VI sem microprocessor viva questions with ans

1. What is a Microprocessor?
Microprocessor is a program-controlled device, which fetches the
instructions from memory, decodes and executes the instructions. Most
Micro Processors are single- chip device.
2. Give examples for 8 / 16 / 32 bit Microprocessor? 8-bit Processor -8085 / Z80 / 6800;
16-bit Processor - 8086 / 68000 / Z8000;
32-bit Processor - 80386 / 80486
3. Why 8085 processor is called an 8 bit processor?
Because, 8085 processor has 8 bit ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit). Similarly
8086 processor has 16 bit ALU.
4. Is the address bus unidirectional?
The address bus is unidirectional because the address information is always
given by the Micro Processor to address a memory location of an input /
output devices.
5. Is the data bus is Bi-directional?
The data bus is Bi-directional because the same bus is used for transfer of
data between Micro Processor and memory or input / output devices in both
the direction.
6. What is the disadvantage of microprocessor?
It has limitations on size of data. Most Microprocessor does not support
floating-point operations.
7. What is the difference between microprocessor and
microcontroller?
In Microprocessor more op-codes, few bit handling instructions. But in
Microcontroller: fewer op-codes, more bit handling Instructions, and also it is
defined as a device that includes micro processor, memory, & input output
signal lines on a single chip.
8. What is interrupt?
Interrupt is a signal send by external device/software to the
processor so as to request the processor to perform a particular task.

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VI sem microprocessor viva questions with ans

9. What is a compiler?
Compiler is used to translate the high-level language program into
machine code.
10. Which processor structure is pipelined?
All x86 processors have pipelined structure.
11. What is flag?
Flag is a flip-flop used to store the information about the status
of a processor and the status of the instruction executed most recently.
12. What is stack?
Stack is a portion of RAM used for saving the content of Program
Counter and general purpose registers.
13. Can ROM be used as stack?
ROM cannot be used as stack because it is not possible to write
to ROM.
14. What is the size of data bus of 8086?
16 Bit data bus
15. What is the size of address bus of 8086?
20 bit address bus
16. What is the max memory addressing capacity of 8086?
220
17. What are the functions of BIU?
The BIU contains the circuit for physical address calculations and a
pre - coding instruction byte queue & it makes the bus signals
available for external interfacing of the devices.
18. What are the functions of EU?
The EU contains the register set of 8086 except segment registers and
IP. It has a 16-bit ALU, able to perform arithmetic and Logic
operations.
19. How many pins r there in IC 8086?
40 pins
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VI sem microprocessor viva questions with ans

20. What is the size of instruction queue in 8086?

The queue length depends on the fetching speed and the execution
speed. Sometime queue may be restricted due to the space available
on the CPU chip.
21. Which are the registers present in 8086?
General purpose reg: AX, BX, CX, DX
Segment reg: CS, DS, ES, SS
Flag Reg: F
Pointer & Index reg: Sp, BP, SI, DI, IP
22. What do you mean by pipelining in 8086?
When one instruction is in execution, during this execution time the
BIU fetches the next instruction or instructions from memory into
the instruction queue instead of remaining idle. The BIU continues
this process as long as the queue is not full. Due to this, execution
unit gets ready instruction in the queue and instruction fetch time is
eliminated. Feature of fetching next instruction while the current
instruction is executing is called PIPELINing.
23. How many 16 bit registers are available in 8086?
Fourteen 16-bit registers are available.
24. How many instructions can be executed per second in 8086/88?
2.5 million
25. What do you mean by assembler directives?
There are some instructions in the assembly language program
which r not a part of processor instruction set. These instructions r
instructions to the assembler, linker and loader. They r referred as
assembler directives. The assembler directives enable us to control
the way in which a program assembles and lists. They acts during
the assembly of program nd do not generate ny executable machine
code. E.g .CODE, .data
26. What r Mnemonics?
Mnemonics r instructions or commands to perform a particular
operation given by user to microprocessor. E.g. MOV, ADD, SUB,
etc.

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VI sem microprocessor viva questions with ans

27. What is the supply requirement of 8086?

+12v & +5v
28. Functions of Accumulator or AX register?
Used as 16 bit accumulator.
29. Functions of BX register?
Used as an offset storage.
30. Functions of CX register?
Default counter
31. Functions of DX register?
Implicit operand or destinations register in case of few instructions.
32. How Physical address is generated?
The content of CS register are multiplied by 16(16H=10 in dec),
then the offset i.e. the content of IP register are added to get
PHYSICAL ADDRESS.
33. Which are pointers present in 8086?
Instruction pointer (IP),
Stack pointer (SP),
Base pointer (BP)
34. How many segments r present in 8086?
Four segments: DS, SS, CS, ES
35. What is the size of each segment?
64 Kbs
36. What r d uses of these segments?
CS (code segment): identifies d starting address of the code.
DS (data segment): used to point d starting of the data.
ES (extra segment): refers to a segment, which is essentially in
another data segment.
SS (stack segment): used for addressing stack segment of memory.

