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Official PYQ · 1996Q2.17Runtime EnvironmentsMCQ1 mark

GATE CS 1996 Q2.17 — Runtime Environments

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The correct matching for the following pairs is
(A)Activation record(1)Linking loader(B)Location counter(2)Garbage collection(C)Reference counts(3)Subroutine call(D)Address relocation(4)Assembler\begin{array}{|ll|ll|} \hline \text{(A)}&\text{Activation record} & \text{(1)} &\text{Linking loader} \\ \hline \text{(B)} &\text{Location counter} & \text{(2)} &\text{Garbage collection} \\ \hline \text{(C)}& \text{Reference counts} & \text{(3)} &\text{Subroutine call} \\ \hline \text{(D)}& \text{Address relocation} & \text{(4)}& \text{Assembler} \\ \hline \end{array}

Choose one option
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Answer: D

To find the correct match, let us analyze each term on the left with its corresponding concept on the right:

  • (A) Activation record → (3) Subroutine call: An activation record (or stack frame) is allocated on the run-time stack whenever a subroutine (procedure or function) is called. It stores parameters, local variables, return addresses, and saved registers.
  • (B) Location counter → (4) Assembler: The location counter is a pointer/variable maintained by the assembler to keep track of the relative memory addresses assigned to instructions and data during the assembly process.
  • (C) Reference counts → (2) Garbage collection: Reference counting is a classic dynamic memory management technique used in garbage collection. It tracks the number of references/pointers to each allocated block of memory to determine when it can be safely deallocated (when the count drops to zero).
  • (D) Address relocation → (1) Linking loader: Address relocation is the process of mapping program-relative (or logical) addresses to actual physical memory addresses. This task is performed by the linking loader (or relocating loader) when the program is loaded into memory for execution.

Thus, the correct mapping is A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1, which corresponds to Option D.

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