Master Operating Systems Fundamentals: A Comprehensive Guide for MSc Students

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of a thread?

Accepted Answer

To execute a sequence of instructions concurrently with other threads.

Answer

To manage memory allocation for a process.

Answer

To handle input and output operations for a process.

Answer

To provide security for the operating system.

Question 2

Which scheduling algorithm is most suitable for real-time systems that require predictable response times?

Accepted Answer

Priority-based scheduling

Answer

First-come, first-served

Answer

Round-robin

Answer

Lottery scheduling

Question 3

What is the primary function of virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

To extend the physical memory of a system by using secondary storage (e.g., hard disk).

Answer

To increase the speed of memory access.

Answer

To protect memory from unauthorized access.

Answer

To manage memory fragmentation.

Question 4

What is the primary responsibility of a file system in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To store and retrieve data from secondary storage devices (e.g., hard disk, solid-state drive).

Answer

To manage the allocation and deallocation of memory for running programs.

Answer

To provide a graphical user interface for user interaction.

Answer

To control and protect access to system resources.

Question 5

Which of the following is **not** a state of a process?

Accepted Answer

Created

Answer

Ready

Answer

Running

Answer

Waiting

Question 6

What is the role of a scheduler in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To manage the allocation of CPU time to processes

Answer

To handle the allocation of memory to processes

Answer

To control the execution of I/O devices

Answer

To manage the storage of files

Question 7

What is the main purpose of a paging algorithm?

Accepted Answer

To enhance the utilization of available memory by moving less frequently used pages to secondary storage

Answer

To allocate memory to processes

Answer

To schedule processes for execution

Answer

To control the access of multiple processes to shared resources

Question 8

What is a critical role of a device driver in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To provide an interface between the operating system and hardware devices

Answer

To manage the allocation of system resources

Answer

To handle the execution of user programs

Answer

To control the access of multiple processes to shared resources

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a mechanism used for inter-process communication in operating systems?

Accepted Answer

File system

Answer

Pipes

Answer

Signals

Answer

Sockets

Question 10

What is the main purpose of a process in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To define the execution environment for a specific program

Answer

To allocate memory and resources to running programs

Answer

To schedule tasks for execution by the CPU

Answer

To control access to shared resources among multiple programs

Question 11

Which scheduling algorithm aims to minimize average waiting time?

Accepted Answer

Shortest-Job-First (SJF)

Answer

First-Come First-Served (FCFS)

Answer

Priority Scheduling

Answer

Round-Robin

Question 12

Which memory management technique uses fixed-size blocks called pages to divide physical memory?

Accepted Answer

Paged Memory Management

Answer

Segmented Memory Management

Answer

Virtual Memory Management

Answer

Hierarchical Memory Management

Question 13

What is the purpose of a page fault?

Accepted Answer

To signal that a needed memory page is not currently in memory and must be retrieved

Answer

To indicate an illegal access to a memory page

Answer

To indicate an illegal modification to a memory page

Answer

To indicate that a memory page is present in memory and can be accessed

Question 14

Which of the listed options is NOT a type of file system?

Accepted Answer

Relational file system

Answer

Hierarchical file system

Answer

Flat file system

Answer

Network file system

Question 15

What is the primary purpose of a directory in a file system?

Accepted Answer

To organize files and provide a hierarchical structure

Answer

To store files and other directories

Answer

To manage file access permissions

Answer

To perform file compression

Question 16

What is the primary function of a scheduler in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To determine the order of process execution

Answer

To allocate resources to processes

Answer

To terminate processes

Answer

To create new processes

Question 17

Which of the following scheduling algorithms is non-preemptive?

Accepted Answer

First-Come First-Served (FCFS)

Answer

Round-Robin

Answer

Shortest Remaining Time Next (SRTN)

Answer

Priority Scheduling

Question 18

What is the key distinction between a process and a thread?

Accepted Answer

Threads share memory with other threads within the same process, while processes do not.

Answer

Threads have their own address space, while processes do not.

Answer

Processes share resources with other processes, while threads do not.

Answer

Threads run on a different CPU than processes.

Question 19

Which of the following is an advantage of using virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

It allows programs to run even when they exceed the size of physical memory.

Answer

It improves performance by eliminating page faults.

Answer

It simplifies memory management for programmers.

Answer

It enhances the overall security of the system.

Question 20

What is the main role of a bootstrap loader in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To load the kernel into memory

Answer

To manage the file system

Answer

To schedule processes

Answer

To provide a graphical user interface

Question 21

Which of the following is a characteristic of a microkernel operating system?

Accepted Answer

It contains only essential services in the kernel

Answer

It runs all system services in kernel space

Answer

It uses a monolithic kernel architecture

Answer

It is commonly used in desktop computers

Question 22

What is the primary purpose of a virtual machine?

Accepted Answer

To emulate a physical computer and run multiple operating systems

Answer

To boost the performance of a physical machine

Answer

To provide a secure environment for testing software

Answer

To store and manage data in the cloud

Question 23

Which scheduling algorithm grants each process equal time slots?

