WGU C952 - Computer Architecture Final Competency
Certification Study Guide Exam Questions with
Certified for Accuracy Answers 2024/2025
Hexadecimal - correct answer Numbers in base 16
Opcode - correct answer The field that denotes the operation and format of an
instruction.
AND - correct answer A logical bit- by-bit operation with two operands that calculates a
1 only if there is a 1 in both operands.
OR - correct answer A logical bit-by-bit operation with two operands that calculates a 1
if there is a 1 in either operand.
NOT - correct answer A logical bit-by-bit operation with one operand that inverts the
bits; that is, it replaces every 1 with a 0, and every 0 with a 1.
EOR - correct answer A logical bit-by-bit operation with two operands that calculates
the exclusive OR of the two operands. That is, it calculates a 1 only if the values are
different in the two operands.
Conditional branch - correct answer An instruction that tests a value and that allows for
a subsequent transfer of control to a new address in the program based on the outcome
of the test.
Basic block - correct answer A sequence of instructions without branches (except
possibly at the end) and without branch targets or branch labels (except possibly at the
beginning).
Branch address table - correct answer Also called branch table. A table of addresses of
alternative instruction sequences.
,Procedure - correct answer A stored subroutine that performs a specific task based on
the parameters with which it is provided.
Branch-and-link instruction - correct answer An instruction that branches to an address
and simultaneously saves the address of the following instruction in a register (LR or
X30 in LEGv8).
Return address - correct answer A link to the calling site that allows a procedure to
return to the proper address; in LEGv8 it is stored in register LR (X30).
Caller - correct answer The program that instigates a procedure and provides the
necessary parameter values.
Callee - correct answer A procedure that executes a series of stored instructions based
on parameters provided by the caller and then returns control to the caller.
Program counter (PC) - correct answer The register containing the address of the
instruction in the program being executed.
Stack - correct answer A data structure for spilling registers organized as a last-in- first-
out queue.
Stack pointer - correct answer A value denoting the most recently allocated address in
a stack that shows where registers should be spilled or where old register values can be
found. In LEGv8, it is register SP.
Push - correct answer Add element to stack
Pop - correct answer Remove element from stack.
Global pointer - correct answer The register that is reserved to point to the static area
,Procedure frame - correct answer Also called activation record. The segment of the
stack containing a procedure's saved registers and local variables
Frame pointer - correct answer A value denoting the location of the saved registers
and local variables for a given procedure.
Text segment - correct answer The segment of a UNIX object file that contains the
machine language code for routines in the source file
PC-relative addressing - correct answer An addressing regime in which the address is
the sum of the program counter (PC) and a constant in the instruction.
Addressing mode - correct answer One of several addressing regimes delimited by
their varied use of operands and/or addresses.
Data race - correct answer Two memory accesses form a data race if they are from
different threads to same location, at least one is a write, and they occur one after
another.
Assembly language - correct answer A symbolic language that can be translated into
binary machine language.
Pseudoinstruction - correct answer A common variation of assembly language
instructions often treated as if it were an instruction in its own right.
Symbol table - correct answer A table that matches names of labels to the addresses
of the memory words that instructions occupy.
Linker - correct answer Also called link editor. A systems program that combines
independently assembled machine language programs and resolves all undefined
labels into an executable file.
, Executable file - correct answer A functional program in the format of an object file that
contains no unresolved references. It can contain symbol tables and debugging
information. A "stripped executable" does not contain that information. Relocation
information may be included for the loader.
Loader - correct answer A systems program that places an object program in main
memory so that it is ready to execute.
Dynamically linked libraries (DLLs) - correct answer Library routines that are linked to
a program during execution.
Java bytecode - correct answer Instruction from an instruction set designed to interpret
Java programs
Java Virtual Machine (JVM) - correct answer The program that interprets Java
bytecodes.
Just In Time compiler (JIT) - correct answer The name commonly given to a compiler
that operates at runtime, translating the interpreted code segments into the native code
of the computer.
Loop-unrolling: - correct answer A technique to get more performance from loops that
access arrays, in which multiple copies of the loop body are made and instructions from
different iterations are scheduled together.
Public - correct answer A Java keyword that allows a method to be invoked by any
other method.
Protected: - correct answer A Java keyword that restricts invocation of a method to
other methods in that package.
