Assignment 2 (Total marks = 95)

1. State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE. If TRUE, explains

the answer. If FALSE, correct the statement.

a. A non-pipelined processor only works when the bus interface unit keeps
ahead of the execution unit.
[2 marks]

b. Segment registers cannot accept a value to be stored directly to them.

[2 marks]

c. All x86 microprocessors must follow little endian convention in storing the
data.
[2 marks]

d. Multiple similar physical addresses are available due to overlapping of

logical address.
[2 marks]

e. Pentium 4 processor introduced new architecture to cope with the heavy

processing on multimedia and the Internet.
[2 marks]

2. Address bus is used to identify the devices and memory connected to the
Central Processing Unit (CPU) in x86 computer.
a. For a computer having 4 gigabytes of address bus, find the number of
address lines available.
[2 marks]

b. If instructions below are executed:

MOV AL, 88H

MOV AH, 33H

and the memory address is first accessed at 2222, determine:

i. the list of memory address location stored and
ii. the content of each of those memory addresses
[8 marks]
3. Assume that SP = FFFAH, SS = 2400, AX = 2145H, BX = D23CH, and CX =
08.

a. Show the content of the stack and SP after the execution of each of the
following instructions.

PUSH AX
PUSH BX
PUSH CX

[6 marks]

b. Calculate physical address after the “PUSH CX” operation in (a).

[2 marks]

c. Does the wrap around occur after all instructions in (a) have been
executed? Explain.
[2 marks]

4. Atiqah performed addition of two values which are 3F9C and DBB1 using
Assembly language. She typed the following command:

MOV AX, 3F9C

MOV [AX], AX
MOV BX, DBB1
MOV [BX], BX
ADD [AX], [BX]

a. Calculate the result and show detailed steps of the calculation.

[3 marks]

b. Could she type different command to perform the addition to obtain result
as in (a)?
If yes, write the code and compare the computing performance of the
new code with the code above.
If not, suggest a solution to obtain the result and justify your answer.

[4 marks]
 c. What is the offset address of the result stored?
[1 mark]

d. If the result is stored in DS, show the logical address of the and the
content. Why is it stored like that?
[2 marks]

5. Farzana pushed the following contents into stack as shown in Figure 1. The
logical address of the bottommost stack content was given.

23
DE

2F

AB
11

5C
6B

SS:1111 C7

Figure 1

a. If those contents are to be loaded back to the registers, how many

registers are required? Specify possible registers.
[3 marks]

b. Using the registers mentioned in (a), assign the registers and their
values accordingly. Which register is read by the CPU the last? Explain.
[4 marks]

c. Assume SS = 2323, find the physical address of the topmost stack

content.
[3 marks]
6. Zhar wanted to sum the contents of memory location starting from offset
address of [2345] to [2355]. Given the content at every offset address is 1221.
He would like to load the addition result into register CX. He already typed the
first two lines of the code as follows:

MOV BX, 2345H

MOV CX, 0000

a. He wanted to use program loop to complete the code. Help him to write
the remaining lines of the code.
[5 marks]

b. Would he able to complete the task without using program loop? Justify
your answer.
[2 marks]

c. Calculate the value of CX at the end of the program. Explain the

process to calculate CX.
[2 marks]

d. What would be the status of CF once the loop in (a) completed?

[1 mark]

7. Brenda is developing a stack in x86 computer using the following instructions

as in Figure 2. She found that SS=6900.

MOV AX, 34CDH ;LINE 1

MOV BX, 12BAH ;LINE 2
MOV CX, 56EFH ;LINE 3
MOV DX, 7809H ;LINE 4
PUSH BX ;LINE 5
PUSH CX ;LINE 6
POP CX ;LINE 7
PUSH AX ;LINE 8
PUSH DX ;LINE 9
POP AX ;LINE 10
POP DX ;LINE 11

Figure 2

a) Would she encounter any error after typing all the instructions? Explain.
[2 marks]
 b) How many memory locations are occupied by the instruction in Figure 2?
Write the content of the memory location in order from top to bottom as
sorted in stack.
[4 marks]

c) If the memory address filled with content of CD is SS:1600, determine the

bottom most and topmost address of the stack.
[2 marks]

d) If the physical address of one address of the stack location is 6A5FE and
that address overlaps with a range of DS locations of 6321, find the logical
address of that DS.
[2 marks]

8. Shantidevi is required to analyse the following code as in Figure 3.

MOV AX, AFFFH ;LINE 1

MOV [2400], AX ;LINE 2
MOV CX, [2400] ;LINE 3
ADD AX, CX ;LINE 4
MOV BX, [2401] ;LINE 5
ADD BX, BX ;LINE 6
ADD CX, BX ;LINE 7

Figure 3

She also observed that the value of some flag registers are as follows: SF=0,
AF=0, PF=1, and CF=0 before execution of the codes in Figure 3.

a) Determine the addressing modes available in all the instructions and group
the instructions according to their respective addressing modes.
(Hint: Each correct pair of instructions and addressing mode will obtain 1
mark)
[4 marks]

b) State the new flag register values after execution of LINE 4 and LINE 7.
(Hint: 2 correct flags after each line will obtain 1 mark).
[4 marks]

c) State the default segment for BX and write a code to override its default
segment.
[2 marks]
9. In assembly language programming,

a. What is the purpose of INC and DEC instruction?

[2 marks]
b. If JNZ is instructed and ZF=0, will the next instruction be executed?
Explain.
[2 marks]
c. Writing what program does without bogging down the details is called
as _______.
[1 mark]

10. Soo Sim checked the output of the following programme:

MOV AX, 1DE2H ;LINE 1

MOV BX, 2120H ;LINE 2
ADD AX, BX ;LINE 3
MOV [BX]+10, AX ;LINE 4
MOV [BP]+5, BX ;LINE 5
MOV [DI], AX
;LINE 6
She found that after executing LINE 6, the physical address is 4E066, SI =
1234, and DI = 3456.
a. Determine the logical address at LINE 6.
[2 marks]

b. Find both the physical address and content of DS:BX at LINE 4.

[3 marks]

c. State the addressing mode at LINE 4.

[1 mark]

d. If BP = 3D340, does the overlapping segment occur with DS? Explain.

[2 marks]

e. Show the flag status of AF, CF, PF and SF after addition is performed
at LINE 3.
[2 marks]