CS330 Chapters 1 & 2 Exam

Question 1 PAST EXAM

A program that acts as an intermediary between a user of a computer and the computer hardware is:

a) Interrupt service routine b) Caching c) Operating System d) Central Processing Unit

Question 2 PAST EXAM

Multiprocessor's systems advantage is:

a) Economy of scale – cost less than multiple single-processors b) Increased throughput – more work done in less time c) Increased reliability – graceful degradation or fault tolerance d) All of the above

Question 3 PAST EXAM

A ____ can be used to prevent a user program from never returning control to the operating system.

a) Timer b) Portal c) Firewall d) Program counter

Question 4 PAST EXAM

Caching is the processing of utilizing a region of fast memory for a limited data and process.

a) True b) False

Question 5 PAST EXAM

________________ is efficient for moving directly large amounts of data between I/O devices and main memory without CPU.

a) DMA b) ISR c) SSD d) DLM

Question 6 PAST EXAM

Which of the following statements is false?

a) In Peer-to-peer systems (P2P), clients and servers are not distinguished from one another b) All the electrical signals in the computer system are analog in nature c) Operating systems have a device driver for each device controller d) First computer systems were batch systems

Question 7 PAST EXAM

________ is/are only storage media that the CPU can access directly.

a) Main memory b) Solid-state disks c) Magnetic disks d) Storage memory

Question 8 PAST EXAM

What are the major activities of an operating system in regard to process management?

a) The provision of mechanisms for process synchronization b) The provision of mechanisms for deadlock handling c) The provision of mechanisms for process communication d) All the above

Question 9 PAST EXAM

A technology that allows O/S to run as application within other O/S is called:

a) Virtualization b) Real-Time Embedded system c) IaaS d) Cloud Computing

Question 10 PAST EXAM

Which of the following would lead you to believe that a given system is a Symmetric multiprocessing system?

a) Each processor is assigned a specific task b) There is a boss–worker relationship between the processors c) Each processor performs all tasks within the operating system d) None of the above

Question 11 PAST EXAM

When comparing main memory to secondary storage, the main distinction is:

a) Main memory is volatile b) Secondary storage is faster c) Secondary storage is volatile d) Main memory is larger and cheaper

Question 12 PAST EXAM

Which statement about timesharing systems is correct?

a) They eliminate the need for interrupts b) They can run only one process at a time c) They require asymmetric multiprocessing d) They allow users to interact with programs while executing

Question 13 PAST EXAM

What is the main advantage of multiprocessor systems?

a) Graceful degradation and increased throughput b) Cheaper than uniprocessor c) Reduced memory usage d) Simpler design

Question 14 PAST EXAM

Which of the following is a software-generated interrupt?

a) Disk completion b) Power failure c) Trap d) Keyboard input

Question 15 PAST EXAM

Why is caching important in OS design?

a) To expand storage b) To replace secondary memory c) To reduce volatility d) To minimize access time

Question 16 PAST EXAM

The disk controller's main function is to:

a) Allocate file directories b) Convert logical I/O requests into physical device operations c) Manage CPU scheduling d) Handle cache coherence

Question 17 PAST EXAM

Which of the following best explains why multiprogramming improves CPU utilization?

a) It reduces the number of processes in memory b) It overlaps CPU computation with I/O waiting c) It eliminates interrupts d) It parallelizes CPU execution across multiple programs

Question 18 PAST EXAM

Which role best describes the OS when it decides between conflicting requests for CPU time, memory, and I/O devices?

a) Resource allocator b) Control program c) Process creator d) User interface manager

Question 19 PAST EXAM

A timer interrupt is essential to prevent:

a) Starvation b) Deadlock c) Memory fragmentation d) CPU monopolization by a single process

Question 20 PAST EXAM

Which is true about SSDs compared to magnetic disks?

a) Faster but volatile b) Faster and nonvolatile c) Slower but cheaper d) Larger and volatile

Question 21 PAST EXAM

List the four main components of a computer system.

Mock Answer:

1. Hardware: Provides basic computing resources (CPU, memory, I/O devices)

2. Operating System: Controls and coordinates use of hardware among applications and users

3. Application Programs: Define ways system resources are used to solve computing problems

4. Users: People, machines, or other computers

Expected Keywords: hardware operating system applications users

Question 22 PAST EXAM

In the fetch-execute cycle of a CPU, what is "fetched"? And from where?

Mock Answer:

The CPU fetches an instruction (or data) from main memory (RAM).

Expected Keywords: instruction/data main memory/RAM

Question 23 PAST EXAM

What is the difference between multi-programming and time-sharing?

Mock Answer:

Multi-programming: Organizes jobs so CPU always has one to execute. When a process waits (e.g., for I/O), OS switches to another process.

Time-Sharing: CPU switches jobs so frequently that users can interact with each job while running, creating interactive computing.

Expected Keywords: multiprogramming time-sharing interactive switches frequently

Question 24 PAST EXAM

Which system call is used for process creation?

a) open() b) fork() c) exec() d) read()

Question 25 PAST EXAM

The three most common APIs for system calls include all except:

a) POSIX b) Java Virtual Machine c) Python API d) Win32

Question 26 PAST EXAM

To access the services of the operating system, the interface is provided by the:

a) Library b) System calls c) Assembly instructions d) API

Question 27 PAST EXAM

Which of the following is NOT a common category of system calls in operating systems?

a) Creating or deleting a process b) Network protocol design c) Allocating and deallocating memory to user processes d) Entering and deleting data from files stored on hard drive

Question 28 PAST EXAM

In a microkernel-based operating system, where is the majority of the operating system's functionality implemented?

a) In the hardware abstraction layer b) In user-space processes outside the kernel c) In the kernel itself d) In device drivers

Question 29 PAST EXAM

(True/False) It is impossible to invoke a system call directly in a user program. A programmer must invoke it through a library function.

a) True b) False

Question 30 PAST EXAM

(True/False) printf() in C language is a system call.

a) True b) False

Question 31 PAST EXAM

What is the name of the API that Unix and Unix-like operating systems make available to the application programmers?

Mock Answer:

POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface)

Expected Keywords: POSIX

Question 32 PAST EXAM

Give one disadvantage of the microkernel approach to OS design.

Mock Answer:

Communication overhead - all communication must take place through the kernel using message passing, which increases overhead and reduces performance.

Expected Keywords: communication overhead kernel performance

Question 33 PAST EXAM

Give one advantage of the layered approach to implementing an operating system.

Mock Answer:

Debugging and maintenance is easy. Each layer can be debugged independently, and once a layer is debugged, lower layers can be assumed to be bug-free.

Expected Keywords: debugging maintenance easy

CS330 Operating Systems

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