Question
Consider the following processor design characteristics.
I. Register-to-register arithmetic operations only
II. Fixed-length instruction format
III. Hardwired control unit
Which of the characteristics above are used in the design of a RISC processor?
Official answer and solution
- Official answer
- D
- From
- Official GATE 2018 answer key
Solution
Review defining architectural characteristics of Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) architectures.
Evaluate each characteristic:
- Characteristic I (Register-to-register arithmetic operations only): In a RISC architecture (load-store architecture), ALU operations operate strictly on registers; memory access is restricted to explicit load and store instructions. Thus, I is used in RISC.
- Characteristic II (Fixed-length instruction format): RISC architectures employ simple, uniform, fixed-length instructions (typically 32 bits) to streamline instruction fetch and pipeline decoding. Thus, II is used in RISC.
- Characteristic III (Hardwired control unit): RISC processors prioritize fast, single-cycle execution of simple instructions using hardwired control units rather than microprogrammed control. Thus, III is used in RISC.
All three characteristics (I, II, and III) are core design principles of RISC processors.
Final answer
D
The answer is the one in the official GATE answer key. The solution is this site's own explanation.
Source
- Paper
- GATE 2018 Computer Science and Information Technology (CS)
- Question
- 15 of 65, printed as CS Q.5
- Section
- Computer Science and Information Technology
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