What is a compiler?
a) A software that executes code line by line
b) A program that translates high-level code into machine code
c) A hardware device for processing instructions
d) A tool for debugging code
Answer: b) A program that translates high-level code into machine code
Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of a compiler?
a) To interpret and execute code
b) To optimize and debug source code
c) To convert source code into executable machine code
d) To manage system memory
Answer: c) To convert source code into executable machine code
What does the process of compilation involve?
a) Analyzing, transforming, and generating code
b) Debugging and testing code
c) Executing code directly
d) Managing hardware resources
Answer: a) Analyzing, transforming, and generating code
Which phase of a compiler translates high-level code into an intermediate representation?
a) Lexical Analysis
b) Syntax Analysis
c) Code Generation
d) Optimization
Answer: c) Code Generation
What is the role of lexical analysis in a compiler?
a) To generate machine code
b) To parse and analyze the syntax of the code
c) To break down the source code into tokens
d) To optimize the generated code
Answer: c) To break down the source code into tokens
Why is semantic analysis important in a compiler?
a) To generate intermediate code
b) To ensure the source code adheres to the language’s semantic rules
c) To optimize the execution of the code
d) To convert the code into assembly language
Answer: b) To ensure the source code adheres to the language’s semantic rules
Which compiler phase is responsible for detecting syntax errors?
a) Lexical Analysis
b) Syntax Analysis
c) Semantic Analysis
d) Code Generation
Answer: b) Syntax Analysis
What is the purpose of the optimization phase in a compiler?
a) To ensure code is free of syntax errors
b) To improve the performance of the generated code
c) To translate code into machine language
d) To generate intermediate code
Answer: b) To improve the performance of the generated code
Which component of a compiler performs the actual translation of high-level language to machine code?
a) Lexical Analyzer
b) Syntax Analyzer
c) Code Generator
d) Optimizer
Answer: c) Code Generator
What is an intermediate code in the context of compilation?
a) A low-level code generated by the lexical analyzer
b) A representation of the source code that is not machine code
c) The final executable code
d) Code that is directly executed by the CPU
Answer: b) A representation of the source code that is not machine code
What does the term “syntax-directed translation” refer to?
a) Converting tokens into machine code
b) Using syntax rules to guide the translation of source code
c) Analyzing the execution flow of code
d) Debugging syntax errors
Answer: b) Using syntax rules to guide the translation of source code
Which phase of a compiler is involved in creating a symbol table?
a) Lexical Analysis
b) Syntax Analysis
c) Semantic Analysis
d) Code Generation
Answer: c) Semantic Analysis
What is the role of the lexical analyzer in a compiler?
a) To generate machine code
b) To convert source code into tokens
c) To optimize the code for performance
d) To check for syntax errors
Answer: b) To convert source code into tokens
Which component of a compiler is responsible for parsing and analyzing the grammatical structure of source code?
a) Lexical Analyzer
b) Syntax Analyzer
c) Code Generator
d) Optimizer
Answer: b) Syntax Analyzer
What does “code generation” involve in the compilation process?
a) Converting high-level code into intermediate code
b) Translating intermediate code into machine code
c) Analyzing the source code for semantic errors
d) Breaking down code into tokens
Answer: b) Translating intermediate code into machine code
What is the purpose of a “symbol table” in a compiler?
a) To store machine code instructions
b) To keep track of variable names and their attributes
c) To generate the final executable code
d) To perform lexical analysis
Answer: b) To keep track of variable names and their attributes
Which phase of a compiler involves improving the efficiency of the generated code?
a) Lexical Analysis
b) Syntax Analysis
c) Semantic Analysis
d) Optimization
Answer: d) Optimization
What is the purpose of semantic analysis in a compiler?
a) To ensure code adheres to syntax rules
b) To check for and enforce semantic correctness
c) To generate machine code
d) To optimize the compiled code
Answer: b) To check for and enforce semantic correctness
Which type of code is typically generated by the “front end” of a compiler?
a) Machine code
b) Assembly code
c) Intermediate code
d) Source code
Answer: c) Intermediate code
What is the primary function of a compiler’s “back end”?
a) To parse source code
b) To generate and optimize machine code
c) To perform lexical analysis
d) To check for syntax errors
Answer: b) To generate and optimize machine code
What is a “parse tree” used for in a compiler?
a) To represent the control flow of the program
b) To represent the syntactic structure of the source code
c) To represent the variable declarations
d) To generate intermediate code
Answer: b) To represent the syntactic structure of the source code
What does the term “token” refer to in the context of lexical analysis?
a) A unit of syntax recognized by the lexer
b) A data structure used in semantic analysis
c) A type of machine code instruction
d) A symbol used for debugging
Answer: a) A unit of syntax recognized by the lexer
Which phase of a compiler ensures that the code follows the rules of the programming language’s grammar?
a) Lexical Analysis
b) Syntax Analysis
c) Semantic Analysis
d) Code Generation
Answer: b) Syntax Analysis
What is the purpose of “error reporting” in a compiler?
a) To handle runtime errors during execution
b) To identify and report errors in source code during compilation
c) To optimize the performance of the compiled code
d) To convert intermediate code into machine code
Answer: b) To identify and report errors in source code during compilation
What is “machine code”?
a) A high-level programming language
b) The code generated by a compiler that is executed directly by the CPU
c) An intermediate representation of source code
d) A format used for debugging
Answer: b) The code generated by a compiler that is executed directly by the CPU
What is the function of “lexical analysis” in a compiler?
