PCEP-30-02 · Question #130
What do you call a computer program which directly executes instructions written in a programming language?
The correct answer is B. An interpreter. An interpreter directly executes instructions line-by-line in real time, without converting the entire program to machine code first - making it the right fit here. A compiler (A) is wrong because it translates the entire source code into machine code before execution, not…
Question
Options
- AA compiler
- BAn interpreter
- CA translator
How the community answered
(33 responses)- A6% (2)
- B82% (27)
- C12% (4)
Explanation
An interpreter directly executes instructions line-by-line in real time, without converting the entire program to machine code first - making it the right fit here. A compiler (A) is wrong because it translates the entire source code into machine code before execution, not during it. A translator (C) is a broad umbrella term for any tool that converts code from one form to another (including compilers), so it's too vague and not the specific term for direct execution.
Memory tip: Think of an interpreter like a human interpreter at a speech - they translate and deliver each sentence as it's spoken, one at a time. A compiler is more like translating an entire book before anyone reads it.
Community Discussion
No community discussion yet for this question.