If the label fun is at 0x00401000, what value is contained in register $ra immediately after the execution of the jal instruction on the spim virtual machine?

0x00400200   li  $a0, 42
0x00400204   jal fun
0x00400208   nop
0x0040020C   sw  $v0, x

So, MIPS has this thing called a branch delay slot, which allows an extra instruction to be performed before the jump - as to keep the clock in sync.

Do I get it, yes.
Do I understand, maybe?

So it looks like the branch and jump instructions first get loaded into the memory.
But before they execute, the next instruction directly afterwards gets loaded while the jump is performed.

That means, that to answer this question, then $ra = 0x0040020C.
That makes sense, as the return address becomes $ra + 8

But wait! The answer could also be 0x00400208.

If you’re use SPIM this is the result you would get.
That’s because SPIM has branch delay execution disabled by default.
And what that means, is that a function call will return to the immediate next address $ra + 4.