Question

Suppose EAX, EBX, and ECX contained three signed integers. Which of the following code snippets would display the largest of the three integers?

O cmp eax, ecx
jge L1
mov eax, ebx
L1: cmp eax, ebx
jge L2
mov eax, ecx
L2: call WriteInt

O cmp eax, ebx
jge L1
mov eax, ebx
L1: cmp eax, ecx
jge L2
mov eax, ecx
L2: call WriteInt

O cmp eax, ebx
jl L1
mov eax, ebx
L1: cmp eax, ecx
jl L2
mov eax, ecx
L2: call WriteInt

O cmp eax, ebx
jnge L1
mov eax, ebx
L1: cmp ecx, eax
jnge L2
mov eax, ecx
L2: call WriteInt

Answer 1

The correct code snippet to identify and display the largest of three signed integers in the EAX, EBX, and ECX registers is the second one.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is seeking to find the largest of three signed integers stored in the EAX, EBX, and ECX registers. To determine which code snippet correctly identifies the largest integer and displays it, we must analyze the assembly instructions provided.

The instructions use comparison operations (cmp) and conditional jumps to compare integers and move values.

The correct sequence for finding the largest value among EAX, EBX, and ECX is as follows:

• Compare EAX with ECX using cmp, and if EAX is greater or equal, continue to the next step; otherwise, move EBX into EAX.
• Now, EAX holds the larger of EAX and EBX. Compare it with ECX. If EAX is greater or equal, it is the largest; otherwise, move ECX into EAX.
• Call WriteInt to display the value stored in EAX.

Therefore, the second snippet of code is correct for displaying the largest integer:

cmp eax, ebx
jge L1
mov eax, ebx
L1: cmp eax, ecx
jge L2
mov eax, ecx
L2: call WriteInt

This code compares the integers correctly, updating EAX if a larger value is found in EBX or ECX, then calls WriteInt to display the largest integer.

1