WGU C952 - COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS DETAILED
ANSWER EXPLANATIONS 2026
• What is the binary representation of instructions? -✓✓ Machine language
• Which feature of the IBM 360/91 was incorporated into the majority of
microprocessors developed in the 21st century? -✓✓ Algorithm innovations
allowed the improved parallel execution of instructions.
• Which key design element changed in 2005 to drive continued improvements in
computing capability? -✓✓ Multiprocessor architecture
• Which term refers to the same instruction applied to multiple data streams? -✓✓
SIMD
• What makes vector-based code more efficient than conventional code? -✓✓
Frequency of pipeline hazards is lower
• Which two elements are required to implement R-format arithmetic logic unit
(ALU) operations? -✓✓ ALU and register file
• Which component of a computer moderates the action of its other components? -
✓✓ Control
• Given the following 8-bit integer binary variables: X1 = 11000110X2 =
11110111
What is the value in X3 after the following command?
, ADD X3, X2, X1 -✓✓ Overflow
• What is the approximate range of a 64-bit unsigned integer? -✓✓ 0 to
18,446,744,073,709,551,615
• How is the integer 255 represented in memory? -✓✓ 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
0000 1111 1111
• What does extending to 16 bits yield given -5 in 8-bit 2's complement 11111011?
-✓✓ 11111111 11111011
• How many minutes does it take to wash, dry, and fold four loads of laundry using
a pipelining approach, given the following information?
One washer takes 30 minutes
One dryer takes 40 minutes
One folder takes 20 minutes -✓✓ 210
• The manufacturing process for producing a widget has five steps and each step in
the process takes one day. What is the average number of days needed to
manufacture each widget using a pipelined process to produce 10 widgets? -✓✓
1.4
• Which locality principle states that if a data location is referenced then it will tend
to be referenced again soon? -✓✓ Temporal
• What does each bank of modern DRAMS consist of? -✓✓ Rows
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS DETAILED
ANSWER EXPLANATIONS 2026
• What is the binary representation of instructions? -✓✓ Machine language
• Which feature of the IBM 360/91 was incorporated into the majority of
microprocessors developed in the 21st century? -✓✓ Algorithm innovations
allowed the improved parallel execution of instructions.
• Which key design element changed in 2005 to drive continued improvements in
computing capability? -✓✓ Multiprocessor architecture
• Which term refers to the same instruction applied to multiple data streams? -✓✓
SIMD
• What makes vector-based code more efficient than conventional code? -✓✓
Frequency of pipeline hazards is lower
• Which two elements are required to implement R-format arithmetic logic unit
(ALU) operations? -✓✓ ALU and register file
• Which component of a computer moderates the action of its other components? -
✓✓ Control
• Given the following 8-bit integer binary variables: X1 = 11000110X2 =
11110111
What is the value in X3 after the following command?
, ADD X3, X2, X1 -✓✓ Overflow
• What is the approximate range of a 64-bit unsigned integer? -✓✓ 0 to
18,446,744,073,709,551,615
• How is the integer 255 represented in memory? -✓✓ 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
0000 1111 1111
• What does extending to 16 bits yield given -5 in 8-bit 2's complement 11111011?
-✓✓ 11111111 11111011
• How many minutes does it take to wash, dry, and fold four loads of laundry using
a pipelining approach, given the following information?
One washer takes 30 minutes
One dryer takes 40 minutes
One folder takes 20 minutes -✓✓ 210
• The manufacturing process for producing a widget has five steps and each step in
the process takes one day. What is the average number of days needed to
manufacture each widget using a pipelined process to produce 10 widgets? -✓✓
1.4
• Which locality principle states that if a data location is referenced then it will tend
to be referenced again soon? -✓✓ Temporal
• What does each bank of modern DRAMS consist of? -✓✓ Rows
