IT Computer Architecture 2

Question 1

What is virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

A technique using disk space to extend the apparent RAM capacity

Answer

Virtual memory uses a portion of disk storage to simulate additional RAM, allowing systems to run programs larger than available physical memory.

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

DMA lets peripheral devices transfer data to and from main memory autonomously, freeing the CPU for other tasks during bulk data transfers.

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

The Program Counter holds the address of the next instruction to fetch, advancing sequentially to guide the CPU through a program.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

Instruction streams and data streams

Answer

Flynn's Taxonomy uses the number of simultaneous instruction streams and data streams to classify architectures as SISD, SIMD, MISD, or MIMD.

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

Little-endian stores the least significant byte at the lowest memory address, with byte significance increasing as addresses increase.

IT - Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology Practice Test