IT Computer Architecture 2

Question 1

What is virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

A technique using disk space to extend the apparent RAM capacity

Answer

Physical RAM installed on the motherboard

Answer

A fast cache between the CPU and main memory

Answer

Memory used exclusively by the OS kernel

Question 2

What does DMA (Direct Memory Access) allow a peripheral device to do?

Accepted Answer

Transfer data directly between the device and memory without CPU intervention

Answer

Access CPU registers without OS permission

Answer

Encrypt data before storing it in memory

Answer

Share memory addresses among multiple processes

Question 3

What is the purpose of the Program Counter (PC) register?

Accepted Answer

Store the memory address of the next instruction to be fetched

Answer

Count the number of programs running simultaneously

Answer

Track CPU performance metrics over time

Answer

Hold the result of the most recent arithmetic operation

Question 4

Flynn's Taxonomy classifies parallel computer architectures based on which two dimensions?

Accepted Answer

Instruction streams and data streams

Answer

Memory type and processor speed

Answer

Clock speed and cache size

Answer

Number of cores and bus width

Question 5

In little-endian byte ordering, how is a multi-byte integer stored in memory?

Accepted Answer

Least significant byte at the lowest memory address

Answer

Most significant byte at the lowest memory address

Answer

Bytes are stored in a randomized order

Answer

All bytes share the same memory address

Question 6

What is the primary advantage of a multicore processor?

Accepted Answer

It enables true parallel execution of multiple threads simultaneously

Answer

It operates at a higher clock frequency than single-core CPUs

Answer

It consumes less power than any single-core processor

Answer

It requires less cache memory per core

Question 7

What is the von Neumann bottleneck?

Accepted Answer

A throughput limit caused by a single shared bus for both instructions and data

Answer

The limited number of registers available to programs

Answer

The maximum transistor count that fits on a chip

Answer

Heat dissipation constraints in modern processors