Quiz Questions

Question 1

1. Threads vs Processes – select all that apply:
   a. Threads can easily share memory, although this can lead to complications when using thread programming.
   b. Because processes are isolated, it is impossible for two processes to ever share data.
   c. Processes have their own private memory and are isolated.
   d. Threads are owned by processes. Every process must have at least one thread.

Answer 1

Answer: a, c, d

Question 2

2. The operating system is responsible for the order threads are scheduled to execute.
   a. True
   b. False

Answer 2

Answer: True

Question 3

3. Main bottleneck of most programs is:
   a. Being interrupted by more important tasks
   b. Accessing memory
   c. Accessing the CPU

Answer 3

Answer: b

Question 4

4. Moore’s Law tells us several important things about computing.
   a. Moore’s law was used to predict that the maximum realistic clock speed for a CPU is 10Ghz, this remains true today.
   b. In 1965, Gordon Moore predicted that the number of components on an integrated circuit would double every year or so.
   c. Moore’s law correlates consumer purchasing behavior with price indexes, and can be used to predict technology stock market trends.
   d. In 1955, Garry Moore the president of IBM predicted that transistors would shrink by 50% every year.
   e. Moore’s law is a false equivalency between engineering design, and sales production rates.
   f. Many have predicted the end of Moore’s law, although major chip manufacturers continue to see its effects.

Answer 4

Answer: b, f

Question 5

5. Select all answers that are true about the cache.
   a. More expensive
   b. All processors (CPU) share a single cache
   c. Temporary storage
   d. Fast memory

Answer 5

Answer: a, c, d

Question 6

6. What are the motivations for creating concurrent programs? Select all that apply.
   a. Concurrent programs are better at sharing resources than sequential programs.
   b. Concurrent programs are better than parallel programs, as they require fewer resources..
   c. Concurrent programs normally run faster than sequential programs.
   d. Concurrent programs are more responsive than sequential programs.
   e. Concurrent programs are easier to debug than sequential programs.

Answer 6

Answer: a, d

Question 7

7. Non coherent cache is when one processor makes a change to a shared memory value, but the other processors are not aware of the change.
   a. True
   b. False

Answer 7

Answer: True

Question 8

8. Select all statements that are true about inheritance:
   a. The “is a” relationship occurs when you associate objects with a class
   b. Multiple inheritance is a made up term, the correct terminology in Object Oriented languages is cross extensions.
   c. The “is a” relationship occurs when one class inherits from another.
   d. Multiple inheritance has a variety of problems, Java does not allow it but instead provides “workarounds”.
   e. Multiple inheritance is implemented in Java and is recommended for organizing large projects.

Answer 8

Answer: c, d

Question 9

1. A critical section of code is:
   a. An area of the code that is shared by multiple threads through read access
   b. An area of the code that is shared by multiple threads and one thread is writing to that location
   c. An area of the code that is shared

Answer 9

Answer: b

Question 10

2. Symmetric Multiprocessors (SMPs) use a shared memory design.
   a. SMPs are very difficult to program because they use shared memory.
   b. SMPs are easier to program than other processor designs in part because they use shared memory.
   c. Memory sharing in SMPs is implemented by the operating system, Windows10/11, Linux/Unix, or Android for example.
   d. Memory sharing means that all processors can see the same block of memory, this is implemented by hardware in SMPs

Answer 10

Answer: b, d

Question 11

3. Graphical Processing Units (aka GPUs) originally designed for games now have a variety of other uses.
   a. A GPU is able to execute thousands of simple repetetive tasks in parallel, it accomplishes this with 100s of very simple processing units, sometimes referred to as a SIMD or Vector processor.
   b. GPUs always use the same memory as the processor. All GPUs map video memory directly onto the main memory, reducing the amount available for programs.
   c. A GPU is a dedicated processor similar to the main CPU, although with only a single extremely high speed core, running with a clock 100s of times faster than the CPU.
   d. GPUs are often implemented with their own dedicated on board memory. 8GB is typical in 2024, although some have much more memory than this.