Lesson 4.6.3.1

4.6.3.1 Types of program translator Quiz: AQA Computer Science, Unit 6

20 questions

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Lesson 4.6.3.1, Types of program translator: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Computer Science (7517), Unit 6: Fundamentals of computer systems, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which translator converts assembly language into machine code?

    • A compiler
    • An interpreter
    • A linker that combines object files into a library
    • An assembler

  2. Which statement correctly describes a compiler?

    • It stores the source code of a program in memory so that the processor can read it directly
    • It translates a whole high-level program into object code before the program is run
    • It converts assembly mnemonics one-to-one into binary opcodes for the processor
    • It translates and runs each statement of a high-level program one at a time during execution

  3. Which statement describes an interpreter?

    • It translates the complete source code into object code before any statement runs
    • It translates and executes a program statement by statement, without producing a separate executable file
    • It converts assembly language into machine code without executing any of the statements
    • It stores the source code of the program so that it can be run again without translation

  4. What is a key difference between compilation and interpretation?

    • Compilation can only be used with assembly language, whereas interpretation is used for all high-level code
    • Compilation produces object code that can be run later, whereas interpretation translates and runs the source as it goes
    • Compilation runs the source line by line, whereas interpretation always produces a final executable
    • Compilation is always faster to start, whereas interpretation is always slower to start than a compiled program

  5. Which situation would most suit using an interpreter rather than a compiler?

    • Writing a device driver where every instruction must be placed at a fixed address in memory
    • Developing and testing a program, where the programmer wants to run and correct each change quickly
    • Producing an embedded control program that must run from read-only memory with no source present
    • Distributing a finished game where the fastest possible execution on the user's machine matters most

  6. Which situation would most suit using a compiler rather than an interpreter?

    • Testing a new function line by line to see how each statement changes the values of variables
    • Distributing a finished program that must run quickly on many users' machines without the source code
    • Checking the output of a single expression in an interactive session with immediate feedback
    • Experimenting with short scripts that change frequently during an afternoon of learning

  7. What is the difference between source code and object code?

    • Source code and object code are identical, but object code is always stored in main memory
    • Source code is written by the programmer, while object code is the machine-readable output of translation
    • Source code is produced by an interpreter, while object code is produced by an assembler only
    • Source code is machine-readable binary, while object code is the text typed by the programmer

  8. Why does some compiler output consist of bytecode rather than machine code?

    • Bytecode is the only form in which an assembler can produce a program that uses registers
    • Bytecode is an intermediate form that can be run on any machine with a suitable virtual machine
    • Bytecode is faster for the processor to run than machine code because it skips the fetch stage
    • Bytecode is used because it requires no translation step at all and is stored directly in the ROM

  9. A compiler produces bytecode for a program. What must happen before the program can run on a particular computer?

    • The bytecode must be converted into source code by a decompiler before it can be read
    • The bytecode must be stored in the status register so that the processor can fetch it
    • The bytecode must be assembled into a separate instruction set for the computer's registers
    • A virtual machine or interpreter for that platform must execute the bytecode

  10. Which translator would produce the most efficient executable for a program that will run repeatedly on one fixed machine?

    • An interpreter, since it translates each statement afresh on every run for maximum efficiency
    • An assembler, since it translates high-level code directly into object code with no overheads
    • A text editor, since it stores the program in a form that the processor executes without changes
    • A compiler, since it translates the whole program once and the object code runs without further translation

  11. Which statement about object code is correct?

    • Object code is the high-level source typed by the programmer and kept for later editing
    • Object code is produced by the operating system when a program is closed by the user
    • Object code is the executable form that a processor can run, usually in binary
    • Object code is the same as source code but with comments removed from every line

  12. A developer runs the same program in an interpreter and then as a compiled executable. Which outcome is most likely?

    • The interpreted version starts more quickly, but the executable cannot be edited at all afterwards
    • The executable produces different results because compilation always removes arithmetic operations
    • The compiled executable starts running more quickly, while the interpreted version is easier to change
    • Both versions take exactly the same time to run, because translation is identical in both cases

  13. Which translator reads and checks an entire source program and reports errors before creating object code?

    • A compiler
    • A bytecode virtual machine, which only executes the program once it has started
    • An interpreter, which reports the error at the first statement it executes
    • An assembler, which ignores any high-level syntax errors it finds

  14. Which statement about intermediate languages such as bytecode is correct?

    • They are used only by assemblers and never by compilers or interpreters in modern systems
    • They are a form of machine code specific to one processor family and cannot be run elsewhere
    • They remove the need for any translation at all, so the source code is executed directly on the chip
    • They allow one compiled form to be used across different platforms that provide a suitable virtual machine

  15. A student writes a short program to print the first ten squares and wants instant feedback after every edit. Which translator is most appropriate for this stage?

    • An assembler, because it converts the program directly into the student's chosen high-level language
    • A linker, because it combines the program with the operating system's libraries before running
    • An interpreter, because it runs each statement as it is reached and reports errors immediately
    • A compiler, because it runs the whole program in a single pass with no reporting of errors

  16. What is the main output of an assembler?

    • A list of error messages only, with no executable code produced at any stage
    • Machine code corresponding to the assembly mnemonics in the source program
    • A bytecode file that must be run inside a virtual machine on each computer
    • A high-level source file that a compiler will later process into object code

  17. Which statement about how an interpreter reports errors is correct?

    • Errors are found only after the object file has been linked into a library file
    • Errors are never reported because an interpreter corrects them automatically as it runs
    • An error in a statement is found only when execution reaches that statement
    • All errors in the whole program are reported before the first statement is ever executed

  18. Which is true of a program that has been compiled successfully?

    • It can run only on the machine that holds the source file it was compiled from
    • It must be interpreted line by line on every run before any output is produced
    • Its source code must be present on the computer for every single run of the program
    • Its object code can be executed without the original compiler being present

  19. A compiled program's object code is 2 MB and its source is 40 KB. Which statement is most accurate?

    • Object code can be far larger than source, because each high-level statement expands into many machine instructions
    • Object code and source code always have identical sizes because they describe the same program
    • Object code is always smaller than source code, because it is stored in binary form
    • Object code must be stored inside the source file, which is why the source file is larger

  20. A program takes an interpreter 0.1 s to begin and a compiler 2 s to translate it before running. Which translator starts the program's first output sooner?

    • The compiler, since it translates only the first line before starting the program
    • The interpreter, since it translates and runs statements as it reaches them
    • Both start at exactly the same moment because the source is read in a single pass
    • The interpreter, since it translates the whole program before the first output appears

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