a) To generate the final executable code
b) To convert source code into tokens and remove comments
c) To parse and analyze the syntax of the code
d) To optimize the compiled code
Answer: b) To convert source code into tokens and remove comments
Which phase of a compiler is responsible for transforming intermediate code into an optimized form?
a) Lexical Analysis
b) Syntax Analysis
c) Semantic Analysis
d) Optimization
Answer: d) Optimization
What is a “symbol table” used for in semantic analysis?
a) To track the memory layout of variables
b) To store information about variables, functions, and objects
c) To generate assembly code
d) To analyze the syntax of the code
Answer: b) To store information about variables, functions, and objects
What is “source code”?
a) The final machine code produced by the compiler
b) The high-level code written by the programmer
c) The intermediate code generated by the compiler
d) The low-level code executed by the CPU
Answer: b) The high-level code written by the programmer
What role does the “front end” of a compiler play?
a) Generating machine code
b) Optimizing the generated code
c) Parsing and analyzing source code
d) Managing system resources
Answer: c) Parsing and analyzing source code
Which phase of the compiler generates executable code from intermediate code?
a) Lexical Analysis
b) Syntax Analysis
c) Code Generation
d) Optimization
Answer: c) Code Generation
What is the purpose of a “linker” in the compilation process?
a) To translate high-level code into machine code
b) To combine object files into a single executable file
c) To perform lexical analysis
d) To optimize the machine code
Answer: b) To combine object files into a single executable file
What does “type checking” involve in semantic analysis?
a) Verifying that variables are correctly declared and used
b) Converting intermediate code into machine code
c) Analyzing the syntax of the code
d) Generating the final executable code
Answer: a) Verifying that variables are correctly declared and used
Which of the following is NOT a typical phase of compilation?
a) Lexical Analysis
b) Syntax Analysis
c) Debugging
d) Code Generation
Answer: c) Debugging
What is “code optimization”?
a) The process of improving the readability of source code
b) The process of improving the efficiency of the generated machine code
c) The process of converting high-level code into intermediate code
d) The process of checking for syntax errors
Answer: b) The process of improving the efficiency of the generated machine code
Which of the following best describes “intermediate code”?
a) Machine code generated by the compiler
b) Source code written by the programmer
c) A lower-level representation of the source code used for optimization
d) Assembly language code
Answer: c) A lower-level representation of the source code used for optimization
What is the purpose of the “optimizer” in a compiler?
a) To perform lexical analysis
b) To enhance the performance and efficiency of the compiled code
c) To generate the final executable file
d) To check for syntax errors
Answer: b) To enhance the performance and efficiency of the compiled code
What does “syntax analysis” involve in a compiler?
a) Generating machine code from intermediate code
b) Parsing the source code to ensure it follows the grammatical rules of the language
c) Converting source code into tokens
d) Removing comments and whitespace from the code
Answer: b) Parsing the source code to ensure it follows the grammatical rules of the language
What is the main function of a compiler’s “front end”?
a) To optimize code
b) To parse and analyze source code
c) To generate machine code
d) To manage memory
Answer: b) To parse and analyze source code
What does “code generation” produce in the compilation process?
a) Intermediate code
b) Source code
c) Assembly code
d) Machine code
Answer: d) Machine code
What is the purpose of “error handling” in a compiler?
a) To identify and report errors in source code
b) To improve the performance of machine code
c) To generate intermediate code
d) To parse and analyze source code
Answer: a) To identify and report errors in source code
Which of the following is a key output of the compiler?
a) Intermediate code
b) Source code
c) Debugging information
d) Machine code
Answer: d) Machine code
What is the main purpose of “lexical analysis” in a compiler?
a) To convert source code into machine code
b) To break down source code into tokens
c) To perform code optimization
d) To parse and analyze the syntax of the code
Answer: b) To break down source code into tokens
Which phase of compilation involves transforming code into a format that can be directly executed by the CPU?
a) Code Generation
b) Lexical Analysis
c) Optimization
d) Syntax Analysis
Answer: a) Code Generation
What is “source-to-source compilation”?
a) Compiling source code directly into machine code
b) Translating source code into an intermediate language and then into machine code
c) Compiling one high-level language into another high-level language
d) Generating assembly code from source code
Answer: c) Compiling one high-level language into another high-level language
What role does “error recovery” play in a compiler?
a) To handle and recover from errors during compilation
b) To debug the source code
c) To optimize the performance of the machine code
d) To generate intermediate code
Answer: a) To handle and recover from errors during compilation
Which of the following components is responsible for translating intermediate code into machine code?
a) Lexical Analyzer
b) Syntax Analyzer
c) Code Generator
d) Optimizer
Answer: c) Code Generator
What is the purpose of the “front end” of a compiler?
a) To optimize the generated machine code
b) To analyze and process the source code
c) To generate executable machine code
d) To perform lexical analysis
Answer: b) To analyze and process the source code
What does the term “token” refer to in the context of lexical analysis?
a) A unit of syntax recognized by the lexer
b) A machine language instruction
c) A debugging symbol
d) A variable declaration
Answer: a) A unit of syntax recognized by the lexer
What is the role of a “parser” in a compiler?
a) To translate source code into machine code
b) To generate intermediate code from tokens
c) To analyze the syntax and generate a parse tree
d) To optimize the performance of the compiled code
Answer: c) To analyze the syntax and generate a parse tree