Explore the fundamental concepts of Operating Systems with this comprehensive set of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) designed to test and enhance your understanding of the core principles governing computer systems. Whether you are a student preparing for exams, a professional seeking to refresh your knowledge, or an enthusiast eager to delve into the world of operating systems, these MCQs provide a valuable resource.
Embark on a journey of discovery and mastery with these Operating System MCQs. Test your knowledge, deepen your understanding, and pave the way for success in the dynamic world of operating systems.
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Operating System MCQs.pdf
1. Operating System - MCQs
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1. What is the primary function of an operating system?
A. File management
B. Memory management
C. Process management
D. Network management
2. Which scheduling algorithm provides the fairest distribution of resources?
A. Round Robin
B. First Come First Serve
C. Shortest Job Next
D. Priority Scheduling
3. What is the purpose of the 'fork()' system call in Unix-like operating systems?
A. Create a new process
B. Terminate a process
C. Synchronise processes
D. Allocate memory
4. What is the role of the 'ls' command in Unix/Linux?
A. List files
B. Copy files
C. Remove files
D. Move files
5. In virtual memory systems, what is the purpose of the page table?
A. Manage disk space
B. Manage CPU registers
C. Translate virtual to physical addresses
D. Manage file permissions
6. Which file system is commonly used in Windows operating systems?
A. ext4
B. NTFS
C. FAT32
D. HFS+
2. 7. What is a deadlock in the context of operating systems?
A. A system crash
B. A process waiting indefinitely for a resource
C. Excessive CPU usage
D. Insufficient memory
8. What is the purpose of the 'chmod' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Change file ownership
B. Change file permissions
C. Change file location
D. Change file name
9. Which memory management scheme allows processes to be allocated physical
memory wherever it is available?
A. Contiguous Allocation
B. Paging
C. Segmentation
D. Virtual Memory
10. What is the purpose of the 'grep' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Copy files
B. Search for patterns in text files
C. Remove files
D. Move files
11. In the context of file systems, what is an inode?
A. A file name
B. A file extension
C. A data block
D. A data structure
12. What is the function of the 'swapon' command in Unix-like operating systems?
A. Enable virtual memory
B. Disable virtual memory
C. Add a swap partition
D. List swap devices
13. Which process scheduling algorithm aims to minimise the turnaround time?
A. First Come First Serve
B. Shortest Job Next
C. Priority Scheduling
D. Round Robin
3. 14. What is the purpose of the 'free' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Display system information
B. Display free disk space
C. Display free memory
D. Display file permissions
15. What is a semaphore in operating systems?
A. A type of file system
B. A synchronisation primitive
C. A disk storage unit
D. A process scheduling algorithm
16. What is a system call in the context of operating systems?
A. A call to the system administrator
B. A call to the BIOS
C. A call to the kernel
D. A call to the hardware
17. What is the purpose of the 'ping' command in networking?
A. Send emails
B. Test network connectivity
C. Transfer files
D. Create a network
18. What is the main advantage of multiprogramming?
A. Improved system security
B. Increased CPU utilization
C. Decreased disk space
D. Faster program execution
19. Which scheduling algorithm allows a process to execute until it voluntarily
relinquishes control of the CPU?
A. Round Robin
B. Priority Scheduling
C. First Come First Serve
D. Shortest Job Next
20. What is the purpose of the 'kill' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Stop a running process
B. Delete a file
C. Copy files
4. D. Move files
21. What is a context switch in the context of operating systems?
A. Changing file permissions
B. Switching between processes
C. Changing system settings
D. Allocating memory
22. What is a file descriptor in Unix-like operating systems?
A. A file name
B. A data block
C. An integer identifier
D. A file extension
23. What is the purpose of the 'df' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Display file permissions
B. Display system information
C. Display free disk space
D. Display free memory
24. Which memory management scheme allows a process to be executed from
multiple partitions in the main memory?
A. Contiguous Allocation
B. Paging
C. Segmentation
D. Virtual Memory
25. What is the purpose of the 'fdisk' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Format a disk
B. Display file permissions
C. Manage disk partitions
D. Change file permissions
26. What is the primary purpose of the 'chmod' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Change file ownership
B. Change file permissions
C. Change file location
D. Change file name
27. Which component of the operating system is responsible for managing input and
output devices?
5. A. Kernel
B. Shell
C. File System
D. Device Drivers
28. What is the purpose of the 'chown' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Change file ownership
B. Change file permissions
C. Change file location
D. Change file name
29. What is a race condition in the context of operating systems?
A. A competition between processes
B. A condition for process termination
C. A synchronisation issue
D. A file system error
30. Which file system is commonly used in Linux operating systems?
A. NTFS
B. FAT32
C. ext4
D. HFS+
31. What is the purpose of the 'top' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Display system information
B. Display running processes
C. Display file permissions
D. Display disk space
32. In a demand-paging system, what is a page fault?
A. A page in memory is corrupted
B. A requested page is not in memory
C. A page is swapped out to disk
D. A page is locked in memory
33. What is the purpose of the 'grep' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Copy files
B. Search for patterns in text files
C. Remove files
D. Move files
34. What is the role of the 'tar' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Compress files
6. B. Create an archive
C. Copy files
D. Move files
35. What is the purpose of the 'nice' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Change file permissions
B. Modify process priority
C. Display system information
D. List running processes
36. In a file system, what is a symbolic link?
A. A copy of a file
B. A reference to another file
C. A compressed file
D. A system file
37. What is the purpose of the 'ps' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Display system information
B. Display running processes
C. Display file permissions
D. Display disk space
38. Which type of file system allows files to be organized in a hierarchical structure?
A. FAT32
B. exFAT
C. NTFS
D. HFS+
39. What is the purpose of the 'mount' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Create a new file system
B. Attach a file system
C. Display disk space
D. List running processes
40. What is the role of the 'fork()' system call in Unix-like operating systems?
A. Create a new process
B. Terminate a process
C. Synchronize processes
D. Allocate memory
41. Which command is used to display the routing table in Unix/Linux?
A. route
B. ipconfig
7. C. netstat
D. traceroute
42. What is a critical section in the context of process synchronization?
A. A part of the program that is executed last
B. A part of the program that is time-consuming
C. A part of the program where shared resources are accessed
D. A part of the program that is rarely executed
43. What is the purpose of the 'sync' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Synchronize clocks
B. Synchronize processes
C. Flush file system buffers
D. Synchronize network connections
44. Which scheduling algorithm gives priority to the process with the shortest burst
time?
A. First Come First Serve
B. Round Robin
C. Shortest Job Next
D. Priority Scheduling
45. What is the purpose of the 'umask' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Display system information
B. Change file permissions
C. Change file ownership
D. Display file size
46. What is the purpose of the 'kill' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Stop a running process
B. Delete a file
C. Copy files
D. Move files
47. In the context of memory management, what is fragmentation?
A. A type of file system
B. A process synchronisation issue
C. An allocation problem
D. A memory space waste
48. What is the purpose of the 'ipconfig' command in Windows?
A. Display system information
8. B. Configure network settings
C. Display file permissions
D. Display disk space
49. In the context of process synchronization, what is a semaphore?
A. A type of file system
B. A synchronization primitive
C. A disk storage unit
D. A process scheduling algorithm
50. What is the purpose of the 'dd' command in Unix/Linux?
A. Delete a file
B. Copy files
C. Move files
D. Display disk space
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