Management Information System (MIS) Practice Exam

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Prepare for the Management Information System Test. Boost your knowledge with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question includes hints and explanations. Be exam-ready today!

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Which of the following statements accurately reflects a difference between compilers and interpreters?

A) Interpreters translate assembly language to machine language, while compilers translate machine language to assembly language.
B) Compilers convert a program's entire source code into an executable, while interpreters translate source code one statement at a time.
C) Compiled programs run much slower than interpreted programs.
D) Compiling programs is a slower process compared to their execution, while with interpreters, the translation and execution happens concurrently.

The correct answer is: B) Compilers convert a program's entire source code into an executable, while interpreters translate source code one statement at a time.

The distinction captured in the correct answer highlights a fundamental difference in how compilers and interpreters process source code. Compilers take the entire source code of a program and translate it into machine language or an executable file before the program is run. This means the entire program is checked for errors and translated all at once, resulting in a single executable file that can be run multiple times without requiring the source code to be translated again. On the other hand, interpreters work by translating the source code line by line or statement by statement. This means that the interpreter reads a line of code, translates it to machine code, and executes it immediately before moving on to the next line. This translated execution happens in real time, which allows for immediate feedback while coding, but can lead to slower overall execution compared to a compiled program because translation occurs continuously during execution. The other options suggest differences that do not accurately characterize the roles of compilers and interpreters. For instance, the statement about assembly and machine language is simply incorrect in the context of standard definitions of compilers and interpreters. Compiled programs typically run faster than interpreted ones, contradicting the assertion about execution speed, and the statement regarding the comparative speeds of the compiling process versus execution is also misleading.