is the width of their data buses. The 8086 has a 16-bit data bus, allowing it to transfer data in 16-bit chunks, whereas the 8088 has an 8-bit data bus, which means it can only transfer data in 8-bit chunks at a time. This difference made the 8088 slightly slower but also allowed it to be cheaper and compatible with a wider range of existing 8-bit hardware.

Question 14

You are designing a prototype of a computer system that includes a CPU, RAM, and non-volatile memory. You have stored CPU instructions in non-volatile memory. When you start the CPU, your logic analyzer is showing that the CPU is reading instructions, but not the instructions you have stored. What is a likely problem?
A) the CPU is overheating
B) the instructions are not stored at the reset vector
C) the instructions are for the wrong type of CPU
D) your power supply has failed

Accepted Answer

The CPU typically starts executing instructions from a specific address after reset, known as the reset vector. If your instructions are not stored at this address, the CPU will not execute them upon startup, leading to the observed issue.

Question 15

CPUs that run faster generally require more energy and generate more heat.

Accepted Answer

Faster CPUs perform more calculations per second, which increases their power consumption and consequently generates more heat.

Question 16

If you are designing a CPU on which you want memory that can be accessed at the internal clock speed of the CPU, which type of memory are you concerned with?
A) L4 RAM
B) L4 cache
C) L1 cache
D) L1 RAM

Accepted Answer

L1 cache is the type of memory located closest to the CPU core, designed for the fastest access at the CPU's internal clock speed, enabling quick data retrieval and storage operations.

Question 17

Which part of the CPU is responsible for receiving and decoding an instruction and giving it to another CPU component for execution?
A) CU
B) ALU
C) register
D) system bus

Accepted Answer

The Control Unit (CU) is responsible for receiving and decoding instructions, then directing these instructions to the appropriate components of the CPU for execution.

Question 18

You are troubleshooting an embedded system and are debugging a process that is running on the system. You have a logic analyzer that can show you the contents of all the CPU registers and program memory. You need to determine the location of the next instruction the CPU will execute. Where should you look?
A) program counter
B) reset vector
C) L2 cache
D) data register

Accepted Answer

The program counter (PC) holds the address of the next instruction to be executed by the CPU. It is updated after each instruction, pointing to the next instruction in the sequence.

Question 19

A CPU that has two or more components that read and execute instructions is referred to as which of the following?
A) multiprocessor CPU
B) single-CPU system
C) multicore processor
D) multibus processor

Accepted Answer

A multicore processor is a CPU with two or more independent cores that read and execute instructions.

Question 20

ARM processors are RISC processors that are commonly used in mobile devices and embedded systems.

Accepted Answer

ARM processors are designed based on the Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) architecture, which is known for its efficiency and simplicity. This makes them highly suitable for mobile devices and embedded systems where power efficiency and compact design are crucial.

Quiz 3: The Central Processing Unit CPU

Which of the following is true about RISC CPU hardware?

Which hardware component predicts what data will be needed and makes that data available to the CPU's internal memory?

You will be using a mobile device that is based on RISC architecture for a new project. Which of the following CPU families is most likely running in the device?

A RISC CPU performs more complex instructions and uses a uniform number of clock cycles for each instruction.

Which feature of RISC CPUs allows the processor to operate on one instruction at the same time it is fetching one or more subsequent instructions?

What type of material is used to manufacture CPUs used on modern PCs?

The address bus almost always runs faster than the external clock speed of the CPU.

A bus is the part of a CPU that performs computational and logic work.

Approximately how much data could a CPU with an external clock speed of 2 GHz and a 32-bit data bus transfer per second?

Which of the following is best described as a technology that enables a single processor core to appear as two logical processors to the OS and allows multiple parts of a single process to run simultaneously?

If your address bus is 16-bits wide, approximately how much memory can your computer address?

What was the primary difference between the 8088 processor and the 8086 processor?

CPUs that run faster generally require more energy and generate more heat.

If you are designing a CPU on which you want memory that can be accessed at the internal clock speed of the CPU, which type of memory are you concerned with?

Which part of the CPU is responsible for receiving and decoding an instruction and giving it to another CPU component for execution?

A CPU that has two or more components that read and execute instructions is referred to as which of the following?

ARM processors are RISC processors that are commonly used in mobile devices and embedded systems.