Operating Systems – Preliminary Examination Review

These 60 question-and-answer flashcards cover key concepts from the Operating Systems preliminary examination, including OS purpose, system components, processes, system calls, memory management, IPC, and mobile OS specifics.

What is the primary purpose of an operating system?

To act as an intermediary between the user and the hardware.

Which of the following is NOT a component of a computer system: Hardware, Operating System, Internet, Application Programs?

Internet.

In a multi-user environment, the operating system is mainly responsible for what?

Managing shared resources efficiently.

Which of the following is NOT typically considered part of the operating system: Kernel, Application program, System program, Middleware?

Application program.

Which user interface allows users to type commands directly to the computer?

Command-Line Interface (CLI).

Which OS service is responsible for reading and writing files?

File-system manipulation.

The system-call interface is part of which layer?

The operating system kernel.

What is the role of a bootstrap loader?

To start the operating system when power is turned on.

Which of these is NOT typically done through system calls: Create a file, Click a mouse, Allocate memory, Terminate a process?

Click a mouse.

Which programming language is most commonly used to implement operating systems?

C.

Which operating system is based on Mac OS X and used in mobile devices?

iOS.

Android’s architecture is primarily based on what?

Linux.

What interface allows users to interact with the OS using gestures and voice commands?

Graphical User Interface (GUI).

What is a core dump?

A file containing memory information from a failed process.

Which system service allows remote communication between two computers?

Communication service.

Which of the following is considered a system program rather than part of the kernel: File management, Kernel, BIOS, CPU scheduler?

File management.

What is the main function of the linker in an operating system?

To combine object files into a single executable.

Which of these is NOT a type of system call: Process control, File management, Virus scanning, Communication?

Virus scanning.

What interface allows programs to interact with the OS without directly calling system calls?

Application Programming Interface (API).

What does Kernighan’s Law say about debugging?

Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place.

What is a process?

A program in execution.

Which part of a process contains global variables?

The data section.

What does the stack section of a process contain?

Temporary data such as return addresses.

What triggers the transformation of a program into a process?

Loading the program into memory.

Which state indicates a process is currently being executed by the CPU?

Running.

What is the function of the Process Control Block (PCB)?

It stores all information about a process.

A single program with multiple threads of execution means what?

One process with multiple threads.

What does the process scheduler do?

Selects which process runs next.

The queue where processes wait for an event is called what?

Wait queue.

What is a context switch?

Saving the state of one process and loading the state of another.

In mobile systems, what is a foreground process?

The only process that currently interacts with the user.

Which system call is used to terminate a process?

exit().

What is cascading termination?

A parent process terminating all of its child processes.

In Android, which is the least important process class?

Empty process.

For stability, the Chrome browser uses which architecture?

Multiprocess architecture.

Which of the following is NOT a reason for inter-process communication (IPC): Information sharing, Modularity, Privacy protection, Computation speed-up?

Privacy protection.

What is shared memory in IPC?

Memory shared between processes for communication.

In direct communication, processes must do what?

Know each other’s identity.

What does blocking send imply?

The sender waits until the message is received.

Which buffering strategy does NOT store any messages?

Zero-capacity buffering.

What is the core component of the OS that remains in memory and manages resources?

The kernel.

Name the program that acts as an intermediary between a user and computer hardware.

Operating system.

Which operating system interface uses windows, icons, and menus for interaction?

Graphical User Interface (GUI).

What type of system call is used to create or terminate processes and allocate memory?

Process-control system calls.

What component launches the operating system at system startup?

Bootstrap loader.

What provides software developers with a programming interface to access OS services?

Application Programming Interface (API).

Android applications run on what type of virtual machine?

Dalvik virtual machine.

What file is generated when an application crashes and captures the memory state?

Core dump file.

What mobile operating system is developed by Apple for iPhones and iPads?

iOS.

Which system program combines multiple object files into a single executable?

Linker.

What do we call a program in execution that includes code, data, stack, and heap?

Process.

Which memory section of a process contains global variables?

Data section.

What structure stores all information related to a specific process?

Process Control Block (PCB).

What is the operation called when the CPU switches from one process to another?

Context switch.

In which state is a process waiting to be assigned to a CPU?

Ready state.

Which system call does a process use to terminate itself?

exit().

What hierarchy is formed when a parent process creates child processes?

Process tree.

What is the communication method in which processes explicitly name each other?

Direct communication.

Which queue holds processes waiting for an event such as I/O to occur?

Wait queue.

What is the lightweight unit of execution within a process that allows multiple sequences of programmed instructions?

Thread.