Answer to Question 1
C
Answer to Question 2
Architecture of the information system is not the same as software architecture for the very simple reason that an information system is more than software. Furthermore, software itself is not all the same thing. Besides being virtual, a device driver is very different from a tax application which, in turn, is unlike a database management system or an image editor. Such different entities cannot, and should not, have the same architecture.
Nevertheless, an information system does have an architecture. This architecture, however, is not like the architecture of a building, with clear outlines, a readily recognizable style and is relatively stable. If an information system is built from scratch (which seldom happens), its architects may design it to start as a sharply defined entity, but this state of affairs would not last long. The architecture of an information system is a dynamic one: its building blocks, from the technological framework and applications to the workflow, change constantly. More importantly, some of the new components require a radical rewiring of the architecture. This rewiring and reorganization of the information system, however, cannot be accomplished the same way that we replace buildings. Seldom can we tear down an information system completely and replace it with a brand new one. A variable portion of the existing structure must be kept in operation even if the new and the old were not designed to work smoothly together.