QUESTION BANK – COMPUTER ORGANIZATION

UNIT-1

1.Explain about sign magnitude and 2’s complement approaches for representing
the fixed point numbers. Why 2’s complement is preferable. (Feb-2008)
2.Give means to identify whether or not an overflow has occurred in 2s comple-
ment addition or subtraction operations. Take one example for each possible
situation and explain. Assume 4 bit registers. (Feb-2008)
3.Distinguish between tightly coupled microprocessors and tightly coupled Mi-
croprocessors. (Feb-2008)
4.Explain the terms computer architecture, computer organization and com-
puter design in a detailed fashion. (Feb-2008)
5.Explain about various buses such as internal, external, backplane, I/O, system,
address, data, synchronous and asynchronous. (Feb-2008)
6.Distinguish between high level and low level languages? What are the require-
ments for a good programming language? (Feb-2008)
7.Explain about VonNeumann architecture design in detail. (Feb-2008)
8. Explain about daisy chain based bus arbitration. (Nov-2007)
9. Distinguish between error detection and correction codes. What do you understand by odd parity and even
parity?. What is odd function and even function? (Nov-2007)
10. To calculate odd and even parity values which functions can be used? Calculate Odd and even parity values
for all hexadecimal digits 0-9 and A-F. (Nov-2007)
11.Discuss about Flynn’s classification of computers. (Nov-2007)
12. Explain about communication topologies used in multiprocessors. (Nov-2007)
13. Discuss about PCI bus arbitration (Nov-2007)
14. List the merits and demerits of centralized and distributed bus arbitrations. (Nov-2007)
15.Differentiate between dedicated and multiplexed bus lines. (Nov-2007)
16. What do you mean by bus width? (Nov-2007)
17. Draw and explain the instruction cycle state diagram that includes interrupt
cycle processing. (Nov-2007)
18. Discuss about transfer of control with multiple interrupts. Demonstrate with
a neat diagram . (Nov-2007)

UNIT-2

1. Explain about stack organization used in processors. What do you understand

by register stack and memory stack? (Feb-2008)
2.Explain how X=(A+B)/(A-B) is evaluated in a stack based computer. (Feb-2008)
3. What is the use of buffers. Explain about tri-state buffers. Explain about
high impedance state. (Feb-2008)
4. Explain commonly employed bit shift operators such as shift left, right, circular
shift left/right and arithmetic shift left/right. Assume an 8-bit register, give
an example for each (Feb-2008)
5. Design a circuit to increment, decrement, complement and clear a 4 bit register
using RS flip-flops. Explain the control logic. (Feb-2008)
6. Write about direct, indirect, register direct, register indirect, immediate, implicit,
relative, index, and base address mode of addressing. Why do we need so many
addressing modes? Is the instruction size influenced by the number of addressing
modes which a processor supports? State whether the number of addressing modes
will be more in RISC or CISC? (Nov-2007)
7.Design register selection circuit to select one of the four 4-bit registers content on
to bus. Give fuller explanation. (Nov-2007)
8.Explain about stack organization used in processors. What do you understand
by register stack and memory stack? (Nov-2007)
9. Design a circuit transferring data from a 4bit register which uses D flip-flops
to another register which employs RS flip-flops. (Nov-2007)
10. What are register transfer logic languages? Explain few RTL statement for
branching with their actual functioning. (Nov-2007)
11. Write an algorithm to find all allowable weights for a ”weighted BCD code”. As-
sume that all weights are positive numbers (Feb-2007)
12. Convert the following decimal numbers to base three and to base five.
(a) 73 (b) 10.333 (c) 21.25 (Feb-2007)

UNIT-3

1. Support or oppose the statement. The control unit is a firmware? (Feb-2008)

2. Support or oppose the statement. If we want to add a new machine language
instruction to a processors instruction set, simply write a C program and
compile and store the resultant code in control memory. (Feb-2008)
3. Explain the variety of techniques available for sequencing of microinstructions
based on the format of the address information in the microinstruction. (Feb-2008)
4. Hardwired control unit is faster than microprogammed control unit. Justify
this statement. (Feb-2008)
5.Differentiate between microprogramming and nanoprogramming. (Feb-2008)
6.Hardwired control unit is faster than microprogammed control unit. Justify
this statement. (Feb-2008)
7.Support the statement Instruction Set Architecture has impact on the proces-
sors microarchitecture. (Feb-2008)
8.How do we reduce number of microinstructions? What are micro-subroutines?
9. Why do we need subroutine register in a control unit? Explain. (Nov-2007)
10. Explain nanoinstructions and nanometry. Why do we them? (Nov-2007)
11. How do we reduce number of microinstructions. What are micro-subroutines? (Nov-2007)
12. Explain nanoinstructions and nanometry. Why do we need them? (Nov-2007)
13.How do you map micro-operation to a micro instruction address. (Nov-2007)
14. Hardwired control unit is faster than microprogammed control unit. Justify
this statement. (Nov-2007)
15. Define the elements of a machine instruction. (Feb-2007)
16. How various instruction are categorized. (Feb-2007)
17. Explain about simple instruction format. (Feb-2007)

UNIT-4

1. How many bits are needed to store the result addition, subtraction, multipli-
cation and division of two n-bit unsigned numbers. Prove. (Feb-2008)
2. What is overflow and underflow? What is the reason? If the computer is
considered as infinite system do we still have these problems. (Feb-2008)
3. Draw a flowchart to explain how two IEEE 754 floating point numbers can be
added, subtracted and multiplied. Assume single precision numbers. Give example
for each . (Feb-2008)
4. What is overflow and underflow? What is the reason? If the computer is
considered as infinite system do we still have these problems. (Feb-2008)
5. Explain the computational errors. Why do they occur? Give some problems where
these errors are catastrophic. Also, give some practical examples (algorithms) where
error gets. (Nov-2007)
(a) accumulated and (b) multiplies.
6.What is overflow and underflow? What is the reason? If the computer is
considered as infinite system do we still have these problems. (Nov-2007)
7. What is the use of fast multiplication circuits? Write about array multipliers. (Nov-2007)
8. Multiply 10111 with 10011 using booths algorithm. (Nov-2007)
9.Draw a flow chart which explains multiplication of two signed magnitude fixed
point numbers. (Nov-2007)
10. Multiply 10111 with 10011 with the above procedure given (a). Show all the
registers content for each step. (Nov-2007)

