17.2. Conditional Jump Instruction

Try these first

1. 1.

   What does the program counter (PC) do?

   Hint

   Think about which register guides the execution flow.

2. 2.

   What is the purpose of the zero flag?

   Hint

   Recall what occurs in a comparison operation.

3. 3.

   What happens during a conditional jump if the zero flag is not set?

   • The program jumps to the new address
   • The program continues to the next instruction
   • The program halts

   Hint

   Think about what the condition determines.

4. 4.

   True or False: The program counter is updated unconditionally during all jumps.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Recall the difference between jump types.

5. 5.

   Analyze the flow of a program that utilizes both a conditional jump based on the zero flag and a function call. Describe step-by-step how the program counter is modified.

   Hint

   Think about what effects the flags have before a function call.

6. 6.

   Consider a nested function call where two flags (zero and sign) can affect the control flow. Describe how a function might handle alternate paths based on these flags.

   Hint

   Map out the potential paths carefully.