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VI sem microprocessor viva questions with ans

37. Explain direction flag?

Direction flag is set (DF=1) for auto incrementing or auto
decrementing mode in string manipulation instructions.

38. Explain CALL and RETURN?

It calls 16-bit memory address of a subroutine.
It is a 3-byte instruction that transfers the program sequence to a
subroutine Saves the content of the PC (Program Counter-16-bit
register), the address of the next instruction , on the stack.
Decrements the stack pointer register by 2. Jumps unconditionally
to the memory location specified by the 2nd and 3rd bytes. This
instruction is accompanied by a return instruction in the
subroutine. The return instruction is used either to return a function
value or to terminate the execution of a function. The exit may be
from anywhere within the function body, including loops or nested
blocks. If the function returns a value, the return instruction is
required
39. What is the difference between instructions MUL & IMUL?
MUL: the instruction is used for unsigned multiplication. This inst
multiplies bytes or words.
IMUL (integers multiply): the inst is used for signed multiplication.
40. What is the difference between instructions DIV & IDIV?
DIV: is used to divide unsigned data. We can divide a byte by byte,
word by byte, double word by word.
IDIV: to divide signed data.
41. What is difference between shifts and rotate instructions?
In shift instructions 0 is stored at MSB or LSB position after SHR
(shift right) or SHL (shift left) respectively.
While in rotate instructions no extra bit added. Since the bits are
rotated internally or through carry.
42. Which are strings related instructions?
REP, MOVS, MOVSB, MOVSW, LODS, CMPS, etc
43. Which are the flag manipulation instructions?
CLD (clear direction flag),
STD (set direction flag to 1, so that SI or/and Di can b
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VI sem microprocessor viva questions with ans

decremented,
CLI (disable the interrupt at INTR input),
STI (if set, enables the interrupt at INTR input).

44. What r DD, DW, DB, DQ, DT?

DD: Define double word
DW: Define word
DB: Define Byte
DQ: Define Quad word
DT: Define ten bytes

45. Which are default segment base:offset pairs?

CS : IP
SS : SP,BP
DS : SI
ES : DI
46. Can we use SP as offset address holder with CS?
SP is a stack pointer and can b used in stack operations, it can not b
used for fetching the instructions.
47. Which are base registers in 8086?
BX
48. Which are the index register in 8086?
SI (source index)
DI (destination index)
49. What does .stack 100 mean?
This reserves 100 bytes for stack operation. When stack is not used
in d prog, .stack command can be omitted. This will reserve in the
warning msg no stack segment aftr linking the prog. This
warning may b ignored.
50. What r nibble, byte and word?
Nibble: 4 bits
Byte: 8 bits
Word: 16 bits.
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VI sem microprocessor viva questions with ans

51. What are MASM & TASM?

MASM (Microsoft macro assembler)
TASM (Turbo assembler)
52. How do U differentiate between positive and negative numbers?
If the MSB is 1 the no is ve, else +ve.

53. What are SI, DI and their functions?

SI & DI are index registers. They are used as general purpose
registers as well as for offset storage incase of indexed, based
indexed and relative based indexed addressing modes. That u hv to
study by urself

A few more questions:

54. In string operations which is by default string source pointer?
55. In string operations which is by default string destination pointer?
56. What do you mean by NMI interrupt?
57. What do you mean by IVT in 8086?
58. Which steps 8086 follows to handle any interrupt?
59. What is the function of 01h of Int 21h?
60. What is the function of 02h of Int 21h?
61. What is the function of 09h of Int 21h?
62. What is the function of 0Ah of Int 21h?
63. What is the function of 4ch of Int 21h?
64. What is the reset address of 8086?
65. What is the difference between 08H and 01H functions of INT
21H?
66. Which are addressing modes and their examples in 8086?

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VI sem microprocessor viva questions with ans

67. What .model small means?

68. What is LEA?
69. What does @data indicates in instruction- MOV ax, @data?
70. Why do we indicate FF as 0FF in program?
71. What is mul BX and div BX? Where result goes?
72. Basic difference between 8085 and 8086?
73. Which operations are not available in 8085?
74. What is the difference between min mode and max mode of 8086?
75. What is the difference between near and far procedure?
76. What is the difference between Macro and procedure?
77. What is the difference between instructions RET & IRET?
78. What do you mean by 20 dup (0)?
79. Whether 8086 is compatible with Pentium processor?

References:
1. Microprocessor, first edition 2009, A.P. Godse & D.A. Godse

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