ITS112P ASSEMBLY FLASHCARDS

How is Assembly language defined in relation to machine language?

It is a symbolic form of machine language.

Which components are combined according to specific rules in Assembly to communicate actions to a computer?

Letters, characters and numbers.

In terms of programming paradigms, Assembly is described as a highly _____ language.

Procedural

What level of detail does Assembly require when performing even the simplest programming actions?

An extremely high level of detail.

How many instructions does the CPU execute at any one time in machine language?

One.

Assembly language is considered a _____ Level Language.

Low

Assembly language is designed for a specific _____ of processors.

Family

True or False: Different processor groups or families share the same Assembly Language.

False.

What is the relationship between Assembly instructions and machine language instructions?

They are symbolic instructions directly related to machine language.

Into what are symbolic Assembly instructions assembled?

Machine language.

Provide three examples of High Level Languages mentioned in the source material.

C, C++ and Vbasic.

What is the primary design purpose of High Level Languages?

To eliminate the technicalities of a particular computer.

How many low-level instructions are typically generated from a single high-level language statement?

Many.

Which type of language usually provides the fastest execution speed for programs and subroutines?

Assembly language.

Why might a programmer choose Assembly over a high-level language for certain complex subroutines?

Because those routines are impossible or nearly impossible to write in high-level languages.

What level of control is a programmer given over the system when using Assembly language?

Maximum control.

Apart from being repetitious, how is the process of coding in Assembly described?

Very tedious.

What is a significant disadvantage regarding the ease of mastering Assembly language?

It is difficult to learn.

What specific knowledge must a programmer possess to use Assembly language effectively?

Knowledge of the computer system and its architecture.

Why is code created in Assembly often difficult to port to different systems?

Because it is very machine dependent.

What is a major disadvantage of Assembly language regarding the identification and removal of errors?

It is difficult to debug.

What is the objective of the sample Assembly program provided in the text?

To display the letter ‘A’ on the screen.

In the sample program, what value is moved into the register $AX$?

$0B800h$

In the sample program, which register receives the value from $AX$?

$ES$

In the sample program, what value is moved into the $DI$ register?

$0$

Which register is assigned the value $7$ in the sample Assembly code?

$AH$

What value, representing the letter ‘A’, is moved into the $AL$ register in the sample code?

$41h$

Which instruction in the sample program is used to store the word at the string destination?

STOSW

Which instruction is used to terminate the sample program?

INT 20H

High Level Languages are designed to eliminate computer _____.

Technicalities

Machine Language consists of individual instructions executed by the _____.

CPU

Assembly language subroutines usually execute more _____ than high-level ones.

Efficiently

The high degree of machine _____ makes Assembly code difficult to use on different hardware.

Dependency

Assembly uses symbols to communicate which _____ the computer should perform.

Actions

Why is Assembly coding considered 'repetitious'?

Because it requires high detail for simple actions, leading to repeated patterns.

Concept: Assembler

Definition: A tool used to convert symbolic Assembly instructions into machine-executable code.

Which level of language are C++ and Vbasic categorised as?

High Level Languages.

How does the 'procedural' nature of Assembly affect the programmer's workflow?

It requires defining a specific sequence of steps with extreme detail.

What is the primary trade-off for the 'maximum control' offered by Assembly?

The language becomes difficult to learn and debug.

What does the 'h' suffix in $0B800h$ or $41h$ indicate in Assembly syntax?

That the number is in hexadecimal format.

Which register pair is used to hold the character and attribute in the sample STOSW operation?

$AH$ and $AL$ (forming $AX$).

Why is Assembly called a 'symbolic' language?

It uses mnemonics/letters to represent binary machine codes.

How does the number of instructions in Assembly compare to a High Level Language for the same task?

Assembly requires many more instructions to accomplish the same action.

Assembly language is designed specifically for a processor _____, such as x86 or ARM.

Family

What is the result of 'assembling' code?

The creation of machine language instructions.

Name one disadvantage of Assembly related to the time spent writing code.

Coding is very tedious.

What level of system knowledge is needed to write Assembly code?

An extremely high level of knowledge regarding computer architecture.

Is Vbasic a low-level or high-level language?

High Level Language.

What does 'machine dependent' mean in the context of Assembly?

The code is specific to the hardware it was written for and cannot easily run elsewhere.

In the instruction 'MOV DI, 0', what does 'MOV' represent?

The move operation/instruction.

What is the primary benefit of Assembly for subroutines that must be very fast?

They have the fastest execution speed compared to other languages.

Why is 'debugging' noted as a disadvantage for Assembly?

Because the high level of detail and low-level nature make finding errors difficult.

A statement in C++ might generate _____ low-level instructions.

Many

The symbolic instruction set is directly related to _____ language instructions.

Machine

What is the role of 'Rules' in Assembly Language programming?

They govern how letters, characters, and numbers are combined to communicate actions.

Which language level is designed to eliminate the technicalities of specific hardware?

High Level Languages.

In the sample program, what register is used as the Extra Segment ($ES$)?

$AX$ (after being loaded with $0B800h$).

What is the hexadecimal ASCII value for the letter 'A' in the provided sample?

$41h$

True or False: Machine language is more procedural than Assembly language.

False (Assembly is specifically described as highly procedural).

What is the primary advantage of Assembly regarding hardware access?

It provides maximum control over the system.