Practice Quiz 1: Chapter 1

A _____ computer combines two or more processors on a single piece of silicon.

multicore

The _____ is a device for staging the movement of data between main memory and processor registers to improve performance and is not usually visible to the programmer or processor.

cache

An SMP (Symmetric Multiprocessor) can be defined as a stand-alone computer system with two or more similar processors of comparable capability.

True

An example of a multicore system is the Intel Core i7.

True

Cache memory is invisible to the OS.

True

Digital Signal Processors deal with streaming signals such as audio and video.

True

Interrupts are provided primarily as a way to improve processor utilization.

True

The interrupt can occur at any time and therefore at any point in the execution of a user program.

True

The operating system acts as an interface between the computer hardware and the human user.

True

The processor controls the operation of the computer and performs its data processing functions.

True

Registers that are used by system programs to minimize main memory references by optimizing register use are called _____.

User-Visible Registers

The two basic types of processor registers are:

User-visible and Control/Status registers

Each location in Main Memory contains a _____ value that can be interpreted as either an instruction or data.

binary number

The unit of data exchanged between cache and main memory is _____.

block size

External, nonvolatile memory is also referred to as _____ or auxiliary memory.

2nd memory

Small, fast memory located between the processor and main memory is called:

Cache memory

_____ is more efficient than interrupt-driven or programmed I/O for a multiple-word I/O transfer.

Direct Memory Access

A system bus transfers data between the computer and its external environment.

False

In a two-level memory hierarchy the Hit Ratio is defined as the fraction of all memory accesses found in the slower memory.

False

It is not possible for a communications interrupt to occur while a printer interrupt is being processed.

False

Over the years memory access speed has consistently increased more rapidly than processor speed.

False

The Program Status Word contains status information in the form of condition codes, which are bits typically set by the programmer as a result of program operation.

False

The fetched instruction is loaded into the Program Counter.

False

With interrupts, the processor can not be engaged in executing other instructions while an I/O operation is in progress.

False

The fetched instruction is loaded into the _____ .

Instruction Register

When an external device is ready to accept more data from the processor, the I/O module for that external device sends an _____ signal to the processor.

Interrupt Request

The concept of multiple programs taking turns in execution is known as _____.

Multiprogramming

The four main structural elements of a computer system are:

Processor, Main Memory, I/O Modules and System Bus

A Control/Status register that contains the address of the next instruction to be fetched is called the _____.

Program Counter

The _____ holds the address of the next instruction to be fetched.

Program Counter (PC)

The _____ is a point-to-point link electrical interconnect specification that enables high-speed communications among connected processor chips.

QPI

In a uniprocessor system, multiprogramming increases processor efficiency by:

Taking advantage of time wasted by long wait interrupt handling

Instruction processing consists of two steps:

fetch and execute

The processing required for a single instruction is called a(n) _____ cycle.

instruction

When an external device becomes ready to be serviced by the processor the device sends a(n) _____ signal to the processor.

interrupt

The _____ routine determines the nature of the interrupt and performs whatever actions are needed.

interrupt handler

When a new block of data is read into the cache the _____ determines which cache location the block will occupy.

mapping function

The _____ contains the data to be written into memory and receives the data read from memory.

memory buffer register

The invention of the _____ was the hardware revolution that brought about desktop and handheld computing.

microprocessor

One mechanism Intel uses to make its caches more effective is _____ , in which the hardware examines memory access patterns and attempts to fill the caches speculatively with data that is likely to be requested soon.

prefetching

The _____ chooses which block to replace when a new block is to be loaded into the cache and the cache already has all slots filled with other blocks.

replacement algorithm

A special type of address register required by a system that implements user visible stack addressing is called a _____.

stack pointer

In a _____ multiprocessor all processors can perform the same functions so the failure of a single processor does not halt the machine.

symmetric

A _____ organization has a number of potential advantages over a uniprocessor organization including performance, availability, incremental growth, and scaling.

symmetric multiprocessor

To satisfy the requirements of handheld devices, the classic microprocessor is giving way to the _____ , where not just the CPUs and caches are on the same chip, but also many of the other components of the system, such as DSPs, GPUs, I/O devices and main memory.

system on a chip