UNIT-5

1.Explain how the Bit Cells are organized in a Memory Chip. (Feb-2008)
2.Explain the organization of a 1K x 1 Memory with a neat sketch. (Feb-2008)
3. ”In paged segmentation, the reference time increases and fragmentation decreases”, Justify your answer.
(Feb-2008)
4. A Virtual Memory System has an address space of 8K words and a Memory
space of 4K words and page and block sizes of 1K words. Determine the
number of page faults for the following page replacement algorithms: (Feb-2008)
1) FIFO
2) LRU if the reference string is as follows: 4,2,0,1,2,6,1,4,0,1,0,2,3,5,7.
5. Compare and contrast Asynchronous DRAM and Synchronous DRAM. (Feb-2008)
6. Explain the following with applications for each: (Nov-2007)
a) ROM
(b) PROM
(c) EPROM
(d) EEPROM.
7. What is the functioning of a Flash Memory? Explain. (Nov-2007)
8. Give the detailed picture of Memory Hierarchy. (Nov-2007)
9. What are the different types of Mapping Techniques used in the usage of Cache
Memory? Explain. (Nov-2007)

UNIT-6

1. What are the different kinds of I/O Communication techniques? What are the
relative advantages and disadvantages? Compare and contrast all techniques. (Feb-2008)
2.Explain bit oriented and character oriented protocols in serial communication. (Feb-2008)
3. What are the different issues behind serial communication? Explain. (Feb-2008)
4. Explain the following: (Nov-2007)
(a) Isolated Vs Memory mapped I/O
(b) I/O Bus Vs Memory Bus
(c) I/O Interface
(d) Peripheral Devices.
5. Explain the following: (Nov-2007)
(a) Asynchronous Serial Transfer
(b) Asynchronous Communication Interface.
6. (a) What is Direct Memory Access? Explain the working of DMA. (Nov-2007)
(b) What are the different kinds of DMA transfers? Explain.
(c) What are the advantages of using DMA transfers?
7. What is polling? Explain in detail. (Nov-2007)
8. What is daisy chaining? Explain. (Nov-2007)
7. (a) Discuss about I/O channel architecture. (Feb-2008)
(b) Discuss about I/O addressing in 8086.
(c) Discuss the salient features of laser printer

UNIT-7

1. Explain the following with related to the Instruction Pipeline. (Feb-2008)

(a) Pipeline conflicts
(b) Data dependency
(c) Hardware interlocks
(d) Operand forwarding
(e) Delayed load
(f) Pre-fetch target instruction
(g) Branch target buffer
(h) Delayed branch.
2.(a) What is meant by arithmetic pipeline? Explain. (Feb-2008)
(b) Explain pipeline for floating point addition and subtraction.
3.(a) What is pipelining? Explain. (Nov-2007)
(b) Explain four segment pipelining.
4. Explain three segment instruction pipeline. Show the timing diagram and show the
timing diagram with data conflict. (Nov-2007)
5. (a) What is pipeline? Explain space-time diagram for Pipeline. (Nov-2007)
(b) Explain pipeline for floating point addition and subtraction.
6. (a) Differentiate between short and long pipeline. Which is more advantageous? (Feb-2007)
(b) Elaborate on depending constraints of pipelining. Give an example for pipeline
stalled by data dependency.
(c) Give an example for idle cycle caused by a branch instruction.
7. (a) Differentiate between sequential and pipelined execution of a program (Nov-2007)
(b) Explain about instruction execution and hardware organization of a four-stage
Pipeline
8. (a) Why special handling is required for branch instruction in a pipelined processor. Explain with examples.
(Nov-2006)
(b) How would you determine the number of pipeline stages in a pipelined processor.
9. (a) Explain the principles and working of dot matrix printers. (Feb-2008)
(b) Differentiate between different types of printers.

UNIT-8

1. (a) What are the different physical forms available to establish an inter-connection
network? Give the summary of those. (Feb-2008)
(b) Explain time-shared common bus Organization.
(c) Explain system bus structure for multiprocessors.
2. What is cache coherence and why is it important in shared memory multiprocessor
systems? How can the problem be solved with a snoopy cache controller? (Feb-2008)
3. (a) Explain multiport memory organization with a neat sketch. (Nov-2007)
(b) Explain system bus structure for multiprocessors with a neat sketch.
4. (a) Explain the working of 8 x 8 Omega Switching network. (Nov-2007)
(b) Explain the functioning of Binary Tree network with 2 x 2 Switches. Show a
neat sketch.
5. (a) Give a summary of arithmetic and logical operations that are defined for the
vector architecture. (Nov-2006)
(b) What is cache coherence problem. Discuss about different cache coherance
approches.
6. (a) Explain different types of parallel processors. (Nov-2006)
(b) What do you mean by compound instruction? Give examples
(c) Elaborate on registers of the IBM3090 vector facility.
7. (a) Explain the following terms. (Nov-2006)
i. Read miss
ii. Read hit
iii. Write miss
iv. Write hit
(b) Discuss different approaches to vector computation
8. (a) Differentiate between miltiprocessors and multicomputers. (Feb-2007)
(b) Discuss about instruction pipeline.