Interrupt Handling: Master Interrupt Mechanisms for Operating Systems

Question 1

Which of the following factors determine the priority of interrupts in a system?

Accepted Answer

Type of interrupt source (e.g., hardware or software)

Accepted Answer

Current system load

Answer

Time of interrupt arrival

Answer

Latency of interrupt service

Question 2

In interrupt handling, what is the main purpose of an interrupt vector table?

Accepted Answer

Stores the memory addresses of interrupt service routines

Answer

Manages the priority levels of interrupts

Answer

Holds information about the source of interrupts

Question 3

What is the primary function of an interrupt vector table?

Accepted Answer

To store the addresses of interrupt service routines

Answer

To prioritize interrupts

Answer

To mask interrupts

Answer

To generate interrupts

Question 4

What is the main purpose of an interrupt service routine (ISR)?

Accepted Answer

To handle an interrupt

Answer

To disable interrupts

Answer

To store the interrupt vector table

Answer

To generate interrupts

Question 5

What is the purpose of interrupt masking?

Accepted Answer

To temporarily disable interrupts

Answer

To prioritize interrupts

Answer

To store the interrupt vector table

Answer

To generate interrupts

Question 6

Define an interrupt vector, and explain its role in interrupt handling.

Accepted Answer

A memory location that stores the address of the interrupt service routine

Answer

A hardware device that generates interrupts

Answer

A software program that handles interrupts

Answer

A flag that indicates whether an interrupt is pending

Question 7

Describe the primary purpose and responsibilities of an interrupt service routine (ISR) in operating systems.

Accepted Answer

To handle the interrupt and execute the necessary actions

Answer

To store the state of the system before the interrupt occurred

Answer

To generate a new interrupt

Answer

To disable all other interrupts

Question 8

In an interrupt system, what do priority levels represent?

Accepted Answer

The relative importance and urgency of different interrupts

Answer

The order in which interrupts are handled

Answer

The type of device or event that caused the interrupt

Answer

The location of the interrupt vector in memory

Question 9

Explain the purpose and benefits of using interrupt masking in operating systems.

Accepted Answer

To temporarily disable specific interrupts, allowing for more efficient interrupt handling

Answer

To enable additional interrupts, increasing the system's responsiveness

Answer

To store the current interrupt vector, preventing accidental overwriting

Answer

To generate a software interrupt, triggering a specific event or action

Question 10

State the advantages of using interrupts in operating systems compared to other methods of handling events.

Accepted Answer

Improved system responsiveness and reduced processor overhead

Answer

Reduced code complexity and increased latency

Answer

Increased hardware costs and simplified software development

Answer

Lower performance and flexibility

Question 11

Which aspect is not directly related to interrupt handling in operating systems?

Accepted Answer

Process scheduling

Answer

Interrupt vectors

Answer

Interrupt service routines

Answer

Priority levels

Question 12

Describe the main advantages and benefits of using a multi-level interrupt system in an operating system.

Accepted Answer

Improved performance and flexibility in handling interrupts of varying importance

Answer

Reduced system complexity and lower hardware costs

Answer

Simplified software development and easier debugging

Answer

Increased latency and potential for interrupt conflicts

Question 13

What is the primary purpose of an interrupt vector table?

Accepted Answer

To store the starting addresses of interrupt service routines (ISRs).

Answer

To store the priority levels of interrupts.

Answer

To store the interrupt status flags.

Answer

To store the interrupt request lines (IRQs).

Question 14

Which of the following is a commonly used technique for prioritizing interrupts?

Accepted Answer

Priority queues

Answer

Round-robin scheduling

Answer

First-come, first-served scheduling

Answer

Lottery scheduling

Question 15

What is the main advantage of a maskable interrupt?

Accepted Answer

It allows the CPU to disable the interrupt temporarily, preventing it from being serviced.

Answer

It allows the CPU to service the interrupt at a later time, reducing latency.

Answer

It prevents the interrupt from being serviced more than once, ensuring data integrity.

Answer

It increases the priority of the interrupt, ensuring it is handled quickly.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a potential drawback of using interrupts?

Accepted Answer

Enhanced security through isolation of interrupt handling

Answer

Increased system complexity

Answer

Potential for interrupt nesting and stack overflow

Answer

Reduced efficiency due to interrupt overhead

Question 17

What is the role of a polling mechanism in interrupt handling?

Accepted Answer

To actively and continuously check for pending interrupts on input/output devices.

Answer

To prioritize interrupts based on their source and urgency.

Answer

To execute interrupt service routines (ISRs) and process interrupt requests.

Answer

To store and manage interrupt vectors and interrupt-related data.

Question 18

Which of the following is a key feature of nested interrupts?

Accepted Answer

They allow interrupts to be processed within the context of other ongoing interrupts.

Answer

They are always enabled by default and cannot be disabled.

Answer

They can only be used to handle hardware interrupts, not software interrupts.

Answer

They are not supported by all operating systems and hardware architectures.

Question 19

What is the primary goal of interrupt handling in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To provide a mechanism for timely and efficient response to events and requests.

Answer

To prevent the operating system from crashing due to unhandled hardware or software issues.

Answer

To optimize system performance by reducing latency and increasing throughput.

Answer

To increase the security of the operating system by isolating critical operations.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT considered as a valid interrupt type?

Accepted Answer

Background

Answer

Software

Answer

Hardware

Question 21

What is the primary role of an interrupt vector table?

Accepted Answer

Storing the memory address of the interrupt service routine corresponding to each interrupt source

Answer

Handling all interrupts through a single routine

Answer

Storing the current state of the processor registers

Question 22

Which characteristic accurately describes an interrupt service routine (ISR)?

Accepted Answer

It is executed in response to an interrupt signal

Answer

It can only access data in the user space.

Answer

It runs indefinitely

Answer

It has the lowest priority among all processes

Question 23

Which component is primarily responsible for determining the priority level of an interrupt?

Accepted Answer

Interrupt controller hardware

Answer

Application generating the interrupt

Answer

Operating system

Answer

Current state of the processor

Question 24

What is the primary purpose of disabling interrupts?

Accepted Answer

To prevent the execution of ISRs while critical sections of code are being executed

Answer

To reduce the overall system performance

Answer

To increase the latency of interrupt handling

Question 25

Which of the following is an advantage of utilizing nested interrupts?

Accepted Answer

Handling high-priority interrupts while servicing lower-priority interrupts

Answer

Simplifying the interrupt handling code

Answer

Reducing the overall interrupt latency

Question 26

What is the primary role of the operating system in interrupt handling?

Accepted Answer

Managing the interrupt vector table, dispatching ISRs, and restoring the system state after interrupt handling

Answer

Generating all interrupts

Question 27

Which of the following is a potential drawback of using interrupt masking?

Accepted Answer

Missed interrupts if the mask is not cleared promptly

Answer

Increased overall system performance

Answer

Simplified interrupt handling code

Question 28

What is the primary function of an interrupt controller?

Accepted Answer

Managing interrupt requests, prioritizing them, and directing them to the processor

Answer

Handling interrupts directly

Answer

Generating interrupts