Computer Architecture & Organization MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Computer Architecture & Organization - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is option 4: Memory Buffer Register

Key Points

• MBR stands for Memory Buffer Register in Computer Architecture.
• It is used to temporarily store data being transferred to and from the memory.
• Also known as **Memory Data Register (MDR)** in some texts.
• MBR holds the contents of memory read or data to be written to memory.

Additional Information

• MBR works closely with MAR (Memory Address Register) during memory operations.
• MAR holds the address, while MBR holds the data.
• Options 1, 2, and 3 are not standard terms in computer architecture.

Hence, the correct answer is: option 4: Memory Buffer Register

The correct answer is Memory interrupt.

Key Points

• Memory interrupt is not a standard type of interrupt in computer systems.
• Interrupts are signals that inform the processor about an event that needs immediate attention.
• There are primarily two types of interrupts:
  • Hardware interrupt: Generated by hardware devices like keyboards, mice, or system timers.
  • Software interrupt: Generated by software instructions, often used to handle system calls or exceptions.
• Other specific types of interrupts include:
  • I/O interrupts triggered by input/output devices.
  • Timer interrupts generated by the system timer to manage time-sharing and other functions.

Additional Information

• Interrupts play a critical role in managing the processor's workload and ensuring efficient operation of the system.
• They allow the CPU to respond quickly to important events, improving the overall responsiveness of the computer.
• Interrupt handlers or service routines are special functions that are executed when an interrupt occurs.
• Proper handling of interrupts is crucial for real-time systems and applications requiring precise timing and control.

The correct answer is Silicon semiconductor chips.

Key Points

• Silicon semiconductor chips are extensively used for internal memory in modern computers.
• These chips are composed of silicon, which is highly abundant and versatile.
• Semiconductors have electrical conductivity between that of conductors (such as metals) and non-conductors (such as ceramics).
• Silicon semiconductors are favored due to their stability, ease of fabrication, and cost-effectiveness.
• Internal memory in computers generally refers to RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory), and cache memory, all of which utilize silicon semiconductor technology.
• RAM is essential for a computer’s operation as it stores data currently being used or processed by the CPU.
• ROM retains data even when the computer is turned off, making it crucial for storing firmware.
• Cache memory is a smaller, faster variety of volatile memory that provides the CPU with rapid access to data.

The Correct answer is (A) is true but (R) is false.

Key Points

• Solid State Drives (SSDs) are indeed superior to Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) in terms of durability and speed.
• Durability: SSDs have no moving parts, making them more resistant to physical shock and less prone to mechanical failure compared to HDDs, which have spinning disks and moving read/write heads.
• Speed: SSDs provide faster data access and transfer speeds due to their use of flash memory, whereas HDDs rely on mechanical movement to read/write data, which is slower.
• Lower Data Access Times: One of the key advantages of SSDs is their lower data access times, which significantly improves system performance, especially in tasks requiring frequent data retrieval.
• Power Consumption: Contrary to the reason provided, SSDs actually consume less power compared to HDDs, making them more suitable for modern computer hardware, especially in portable devices like laptops.

 Additional Information

• Assertion (A):
  • The assertion that SSDs are superior to HDDs in terms of durability and speed is correct.
  • SSDs are preferred in many modern applications due to their faster performance and greater resilience to physical damage.
• Reason (R):
  • The reason provided is incorrect because it inaccurately states that SSDs have higher power consumption and are unsuitable for modern hardware.
  • In reality, SSDs consume less power and are highly suitable for modern hardware applications, contributing to their widespread adoption in laptops, desktops, and servers.

The correct answer is the Output device.

Key Points

• Visual Display Units (VDUs) function primarily as output devices.
• They present visual output from a computer, which can include text, graphics, and videos.
• VDUs play a critical role in interacting with computer systems by providing a visual interface for the user.
• Common types of VDUs include monitors and screens.
• VDUs translate digital signals from the computer into a format that can be visually interpreted by the user.
• They are vital in various applications, ranging from personal computing to professional workstations and gaming.

Additional Information

• Input device:
  • Devices used to provide data and control signals to a computer.
  • Examples include keyboards, mice, scanners, and microphones.
  • Crucial for user interaction and data entry.
• Optical device:
  • Devices that use light to perform their functions.
  • Examples include CD/DVD drives, optical sensors, and fiber optic cables.
  • Employed for data storage, communication, and sensing applications.
• Storage device:
  • Devices used to store data.
  • Examples include hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, and memory cards.
  • Essential for saving and retrieving data and applications.

The correct answer is Touchscreen.

