Essential Compiler Design MCQs Every Computer Science Student Should Know!

Compiler design is a fundamental subject and is crucial to computer science. Several people have studied the subject thoroughly since the early 1950s, and hence, it is an important field of research today as well. Compiler design is built to offer students a clear understanding of programming languages and an appreciation for programming languages.

Furthermore, the techniques implemented in compilers can be used in multiple applications with command languages and compiler construction tools. Hence, compiler design gives motivation for studying theoretic topics. 

In this article, we will briefly explain the compiler design and then present the compiler design MCQ for computer science students. 

Introduction to Compiler Design

A computer program built to assist you in transforming source code that is written in a high-level language into a lower-level machine language is called a compiler. It helps in translating the code written in a single programming language to another language without altering the meaning of the code. Furthermore, the compiler makes the end code efficient and is optimized to execute time and memory space.

Basically, the compiling process consists of error deduction and basic translation mechanisms. The compiler's process goes from syntax, lexical, and semantic analysis at the front end to optimization and code generation at the back end.

Some of the key features of compilers are:

• Speed of compilation
• Code debugging help
• The speed of the target code
• Recognize illegal and legal program constructs
• Good air handling/reporting
• Correctness
• Preserving the exact meaning of the code

Basically, there are three types of compilers, which are mentioned below:

• Single pass compiler: In a single pass, the compiler's source code is directly transformed into machine code.
• Two-pass compiler: the two-pass compiler simplifies the process of retargeting and allows multiple front ends. Two-pass, the compiler is further divided into:
  • Front end: Front end, maps, legal code into an intermediate representation.
  • Back end: The back end maps intermediate representation into the target machine.
• Multipass compilers: The multipass compiler functions the syntax tree or source code of a program multiple times. It divides large programs into several small programs and then processes them.

Top 20+ Compiler Design MCQs for Computer Science Students

With the constant rise in tech-driven innovations and rising jobs in the field of computer science, students must continue to learn and increase their knowledge in this competitive world for the forthcoming career growth opportunities and build themselves up to encounter any career challenge. 

The compiler design MCQs for computer science students listed below are a great source of information for students to polish their knowledge and skills.

Q1. In Which of the following Languages Does the User Writes a Program?

1. Decimal–format
2. Middle–level language
3. High–level language
4. Hello–level language

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘C’ - High-level language

Q2. Which, Among the Following Trees, is the Pictorial Identification of the Derivation?

1. The binary tree
2. The oct tree
3. The parse tree
4. None of the above

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘C’ - The parse tree

Q3. Which Parser is called the Shift–Reduce Parser?

1. Bottom-up parser
2. Top-down parser
3. Both Top-down and bottom-up
4. None of the Above

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘A’ - Bottom-up parser

Q4. Which Method Combines Multiple Loops into a Single One?

1. Constant folding
2. Loop rolling
3. Loop fusion or jamming
4. None of the above

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘C’ - Loop fusion or jamming

Q5. The Compiler Detects Which Kind of Errors?

1. Neither logical nor grammatical error
2. Logical errors only
3. Grammatical errors only
4. Both grammatical and logical errors

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘C’ - Grammatical errors only

Q6. In Which of the following Derivations is the Right-Most Non-Terminal Symbol Replaced at Every Step?

1. Right look ahead
2. Right claim
3. Rightmost
4. Right non-terminal

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘C’ - Rightmost

Q7. Which of the Following Compilers Runs on One Machine and Generates Code for Several Machines?

1. Multipass compiler
2. Cross compiler
3. Optimizing compiler
4. Onepass compiler

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘B’ - Cross compiler

Q8. The Function of Using Intermediate Code in a Compiler is:

1. To improve the register allocation
2. To increase the error reporting & recovery
3. To make semantic analysis easier
4. To raise the chances of re-using the machine-independent code optimizer in other compilers

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘D’ - to raise the chances of re-using the machine-independent code optimizer in other compilers.

Q9. Which of the following is the Most Basic Phase of Structured Grammar?

