Which statement describes Von Neumann architecture?

• A. Instructions and data share the same bus
• B. There are separate instruction and data buses
• C. It uses Harvard architecture
• D. It cannot fetch instructions from memory

Answer: (A)

Von Neumann architecture stores both programs (instructions) and data in the same memory and uses a single set of buses to transfer them. This means the CPU fetches instructions and reads or writes data over the same path, which is simple and flexible but can create a bottleneck when both types of information are being moved. Because instructions and data share the same memory and bus, it’s not using separate instruction and data storage or separate buses, which is characteristic of Harvard architecture. It also does fetch instructions from memory, since they are stored there like data. This shared-memory, single-bus design is why describing Von Neumann as having instructions and data share memory and a common bus is the best fit.