Key Points

• The touchscreen is not an output device.
• The mobile touchscreens generally contain 2 modules. One is touch and the other is the screen which displays the content on the mobile. So Touch is basically embedded with the sensors and the screen of the device. So in this manner touchscreen combined is an input and output device both.
• Plotter, printer, and monitor are output devices but a touch screen is not an output device.
•  An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment that converts information into human-readable form. 
•  It can be text, graphics, tactile, audio, and video.
• Some of the output devices are Visual Display Units i.e. a Monitor, Printer graphic Output devices, Plotters, Speakers.
• An output device is any hardware device used to send data from a computer to another device or user. 

Additional Information

• An input device is a piece of equipment used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or information appliance.
  • Examples of input devices include keyboards, mouse, scanners, cameras, joysticks, and microphones. 
• Language and memory, Data and instructions, Text and graphics, Storage and commandsFeedbackCorrect.
• These are the two categories of input.
• Data can be unprocessed text or numbers, images, etc.

The correct answer is LIght Pen:

Key Points

•  Light pen:
  • ​A Light pen is a pen-like light-sensitive device.
  • A light pen can work with any CRT monitor but not with LCD monitors.
  • It is used by architects and engineers for CAD applications and editing.
  • It is an input device.
  • ​
• Punched Hole card:
  • ​It is also known as the Hollerith card or IBM card.
  • It was invented in 1890.
  • IBM introduced 80-column punched cards in 1928.
• Scanner:
  • A Scanner is an input device and is used to input data into the computer system in the form of pictures.
  • The flatbed scanner was invented by Ray Kurzweil and his team in 1975 and can scan a document at 600 dpi.
• Keyboard:
  • The first keyboard was developed in the 18th century and was named a QWERTY keyboard.
  • It contains a total of 101 to 104 keys.
  • Each key of the keyboard has an ASCII (American standard code for information interchange) value.

The correct answer is "Mouse".

Key Points

• ALU- It is the logical part of the computer that performs arithmetic and logic operations.
• CU- 
  • Most computer resources are managed by the CU.
  • It directs the flow of data between the CPU and the other devices.

• Computer Mouse-

  • ​​A Computer Mouse is a handheld pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to the surface. 

  • It allows a smooth control of the Graphical User Interface of a computer.

Additional Information

• CPU-
  • It stands for Central Processing Unit.
  • It is the central processor or main processor that process, input, store data, and output results.
  • It is known as the Brain of the Computer.
  • It performs basic operations like arithmetic, logic, controlling, and input/output by the instructions in the program.
  • Its principal components include ALU and CU.
  • Modern CPUs in the form of Integrated Circuit also contains Memory and other components such as microcontrollers or System on Chip (SoC).

The correct answer is an Impact printer.

Key Points

• Dot-matrix printer is a type of computer printing in which ink is applied to a surface and a low-resolution dot matrix is used for layout.
• It is also called an Impact printer.
• Dot-matrix printers employ a print head that goes back and forth or up and down on the page and prints by impact, striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon on the paper, similar to a typewriter or line printer's print mechanism.
• Not only can a dot matrix printer create any patterns, but it can also print specified characters.
• Impact printer printers are noisy yet popular.
• There is no direct contact between the ink ribbon and the paper with non-impact printers.​

Additional Information

• Impact printer
  • Impact printer refers to a class of printers that work by banging a head or needle against an ink ribbon to make a mark on the paper.
  • The three most common forms of impact printers are:
    • Dot-matrix.
    • Daisy-wheel.
    • Line printers.
• Non-impact printers print the characters without using ribbons. These printers print a complete page at a time so they are also called page printers.
  • E.g. Ink-Jet printer, Laser printer, etc.
• Laser Printer
  • ​A laser printer is a printer that uses a focused beam of light to transfer text and images onto paper.
• Inkjet printer
  • ​Inkjet printers, as the name implies, use ink to print text, graphics, and images onto various types of paper.
  • Inkjet printers, cartridges, and supplies are more widely available and therefore cheaper than their thermal printer.
• Thermal printer​
  • Thermal printers use tiny heating elements to activate or transfer pigments.
  • Thermal printers are used most commonly to create labels, and safety signs.
• A plotter is an output device. A plotter is a computer hardware device that is used for printing vector graphics.
  • Plotters are much like a printer.

The correct answer is ​(A), (B), (D) are correct:

Key Points

• The primary connectors of a computer system typically include the following:
  • Power: This connector is used to supply power to the computer system.
  • Keyboard: This connector allows you to connect a keyboard to the computer, usually through a USB port or a PS/2 port.
  • Display: This connector is used to connect the computer to a display device, such as a monitor or a projector. Common display connectors include VGA, DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort.

