What is the correct sequence of processing instructions in a machine cycle?

A) Fetch ? decode ? execute ? store
B) Fetch ? store ? decode ? execute
C) Fetch ? execute ? decode ? store
D) Decode ? fetch ? store ? execute

The correct sequence for processing instructions in a machine cycle is to first fetch the instruction from memory, then decode the instruction to understand what needs to be done, followed by executing the instruction, and finally storing the result back in memory if needed.