COM ORAL QUESTIONS

1. What is Microprocessor?

A microprocessor is a small chip that works like the brain of a computer and
performs instructions.

2. What is Instruction Set?

It is the list of all commands a processor can understand and execute.

3. What is Bandwidth?

It is the number of bits the processor can handle in one operation.

4. What is Clock Speed?

It shows how fast the processor works (measured in MHz or GHz).

5. What are the features of Intel 8086?

→ It is a 16-bit processor with 20-bit address bus and works at 5–10 MHz.

6. What is Logical Address?

→ It is an address written as Segment:Offset.

7. What is Effective Address?

→ It is the offset address used to access memory.

8. What is Physical Address?

→ Physical address = Segment × 10 + Offset.

9. What are the flags in 8086?

→ Flags are status indicators like zero, carry, sign, overflow.

10. Why crystal is a preferred clock source?

→ Because it provides very stable and accurate frequency.

11. What is Tri-state logic?

→ It has three states: 0, 1, and high impedance.

12. What happens when HLT instruction is executed?

→ The processor stops execution temporarily.
13. What is Program Counter?
→ It stores the address of the next instruction.

14. What are 1st/2nd/3rd/4th generation processors?

→ They are classified based on technology and bit size (4, 8, 16, 32-bit).

15. Name processor lines of major manufacturers.

→ Intel (Pentium, Celeron) and AMD (Athlon, Duron).

16. How many bit combinations are in a byte?

→ A byte has 8 bits (256 combinations).

17. What are types of buses?

→ Address bus, Data bus, Control bus.

18. What is maximum clock frequency of 8086?

→ 5 MHz.

19. What is Maskable Interrupt?

→ An interrupt that can be avoided.

20. What is Non-Maskable Interrupt?

→ An interrupt that cannot be avoided.

21. What are functional units of 8086?

→ BIU and EU.

22. What are segment registers in 8086?

→ CS, DS, SS, ES.

23. What does Execution Unit do?

→ It executes instructions and stores results.

24. Which stack is used in 8086?

→ LIFO (Last In First Out).

25. What are flags in 8086?

→ Status indicators like carry, zero, sign, etc.

26. What are SIM and RIM instructions?

→ SIM sets interrupt mask, RIM reads interrupt status.

27. What are addressing modes?

→ Different ways to access data.
28. What are general registers?
→ AX, BX, CX, DX used for data storage.

29. What are segment registers and uses?

→ Used to store memory segment addresses.

30. What are flag registers?

→ Registers that store status flags.

31. What does 8086 architecture contain?

→ It has BIU and EU.

32. What are data transfer instructions?

→ Instructions like MOV, PUSH, POP.

33. What are machine control instructions?

→ Instructions like HLT, NOP.

34. What are flag manipulation instructions?

→ Instructions that change flags (CLI, STI).

35. What are string instructions?

→ Instructions used for string operations.

36. What are parts of 8086?

→ BIU and EU.

37. What is an interrupt?

→ It stops current program to perform another task.

38. What is an opcode?

→ Operation part of instruction.

39. What is an operand?

→ Data on which operation is done.

40. Difference between JMP and CALL?

→ JMP jumps directly, CALL returns back later.

41. What is Polling?

→ Checking devices one by one.

42. What is Interrupt?

→ Signal to stop program and execute another task.
43. What is Instruction?
→ Command given to processor.

44. What is Microcontroller and Microcomputer?

→ Microcontroller = all in one chip, Microcomputer = full system.

45. What is Assembler?

→ Converts assembly language to machine code.

46. What is Variable?

→ A named storage location.

47. What is DUP?

→ Used to repeat values.

48. What is Pipelining?

→ Overlapping execution of instructions.

49. What is HLDA?

→ Acknowledge signal for HOLD.

50. What is LEA?

→ Loads effective address into register.

51. Difference between Shift and Rotate?

→ Shift loses bits, rotate cycles bits.

52. What is .MODEL SMALL?

→ Code and data each in one segment (max 64KB).

53. Difference between JMP and JNC?

→ JMP is unconditional, JNC is conditional.

54. String manipulation commands?

→ MOVS, CMPS, SCAS, etc.

55. What are 4 segments?

→ CS, DS, SS, ES.

56. Use of READY pin?

→ Checks if device is ready.

57. Direction flag?

→ Controls string processing direction.
58. Basic units of microprocessor?
→ ALU, registers, control unit.

59. What is software and hardware?

→ Software = programs, Hardware = physical parts.

60. What is assembly language?

→ Programming using mnemonics.

61. Machine vs assembly language?

→ Machine = binary, Assembly = mnemonics.

62. Drawback of machine/assembly language?

→ Machine dependent.

63. Define bit, byte, word?

→ Bit = 1, Byte = 8 bits, Word = 16 bits.

64. What is bus?

→ Set of wires for data transfer.

65. Why data bus is bidirectional?

→ Data flows both ways.

66. Why address bus is unidirectional?

→ Address goes only from CPU.

67. Function of microprocessor?

→ Controls system and executes instructions.

68. Modes of 8086?

→ Minimum and Maximum mode.

69. Data and address size in 8086?

→ 16-bit data, 20-bit address.

70. Function of M/IO?

→ Differentiates memory and I/O.

71. Interrupts of 8086?

→ INTR and NMI.

72. Clock generation in 8086?

→ Using 8284 clock generator.
73. Special functions of registers?
→ AX (accumulator), BX (base), CX (count), DX (data).

74. Pipelined architecture?

→ Multiple operations done simultaneously.

75. Functional units in 8086?

→ BIU and EU.

76. Segment registers?

→ CS, DS, SS, ES.

77. Machine cycle?

→ Time for one operation.

78. T-state?
→ One clock cycle.

79. Components of microprocessor system?

→ CPU, memory, I/O devices.

80. Why interfacing needed?

→ To match speed of devices.

81. CPU bus vs system bus?

→ CPU bus is multiplexed, system bus is separate.

82. Memory mapping?

→ Assigning addresses to memory.

83. Interrupt I/O?

→ Device sends interrupt for data transfer.

84. Port?
→ Interface between CPU and I/O device.

85. Example of ports?

→ 8255, 8155.

86. Drawback of memory-mapped I/O?

→ Reduces memory space.

87. DMA?
→ Direct memory transfer without CPU.
88. Instruction cycle?
→ Complete execution of instruction.

89. Fetch and execute cycle?

→ Fetch = get instruction, Execute = perform it.

90. Opcode and operand?

→ Opcode = operation, Operand = data.

91. Opcode fetch cycle?

→ Fetching instruction code.

92. First T-state operation?

→ Address is latched.

93. Status signals?

→ Show internal CPU operation.

94. Memory vs I/O access?

→ Using control signals.

95. Interrupt check?

→ At end of instruction.

96. Interrupt acknowledge cycle?

→ CPU accepts interrupt.

97. Effect of reset on interrupts?

→ Disables interrupts.

98. Software interrupt?

→ Interrupt from program.

99. Hardware interrupt?

→ Interrupt from external device.

100. READY signal?

→ Adds wait state.

101. HOLD and HLDA?

→ Used for DMA control.

102. Synchronization with peripherals?

→ Using control and timing signals.