INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT , ALIGARH

OPERATING SYSTEM QUESTION BANK UNIT 1

BCA IIND YEAR (3RD SEMESTER)
1. What is the primary function of an operating system?
- A) Execute applications
- B) Manage hardware resources
- C) Provide user interfaces
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above

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

- A) Linux
- B) Windows
- C) Python
- D) macOS
Answer: C) Python

3. In a simple batch system, jobs are processed:

- A) One at a time in sequential order
- B) In parallel
- C) Based on priority
- D) Interactively
Answer: A) One at a time in sequential order

4. Which of the following is a characteristic of simple batch systems?

- A) Automatic job scheduling
- B) User interaction during job execution
- C) Real-time processing
- D) High responsiveness
Answer: A) Automatic job scheduling

5. What is the main advantage of multi-programmed batch systems?

- A) Simplified job processing
- B) Increased CPU utilization
- C) Reduced job turnaround time
- D) Easier debugging
Answer: B) Increased CPU utilization

6. Multi-programming increases CPU utilization by:

- A) Reducing context switching
- B) Allowing multiple processes to reside in memory
- C) Minimizing I/O operations
- D) Scheduling jobs based on user input
Answer: B) Allowing multiple processes to reside in memory

7. Which of the following describes a time-sharing system?

 - A) Dedicated resources for each process
- B) Sharing of CPU time among multiple users
- C) Batch processing of jobs
- D) Real-time processing
Answer: B) Sharing of CPU time among multiple users

8. In time-sharing systems, each user is given a slice of CPU time, which is referred to as:
- A) Time quantum
- B) Time frame
- C) Time interval
- D) Time segment
Answer: A) Time quantum

9. Which of the following best describes personal computer systems?

- A) Designed for single-user operation
- B) Built for large organizations
- C) Requires extensive hardware
- D) Operates in a real-time environment
Answer: A) Designed for single-user operation

10. What is a common operating system for personal computers?

- A) Windows
- B) Unix
- C) iOS
- D) Android
Answer: A) Windows

11. What is the main characteristic of parallel systems?

- A) Single-threaded execution
- B) Multiple processors executing simultaneously
- C) Sequential job processing
- D) Limited resource utilization
Answer: B) Multiple processors executing simultaneously

12. Which of the following is a benefit of parallel processing?

- A) Reduced computational time
- B) Increased hardware costs
- C) More complex programming
- D) Limited task management
Answer: A) Reduced computational time

13. In distributed systems, resources are:

- A) Centralized
- B) Localized
- C) Distributed across multiple nodes
- D) Available only to administrators
Answer: C) Distributed across multiple nodes
14. What is a common challenge in distributed systems?
- A) Limited user access
- B) Network latency and reliability
- C) High performance
- D) Single point of failure
Answer: B) Network latency and reliability

15. Real-time systems are designed to:

- A) Handle any type of workload
- B) Provide immediate processing and responses
- C) Operate in batch mode
- D) Maximize throughput
Answer: B) Provide immediate processing and responses

16. Which type of real-time system is used for mission-critical applications?

- A) Soft real-time system
- B) Hard real-time system
- C) Firm real-time system
- D) Interactive real-time system
Answer: B) Hard real-time system

17. Fixed memory allocation:

- A) Allows dynamic resizing of memory
- B) Allocates a predetermined amount of memory
- C) Is more efficient than variable allocation
- D) Is not used in modern operating systems
Answer: B) Allocates a predetermined amount of memory

18. Variable memory allocation allows:

- A) Fixed size for all processes
- B) Adaptation to process requirements
- C) No memory fragmentation
- D) Simplified memory management
Answer: B) Adaptation to process requirements

19. In memory management, the logical address space is:

- A) The actual physical memory
- B) The view of memory presented to processes
- C) Always equal to physical address space
- D) Not used in modern systems
Answer: B) The view of memory presented to processes

20. Swapping refers to:

- A) Moving processes between disk and memory
- B) Changing the priority of processes
- C) Merging multiple processes into one
- D) Allocating memory to processes
Answer: A) Moving processes between disk and memory
21. Demand paging is a memory management scheme that:
- A) Loads all pages of a process into memory at once
- B) Loads pages only when they are needed
- C) Does not use a page table
- D) Always leads to thrashing
Answer: B) Loads pages only when they are needed

