CS Computer Organization & Architecture

Question 1

Which component of the CPU is responsible for performing arithmetic and logical operations?

Accepted Answer

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

Answer

Control Unit

Answer

Program Counter

Answer

Memory Management Unit

Question 2

In a von Neumann architecture, which characteristic distinguishes it from a Harvard architecture?

Accepted Answer

Instructions and data share the same memory and bus

Answer

Instructions and data use separate memory spaces

Answer

It uses a dedicated instruction cache

Answer

It requires a co-processor for I/O

Question 3

What is the primary function of the Program Counter (PC) register?

Accepted Answer

Holds the memory address of the next instruction to fetch

Answer

Counts the total number of instructions executed

Answer

Stores the result of the most recent ALU operation

Answer

Tracks the number of elapsed clock cycles

Question 4

Which type of bus is used to carry memory addresses from the CPU to RAM?

Accepted Answer

Address bus

Answer

Data bus

Answer

Control bus

Answer

Expansion bus

Question 5

What does the control unit (CU) do within a CPU?

Accepted Answer

Fetches, decodes, and directs the execution of instructions

Answer

Performs floating-point arithmetic operations

Answer

Manages the CPU's cache hierarchy

Answer

Handles direct memory access transfers

Question 6

Which addressing mode uses the operand value directly embedded in the instruction itself?

Accepted Answer

Immediate addressing

Answer

Direct addressing

Answer

Indirect addressing

Answer

Register addressing

Question 7

What is the purpose of general-purpose registers in a CPU?

Accepted Answer

To provide fast, on-chip storage for operands and intermediate results

Answer

To cache frequently accessed main memory pages

Answer

To store the operating system's kernel code

Answer

To buffer data transferred over the system bus