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Quizzes > Quizzes for Business > Technology

Take the Ultimate Computer Architecture Quiz

Challenge your CPU design and system architecture knowledge

Difficulty: Moderate
Questions: 20
Learning OutcomesStudy Material
Colorful paper art depicting elements related to a Computer Architecture Quiz.

Ready to deepen your understanding of processor design? This computer architecture quiz offers 15 targeted questions on CPU components, memory hierarchy, and pipelining - perfect for students and professionals alike. For a broader challenge, explore the Computer Architecture Fundamentals Quiz or dive into the Digital Logic and Computer Architecture Quiz. You can freely tweak any question in our editor to match your learning goals and discover more quizzes tailored to your needs. Let this interactive quiz sharpen your skills and confidence in computer architecture.

What is the primary function of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) in a CPU?
Store data temporarily
Control data flow between CPU and memory
Decode machine instructions
Execute arithmetic and logical operations
The ALU performs all arithmetic and logical operations such as addition, subtraction, and comparisons. It is the component that carries out the computational tasks of the processor.
Which memory type inside a CPU is fastest but has the smallest capacity?
DRAM
Registers
Hard disk
Flash memory
Registers are the CPU's fastest storage elements, providing immediate access to operands. They have very limited capacity compared to cache and main memory.
What is immediate addressing mode in instruction sets?
The operand address is calculated at runtime
The operand is encoded directly in the instruction
The instruction uses a pointer in memory
The memory address is stored in a register
In immediate addressing mode, the operand value is specified directly within the instruction itself. This allows for quick access without additional memory lookups.
What is the main goal of pipelining in a CPU?
Increase the clock cycle length
Execute instructions strictly one at a time
Store multiple programs in parallel
Overlap instruction execution stages to improve throughput
Pipelining overlaps different stages of instruction execution to increase overall instruction throughput. It allows the CPU to work on several instructions simultaneously in different stages.
Which component of the CPU is responsible for fetching and sequencing instructions?
Arithmetic Logic Unit
Cache Controller
Control Unit
Register File
The Control Unit fetches instructions from memory, decodes them, and directs other CPU components to execute them in the correct order. It manages the sequencing and control signals.
What is a key advantage of RISC architectures over CISC architectures?
Built-in hardware support for every high-level language feature
Variable-length instructions for specialized tasks
Simple, fixed-length instructions enabling efficient pipelining
Complex microcoded instructions with high code density
RISC architectures use simple, fixed-length instructions which are easier to pipeline and decode. This simplicity leads to higher instruction throughput on many workloads.
Which addressing mode uses a base register plus a constant offset to access memory?
Base (registral) addressing
Indexed addressing without register
Immediate addressing
Indirect addressing
Base addressing adds a constant offset to the value in a base register to compute the effective memory address. It is widely used for accessing array elements and structure fields.
In a cache hierarchy, what does the hit rate represent?
The total number of cache levels
The time taken for a cache miss
The size of the cache divided by the memory size
The fraction of memory accesses found in the cache
Hit rate measures the percentage of memory accesses that are successfully retrieved from the cache. A higher hit rate indicates better cache performance and lower average access time.
Which type of pipeline hazard occurs when an instruction depends on the result of a previous instruction?
Data hazard
Structural hazard
Control hazard
Memory hazard
A data hazard arises when an instruction requires data that has not yet been produced by a prior instruction. Proper scheduling or forwarding is needed to avoid incorrect execution.
What is the purpose of bus arbitration in a system bus architecture?
Manage access to a shared bus among multiple devices
Increase the bus clock frequency
Convert between address and data signals
Encrypt data on the bus
Bus arbitration determines which device can use the shared bus at a given time to prevent conflicts. Common arbitration schemes include daisy-chaining and centralized controllers.
Compared to SRAM, what characteristic best describes DRAM?
Uses flip-flops for each bit
Volatile only during power-off
Higher density but slower access
Lower density but faster access
DRAM has a simpler cell structure that allows higher density and lower cost per bit, but it requires periodic refreshes and has slower access times than SRAM. SRAM uses more transistors per cell, making it faster but less dense.
What is temporal locality in the context of memory access patterns?
Recently accessed data is likely to be accessed again soon
Data located near accessed data is likely to be accessed
Data is accessed only once
Accesses follow a strictly sequential pattern
Temporal locality refers to the tendency of a program to access the same memory locations repeatedly within a short time interval. Caching exploits this by keeping recently used data closer to the CPU.
Which pipeline stage is responsible for decoding the instruction and reading operands?
Decode stage
Fetch stage
Execute stage
Write-back stage
The decode stage interprets the fetched instruction's opcode and identifies the source and destination operands. It also reads the required register values for execution.
In memory-mapped I/O, how are I/O devices accessed by the CPU?
Through regular memory addresses
Using special I/O instructions only
Via separate dedicated I/O ports
Through DMA channels exclusively
Memory-mapped I/O treats device registers as part of the regular address space, allowing CPU instructions for memory access to communicate with devices. This unifies programming models for memory and I/O.
What does CPI stand for in processor performance metrics?
Cycles per instruction
Cached performance index
Commands per instruction
Clock periods per I/O
CPI (cycles per instruction) indicates the average number of clock cycles each instruction takes to execute. It is a key factor in calculating overall CPU performance.
What is the ideal speedup of a perfectly balanced 5-stage pipeline without stalls?
1
3
5
10
In an ideal pipeline with N stages and no stalls, the maximum speedup approaches N because each stage can process a different instruction simultaneously. Here N=5, so ideal speedup is 5.
In a 2-way set associative cache, how many locations can a given memory block map to?
Number of sets
1
Number of cache lines
2
A 2-way set associative cache allows each memory block to be placed in one of two lines within the appropriate set. This provides more flexibility than direct mapping but less than full associativity.
Which technique primarily reduces control hazards in a pipelined processor?
Cache line locking
Loop unrolling
Branch prediction
Prefetch buffering
Branch prediction guesses the outcome of branch instructions to keep the pipeline filled and minimize stalls. Accurate predictors significantly reduce the penalty of control hazards.
Which hazard is mitigated by the use of forwarding (data bypassing) in a pipeline?
Write-after-write (WAW) hazard
Write-after-read (WAR) hazard
Read-after-write (RAW) hazard
Structural hazard
Forwarding resolves RAW hazards by routing the result of an instruction directly to a dependent instruction without writing it back to the register file first. This avoids pipeline stalls due to data dependencies.
What is the main advantage of a multiplexed bus architecture over a non-multiplexed (parallel) bus?
Elimination of bus arbitration
Dedicated channels for each device
Reduced pin count by sharing address and data lines
Higher parallel data throughput
Multiplexed buses time-share lines for addresses and data, which cuts down the number of physical pins required. This trade-off can simplify hardware design at the cost of additional cycle time for line switching.
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Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse CPU components and key performance trade-offs
  2. Identify memory types and cache hierarchy roles
  3. Evaluate instruction set architectures and addressing modes
  4. Apply pipelining principles to optimize processor throughput
  5. Demonstrate knowledge of I/O systems and bus architectures
  6. Master pipeline stages and hazard resolution strategies

