Handling of procedure calls and returns(MCQs)

Basics of Procedure Calls and Returns What is the primary purpose of a procedure call in a programming language? A) To execute a block of code defined elsewhere B) To allocate memory C) To initialize variables D) To perform input/output operations Answer: A) To execute a block of code defined elsewhere What is typically pushed onto the stack during a procedure call? A) Return address and local variables B) Global variables C) System registers D) Heap memory pointers Answer: A) Return address and local variables Which of the following is a common register used to store the return address in a procedure call? A) Program Counter (PC) B) Stack Pointer (SP) C) Base Pointer (BP) D) Instruction Register (IR) Answer: A) Program Counter (PC) What does the Base Pointer (BP) register typically store in the context of procedure calls? A) The address of the current stack frame B) The return address C) The instruction being executed D) The address of global variables Answer: A) The address of the current stack frame What happens to the stack frame after a procedure returns? A) It is popped off the stack B) It remains on the stack indefinitely C) It is moved to a global memory area D) It is archived in the heap Answer: A) It is popped off the stack Parameter Passing Which of the following is a method of parameter passing in procedure calls? A) Pass-by-value B) Pass-by-reference C) Pass-by-name D) All of the above Answer: D) All of the above What is the main advantage of pass-by-reference over pass-by-value? A) It allows the procedure to modify the original argument B) It uses less memory C) It is faster for primitive data types D) It requires less stack space Answer: A) It allows the procedure to modify the original argument In pass-by-value, what does the callee receive? A) A copy of the actual parameter B) A reference to the actual parameter C) The address of the actual parameter D) The original parameter itself Answer: A) A copy of the actual parameter In pass-by-reference, what does the callee receive? A) The address of the actual parameter B) A copy of the actual parameter C) A new value D) A reference to a local variable Answer: A) The address of the actual parameter What is “parameter passing convention”? A) The rules defining how arguments are passed to procedures B) The method of variable declaration C) The technique for memory allocation D) The strategy for error handling Answer: A) The rules defining how arguments are passed to procedures Stack Frames What is the purpose of a stack frame in procedure calls? A) To store local variables, return addresses, and saved registers B) To manage heap memory C) To handle input/output operations D) To execute system calls Answer: A) To store local variables, return addresses, and saved registers What typically happens to the stack frame when a procedure is called? A) A new stack frame is pushed onto the stack B) The current stack frame is popped C) The stack frame is copied to the heap D) The stack frame is saved in a global area Answer: A) A new stack frame is pushed onto the stack What does the term “stack unwinding” refer to? A) The process of cleaning up the stack after a procedure returns B) The process of pushing new stack frames C) The process of allocating memory on the stack D) The process of handling function calls Answer: A) The process of cleaning up the stack after a procedure returns What does the term “activation record” refer to? A) The data structure that represents a stack frame for a procedure call B) The address of the next instruction to execute C) The process of passing parameters D) The method of generating intermediate code Answer: A) The data structure that represents a stack frame for a procedure call In what scenario might the stack frame be used in a recursive function? A) Each recursive call generates a new stack frame B) Recursive functions share a single stack frame C) Stack frames are not used in recursion D) Stack frames are allocated in the heap Answer: A) Each recursive call generates a new stack frame Procedure Call Mechanism What does the term “calling convention” refer to? A) The rules and methods used to make procedure calls and returns B) The method of managing global variables C) The strategy for error handling D) The technique for memory allocation Answer: A) The rules and methods used to make procedure calls and returns Which register typically holds the return value of a procedure in many calling conventions? A) The Accumulator (AX) register B) The Base Pointer (BP) register C) The Stack Pointer (SP) register D) The Program Counter (PC) register Answer: A) The Accumulator (AX) register What is the role of the “return address” in a procedure call? A) It indicates where to continue execution after the procedure returns B) It stores the value of local variables C) It manages memory allocation D) It handles function calls Answer: A) It indicates where to continue execution after the procedure returns How is the return address typically stored during a