Interrupts CIE IGCSE

A message sent by the OS to change the CPU schedule is known as...

• Interupt
• Poll
• Cache
• Defrag

Which of these are true

• interrupts can be hardware or software based

• Interrupts work out which program takes priority

• Interrupts allow a computer to multitask

• a computer cannot finction without interrupts

• Interrupts are handled by the operating system

Interrupts may arise from

• a keyboard

• a printer

• a mouse

• a monitor

Interrupts are _____ sent from devices or software.

Interrupts may have different priorities

• True

• False

When the processor receives an interrupt message

• the CPU stops processing instruction from that part of the program and does not process instructions for other parts of programs

• the CPU stops processing instruction from that part of the program but will process instructions for other parts of programs

• the CPU sends a confirmation message to the device or softwere

• the control unit in the CPU sends a message to the ALU to wait. When an interrupt is cancelled it resumes processing

Hardware interrupts include those from devices such as printers.

A printer may be out of ​ (a)  

There may be a printer ​ (b)  

The CPU sends data to a printer ​ (c)   before it is printed

If the buffer is full an ​ (d)   signal will be sent.

• paper.
• jam
• buffer
• interrupt
• error message
• operating system
• power cord

The part of the operating system that deals with interrupts is called the

• interrupt buffer

• interrupt handler

• interrupt storage unit (ISU)

• interrupt scheduler

Possible interrupts from software include

• waiting for user input

• waiting for memory

• waiting to output

• waiting for processing

The CPU checks for interrupts

• after each instruction has been fetched from RAM

• at a frequency set by each program

• at a frequency is set by the operating system

• at the end of every CPU cycle