Which register holds the address of the next instruction to be fetched for execution?
Correct answer: A. PC (Program Counter)
- A. PC (Program Counter)
- B. IR (Instruction Register)
- C. MAR (Memory Address Register)
- D. MBR (Memory Buffer Register)
Explanation
The program counter (PC) is a special-purpose register that stores the memory address of the next instruction to be fetched from main memory. The CPU uses the PC to keep track of its place in the program and ensure it executes instructions sequentially.In summary, the program counter (PC) plays a critical role in program execution by keeping track of the upcoming instruction's address. The other registers (IR, MAR, MBR) are involved in different stages of the fetch-decode-execute cycle but don't specifically store the address of the next instruction.
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