ITEC 380 - Final Exam Material

Updated for Fall 2010

Updates: Last modified on

• 11/24/10: Initial, partial update for fall 2010
• 12/09/10: Further update for fall 2010
• 12/13/10: Minor corrections (ie Change chapter 10 to 9 and strike out subroutine implementation)
• 12/13/10: Add coverage percentages

1. Material
• All material from Exam 1 and Exam 2
• But no programs in prolog or python.
• General or reading questions about prolog or python are possible.
• New material
• Chapter 4 - Recursive Descent Parsing
• LISP
• Chapter 6 - Types
• Chapter 9 - Parameter Passing
• Chapter 10 - Subroutine Implementation
• Chapter 3 - Semantics


• Percentages:
• From first exam material (Chapters 1-3): about 25%
• From second exam material (Chapters 4-5): about 20%
• Since second exam (Chapters 4, 6, 9, Lisp): about 55%


2. Chapter 4: Compilation
• Recursive Descent Parsers:
• Create a RD compiler for a given grammar expressed in BNF or EBNF
• Use a RD parser to determine if a statement is in a language
• Use a RD parser to generate a tree or stack machine code
• Trace the steps of parsing a statement
• Stack machine code
• Interpret a sequence of stack machine code statements
• Convert an expression or statement into stack machine code
• Top down parsing:
• Define the sets FIRST and FOLLOW
• Calculate the sets FIRST and FOLLOW
• State and apply the two rules for when a top down parser can be constructed
• Top down (RD and LL) and bottom up (LR) parsing:
• Differentiate between top down and bottom up parsing
• Define LL and LR parsing and relate them to top down and bottom up parsing
• Describe relative capabilities
• Lexer and Parser generators:
• Describe basic inputs and outputs
• Recognize common: lex, yacc, bison, antlr


3. Chapter 6 - Types
• Definition of data type
• Primitive Types
• Four Definitions, and examples
• Basic implementation of and issues with 4 numeric types
• Boolean: issues and implementations
• Character: Encodings
• Strings: Describe and evaluate 3 kinds
• Ordinal:
• Enumerated: Define. Describe motivation, implementation, issues
• Subrange: Define. Describe type checking and motivation
• Arrays
• Define
• Describe Subscript issues
• Give access formulas
• Define and contrast 2D arrays and arrays of arrays
• Describe and recognize row and column major
• Describe access optimization techniques
• Describe and give examples of five array categories
• Records
• Define. Describe implementation
• Discuss motivation and alternate solution
• Describe elation to classes


• Non Primitive - arrow: definitions and issues
• Union: Definition and issues
• Pointers: Issues and reference types
• Heap management
• Describe process of allocation and deallocation and use of free list


• Dangling References: define; describe solutions (ie tombstone, lock and key)


• Garbage:
• Define
• Reference counts: describe what they are and how they work and their relation to garbage
• GC algorithms (mark and sweep, copy collection): describe, give pros/cons
• Discuss role of GC in modern languages
• Evolution of types


4. Chapter 9 - Parameter Passing10 - Implementing Subprograms
• Describe parameter passing issues
• Describe parameter passing modes
• Describe relevance of when parameters are evaluated
• Describe parameter passing mechnisms (eg Value, Result, V-R, Reference, Name)
• Differentiate between parameter passing modes and mechanisms
• Recognize difference between Value Result and Reference
• Stack protocol and Activation Record (AR)
• AR aka Call Frame
5. LISP
• Function evaluation
• Lists and atoms
• Nil
• Nil and T
• Composition and evaluating arguments
• quote
• car, cdr, cons
• If, cond
• Defun
• Write simple LISP functions
• Referential transparency


6. Semantics
• Define 3 kinds of semantics: operational, axiomatic, denotational
• Describe uses of operational semantics
• Give an operational semantics definition of a simple statement