Question 1

A ____ is a simple processor attached to a peer-to-peer bus that decides which devices must wait when multiple devices want to become a bus master.

Accepted Answer

A bus arbitration unit is responsible for controlling access to the bus in a multi-master system. It decides which device can become the bus master and which devices must wait. The other options, such as bus master unit, bus controller, and bus interface, are not specifically designed for this task.

Question 2

People routinely download megabytes or gigabytes of data via the Internet and store gigabytes of data on handheld devices, terabytes on desktop computers, and petabytes to exabytes in corporate and government data centers.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true, as people can easily download and store large amounts of data in various devices and data centers.

Question 3

​A ____ is a shared electrical or optical channel that connects two or more devices.

Accepted Answer

A bus is a shared communication pathway that connects multiple devices in a computer system or network. It is often used for transmitting data, control signals, and power between devices. A trace refers to a pathway on a printed circuit board that carries a signal between components. A route usually refers to a specific path for travel or transportation and does not typically apply to electronic communication. "Connection" is a broad term that can refer to any type of linking between devices or systems, but it is not specific enough to accurately answer this question.

Question 4

When the CPU is the focus of all computer activity, all other devices are ____.

Accepted Answer

When the CPU is the focus of all computer activity, all other devices are considered bus slaves. This means that they are subordinate to the CPU and must wait for instructions before they can perform their own tasks.

Question 5

Zip files and archives are examples of lossless compression.

Accepted Answer

Zip files and archives use lossless compression techniques, meaning that the original data can be reconstructed exactly from the compressed version. Lossless compression reduces the size of the file, but does not result in any loss of information or quality.

Question 6

Devices attached to a system bus coordinate and synchronize their activities with a common ____.

Accepted Answer

Devices attached to a system bus coordinate and synchronize their activities with a common bus clock, which provides timing signals for data transfers between devices on the bus. The control bus carries signals that control the activities of the devices on the bus, while the data bus is used to transfer data between devices. The system bus is the pathway that connects all the devices in a computer system. Therefore, the best choice is A) bus clock as it addresses the question on how devices synchronize their activities.

Question 7

In a ____, any device can assume control of the bus or act as a bus master for transfers to any other device.

Accepted Answer

In a peer-to-peer bus architecture, any device can initiate data transfer or act as a bus master. Each device is connected to the bus and can communicate with any other device directly, without having to go through a central hub or controller. This type of bus is typically used in small networks or in situations where there is no need for a centralized control point. In contrast, star and linear buses have a central hub/controller that is responsible for managing the flow of data between devices, and in a ring bus, data flows in a single direction around the ring.

Question 8

The ____ governs the format, content, and timing of data, memory addresses, and control messages sent across the bus.

Accepted Answer

The bus protocol specifies how communication occurs between devices on the bus, including the format and timing of data, memory addresses, and control messages. The bus clock determines the frequency at which data is transferred, the bus size defines the number of data lines available for communication, and the bus master is responsible for initiating transactions on the bus. However, none of these fully govern the format, content, and timing of bus communication in the same way that the bus protocol does.

Question 9

Both multicore and multiple-processor architectures are examples of scaling up because they increase the power of a single computer system.

Accepted Answer

Both multicore and multiple-processor architectures increase the processing power of a single computer system, which is an example of scaling up.

Question 10

Under direct memory access, a device called a ____ is attached to the bus and to main memory.

Accepted Answer

The device attached to the bus and main memory under direct memory access is called a DMA controller. It is responsible for managing data transfers between the device and main memory without the involvement of the CPU. The DMA controller acts as a DMA master and controls the data transfer process. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Question 11

Lossless compression ratios higher than 50:1 are difficult or impossible to achieve with audio and video data.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Lossless compression ratios higher than 50:1 are...

Question 12

Until the 1990s, scaling up was almost always a more cost-effective strategy to increase available computer power because communication between computers was extremely slow compared with communication between a single computer's components.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Before the 1990s, communication between computers was much slower than communication between a single computer's components, making scaling up a more cost-effective strategy to increase available computer power.

Question 13

Multiple-processor architecture is not common in workstations.

Accepted Answer

Multiple-processor architecture is becoming increasingly common in workstations, with many high-end models now featuring multiple processors.

Question 14

The ____ carries commands, command responses, status codes, and similar messages.

Accepted Answer

The control bus carries commands, command responses, status codes, and similar messages. The other options are not directly responsible for carrying these types of messages.

Question 15

There are typically multiple storage and I/O devices connected to a computer, collectively referred to as ____.

Accepted Answer

Peripheral devices are devices connected to a computer that are not part of the central processing unit (CPU), but rather serve to add functionality or provide additional storage and input/output capabilities.

Question 16

The largest computational problems, such as those encountered in modeling three-dimensional physical phenomena, can be solved by a single computer as long as it has enough computing resources.

Accepted Answer

The largest computational problems often require multiple computers working in parallel, as even the most powerful single computer may not have enough computing resources to solve them efficiently. This is known as parallel computing.

Question 17

When the CPU is the focus of all computer activity, it's also the ____.

Accepted Answer

The CPU is considered the bus master because it controls all data transfers between the computer's components. The bus clock is the timing mechanism for data transfers, the bus slave refers to a component that is being controlled by the bus master, and the bus protocol is the set of rules governing the exchange of data over the computer's bus system.

Question 18

Using data compression alters the balance of processor resources and communication or storage resources in a computer system.

Accepted Answer

Data compression typically requires more processing power to compress and decompress data, but it can result in reduced storage or communication resources required. This alters the balance of resources in a computer system.

Question 19

Reducing the size of stored or transmitted data can improve performance whenever there's a dearth of processing power.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Reducing the size of stored or transmitted...

Question 20

MP3 compresses the audio data stream by discarding information about masked sounds or representing them with fewer bits.

Accepted Answer

MP3 compression technique discards information about masked sounds or represents them with fewer bits to reduce the overall file size without affecting the perceived quality of the audio.

Quiz 6: System Integration and Performance