Accepted Answer

Round-robin scheduling

Answer

First-come first-served

Answer

Shortest-job-first

Answer

Priority-based scheduling

Question 24

Deadlock occurs when:

Accepted Answer

Processes hold resources while waiting for others

Answer

A process enters an infinite loop

Answer

Protected memory is accessed

Answer

Hardware fails

Question 25

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

Accepted Answer

Enforcing network security policies

Answer

Managing computer hardware resources

Answer

Providing a user interface for human interaction

Answer

Managing and organizing files and directories

Question 26

In contemporary operating systems, which fundamental concept allows multiple programs to run concurrently despite limited physical memory?

Accepted Answer

Virtual Memory

Answer

Segmentation

Answer

Paging

Answer

Swapping

Question 27

For applications demanding high throughput and guaranteed message delivery, which inter-process communication mechanism is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Message Queues

Answer

Pipes

Answer

Shared Memory

Question 28

Categorize the primary security threats faced by operating systems and elaborate on the strategies employed to mitigate these threats effectively.

Accepted Answer

Malware (e.g., viruses, Trojans), Phishing, Social Engineering, Denial-of-Service Attacks

Answer

Hardware Failures, Software Bugs, User Errors

Answer

Insufficient Memory, Limited Disk Space, Network Congestion

Answer

SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting, Code Injection

Question 29

Which of the following accurately describes the primary function of an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To manage system resources and provide services to application programs

Answer

To provide a graphical user interface (GUI) for user interaction

Answer

To act as a direct interface between hardware and software

Question 30

What is the term used to describe an instance of a running program within an operating system?

Accepted Answer

Process

Answer

Application

Answer

Thread

Answer

Task

Question 31

Which scheduling algorithm assigns processes to the CPU based on their priority, giving higher priority processes preferential access to resources?

Accepted Answer

Priority scheduling

Answer

Round-robin

Answer

Shortest-job-first (SJF)

Answer

First-come, first-served (FCFS)

Question 32

What is the key difference between a monolithic kernel and a microkernel architecture in operating systems?

Accepted Answer

A microkernel contains only essential services, while a monolithic kernel includes all services in a single unit.

Answer

A monolithic kernel is always faster than a microkernel.

Question 33

What is the primary purpose of a file system within an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To organize, store, and manage data on secondary storage devices, such as hard drives or solid-state drives

Answer

To execute programs

Answer

To schedule tasks

Question 34

Which of the following is a key advantage of using a virtual machine?

Accepted Answer

It provides isolation between different operating environments, allowing multiple operating systems to run concurrently on a single physical machine

Answer

It significantly reduces hardware costs

Answer

It consistently improves overall system performance

Answer

It simplifies maintenance tasks

Question 35

What is the fundamental difference between a deadlock and a livelock in the context of operating systems?

Accepted Answer

In a deadlock, processes wait indefinitely for resources, while in a livelock, processes continue to make progress but never complete their tasks.

Answer

A deadlock can only occur with multiple resources, while a livelock can occur even with a single resource.

Question 36

What is a primary responsibility of a device driver within an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To translate requests from the operating system into commands that the specific device can understand and execute

Answer

To manage memory allocation for the device

Answer

To provide security measures for the device

Question 37

What is the primary objective of a security operating system?

Accepted Answer

To protect the system from unauthorized access, data breaches, and malicious software

Answer

To enhance system performance

Answer

To provide a user-friendly graphical interface

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT a primary function of an operating system?

Accepted Answer

Writing applications

Answer

Providing a user interface

Answer

Managing system resources

Answer

Scheduling processes

Question 39

What is a process in the context of an operating system?

Accepted Answer

An instance of a running program with its own memory space and resources.

Answer

A collection of threads

Answer

A virtual machine

Answer

A portion of memory allocated to a program

Question 40

Which scheduling algorithm is commonly used in real-time operating systems to ensure timely task completion?

Accepted Answer

Priority-based scheduling

Answer

Shortest job first scheduling

Answer

First-come, first-served scheduling

Answer

Round-robin scheduling

Question 41

What is the primary role of a memory management unit (MMU) in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

Translating virtual addresses used by programs into physical addresses in memory.

Answer

Caching frequently accessed data

Answer

Managing the allocation of physical memory to different processes

Question 42

What is a defining characteristic of a multithreaded operating system?

Accepted Answer

The ability to execute multiple threads concurrently within a single process.

Answer

Strict isolation of processes from each other

Answer

Guaranteed execution time for each task

Question 43

What is the primary goal of a deadlock prevention algorithm?

Accepted Answer

To prevent processes from entering a state where they are indefinitely waiting for resources held by other processes.

Answer

To detect and recover from deadlocks after they occur

Answer

To minimize the number of resources required by processes

Question 44

What is the primary advantage of using a virtual machine (VM)?

Accepted Answer

It allows for the isolation and portability of operating systems and applications, running them in a virtualized environment.

Answer

Reduced hardware costs

Answer

Improved performance compared to running directly on hardware

Question 45

What is the main purpose of a boot loader?

Accepted Answer

To initialize the hardware, load the operating system into memory, and start its execution.

Answer

Managing user accounts and permissions

Answer

Providing a graphical user interface