Embedded Systems Programming MCQs

1. What is the purpose of an Interrupt Service Routine (ISR) in embedded systems? A) To handle asynchronous events B) To initialize the system C) To execute the main program loop D) To manage memory allocation Answer: A 2. Which programming language is commonly used for embedded systems programming? A) Python B) Java C) C/C++ D) Ruby Answer: C 3. Which of the following is a typical microcontroller component? A) Disk drive B) LCD monitor C) Keyboard D) Flash memory Answer: D 4. What is the purpose of a watchdog timer in embedded systems? A) To monitor the power supply voltage B) To keep track of time C) To prevent system crashes D) To provide real-time clock functionality Answer: C 5. Which memory type is most commonly used for storing program code in microcontrollers? A) DRAM B) SRAM C) Flash D) EEPROM Answer: C 6. What is the primary function of a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) in embedded systems? A) To manage file systems B) To provide graphical user interfaces C) To schedule tasks D) To handle network communication Answer: C 7. Which of the following is not a commonly used communication protocol in embedded systems? A) UART B) SPI C) HTTP D) I2C Answer: C 8. Which keyword is used in C to declare a variable that will persist across function calls (global variable)? A) local B) static C) volatile D) extern Answer: B 9. What is the purpose of the volatile keyword in embedded C programming? A) To declare a constant variable B) To optimize code size C) To indicate that a variable may change unexpectedly D) To declare a variable accessible from any function Answer: C 10. Which register is used to enable and disable interrupts in an AVR microcontroller? A) INTCON B) GICR C) SREG D) EIMSK Answer: C 11. In AVR microcontrollers, which function is used to define an ISR (Interrupt Service Routine)? A) void interrupt ISR() {} B) ISR(INT0_vect) {} C) void ISR_INT0() {} D) ISR = INT0 {} Answer: B 12. Which timer/counter register is typically used to store the current value of a timer in an AVR microcontroller? A) TCR B) TCNT C) TIMSK D) TIFR Answer: B 13. What is the role of the bootloader in embedded systems? A) To control the boot sequence B) To load the operating system C) To initialize hardware peripherals D) To update the firmware Answer: D 14. Which of the following is true about Little Endian and Big Endian systems? A) Little Endian systems store the most significant byte first. B) Big Endian systems store the least significant byte first. C) Little Endian systems are more common in embedded systems. D) Big Endian systems are more efficient for numerical computations. Answer: C 15. Which directive is used in assembly language to include a file in another file? A) .include B) .inc C) .import D) .macro Answer: A 16. Which of the following is a common method for reducing power consumption in embedded systems? A) Increasing clock frequency B) Using sleep modes C) Adding more peripherals D) Running background tasks continuously Answer: B 17. Which type of memory is typically used for storing non-volatile data in embedded systems? A) SRAM B) DRAM C) EEPROM D) Cache memory Answer: C 18. Which of the following is an advantage of using DMA (Direct Memory Access) in embedded systems? A) Reduced CPU overhead B) Increased power consumption C) Slower data transfer rates D) Limited memory access Answer: A 19. What is the purpose of a crystal oscillator in microcontroller circuits? A) To generate digital signals B) To synchronize internal operations C) To amplify audio signals D) To provide power supply regulation Answer: B 20. Which of the following is not a typical use of an embedded system? A) Digital camera B) Microwave oven C) Laptop computer D) Automobile engine control Answer: C 21. Which bit manipulation operation is used to set a specific bit in a register without changing other bits? A) AND operation B) OR operation C) XOR operation D) Masking operation Answer: D 22. Which of the following statements about RTOS (Real-Time Operating System) is true? A) RTOS guarantees a response within a fixed time constraint. B) RTOS is primarily used for batch processing. C) RTOS does not support multi-tasking. D) RTOS is used only in high-end computing systems. Answer: A 23. Which type of memory is typically used for storing temporary variables and function call stacks in embedded systems? A) Flash memory B) EEPROM C) SRAM D) ROM Answer: C 24. In ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers, which interrupt priority level is the highest? A) 0 B) 15 C) 31 D) 255 Answer: A 25. Which of the following is a commonly used development environment for embedded systems programming? A) Arduino IDE B) Visual Studio Code C) Eclipse D) All of the above Answer: D 26. Which of the following communication interfaces typically operates in half-duplex mode? A) SPI B) I2C C) UART D) CAN Answer: C 27. What is the purpose of the volatile keyword in C programming when used with variables? A) To ensure the variable is allocated in the correct memory space B) To specify that the variable can be accessed by multiple threads C) To indicate that the variable’s value may change unexpectedly D) To declare a variable that is constant Answer: C 28. Which register in an ARM Cortex-M microcontroller is used to enable or disable interrupts globally? A) PRIMASK B) CONTROL