Programming the Basic Computer - machine language, assembly language, assembler, program loops, subroutines, input-output programming - One Line Questions

1. What is a 'buffer' in I/O programming? — A temporary storage area in memory used to hold data during input or output operations
2. Which of the following is a typical operand in machine language? — A memory address or a register number
3. What is 'recursion' in programming? — A function calling itself directly or indirectly
4. What is a 'nested loop'? — A loop placed inside another loop
5. What is Direct Memory Access (DMA)? — A method allowing I/O devices to transfer data directly to and from main memory without CPU intervention
6. In the context of I/O programming, what is a 'device driver'? — A software component that translates generic I/O requests into specific commands for a hardware device
7. What is an 'interrupt' in the context of I/O programming? — A signal from a device indicating it needs attention or has completed an operation
8. What is a 'stack frame' or 'activation record'? — A data structure on the stack holding information about a single subroutine call
9. What is a subroutine in the context of programming? — A block of code designed to perform a specific task and can be called from other parts of the program
10. What is the lowest level of programming language that a computer can directly understand and execute? — Machine Language
11. Which instruction format is directly executable by the CPU? — Machine Language Instruction
12. Which component translates assembly language into machine code? — Assembler
13. A 'for' loop is a common example of which type of loop? — Count-controlled loop
14. What happens when a subroutine 'returns'? — Control is transferred back to the instruction following the subroutine call
15. A 'while' loop is an example of what kind of loop? — Entry-controlled loop
16. Machine language instructions are typically represented in what format? — Binary or Hexadecimal
17. A 'do-while' loop is an example of what type of loop? — Exit-controlled loop
18. What is the output of an assembler? — Object code (relocatable machine code)
19. Which type of loop continues to execute as long as a specified condition remains true? — Conditional loop
20. Which loop structure guarantees that the loop body will execute at least once? — Do-while loop
21. Assembly language provides a one-to-one or close-to-one mapping with what? — Machine language instructions
22. Assembly language mnemonics are symbolic representations of: — Machine code operations
23. Which type of programming involves writing instructions that directly interact with hardware devices? — Input-Output Programming
24. What does 'memory-mapped I/O' mean? — I/O devices are accessed using the same address space as memory
25. What is the main benefit of using assembly language over machine language? — Easier to read, write, and debug due to mnemonics and labels
26. What is the main advantage of using subroutines? — Reduced code redundancy and improved modularity
27. An infinite loop is a loop whose condition: — Is never met
28. Which of the following is a common assembler directive? — ORG (Origin)
29. Which programming language uses mnemonics to represent machine code instructions? — Assembly Language
30. Which mnemonic might represent the 'ADD' operation in assembly language? — ADD
31. Machine code instructions are specific to a particular what? — Computer Architecture (Instruction Set Architecture)
32. Which of the following is a characteristic of assembly language? — Closely tied to the specific computer architecture
33. Which I/O technique involves the CPU being notified by hardware when an I/O device is ready? — Interrupt-driven I/O
34. Machine language is also known as: — Object code
35. What is the 'call stack' primarily used for? — Managing function calls and their local states
36. What is the process of 'calling' a subroutine? — Transferring control to the subroutine and saving the return address
37. An 'assembler directive' (or pseudo-operation) provides instructions for which entity? — The assembler program itself
38. What does the 'op-code' part of a machine language instruction specify? — The operation to be performed
39. What does the 'operand' field in a machine instruction typically specify? — The location of the data or address to be used in the operation
40. What is the role of a linker in the compilation process? — To combine multiple object files and resolve external references
41. What is the main purpose of using labels in assembly language? — To represent memory addresses for jumps and data references
42. In programming, what is a 'program loop' primarily used for? — To repeat a block of code multiple times
43. In assembly language, what is the purpose of a 'pseudo-operation' or 'assembler directive'? — To control the assembly process itself, not executed by the CPU
44. What is a 'jump' or 'branch' instruction used for in machine/assembly language? — To alter the sequential flow of program execution
45. What is the primary role of the stack in subroutine calls? — To store the return address and local variables
46. What is the 'symbol table' used for during assembly? — To keep track of labels and their corresponding memory addresses
47. What is the primary function of an assembler? — To translate assembly language into machine code
48. What is the process of 'linking'? — Combining multiple object files and library files into a single executable program
49. When programming input/output, what does 'polling' typically involve? — Continuously checking the status of an I/O device
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