Additional Information

• A port is a physical docking point by which an external device can be connected to the computer. It can also be a programmatic docking point through which information flows from a program to the computer or over the Internet.

The Correct answer is the Image scanner.

Key Points

• An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment that converts information into a human-readable form. It can be text, graphics, audio, and video.
• Examples of output devices 
  • Examples include monitors, printers, speakers, headphones, projectors, GPS devices, optical mark readers, and braille readers.
• Image scanner
  • An image scanner also called a scanner scans images, handwriting, printed text or objects and converts them into a digital image.
  • It is like a photocopy machine and is an input device.

Additional Information

• The input device is any hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact with and control it.
• For example, Mouse, Keyboard, Touchpad, Scanner, Digital Camera, Microphone, Joystick, Graphic Tablet, Trackball, etc.

The correct answer is Printing drawings and maps.

Key Points

• The plotter is basically a type of Printer.
• It is an output device of the computer.
• It uses a pen to create a print on paper or media.
• The output is created on vector graphics.
  • It means that the dots are printed which are joined by lines and curves to produce text and images.
• Plotters are present in many designs used for printing large format prints.
• It includes architecture like layouts, building plans, ship designs, CAD (computer-aided design), big canvas prints, and any other engineering drawing.
• The plotters utilize pens or markers to draw graphics on an output media.
• These pens move differently according to the technology deployed by a plotter.
• Three types of plotters are most popular for their ability to allow you to create different designs.
  • Drum Plotters.
  • Flat Bed Plotters
  • Ink Jet Plotters

The correct answer is ​(A) and (B) are correct:

Key Points

• The input device is any hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact with and control it.
• For example, Mouse, Keyboard, Touchpad, Scanner, Digital Camera, Microphone, Joystick, Graphic Tablet, Trackball, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Scanner, etc
• OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is the process of converting images of typed, handwritten, or printed text into machine-encoded text. This transformation occurs through scanning documents, capturing text from photos or scenes (like signs), or extracting subtitle text from images (such as TV broadcasts).
• Scanner: A scanner is a device that can be used to digitize images or text into a computer.

Additional Information

• Plotter:
  • it produces vector graphics drawings.
  • It is an output device.
  • Plotters draw lines on paper using a pen, or in some applications, use a knife to cut a material like vinyl or leather. In the latter case, they are sometimes known as cutting plotters.
• Printer:
  • ​A printer is an output device, which is used to print information on paper.
  • The printed output produced by a printer is often called a hard copy, which is the physical version of an electronic document.

the Correct answer is RAM.

Key Points

• Random Access Memory (RAM) is a primary memory.
  • It is a read/write memory.
  • It is volatile memory.​

Additional Information

• EPROM is erasable programmable read-only memory.
  • It is a non-volatile memory.
  • It is used to hold both the operating system and the program for the access control panel.
• The Read-Only Memory (ROM) is non-volatile memory and retains its information even after the power is turned off.
• SSD is a solid-state drive and is a type of storage and alternative for hard disk and is a non-volatile memory.

The Correct answer is Arithmetic Logic Unit.

Key Points

• An arithmetic logic unit (ALU) is a digital circuit that executes arithmetic and bitwise operations on integer binary numbers, as opposed to a floating-point unit (FPU) that handles floating point numbers.
• It serves as a crucial component in various computing circuits, including the central processing unit (CPU) of computers, as well as FPUs and graphics processing units (GPUs).
• The ALU receives operands, the data to be processed, along with a code specifying the desired operation.
• The output of the ALU is the result of the performed operation.
• Many ALU designs also incorporate status inputs or outputs, or both, which convey information about previous or current operations between the ALU and external status registers.
• Although the primary function of arithmetic logic units (ALUs) remains consistent, they can be categorized into the following types:
  • Integer-based:
    • ​Designed to perform logical and arithmetic operations on non-decimal whole numbers, integer ALUs are commonly used for fundamental mathematical computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in computer systems.
  • ALUs with a bit-slice structure:
    • ​These ALUs consist of multiple smaller units, each responsible for handling operations on specific groups of bits.
    • This configuration enables the ALU to process larger values by breaking them down into smaller bits.
  • Hybrid arithmetic logic units:
    • ​Combining various types of ALUs, the hybrid ALU is capable of executing a diverse range of logical and arithmetic functions.
    • This type of ALU is often found in more sophisticated and high-performance computer processors.