Package - correct answer Basically a directory that contains a group of related classes
Certification Study Guide Exam Questions with
Certified for Accuracy Answers 2024/2025
Hexadecimal - correct answer Numbers in base 16
Opcode - correct answer The field that denotes the operation and format of an
instruction.
AND - correct answer A logical bit- by-bit operation with two operands that calculates a
1 only if there is a 1 in both operands.
OR - correct answer A logical bit-by-bit operation with two operands that calculates a 1
if there is a 1 in either operand.
NOT - correct answer A logical bit-by-bit operation with one operand that inverts the
bits; that is, it replaces every 1 with a 0, and every 0 with a 1.
EOR - correct answer A logical bit-by-bit operation with two operands that calculates
the exclusive OR of the two operands. That is, it calculates a 1 only if the values are
different in the two operands.
Conditional branch - correct answer An instruction that tests a value and that allows for
a subsequent transfer of control to a new address in the program based on the outcome
of the test.
Basic block - correct answer A sequence of instructions without branches (except
possibly at the end) and without branch targets or branch labels (except possibly at the
beginning).
Branch address table - correct answer Also called branch table. A table of addresses of
alternative instruction sequences.
,Procedure - correct answer A stored subroutine that performs a specific task based on
the parameters with which it is provided.
Branch-and-link instruction - correct answer An instruction that branches to an address
and simultaneously saves the address of the following instruction in a register (LR or
X30 in LEGv8).
Return address - correct answer A link to the calling site that allows a procedure to
return to the proper address; in LEGv8 it is stored in register LR (X30).
Caller - correct answer The program that instigates a procedure and provides the
necessary parameter values.
Callee - correct answer A procedure that executes a series of stored instructions based
on parameters provided by the caller and then returns control to the caller.
Program counter (PC) - correct answer The register containing the address of the
instruction in the program being executed.
Stack - correct answer A data structure for spilling registers organized as a last-in- first-
out queue.
Stack pointer - correct answer A value denoting the most recently allocated address in
a stack that shows where registers should be spilled or where old register values can be
found. In LEGv8, it is register SP.
Push - correct answer Add element to stack
Pop - correct answer Remove element from stack.
Global pointer - correct answer The register that is reserved to point to the static area
,Procedure frame - correct answer Also called activation record. The segment of the
stack containing a procedure's saved registers and local variables
Frame pointer - correct answer A value denoting the location of the saved registers
and local variables for a given procedure.
Text segment - correct answer The segment of a UNIX object file that contains the
machine language code for routines in the source file
PC-relative addressing - correct answer An addressing regime in which the address is
the sum of the program counter (PC) and a constant in the instruction.
Addressing mode - correct answer One of several addressing regimes delimited by
their varied use of operands and/or addresses.
Data race - correct answer Two memory accesses form a data race if they are from
different threads to same location, at least one is a write, and they occur one after
another.
Assembly language - correct answer A symbolic language that can be translated into
binary machine language.
Pseudoinstruction - correct answer A common variation of assembly language
instructions often treated as if it were an instruction in its own right.
Symbol table - correct answer A table that matches names of labels to the addresses
of the memory words that instructions occupy.
Linker - correct answer Also called link editor. A systems program that combines
independently assembled machine language programs and resolves all undefined
labels into an executable file.
, Executable file - correct answer A functional program in the format of an object file that
contains no unresolved references. It can contain symbol tables and debugging
information. A "stripped executable" does not contain that information. Relocation
information may be included for the loader.
Loader - correct answer A systems program that places an object program in main
memory so that it is ready to execute.
Dynamically linked libraries (DLLs) - correct answer Library routines that are linked to
a program during execution.
Java bytecode - correct answer Instruction from an instruction set designed to interpret
Java programs
Java Virtual Machine (JVM) - correct answer The program that interprets Java
bytecodes.
Just In Time compiler (JIT) - correct answer The name commonly given to a compiler
that operates at runtime, translating the interpreted code segments into the native code
of the computer.
Loop-unrolling: - correct answer A technique to get more performance from loops that
access arrays, in which multiple copies of the loop body are made and instructions from
different iterations are scheduled together.
Public - correct answer A Java keyword that allows a method to be invoked by any
other method.
Protected: - correct answer A Java keyword that restricts invocation of a method to
other methods in that package.
Package - correct answer Basically a directory that contains a group of related classes