procedure call? A) It is pushed onto the stack B) It is stored in a register C) It is saved in a global variable D) It is written to the heap Answer: A) It is pushed onto the stack What does the term “procedure prologue” refer to? A) The sequence of instructions that sets up the stack frame at the start of a procedure B) The sequence of instructions that cleans up the stack frame before returning C) The instructions that handle parameter passing D) The instructions for calling other procedures Answer: A) The sequence of instructions that sets up the stack frame at the start of a procedure Procedure Epilogue What does the term “procedure epilogue” refer to? A) The sequence of instructions that cleans up the stack frame and returns control to the caller B) The setup of the stack frame for a procedure C) The instructions for handling recursive calls D) The management of heap memory Answer: A) The sequence of instructions that cleans up the stack frame and returns control to the caller What is typically restored by the procedure epilogue? A) Saved registers and the Base Pointer (BP) B) The return address and global variables C) Memory allocated on the heap D) The Stack Pointer (SP) and local variables Answer: A) Saved registers and the Base Pointer (BP) What is the purpose of the “return instruction” in a procedure epilogue? A) To transfer control back to the calling procedure B) To allocate memory for local variables C) To initialize the stack frame D) To handle function calls Answer: A) To transfer control back to the calling procedure How is the stack pointer typically adjusted during the procedure epilogue? A) It is restored to its value before the procedure was called B) It is incremented to allocate more space C) It is decremented to deallocate memory D) It is set to zero Answer: A) It is restored to its value before the procedure was called What does “register saving” involve in the context of procedure calls? A) Saving the state of registers before a procedure call and restoring it afterward B) Allocating additional registers C) Managing memory allocation D) Generating intermediate code Answer: A) Saving the state of registers before a procedure call and restoring it afterward Calling Conventions Which of the following is a common calling convention in x86 architecture? A) cdecl B) pascal C) stdcall D) All of the above Answer: D) All of the above In the “cdecl” calling convention, who is responsible for cleaning up the stack after a procedure call? A) The caller B) The callee C) The operating system D) The compiler Answer: A) The caller In the “stdcall” calling convention, who is responsible for cleaning up the stack after a procedure call? A) The callee B) The caller C) The operating system D) The compiler Answer: A) The callee What is a notable feature of the “fastcall” calling convention? A) It passes the first few arguments in registers rather than on the stack B) It always passes arguments on the stack C) It uses a fixed-size stack frame D) It does not support recursion Answer: A) It passes the first few arguments in registers rather than on the stack What does “cdecl” stand for? A) C Declaration B) C Declaration Call C) C Default D) C Default Calling Convention Answer: A) C Declaration Advanced Topics What is a “tail call optimization”? A) An optimization that reuses the current function’s stack frame for the called function if it is the last operation B) An optimization that doubles the stack size for the called function C) An optimization that delays function calls D) An optimization that removes the last function call Answer: A) An optimization that reuses the current function’s stack frame for the called function if it is the last operation In the context of procedure calls, what does “inlining” refer to? A) Replacing a procedure call with the procedure’s code to avoid the overhead of a call B) Increasing the size of the stack frame C) Managing heap memory D) Handling function calls sequentially Answer: A) Replacing a procedure call with the procedure’s code to avoid the overhead of a call What is “reentrant code”? A) Code that can be safely interrupted and resumed without affecting correctness B) Code that executes multiple times simultaneously C) Code that performs recursive calls D) Code that manages memory allocation Answer: A) Code that can be safely interrupted and resumed without affecting correctness What is the impact of “context switching” on procedure calls? A) It involves saving and restoring the state of the CPU, which can affect the execution of procedure calls B) It simplifies stack management C) It eliminates the need for stack frames D) It optimizes memory allocation Answer: A) It involves saving and restoring the state of the CPU, which can affect the execution of procedure calls What is “dynamic linking”? A) Linking procedure calls to their implementations at runtime rather than compile-time B) Linking procedures at compile-time C) Allocating memory for procedures D) Managing function calls in a static environment Answer: A) Linking procedure