1. Context-sensitive grammar
2. Context-free grammar
3. Regular grammar
4. All of the above

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘B’ - Context-sensitive grammar

Q10. Which of the following Graphs Describes the Basic Block and Successor Relationship?

1. Control graph
2. DAG
3. Flow graph
4. Hamilton graph

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘C’ - Flow graph

Q11. What do Leaf Nodes in a Parse Tree Represent?

1. Sub-terminals
2. Half-terminals
3. Non-terminals
4. Terminals

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘D’ - Terminals

Q12. In a Compiler, Keywords are Recognized During:

1. The code generation
2. The data flow analysis
3. The lexical analysis of the program
4. The program parsing

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘C’ - The lexical analysis of the program

Q13. Which Parser is Known as the Top-Down Parser?

1. An LALR parser
2. A LR parser
3. Operator precedence parser
4. Recursive descent parser

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘D’ - Recursive descent parser

Q14. Which Component is Crucial for Semantic Analysis?

1. Yacc
2. Lex
3. Symbol Table
4. Type Checking

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘D’ - Type Checking

Q15. Lexical Analyzer in the Compiler is Used For:

1. Removing comments
2. Breaking the syntaxes in the set of tokens
3. Removing whitespace
4. All of the above

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘D’ - All of the above

Q16. Which Grammar Describes the Lexical Syntax?

1. Lexical Grammar
2. Context-free Grammar
3. Syntactic Grammar
4. Regular Grammar

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘A’ - Lexical Grammar

Q17. Which Amongst the following is an Output of the Lexical Analyzer?

1. String character
2. A syntax tree
3. A set of RE
4. A set of tokens

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘D’ - set of tokens

Q18. Which is the Most Powerful Parser?

1. Operator Precedence
2. SLR
3. Canonical LR
4. LALR

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘C’ - Canonical LR

Q19. Parser is Categorized Into:

1. Three types
2. Four types
3. Two types
4. Five types

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘C’ - Two types

Q20. What do you Understand About Linker?

1. It is required to create the load module
2. It is always used before the program execution
3. It is the same as the loader
4. None of the above

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘A’ - It is required to create the load module

Q21. Which Tool is Used to Group Characters in Tokens in the Compiler?

1. Parser
2. Code optimizer
3. Code generator
4. Scanner

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘D’ - Scanner

Q22. Which File is an Output of the Assembler?

1. Program file
2. Object file
3. Data File
4. Task File

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘B’ - Object file

Q23. Which Technique is Used to Build Cross-Compilers for Other Machines?

1. Canadian Cross
2. Mexican Cross
3. X-cross
4. Brazilian Cross 

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘A’ - Canadian Cross

Q24. Which Structure Consists of Four Fields?

1. Parse tree
2. Triples
3. Indirect Triples
4. Quadruples

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘D’ - Quadruples

Q25. Which Function is Called the Canonical Collection of LR(0) Items.

1. FIRST
2. GOTO
3. COMPUTE
4. FOLLOW

Answer: The correct answer to this compiler design MCQ for computer science students is ‘B’ - GOTO 

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The compiler design MCQ for computer science students listed above are highly informative and can help computer science students boost their knowledge about compiler design and parsing techniques. These questions provide all the necessary information for the students to enhance compiler design information, and hence, by studying these questions with focus, they can also score higher marks in their upcoming exams and prepare for future career growth.

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FAQs: Compiler Design MCQs for Computer Science Students

Q1. Is Compiler Design Hard to Learn?

Compiler design is not a hard subject to learn. However, it is quite complex. This is the reason why compiler writers work with extreme focus and methodically.

Q2. Is it Possible for Me to Write My Own Compiler?

Yes, you can write your own compiler in Ruby or Python or whatever language seems easy to you. Try using simple algorithms that you can understand well.

Q3. Is C a Compiler or an Interpreter?

Java, C, C++, and Scala are compilers. However, Ruby, PHP, and Perl are interpreters.

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