22. Which of the following is a page replacement algorithm?

- A) FIFO
- B) LRU
- C) Optimal
- C) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above

23. What is thrashing?

- A) Efficient use of memory
- B) Excessive paging leading to decreased performance
- C) A method of memory allocation
- D) The process of page replacement
Answer: B) Excessive paging leading to decreased performance

24. The page fault rate is a measure of:

- A) Memory speed
- B) Efficiency of CPU
- C) Frequency of page faults occurring
- D) Amount of physical memory used
Answer: C) Frequency of page faults occurring

25. The performance of demand paging can be improved by:

- A) Increasing the size of the page
- B) Decreasing the number of frames allocated
- C) Using effective page replacement algorithms
- D) Reducing the number of processes
Answer: C) Using effective page replacement algorithms

26. An operating system acts as an interface between:

- A) Users and applications
- B) Users and hardware
- C) Applications and hardware
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above

27. Which of the following is a primary purpose of an operating system?

- A) Provide network connectivity
- B) Manage files and directories
- C) Execute user programs
 - D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above

28. In a simple batch processing system, the user:

- A) Interacts with the job during execution
- B) Submits jobs and waits for results
- C) Can modify jobs mid-execution
- D) Has no interaction with the job processing
Answer: D) Has no interaction with the job processing

29. What is the role of a job scheduler in a simple batch system?

- A) Manage user interactions
- B) Determine the order of job execution
- C) Allocate memory to jobs
- D) Handle I/O operations
Answer: B) Determine the order of job execution

30. What does multi-programming aim to minimize?

- A) I/O wait time
- B) CPU idle time
- C) User interaction
- D) Memory usage
Answer: B) CPU idle time

31. In multi-programmed systems, processes are:

- A) Isolated from each other
- B) Executed one at a time
- C) Allowed to share resources
- D) Limited to one process at a time
Answer: C) Allowed to share resources

32. Time-sharing systems are primarily designed to:

- A) Allow multiple users to interact with the system concurrently
- B) Maximize the performance of a single application
- C) Process jobs in batches
- D) Minimize memory usage
Answer: A) Allow multiple users to interact with the system concurrently

33. Which scheduling algorithm is commonly used in time-sharing systems?

- A) Shortest Job First (SJF)
- B) Round Robin (RR)
- C) Priority Scheduling
- D) First-Come, First-Served (FCFS)
Answer: B) Round Robin (RR)

34. Personal computer systems are designed primarily for:

- A) Enterprise applications
- B) Individual users
 - C) Large-scale data processing
- D) Network management
Answer: B) Individual users

35. Which of the following is a common feature of personal computer operating systems?
- A) Command-line interface only
- B) Graphical user interface (GUI)
- C) Limited application support
- D) High-cost licensing
Answer: B) Graphical user interface (GUI)

36. In parallel computing, tasks are divided into smaller sub-tasks that:
- A) Are processed sequentially
- B) Require synchronization
- C) Are executed independently
- D) Can only be run on a single processor
Answer: C) Are executed independently

37. Which type of parallelism allows for both data and task parallelism?
- A) Bit-level parallelism
- B) Instruction-level parallelism
- C) Thread-level parallelism
- D) Distributed parallelism
Answer: C) Thread-level parallelism

38. Distributed systems are characterized by:

- A) Single-point resource management
- B) Geographically dispersed resources
- C) Centralized control
- D) Isolation from network issues
Answer: B) Geographically dispersed resources

39. Which of the following is a common protocol used in distributed systems?

- A) HTTP
- B) FTP
- C) RPC (Remote Procedure Call)
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above

40. Which of the following is a feature of hard real-time systems?

- A) Timing constraints can be relaxed
- B) Missing a deadline can result in catastrophic failure
- C) Generally lower resource requirements
- D) Not used in safety-critical applications
Answer: B) Missing a deadline can result in catastrophic failure