calls to their implementations at runtime rather than compile-time Procedure Management What does “nested procedure call” refer to? A) A procedure calling another procedure which in turn calls yet another procedure B) A procedure calling itself C) A procedure that does not return any value D) A procedure that performs no operations Answer: A) A procedure calling another procedure which in turn calls yet another procedure How does “reentrant code” affect the use of global variables in procedures? A) Reentrant code should avoid using global variables to prevent data corruption B) Reentrant code allows global variables to be used freely C) Reentrant code eliminates the need for global variables D) Reentrant code only uses global variables for initialization Answer: A) Reentrant code should avoid using global variables to prevent data corruption What is “stack overflow”? A) A condition where the stack grows beyond its allocated space, leading to program errors B) A condition where the stack is underutilized C) A condition where the stack frame is not deallocated D) A condition where stack frames are reused Answer: A) A condition where the stack grows beyond its allocated space, leading to program errors What is the “frame pointer” used for in procedure calls? A) To keep track of the start of the current stack frame B) To store the return address C) To manage global variables D) To perform memory allocation Answer: A) To keep track of the start of the current stack frame What is the typical role of the “return value” in a procedure call? A) To provide a result or output from the procedure to the caller B) To allocate memory C) To manage stack frames D) To handle function calls Answer: A) To provide a result or output from the procedure to the caller Optimization and Advanced Concepts What is “call graph”? A) A representation of the relationships between different procedures in a program B) A visualization of stack frames C) A list of memory allocations D) A diagram of function calls Answer: A) A representation of the relationships between different procedures in a program What does “stack-based memory management” refer to? A) Using the stack to manage local variables and function calls B) Managing memory on the heap C) Using static memory allocation D) Allocating memory for global variables Answer: A) Using the stack to manage local variables and function calls What is “tail recursion”? A) A recursive call that is the last operation in a function, allowing optimization to reuse the stack frame B) A recursive call that occurs in the middle of a function C) A non-recursive function call D) A function that does not return a value Answer: A) A recursive call that is the last operation in a function, allowing optimization to reuse the stack frame What does “recursive procedure call” imply? A) A procedure calling itself B) A procedure calling another procedure C) A procedure that performs no operations D) A procedure that handles memory allocation Answer: A) A procedure calling itself What is the role of “procedure linkage” in code generation? A) To establish the connections between different procedures and ensure correct calling and returning B) To manage memory allocation C) To handle stack frames D) To perform optimization Answer: A) To establish the connections between different procedures and ensure correct calling and returning Stack Management and Miscellaneous What is the primary function of “frame pointer” in managing nested procedures? A) To reference the base of the current stack frame and help manage local variables and parameters B) To store the return address C) To allocate memory on the heap D) To handle input/output operations Answer: A) To reference the base of the current stack frame and help manage local variables and parameters What is the purpose of “stack unwinding” in exception handling? A) To clean up stack frames and handle exceptions when an error occurs B) To allocate memory for local variables C) To manage function calls D) To optimize code execution Answer: A) To clean up stack frames and handle exceptions when an error occurs What does “dynamic stack allocation” refer to? A) Allocating stack space dynamically at runtime B) Allocating stack space statically at compile-time C) Managing heap memory D) Handling global variables Answer: A) Allocating stack space dynamically at runtime What is “procedure linkage table” (PLT) used for in dynamic linking? A) To manage and resolve addresses of procedures in shared libraries at runtime B) To handle memory allocation C) To manage global variables D) To perform stack management Answer: A) To manage and resolve addresses of procedures in shared libraries at runtime What is the significance of “return address stack” in modern processors? A) It helps manage the return addresses for nested procedure calls and returns efficiently B) It stores global variables C) It allocates heap memory D) It handles input/output operations Answer: A) It helps manage the return addresses for nested procedure calls and returns efficiently