Question

Which of the following registers is used to keep track of address of memory location where the next instruction is located?

• A. Program counter
• B. Memory Address Register
• C. Memory data register
• D. Instruction counters

Hint:

The Program Counter (PC) keeps track of the address of the next instruction and is essential in the fetch-execute cycle.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: The Program Counter (PC) is the register that keeps track of the address of the next instruction to be fetched in the instruction cycle.
Step 2: The other options:
- The Memory Address Register (MAR) holds the address of the memory location where data is being read or written.
- The Memory Data Register (MDR) holds the data being transferred to or from the memory location specified by the MAR.
- The Instruction Counter (IC) is not a standard register; this term might be used to refer to the program counter in some contexts but is not the correct standard name. Thus, the correct answer is (a) Program counter.