MCQs on Operating Systems

[Set - 1]

1. What is the main function of an operating system?

A) Provide a file structure
B) Manage hardware resources
C) Compile and run programs
D) Encrypt stored information

Correct Answer: B) Manage hardware resources
Explanation: The operating system acts as an intermediary between hardware and applications, managing resources like memory, CPU, and storage.

2. Which scheduling algorithm may cause starvation?

A) Priority-based scheduling
B) First-come, first-served
C) Round-robin scheduling
D) Shortest job next

Correct Answer: A) Priority-based scheduling
Explanation: In priority scheduling, low-priority processes may never execute if high-priority processes continuously enter the system, leading to starvation.

3. What is the main advantage of multiprogramming systems?

A) Improve security features
B) Reduce power consumption
C) Increase CPU utilization
D) Manage user access rights

Correct Answer: C) Increase CPU utilization
Explanation: Multiprogramming allows multiple processes to share CPU time, ensuring that the CPU is not idle and increasing efficiency.

4. Which component of the operating system maintains the directory structure?

A) File system component
B) Process scheduler tool
C) Memory management unit
D) System call interface

Correct Answer: A) File system component
Explanation: The file system organizes and maintains the directory structure, enabling easy access and storage of files.

5. In a priority scheduling algorithm, which process is executed first?

A) The process with lowest priority
B) The process with least memory
C) The process in the ready queue
D) The process with highest priority

Correct Answer: D) The process with highest priority
Explanation: In priority scheduling, the process with the highest assigned priority is selected for execution.

6. What happens when a process tries to access a memory location it does not own?

A) The process completes normally
B) A segmentation fault occurs
C) The system reallocates memory
D) An infinite loop is executed

Correct Answer: B) A segmentation fault occurs
Explanation: Unauthorized memory access triggers a segmentation fault, terminating the process to protect system stability.

7. Which of the following is used for inter-process communication?

A) Pipes for data exchange
B) Semaphores for scheduling
C) Paging for memory sharing
D) Mutexes for thread control

Correct Answer: A) Pipes for data exchange
Explanation: Pipes provide a mechanism for inter-process communication by allowing processes to read and write data in a shared buffer.

8. What is the name of the queue where processes wait for I/O operations to complete?

A) Ready queue for processes
B) Run queue for execution
C) Waiting queue for I/O
D) Interrupt queue for CPU

Correct Answer: C) Waiting queue for I/O
Explanation: Processes waiting for I/O operations reside in the waiting queue until their I/O requests are fulfilled.

9. What is the function of a system call in operating systems?

A) Enable user access control
B) Provide interface to kernel
C) Monitor hardware devices
D) Encrypt sensitive files

Correct Answer: B) Provide interface to kernel
Explanation: System calls allow user-level applications to request services from the operating system’s kernel.

10. In Unix, which command is used to terminate a process?

A) kill to stop execution
B) exit for system shutdown
C) stop for pausing process
D) terminate for program end

Correct Answer: A) kill to stop execution
Explanation: The kill command in Unix terminates a process by sending a specific signal, typically SIGTERM or SIGKILL.

11. Which type of OS is most suitable for time-critical tasks?

A) Batch processing operating system
B) Real-time operating system
C) Networked operating system
D) Distributed operating system

Correct Answer: B) Real-time operating system
Explanation: Real-time operating systems guarantee timely task execution, making them ideal for time-critical applications like embedded systems.

12. What is the first process that runs when an operating system starts?

A) Shell process for user input
B) Init process for Unix systems
C) Memory manager for allocation
D) Interrupt handler for devices

Correct Answer: B) Init process for Unix systems
Explanation: The init process is the first process executed after the kernel loads, initializing the system and starting essential services.

13. In memory management, what is swapping?

A) Moving processes to disk temporarily
B) Reorganizing memory for efficiency
C) Allocating memory for execution
D) Loading drivers into kernel space

Correct Answer: A) Moving processes to disk temporarily
Explanation: Swapping involves transferring inactive processes to secondary storage to free up memory for active processes.

14. What does the term "thrashing" refer to in operating systems?

A) Excessive swapping between memory and disk
B) High CPU utilization without output
C) Failure to allocate resources properly
D) Continuous loop in a process

Correct Answer: A) Excessive swapping between memory and disk
Explanation: Thrashing occurs when the system spends most of its time swapping processes in and out of memory instead of executing them.

15. Which of the following is not a valid page replacement algorithm?

A) Least recently used (LRU)
B) First in first out (FIFO)
C) Optimal page replacement
D) Random memory allocator

Correct Answer: D) Random memory allocator
Explanation: Random memory allocation is not a recognized page replacement algorithm. Algorithms like LRU and FIFO are commonly used.

16. What is the primary function of virtual memory?

A) Manage CPU scheduling for tasks
B) Extend physical memory using disk
C) Optimize I/O operations for speed
D) Encrypt sensitive data in RAM

Correct Answer: B) Extend physical memory using disk
Explanation: Virtual memory uses disk space as additional RAM, allowing systems to run processes larger than physical memory.

17. What is the mechanism that allows the CPU to interrupt the execution of a process?

A) Paging for memory
B) Semaphore scheduling
C) Process fork methods
D) Hardware interrupts

Correct Answer: D) Hardware interrupts
Explanation: Hardware interrupts signal the CPU to stop the current process and handle an urgent event, like I/O completion.

18. In which state does a process reside when it is ready for execution but waiting for CPU?

A) Ready state for execution
B) Waiting state for I/O
C) Running state for CPU use
D) Blocked state for resources

Correct Answer: A) Ready state for execution
Explanation: A process in the ready state is prepared to execute but must wait until the CPU becomes available.

19. What does the "round-robin" scheduling algorithm do?

A) Prioritizes based on execution time
B) Executes the shortest processes first
C) Allocates fixed CPU time slices
D) Runs only one process at a time

Correct Answer: C) Allocates fixed CPU time slices
Explanation: Round-robin scheduling assigns a fixed time slice to each process, cycling through them in order to ensure fairness.

20. What is the significance of the fork() system call in Unix-based systems?

A) Creates a new process by copying
B) Allocates additional memory to a task
C) Switches execution between threads
D) Terminates a process immediately

Correct Answer: A) Creates a new process by copying
Explanation: The fork() system call creates a child process that is an exact copy of the parent process, used for multitasking.

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