MCQ Practice Question

A barrel shifter differs from a simple serial shift register because a barrel shifter can typically?

AShift or rotate a word by multiple bit positions in one combinational operation
BStore data without any logic gates
CConvert analog voltage directly to binary
DRefresh DRAM rows

Correct Answer: A. Shift or rotate a word by multiple bit positions in one combinational operation

Explanation: A barrel shifter uses combinational selection networks to shift or rotate an entire word by a selected number of positions without requiring one clock per bit position.

Reference: Standard digital electronics: barrel shifter