Chapter-3,4
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samsul.arefin0407Chapter-3,4
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samsul.arefin0407CAIE A Level Computer Science (9618) Paper – 1_Chapter – 3 & 4
Time Allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Marks: 75
1. (a) Explain the purpose of primary memory and secondary storage in a computer system, giving
one example of each.
[4 marks]
(b) Describe one benefit and one drawback of using an embedded system in a household appliance,
such as a microwave.
[3 marks]
2. (a) Explain the difference between Static RAM (SRAM) and Dynamic RAM (DRAM), and give one
reason why SRAM might be used instead of DRAM in a specific device.
[4 marks]
(b) Describe how a magnetic hard disk operates as a secondary storage device, including one
advantage of its use.
[4 marks]
3. (a) Draw the logic gate symbols for AND, NOR, and XOR gates.
[3 marks]
(b) Construct the truth table for the following logic expression:
𝐴𝐴⋅𝐵𝐵+𝐶𝐶‾A⋅B+ C
A B C X
0 0 0
0 0 1
0 1 0
0 1 1
1 0 0
1 0 1
1 1 0
1 1 1
[4 marks]
4. (a) A security system uses the following logic expression to determine if an alarm should sound:
Alarm=(Motion⋅Door)+Window
(a) Construct a logic circuit for this expression using AND, OR, and NOT gates.
[4 marks]
(b) Explain how the system works based on the inputs Motion, Door, and Window.
[4 marks]
5. Describe the roles of the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) and the Control Unit (CU) in the CPU.
[4 marks]
(b) Using register transfer notation, describe the fetch stage of the Fetch-Execute (F-E) cycle.
[4 marks]
6. (a) Explain the purpose of the Program Counter (PC) and Memory Data Register (MDR) as special-
purpose registers in the CPU.
[4 marks]
(b) Discuss how increasing the clock speed and adding cache memory can affect the performance of
a computer system.
[4 marks]
7. (a) Explain what an interrupt is and give one example of a situation that might cause an interrupt
during the Fetch-Execute cycle.
[4 marks]
8. The following assembly language program is written using the instruction set provided in the syllabus:
text Collapse.
9. START: LDM #5 // Load 5 into ACC
10. STO 100 // Store ACC value at address 100
11. LDR #2 // Load 2 into IX
12. LDX 98 // Load value from address (98 + IX) into ACC
13. ADD 100 // Add value at address 100 to ACC
14. STO 101 // Store result at address 101
15. END // End program
Assume memory address 100 contains 5 (from the program), and address 100 (98 + 2) contains 10
initially.
(a) Trace the program step-by-step, showing the contents of ACC, IX, and memory locations 100
and 101 after each instruction.
[6 marks]
(b) Explain the difference between immediate addressing (used in LDM #5) and indexed addressing
(used in LDX 98).
[4 marks]
9. (a) Describe the purpose of the two-pass assembler process when converting assembly language
to machine code.
[5 marks]
10. (a) Perform a logical left shift by 2 positions on the 8-bit binary number 00101100. Show your
working and state the result in binary.
[3 marks]
(b) A control system uses bit manipulation to check the status of a sensor. The sensor’s status is
stored in an 8-bit register, where bit 3 (counting from 0 on the right) indicates if the sensor is active (1 =
active, 0 = inactive). Write an assembly language sequence using the AND instruction to test whether
bit 3 is set, and explain how it works.
[4 marks]
11. (a) Explain how bit manipulation can be used to control a device, such as turning on a motor, using
an example.
[3 marks]