Cheat Sheet

  1. CPU Components - Think of the CPU as the brain of your computer, where the ALU handles calculations, the Control Unit orchestrates operations, and registers store quick-fire data. Spotting how these teammates interact helps you optimize performance and understand speed vs. complexity trade-offs. Microarchitecture
  2. Memory Types - Explore the trio of RAM, ROM, and cache to see how each specializes in speed, permanence, or quick access. Grasping their roles lets you predict bottlenecks and fine-tune data flow like a pro. Computer Memory
  3. Cache Hierarchy - Dive into the cache hierarchy - L1, L2, and L3 - where getting data closer to the CPU shaves off precious nanoseconds. Mastering this ladder explains why some programs feel blazing fast while others lag. CPU Cache
  4. Instruction Set Architectures - Compare RISC and CISC as two languages your hardware speaks, each with its own grammar of instructions. Knowing their trade-offs empowers you to evaluate how chips execute code under the hood. Instruction Set Architecture
  5. Addressing Modes - Discover immediate, direct, and indirect modes as instruction detectives that change how data is fetched. Mastering these patterns boosts your skill in writing efficient, low-level code. Addressing Mode
  6. Instruction Pipelining - Break down how a CPU juggles multiple stages - Fetch, Decode, Execute, Memory Access, and Write Back - to keep work flowing like an assembly line. Grasping pipelining is key to supercharging throughput. Instruction Pipelining
  7. Pipeline Hazards - Brace for data, control, and structural hazards that can stall your pipeline and gum up performance. Learn fixes like forwarding, stalling, and branch prediction to maintain a smooth instruction flow. Hazard (Computer Architecture)
  8. I/O Systems - Peek behind the curtain at how CPUs chat with peripherals - keyboards, mice, and drives - through I/O systems. Appreciating these channels reveals why some devices feel snappy while others take a moment. Input/Output
  9. Bus Architectures - Navigate the highways of data, address, and control buses that shuttle bits across your system. Spotting traffic jams here helps you diagnose bottlenecks and boost data transfer efficiency. Bus (Computing)
  10. Pipeline Optimization - Level up your pipeline game with advanced techniques like out-of-order execution and superscalar design. Mastering these tricks puts you in the driver's seat for squeezing every ounce of speed from modern CPUs. Instruction Pipelining
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