REVIEW MIDDLE TERM

1. What is the role of an operating system?

a. To provide an interface between the user and the hardware.

b. To manage system resources.

c. To run applications.

d. All of the above.

2. Which of the following is not a function of an operating system?

a. Memory management

b. Device management

c. Application development

d. File management

3. Which of the following is not a type of operating system?

a. Real-time operating system

b. Batch processing system

c. Standalone operating system

d. Network operating system

4. What is a process in an operating system?

a. A program in execution

b. An application in development

c. A file on disk
d. A device driver

5. What is multitasking?

a. Running multiple programs at the same time

b. Running multiple instances of the same program

c. Running multiple threads in a single program

d. Running multiple applications on different computers

6. What is a kernel?

a. The core of the operating system

b. A graphical user interface

c. A command-line interface

d. An application programming interface

7. What is virtual memory?

a. A way for the operating system to manage physical memory

b. A way for the operating system to manage disk space

c. A way for the operating system to manage CPU time

d. A way for the operating system to manage network connections

8. What is a file system?

a. A way for the operating system to manage files on disk

b. A way for the operating system to manage memory

c. A way for the operating system to manage network connections

d. A way for the operating system to manage devices

9. What is a device driver?

a. A program that controls a hardware device

b. A program that controls a software application

c. A program that controls the kernel

d. A program that controls the file system

10. What is a system call?

a. A request made by a user-level program to the operating system kernel

b. A request made by the kernel to a user-level program

c. A request made by a device driver to the kernel

d. A request made by a network connection to the kernel

11. What is a deadlock?

a. A situation where two or more processes are waiting for each other to release a
resource

b. A situation where a process uses too much memory

c. A situation where a device driver fails to communicate with a hardware device

d. A situation where the file system becomes corrupt

12. What is a semaphore?

a. A synchronization tool used to control access to a shared resource

b. A tool used to manage virtual memory

c. A tool used to manage devices

d. A tool used to manage file systems

13. What is a scheduling algorithm?

a. A method used by the operating system to determine which process to run next

b. A method used by the kernel to manage memory

c. A method used by the kernel to manage devices

d. A method used by the kernel to manage file systems

14. What is fragmentation?

a. A problem that occurs when memory becomes fragmented into small pieces

b. A problem that occurs when disk space becomes fragmented into small pieces

c. A problem that occurs when devices become fragmented into small pieces

d. A problem that occurs when processes become fragmented into small pieces

15. What is a cache?

a. A high-speed memory used to store frequently accessed data

b. A type of device driver used to control graphics cards

c. A type of memory used to store virtual memory pages

d. A type of memory used to store files on disk

16. What is a buffer?

a. A temporary storage area used to hold data

b. A device used to control network traffic

c. A type of memory used to store device drivers

d. A type of memory used to store file system metadata

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1. What is an operating system?

 A program that acts as an intermediary between a user of a computer and the

computer hardware.

 The OS is “all the code that you didn’t have to write” to implement your

application.

 OS is an extended machine.

 OS is a resource manager.

2. What are the basic functions of an operating system?

 User interface - Almost all operating systems have a user interface (UI)

 Program execution - The system must be able to load a program into memory

and to run that program, end execution, either normally or abnormally (indicating

error)

 Control access to I/O device.

 File-system manipulation.
3. What is the difference between a process and a thread?

Comparison Basis Process Thread

A thread is a lightweight process

A process is a program under
Definition that can be managed
execution i.e. an active program.
independently by a scheduler
Processes require more time for Threads require less time for
Context switching
context switching as they are context switching as they are
time
heavier. lighter than processes.
Processes are totally
A thread may share some memory
Memory Sharing independent and don’t share
with its peer threads.
memory.
Communication between Communication between threads
Communication processes requires more time requires less time than between
than between threads. processes.
If a process gets blocked, If a user level thread gets blocked,
Blocked remaining processes can all of its peer threads also get
continue execution. blocked.
Resource Processes require more Threads generally need less
Consumption resources than threads. resources than processes.
Individual processes are Threads are parts of a process and
Dependency
independent of each other. so are dependent.
A thread shares the data segment,
Data and Code Processes have independent data
code segment, files etc. with its
sharing and code segments.
peer threads.
All the different processes are All user level peer threads are
Treatment by OS treated separately by the treated as a single task by the
operating system. operating system.
Processes require more time for Threads require less time for
Time for creation
creation. creation.
Time for Processes require more time for Threads require less time for
termination termination. termination.

4. What is multitasking?

Multitasking refers to the ability of an operating system to execute multiple tasks

(programs or processes) concurrently, allowing them to progress seemingly

simultaneously.
5. What is a kernel?

A kernel is the core component of an operating system that manages the system's

resources, such as the CPU, memory, and peripheral devices. It provides essential

services for other parts of the operating system and acts as a bridge between software

and hardware.

6. What is a shell?

A shell is a command-line interface that allows users to interact with the operating

system by entering commands. It interprets user commands and executes them,

facilitating communication between the user and the operating system kernel.

7. What is virtual memory?

Virtual memory is a memory management technique used by operating systems to

expand the available memory beyond the physical RAM by utilizing disk space as an

extension of RAM. It allows the system to run more programs simultaneously than it

could otherwise support with only physical memory.

8. What is a file system?

 Part of operating system dealing with files

 Includes two independent parts: set of file and directory structure, organize and

provide information about all files in system

9. What is a device driver?

A device driver is software that enables communication between the OS and

hardware devices (e.g., printers, graphics cards). It abstracts hardware complexities

for applications.
10. What is a process control block (PCB)?

A PCB is a data structure that stores information about a process (e.g., its state,

priority, memory usage). The OS uses PCBs to manage processes efficiently.

11. What is a system call?

A system call is an interface for programs to request services from the OS kernel.

12. What is a scheduling algorithm?

A scheduling algorithm determines how the OS allocates CPU time to processes.

Common algorithms include round-robin, priority-based, and shortest job first.