WGU C952 EXAM 2025/2026 QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS 100% PASS
Register File - ANS A state element that consists of a set of registers that can be read and
written by supplying a register number to be accessed.
provides 1024 scalar 32-bit registers for up to 64 threads.
machine language - ANS The language made up of binary-coded instructions that is used
directly by the computer
system software - ANS The set of programs that enables a computer's hardware devices and
application software to work together; it includes the operating system and utility programs.
operating system - ANS (computer science) software that controls the execution of computer
programs and may provide various services
Assembly Language - ANS Programming language that has the same structure and set of
commands as machine languages but allows programmers to use symbolic representations of
numeric machine code.
IBM 360/91 - ANS Introduced many new concepts, including dynamic detection of memory
hazards, generalized forwarding, and reservation stations. Tomasulo's algorithm
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
,The internal organization of the 360/91 shares many features with the Pentium III and Pentium
4, as well as with several other microprocessors. One major difference was that there was no
branch prediction in the 360/91 and hence no speculation. Another major difference was that
there was no commit unit, so once the instructions finished execution, they updated the
registers.
Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) - ANS Memory built as an integrated circuit; it
provides random access to any location. Access times are 50 nanoseconds and cost per gigabyte
in 2012 was $5 to $10.
Multiple DRAMs are used together to contain the instructions and data of a program. In
contrast to sequential access memories, such as magnetic tapes, the RAM portion of the term
DRAM means that memory accesses take basically the same amount of time no matter what
portion of the memory is read.
Modern DRAMS consist of rows in each bank
frame buffering - ANS A portion of RAM containing a bitmap that drives a video display. It is
a memory buffer containing a complete frame of data.
The image to be represented onscreen is stored in the frame buffer, and the bit pattern per
pixel is read out to the graphics display at the refresh rate. The animation below shows a frame
buffer with a simplified design of just 4 bits per pixel.
Datapath - ANS The component of the processor that performs arithmetic operations
Control - ANS The component of the processor that commands the datapath, memory, and
I/O devices according to the instructions of the program.
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
,Integrated circuit - ANS Also called a chip. A device combining dozens to millions of
transistors.
Central processor unit (CPU) - ANS Also called processor. The active part of the computer,
which contains the datapath and control and which adds numbers, tests numbers, signals I/O
devices to activate, and so on.
Static random access memory (SRAM) - ANS Also memory built as an integrated circuit, but
faster and less dense than DRAM.
Instruction set architecture - ANS Also called architecture. An abstract interface between the
hardware and the lowest-level software that encompasses all the information necessary to
write a machine language program that will run correctly, including instructions, registers,
memory access, I/O, and so on.
Application binary interface (ABI) - ANS The user portion of the instruction set plus the
operating system interfaces used by application programmers. It defines a standard for binary
portability across computers.
Volatile memory - ANS Storage, such as DRAM, that retains data only if it is receiving power.
Nonvolatile Memory - ANS A form of memory that retains data even in the absence of a
power source and that is used to store programs between runs. A DVD disk is nonvolatile.
Magnetic disk - ANS Also called hard disk. A form of nonvolatile secondary memory
composed of rotating platters coated with a magnetic recording material. Because they are
rotating mechanical devices, access times are about 5 to 20 milliseconds and cost per gigabyte
in 2012 was $0.05 to $0.10
Main memory - ANS Also called primary memory. Memory used to hold programs while they
are running; typically consists of DRAM in today's computers.
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
, Secondary memory - ANS Nonvolatile memory used to store programs and data between
runs; typically consists of flash memory in PMDs and magnetic disks in servers.
Flash memory - ANS A nonvolatile semiconductor memory. It is cheaper and slower than
DRAM but more expensive per bit and faster than magnetic disks. Access times are about 5 to
50 microseconds and cost per gigabyte in 2012 was $0.75 to $1.00.
Single Instruction Single Data (SISD) - ANS A uniprocessor
Multiple Instruction Multiple Data (MIMD) - ANS A multiprocessor.
Single Program, Multiple Data Streams (SPMD) - ANS The conventional MIMD programming
model, where a single program runs across all processors.
Single Instruction Stream, Multiple Data Streams (SIMD) - ANS The same instruction is
applied to many data streams, as in a vector processor.
Data-level parallelism - ANS Parallelism achieved by performing the same operation on
independent data
vector-based code - ANS
conventional code - ANS
LEGv8 - ANS assembly instructions
multimedia extensions (MMX) - ANS An expanded set of instructions supported by a
processor that provides multimedia-specific functions.