41. Soft real-time systems are characterized by:

- A) Strict timing constraints
- B) More lenient timing constraints
 - C) Single-user applications only
- D) Lack of resource sharing
Answer: B) More lenient timing constraints

42. In fixed memory allocation, memory blocks:

- A) Can grow and shrink dynamically
- B) Are of equal size
- C) Are allocated based on the size of the job
- D) Are inefficient for large processes
Answer: B) Are of equal size

43. Variable memory allocation can lead to:

- A) Memory fragmentation
- B) Increased memory usage
- C) Simpler management
- D) Consistent performance
Answer: A) Memory fragmentation

44. Swapping involves:

- A) Moving entire processes in and out of memory
- B) Allocating memory without page tables
- C) Changing the memory allocation strategy
- D) Only used in fixed memory allocation
Answer: A) Moving entire processes in and out of memory

45. What does contiguous allocation refer to?

- A) Allocating memory in separate chunks
- B) Allocating a single contiguous block of memory
- C) Using a paging system for memory
- D) Allowing processes to share memory
Answer: B) Allocating a single contiguous block of memory

46. What is the purpose of paging in virtual memory?

- A) To increase the physical memory size
- B) To allow processes to be loaded in non-contiguous memory
- C) To eliminate the need for swapping
- D) To decrease the number of processes
Answer: B) To allow processes to be loaded in non-contiguous memory

47. Which of the following is true about segmentation?

- A) It divides memory into fixed-size pages
- B) It allows processes to be divided into variable-sized segments
- C) It is a simpler method than paging
- D) It does not use a page table
Answer: B) It allows processes to be divided into variable-sized segments

48. Which of the following factors affects the performance of demand paging?
 - A) Page size
- B) Number of frames allocated
- C) Page replacement algorithm
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above

49. When the page fault rate is high, it typically indicates:

- A) Efficient memory usage
- B) Sufficient memory allocated
- C) Potential thrashing
- D) Optimal performance
Answer: C) Potential thrashing

50. What does the frame allocation algorithm determine?

- A) How many pages a process can have
- B) How memory is shared among processes
- C) The size of each page
- D) Which processes run concurrently
Answer: A) How many pages a process can have

51. What is the goal of frame allocation in virtual memory?

- A) Maximize throughput
- B) Minimize page faults
- C) Ensure equal allocation for all processes
- D) Simplify memory management
Answer: B) Minimize page faults

52. Thrashing occurs when:

- A) Processes run efficiently
- B) Memory is allocated correctly
- C) Excessive paging leads to low CPU utilization
- D) All processes are in the ready queue
Answer: C) Excessive paging leads to low CPU utilization

53. To alleviate thrashing, an operating system might:

- A) Increase the degree of multiprogramming
- B) Decrease the number of frames allocated to processes
- C) Implement better page replacement algorithms
- D) Reduce the size of the virtual memory
Answer: C) Implement better page replacement algorithms

54. Which of the following is a key function of an operating system?

- A) File management
- B) User authentication
- C) Process scheduling
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
55. Which of the following best describes kernel in an operating system?
- A) The graphical interface
- B) The core component managing system resources
- C) The application layer
- D) The user program
Answer: B) The core component managing system resources

56. Simple batch systems often use:

- A) Time-sharing
- B) Job control language (JCL)
- C) Real-time scheduling
- D) Interactive processing
Answer: B) Job control language (JCL)

57. Which is a limitation of simple batch systems?

- A) High resource utilization
- B) Lack of user interaction
- C) Quick job processing
- D) Efficient CPU usage
Answer: B) Lack of user interaction

58. Multi-programming allows for:

- A) More jobs to be executed simultaneously
- B) Increased idle time for the CPU
- C) Simplified job management
- D) Reduced context switching
Answer: A) More jobs to be executed simultaneously

59. In multi-programmed systems, context switching:

- A) Is eliminated
- B) Occurs frequently
- C) Is a minor issue
- D) Is only necessary for batch jobs
Answer: B) Occurs frequently

60. Time-sharing systems are designed primarily for:

- A) High throughput
- B) User interaction
- C) Batch processing
- D) Real-time applications
Answer: B) User interaction