C) NVIC D) PENDSV Answer: A 29. Which of the following is true about the difference between while and do-while loops in C? A) while executes the loop body at least once, while do-while may not execute it at all. B) do-while always executes the loop body at least once, while while may not execute it at all. C) There is no difference between while and do-while loops in C. D) do-while and while loops are used interchangeably in C. Answer: B 30. Which keyword is used in C to define a constant pointer that cannot be changed to point to another variable? A) const B) static C) restrict D) volatile Answer: A 31. In microcontroller programming, what is the purpose of a prescaler in a timer module? A) To reduce power consumption B) To synchronize clock signals C) To divide the input clock frequency D) To increase the timer resolution Answer: C 32. Which of the following is true about the const keyword in C programming? A) It defines a constant variable. B) It indicates a variable can be accessed from multiple functions. C) It prevents a variable from being changed after initialization. D) It specifies a variable that is always accessible. Answer: C 33. What is the role of a linker in embedded systems development? A) To convert source code into machine code B) To optimize code size C) To connect object files into a single executable file D) To debug the code Answer: C 34. Which of the following statements is true about bit-wise operators in C? A) | operator performs bit-wise AND operation. B) & operator performs bit-wise OR operation. C) ^ operator performs bit-wise NOT operation. D) ~ operator performs bit-wise XOR operation. Answer: D 35. Which type of memory is typically used for storing bootloader code in microcontrollers? A) EEPROM B) Flash C) SRAM D) Cache memory Answer: B 36. Which of the following is true about polling and interrupts in embedded systems? A) Polling is more efficient than using interrupts. B) Interrupts introduce latency compared to polling. C) Polling is not suitable for real-time systems. D) Interrupts require more CPU resources than polling. Answer: B 37. Which of the following is not a commonly used tool for debugging embedded systems? A) Logic analyzer B) Oscilloscope C) Multimeter D) Compiler Answer: D 38. What is the function of the volatile keyword in C when used with pointers? A) To ensure pointer arithmetic is correct B) To specify that the pointer points to a volatile variable C) To optimize pointer dereferencing D) To prevent memory leaks Answer: B 39. Which of the following is not a commonly used scheduler algorithm in RTOS (Real-Time Operating Systems)? A) Round-robin B) First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) C) Shortest Job Next (SJN) D) Priority-based scheduling Answer: C 40. In embedded systems, what does DMA (Direct Memory Access) bypass to improve data transfer speeds? A) CPU B) Memory C) Peripherals D) Operating system Answer: A 41. Which register in an ARM Cortex-M microcontroller is used to prioritize interrupts? A) NVIC_PRI B) CONTROL C) PRIMASK D) Systick Answer: A 42. Which of the following is true about static variables in C programming? A) Static variables are initialized to zero by default. B) Static variables are local to the function in which they are defined. C) Static variables retain their values between function calls. D) Static variables cannot be accessed from other files. Answer: C 43. Which of the following is true about using pointers in C programming? A) Pointers are used only for dynamic memory allocation. B) Pointers can be used to access hardware registers directly. C) Pointers cannot point to structures. D) Pointers must be explicitly dereferenced before use. Answer: B 44. Which of the following is not a valid data type in C programming? A) void B) bool C) float D) double Answer: B 45. Which of the following is true about a stack overflow in embedded systems? A) It occurs when the stack pointer exceeds its limit. B) It leads to corruption of program code. C) It cannot be prevented. D) It is caused by excessive use of interrupts. Answer: A 46. Which of the following is not a type of memory commonly used in microcontrollers? A) L2 cache B) SRAM C) EEPROM D) Flash Answer: A 47. In embedded systems, what is the role of a bootloader? A) To handle user interface interactions B) To load the operating system into memory C) To manage hardware peripherals D) To initialize the system clock Answer: B 48. Which of the following is true about the extern keyword in C programming? A) It defines a variable that can only be accessed within a function. B) It specifies a variable that can be accessed by multiple source files. C) It declares a constant variable. D) It prevents a variable from being modified after initialization. Answer: B 49. Which of the following statements about bit fields in C programming is true? A) Bit fields cannot be used for specifying hardware register layouts. B) Bit fields must be of type int. C) Bit fields allow packing multiple fields into a single byte. D) Bit fields cannot have more than 8 bits. Answer: C 50. In microcontroller programming, which register is used to configure pin direction (input/output) in GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output)? A) DDR B) PORT C) PIN D) ADC Answer: A

Embedded Systems Programming MCQs

More MCQS on Electronics MCQs

Leave a Comment Cancel reply