4 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
AND ANSWERS 100% PASS
Register File - ANS A state element that consists of a set of registers that can be read and
written by supplying a register number to be accessed.
provides 1024 scalar 32-bit registers for up to 64 threads.
machine language - ANS The language made up of binary-coded instructions that is used
directly by the computer
system software - ANS The set of programs that enables a computer's hardware devices and
application software to work together; it includes the operating system and utility programs.
operating system - ANS (computer science) software that controls the execution of computer
programs and may provide various services
Assembly Language - ANS Programming language that has the same structure and set of
commands as machine languages but allows programmers to use symbolic representations of
numeric machine code.
IBM 360/91 - ANS Introduced many new concepts, including dynamic detection of memory
hazards, generalized forwarding, and reservation stations. Tomasulo's algorithm
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
,The internal organization of the 360/91 shares many features with the Pentium III and Pentium
4, as well as with several other microprocessors. One major difference was that there was no
branch prediction in the 360/91 and hence no speculation. Another major difference was that
there was no commit unit, so once the instructions finished execution, they updated the
registers.
Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) - ANS Memory built as an integrated circuit; it
provides random access to any location. Access times are 50 nanoseconds and cost per gigabyte
in 2012 was $5 to $10.
Multiple DRAMs are used together to contain the instructions and data of a program. In
contrast to sequential access memories, such as magnetic tapes, the RAM portion of the term
DRAM means that memory accesses take basically the same amount of time no matter what
portion of the memory is read.
Modern DRAMS consist of rows in each bank
frame buffering - ANS A portion of RAM containing a bitmap that drives a video display. It is
a memory buffer containing a complete frame of data.
The image to be represented onscreen is stored in the frame buffer, and the bit pattern per
pixel is read out to the graphics display at the refresh rate. The animation below shows a frame
buffer with a simplified design of just 4 bits per pixel.
Datapath - ANS The component of the processor that performs arithmetic operations
Control - ANS The component of the processor that commands the datapath, memory, and
I/O devices according to the instructions of the program.
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
,Integrated circuit - ANS Also called a chip. A device combining dozens to millions of
transistors.
Central processor unit (CPU) - ANS Also called processor. The active part of the computer,
which contains the datapath and control and which adds numbers, tests numbers, signals I/O
devices to activate, and so on.
Static random access memory (SRAM) - ANS Also memory built as an integrated circuit, but
faster and less dense than DRAM.
Instruction set architecture - ANS Also called architecture. An abstract interface between the
hardware and the lowest-level software that encompasses all the information necessary to
write a machine language program that will run correctly, including instructions, registers,
memory access, I/O, and so on.
Application binary interface (ABI) - ANS The user portion of the instruction set plus the
operating system interfaces used by application programmers. It defines a standard for binary
portability across computers.
Volatile memory - ANS Storage, such as DRAM, that retains data only if it is receiving power.
Nonvolatile Memory - ANS A form of memory that retains data even in the absence of a
power source and that is used to store programs between runs. A DVD disk is nonvolatile.
Magnetic disk - ANS Also called hard disk. A form of nonvolatile secondary memory
composed of rotating platters coated with a magnetic recording material. Because they are
rotating mechanical devices, access times are about 5 to 20 milliseconds and cost per gigabyte
in 2012 was $0.05 to $0.10
Main memory - ANS Also called primary memory. Memory used to hold programs while they
are running; typically consists of DRAM in today's computers.
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
, Secondary memory - ANS Nonvolatile memory used to store programs and data between
runs; typically consists of flash memory in PMDs and magnetic disks in servers.
Flash memory - ANS A nonvolatile semiconductor memory. It is cheaper and slower than
DRAM but more expensive per bit and faster than magnetic disks. Access times are about 5 to
50 microseconds and cost per gigabyte in 2012 was $0.75 to $1.00.
Single Instruction Single Data (SISD) - ANS A uniprocessor
Multiple Instruction Multiple Data (MIMD) - ANS A multiprocessor.
Single Program, Multiple Data Streams (SPMD) - ANS The conventional MIMD programming
model, where a single program runs across all processors.
Single Instruction Stream, Multiple Data Streams (SIMD) - ANS The same instruction is
applied to many data streams, as in a vector processor.
Data-level parallelism - ANS Parallelism achieved by performing the same operation on
independent data
vector-based code - ANS
conventional code - ANS
LEGv8 - ANS assembly instructions
multimedia extensions (MMX) - ANS An expanded set of instructions supported by a
processor that provides multimedia-specific functions.
4 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
