A Level Computer Science OCR Practice Exam

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What is the primary function of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) in a CPU?

To manage the execution of instructions
To temporarily hold data while it is being processed
To process and manipulate data through arithmetic and logical operations
To store the address of the next instruction

The correct answer is: To process and manipulate data through arithmetic and logical operations

The primary function of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) in a CPU is to process and manipulate data through arithmetic and logical operations. The ALU is a critical component of the CPU that performs mathematical calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, as well as logical operations like AND, OR, NOT, and comparison operations. This allows the CPU to execute a wide range of instructions, manipulate data, and make decisions based on logical conditions, which are essential for the performance of all programs running on the computer. The other functions mentioned, such as managing instruction execution, temporarily holding data, and storing addresses, are handled by different components of the CPU or the overall computer architecture. The control unit is responsible for instruction execution management, registers are used to hold data temporarily, and the program counter holds the address of the next instruction to be executed. Each of these functions is vital, but the distinctive role of the ALU is specifically tied to arithmetic and logical data processing.