Chapter 03
TRUE/FALSE
1. Clock speed and CPU design are factors that determine how fast instructions are executed.
2. A RISC CPU performs more complex instructions and can work on general-purpose hardware.
3. CPUs that run faster generally require more energy and generate more heat.
4. The address bus almost always runs faster than the external clock speed of the CPU.
5. The Intel Itanium processor is a CISC-based processor that uses a 32-bit architecture.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A CPU that has two or more sections that read and execute instructions is referred to as which of the
following?
a.
multiprocessor CPU
c.
multicore processor
b.
single-CPU system
d.
multibus processor
2. If you want to design a CPU that will run on general-purpose hardware, which type of CPU should you
design?
a.
CISC
c.
multicore
b.
single-threaded
d.
RISC
3. Which feature of RISC CPUs allows the processor to operate on one instruction at the same time it is
fetching one or more subsequent instructions?
a.
caching
c.
coprocessing
b.
CPU scheduling
d.
pipelining
4. What RISC processor design can build multiple instructions into a single word and can combine
instructions into groups, allowing parallel operation?
a.
pipelining
c.
instruction caching
b.
EPIC
d.
complex instruction set
5. Which of the following is true about RISC CPU hardware?
a.
it is less complicated and can run at faster
clock speeds
c.
it cannot run in small devices like
smartphones
b.
it is more complicated and must run at
slower clock speeds
d.
all current CPUs are based on it
6. If you are designing a CPU on which you want to have a lot of storage that can be accessed at the
internal clock speed of the CPU, which type of memory are you concerned with?
a.
L2 RAM
c.
L1 cache
b.
L2 cache
d.
L1 RAM
7. If your address bus is 20-bits wide, approximately how much memory can your computer address?
a.
64K bytes
c.
4G bits
b.
1024K bytes
d.
64K bits
8. Approximately how much data could a CPU with an external clock speed of 2 GHz and a 32-bit data
bus transfer per second?
a.
4 Gigabits
c.
4 Gigabytes
b.
8 Gigabits
d.
8 Gigabytes
9. You are troubleshooting a computer that is in the design phase. The problem you see is that the CPU
is not receiving information about the status and of resources and devices connected to the computer.
The CPU is also not receiving IRQs. What component of the computer do you suspect could be the
problem?
a.
CPU cache
c.
control bus
b.
data bus
d.
address bus
10. You have found an old dusty computer in your basement that you can identify as an original IBM PC.
You ask your friend if he knows what CPU was used in these computers. Which of the following
represents a correct response to your question?
a.
8088
c.
80286
b.
Pentium
d.
Itanium
11. You work for a college that was just donated a computer with an Itanium processor. Which of the
following OSs can NOT be installed on this computer?
a.
Windows XP 64-bit
c.
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
64-bit
b.
Vista 64-bit
d.
Windows Server 2008 64-bit
12. You are building a new PC for yourself. You want your computer to have a dual-core processor made
by AMD. Which processor family should you choose?
a.
K6-2
c.
Athlon X2
b.
Duron
d.
Athlon XP
13. You have heard that the Linux distribution your are going to install to run a new application runs best
on a RISC architecture. Which of the following CPU families should you consider for the computer
on which you will install this Linux distribution?
a.
Motorola 68040
c.
SPARC
b.
Intel Xeon
d.
Pentium
14. Which of the following is best described as a technology that enables a single processor to appear as
two processors to the OS and allows multiple threads to run simultaneously?
a.
EPIC
c.
RISC
b.
hyper-threading
d.
super-threading
15. Which hardware component predicts what data will be needed and makes that data available to the
CPU’s internal memory?
a.
cache controller
c.
address bus
b.
data bus
d.
RAM controller
COMPLETION
1. A computer with two or more CPUs is referred to as a ________________ computer.
2. The ___________________ is the list of command the CPU can execute.
3. _________________ allows the processor to operate on one instruction at the same time that is fetches
subsequent instructions.
4. The ability of a single EPIC processor to perform the instructions in an instruction group
simultaneously is ______________ operation.
5. A CPU scheduling algorithm that allows two or more processes to be run at the same time by a single
CPU is called __________________.
MATCHING
a.
CISC
f.
hyper-threading
b.
external clock speed
g.
control bus
c.
data bus
h.
instruction set
d.
address bus
i.
RISC
e.
core
j.
execution-based cache
1. an internal communications pathway for memory reads and writes
2. computer CPU architecture in which processor components are reconfigured to conduct different
operations as required
3. internal communications pathway that keeps the CPU informed of the
status of particular computer resources and devices
4. the part of a processor used to read and execute instructions
5. the speed at which the processor communicates with the memory and other devices in the computer
6. the group of commands the processor recognizes
7. first-level cache in a XEON CPU that stores decoded instructions
and delivers them to the processor at high speed.
8. an internal communications pathway that allows computer components, such as the CPU, display
adapter, and main memory, to share information
9. an Intel multithreading technology that enables a single processor
to appear to the operating system as two separate processors
10. a computer CPU design that dedicates processor hardware components to certain functions
SHORT ANSWER
1. Describe what is meant by a computer’s system architecture.
2. Describe the difference between a multiprocessor computer and a multicore computer.
3. Describe the difference between a RISC and CISC CPU.
4. Describe the difference between the internal and external clock speeds of a CPU.
5. What is the difference between L1 cache and L2 cache?
6. List the three types of bus that you will find in every computer design.