About this previous year paper
Subject: Computer Organization (ECS401)
Exam Type: Theory
Semester: IV (4th Semester)
Time: 3 Hours
Maximum Marks: 100
Section A – Short Answer Questions (10 × 2 = 20 Marks)
This section includes ten short conceptual questions designed to test your understanding of the fundamentals of computer hardware, architecture, and control systems
Topics covered:
Multiplexer: Definition and applications in data selection.
BCD Representation: Bit configuration of a 24-bit register representing decimal 195.
Self-Complementing BCD Code: Meaning and examples.
Microcode: Concept, purpose, and use in control unit design.
Wide Branch Addressing: Explanation and use.
RISC Architecture: Characteristics and advantages.
Indirect Addressing: Explanation with example.
Write-Back Method: Function in cache and memory updates.
Flash Memory: Definition and working principle.
Asynchronous Data Transfer: Concept and its role in system communication.
Section B – Descriptive and Problem-Solving Questions (5 × 10 = 50 Marks)
This section focuses on numerical problems, logic operations, and hardware-based questions that test analytical and practical understanding
Key questions include:
Performing logic microoperations on an 8-bit binary register to change values.
Hardware implementation of selective set and selective complement operations.
Writing an assembly-style program to evaluate:
- X=(A−B+C×(D×E−F))/(G+H×K)X = (A - B + C \times (D \times E - F)) / (G + H \times K)X=(A−B+C×(D×E−F))/(G+H×K)
using both general register and accumulator type computers.
Explaining different I/O bus architectures.
Discussing hardwired control and DMA (Direct Memory Access).
Writing short notes on Serial Communication and Input/Output Processor (IOP).
Solving a virtual memory problem using a page table (with 8 pages and 4 blocks) to identify page faults.
Explaining decoder design — block diagram of a 2-to-4 line decoder using NAND gates, and its truth table.
Section C – Long Analytical Questions (2 × 15 = 30 Marks)
These questions require detailed derivations, block diagrams, and explanations on system organization and data transfer mechanisms
DMA Controller:
Draw and explain its block diagram.
Discuss why read and write control lines in DMA are bidirectional.
Explain the working of the I/O Processor.
Asynchronous Data Transfer:
Explain the strobe control and handshaking mechanism used in asynchronous data transfer.
Perform number system conversions:
(100100)2=(?)10(100100)_2 = (?)_{10}(100100)2=(?)10
(235.41)7=(?)13(235.41)_7 = (?)_{13}(235.41)7=(?)13
Microinstruction and Processor Design:
Show how a 9-bit microinstruction field can be divided into subfields to specify 46 different operations.
Explain how a processor executes instructions, detailing internal functional units and their interconnections.
Major Topics Covered
Logic circuits and microoperations
Control unit design (hardwired & microprogrammed)
Instruction cycle and execution
Memory organization (cache, flash, virtual memory)
DMA and I/O Processor
Addressing modes and instruction formats
Number system conversions
Data transfer techniques (synchronous & asynchronous)
Purpose of the Paper
This exam tests your conceptual and practical understanding of how a computer works internally — how data flows between registers, memory, and control units, and how the CPU interacts with peripheral devices through I/O and DMA systems.
It blends logical design, hardware control, and programming-level understanding, making it foundational for further study in Computer Architecture and Embedded Systems.