61. Which component is crucial for effective time-sharing?

- A) High-speed disk access
- B) Fast CPU only
- C) Efficient scheduling algorithms
- D) Large RAM
Answer: C) Efficient scheduling algorithms
62. Which of the following operating systems is predominantly used in personal computers?
- A) Linux
- B) Solaris
- C) MS-DOS
- D) macOS
Answer: A) Linux

63. Personal computers typically run:

- A) Multi-user operating systems
- B) Real-time operating systems
- C) Single-user operating systems
- D) Batch processing systems
Answer: C) Single-user operating systems

64. The main advantage of parallel systems is:

- A) Simplicity of programming
- B) Increased performance through simultaneous processing
- C) Reduced need for synchronization
- D) Less memory usage
Answer: B) Increased performance through simultaneous processing

65. Which of the following is a challenge associated with parallel systems?

- A) Increased throughput
- B) Load balancing
- C) Higher power consumption
- D) Both B and C
Answer: D) Both B and C

66. What is a common advantage of distributed systems?

- A) Centralized control
- B) Scalability
- C) Simplified resource sharing
- D) Limited user access
Answer: B) Scalability

67. Which of the following issues is critical in distributed systems?

- A) Disk space management
- B) Data consistency
- C) CPU utilization
- D) Job scheduling
Answer: B) Data consistency

68. Real-time systems often require:

- A) Long processing times
- B) Predictable response times
- C) High-level abstraction
- D) Batch processing
Answer: B) Predictable response times
69. Which application is least likely to require a real-time operating system?
- A) Flight control systems
- B) Video games
- C) Industrial automation
- D) Word processing
Answer: D) Word processing

70. What is a disadvantage of fixed memory allocation?

- A) Simplicity of implementation
- B) Memory waste due to unused segments
- C) High fragmentation
- D) Easier management
Answer: B) Memory waste due to unused segments

71. Variable memory allocation typically requires:

- A) A more complex allocation algorithm
- B) Fixed size memory blocks
- C) Less overhead
- D) Simplified memory management
Answer: A) A more complex allocation algorithm

72. Logical address space refers to:

- A) The physical memory addresses
- B) The addresses used by programs
- C) The cache memory addresses
- D) The stack and heap addresses
Answer: B) The addresses used by programs

73. Contiguous allocation can lead to:

- A) Fragmentation
- B) Increased performance
- C) Simplified allocation
- D) Faster execution
Answer: A) Fragmentation

74. What is a benefit of virtual memory?

- A) Increased hardware costs
- B) Larger effective memory space than physical memory
- C) Decreased context switching
- D) Limited application support
Answer: B) Larger effective memory space than physical memory

75. Which of the following is true about page replacement algorithms?

- A) They are only needed in contiguous allocation
- B) They aim to minimize the number of page faults
- C) They do not affect performance
 - D) They operate independently of physical memory size
Answer: B) They aim to minimize the number of page faults

76. The locality of reference principle states that:

- A) Programs access memory in random order
- B) Programs tend to access the same set of memory locations frequently
- C) Memory access patterns are predictable
- D) Page faults occur randomly
Answer: B) Programs tend to access the same set of memory locations frequently

77. What does the term "working set" refer to in demand paging?
- A) The total memory allocated to a process
- B) The set of pages that a process is currently using
- C) The complete set of pages in virtual memory
- D) The number of processes in the system
Answer: B) The set of pages that a process is currently using

78. Which strategy can be used for frame allocation?

- A) Equal allocation
- B) Proportional allocation
- C) Dynamic allocation
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above

79. Which frame allocation method typically leads to better performance?

- A) Fixed allocation
- B) Dynamic allocation based on demand
- C) Equal allocation among all processes
- D) Random allocation
Answer: B) Dynamic allocation based on demand

80. What typically happens during thrashing?

- A) CPU utilization increases
- B) Processes spend more time paging than executing
- C) Memory is efficiently used
- D) System performance improves
Answer: B) Processes spend more time paging than executing

81. To resolve thrashing, an operating system might:

- A) Increase the number of processes
- B) Increase the page size
- C) Reduce the degree of multiprogramming
- D) Decrease the available physical memory
Answer: C) Reduce the degree of multiprogramming