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Quizzes > Quizzes for Business > Technology

Take the Operating Systems Knowledge Test

Test your OS fundamentals and core concepts

Difficulty: Moderate
Questions: 20
Learning OutcomesStudy Material
Colorful paper art displaying questions for Operating Systems Knowledge Test quiz.

Are you ready to dive into operating systems knowledge? This OS quiz challenges students and professionals to assess core concepts, from process management to memory allocation. Ideal for IT learners seeking a quick skills check, it offers immediate insights and confidence boosting results. Everything here is fully customizable - modify questions, adjust difficulty, or tailor content in our editor for personalized practice. Try related challenges like the Operating Systems Fundamentals Quiz, explore the I/O Systems Knowledge Test, and discover more quizzes to sharpen your skills.

What is the primary role of the kernel in an operating system?
Store user data on disk
Render graphical user interfaces
Manage hardware and system resources
Provide a user interface for applications
The kernel operates in privileged mode to manage hardware, memory, and CPU scheduling. It provides low-level services that user-space applications rely on.
Which scheduling algorithm assigns CPU time slices to processes in equal portions in a cyclic order?
Priority Scheduling
Round Robin
Shortest Job First
First-Come, First-Served
Round Robin scheduling gives each process a fixed time slice (quantum) and cycles through processes in the ready queue. This ensures time-sharing and prevents starvation.
In a paging memory management scheme, main memory is divided into fixed-size blocks called what?
Pages
Frames
Segments
Slabs
Physical memory is divided into fixed-size blocks called frames, while a process's virtual address space is divided into pages of the same size. The MMU maps pages to frames during address translation.
Which command is used in Unix/Linux to change file permissions?
mkdir
chmod
chown
ls
The chmod command modifies the permission bits of a file or directory in Unix/Linux. It sets read, write, and execute permissions for owner, group, and others.
The principle of least privilege in operating system security advocates what?
Users share all privileges to improve collaboration
Every process runs with full administrative rights
System services run without any access controls
Processes have only the minimum privileges they need
The principle of least privilege requires that processes and users have only the permissions necessary to perform their tasks. This reduces the risk of accidental or malicious actions.
In which OS architecture are most services, such as device drivers and file systems, executed in kernel space?
Exokernel
Microkernel
Monolithic kernel
Layered kernel
A monolithic kernel runs core services like device drivers and file systems in kernel space for performance. Microkernels move many services to user space, reducing the TCB.
Which scheduling algorithm can lead to the convoy effect, where short tasks wait for one long task?
First-Come, First-Served
Shortest Remaining Time First
Round Robin
Multilevel Queue
First-Come, First-Served scheduling processes requests in arrival order, so a long job at the front can delay all smaller tasks. This phenomenon is called the convoy effect.
What state does a process enter when it is waiting for an I/O event to complete?
New
Running
Ready
Blocked
When a process cannot proceed until an I/O operation finishes, it enters the blocked (or waiting) state. The scheduler will not run it until the event completes.
Which page replacement algorithm selects for eviction the page that has not been used for the longest period?
Second Chance
Optimal
FIFO
Least Recently Used (LRU)
LRU replaces the page which has gone unused for the longest time, approximating the optimal algorithm in many scenarios. It requires tracking the order of page references.
Which hardware component improves performance by caching recent virtual-to-physical address translations?
Register File
Cache Controller
MMU
TLB
A Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB) stores recent page table entries to speed up virtual-to-physical address translation. It reduces the need to access memory for each translation.
What is internal fragmentation in memory allocation?
Free memory unusable due to small leftover pieces inside allocated regions
Removed processes leaving gaps in memory
Memory stolen by the OS
Unused pages due to thrashing
Internal fragmentation occurs when allocated fixed-sized blocks leave unused space inside, which cannot be used by other allocations. It is wasted memory within allocated regions.
In Unix file systems, which data structure stores metadata like file size, ownership, and disk block pointers?
Directory Entry
Inode
Archive
Superblock
An inode contains metadata about a file, including size, owner, permissions, and pointers to data blocks. Directories map filenames to inode numbers.
What is the primary benefit of a journaling file system?
Reduced disk space usage
Faster file deletion
Maintains consistency by recording changes before committing
Allows files to span multiple disks
Journaling file systems log metadata changes before applying them to the main file system structures. This allows recovery after a crash by replaying or rolling back the log.
SELinux is an example of which type of security mechanism?
Password Authentication
Role-Based Access Control
Mandatory Access Control
Discretionary Access Control
SELinux implements Mandatory Access Control (MAC), enforcing policies that cannot be altered by normal users. It restricts access based on security labels.
Which mechanism helps prevent priority inversion by temporarily raising the priority of a lower-priority task?
Priority Inheritance
Round Robin
Deadlock Avoidance
Load Balancing
Priority inheritance temporarily boosts a lower-priority task holding a needed resource to the higher priority level. This prevents high-priority tasks from indefinite blocking.
What is the preemptive version of the Shortest Job First scheduling algorithm?
Round Robin
First-Come, First-Served
Priority Scheduling
Shortest Remaining Time First
Shortest Remaining Time First (SRTF) is the preemptive form of SJF, where the scheduler may preempt the running process if a new process has a shorter remaining time. This minimizes average waiting time.
Which page replacement algorithm uses a circular buffer and reference bits to approximate LRU?
FIFO
Optimal
Clock
Random
The Clock algorithm arranges pages in a circular list with a reference bit for each. It gives each page a second chance before eviction, approximating LRU with lower overhead.
In the working set model, what defines a process's working set?
The number of frames allocated to the OS
Pages with the highest reference count
The set of pages referenced in a recent time window
All pages loaded since process start
A process's working set is the collection of pages it has accessed during a defined time interval. Managing the working set helps control thrashing by keeping needed pages in memory.
Which security model enforces confidentiality with rules like 'no read up' and 'no write down'?
Biba Integrity Model
Clark-Wilson Model
Bell-LaPadula Model
Brewer-Nash Model
The Bell-LaPadula model enforces confidentiality policies, including 'no read up' (simple security) and 'no write down' (star property). It restricts information flow based on security levels.
Thrashing occurs in virtual memory systems when what happens?
Processes frequently page fault due to insufficient frames
Too many small processes share CPU
The CPU cache is invalidated too often
The disk becomes fragmented
Thrashing happens when the operating system spends more time handling page faults than executing processes. It is caused by insufficient physical memory for the processes' working sets.
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Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse operating system architectures and components
  2. Evaluate process scheduling and management techniques
  3. Identify memory allocation and virtual memory concepts
  4. Demonstrate file system operations and permissions
  5. Apply security best practices in OS environments

Cheat Sheet

  1. Operating System Components - Picture the kernel as the mighty conductor, the user interface as the friendly tour guide, and system libraries as your trusty toolbox. They all work together to keep your computer humming along without missing a beat. Get familiar with how they chat and coordinate to be the OS superstar you were born to be! Explore OS components
  2. Process Scheduling Algorithms - Whether it's First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) or Shortest Job Next (SJN), each scheduler has its own flair. Round Robin (RR) keeps things fair by giving every process a time slice, so no hungry app goes hungry for too long. Mastering these choices will help you design systems that balance speed and fairness like a pro. Discover scheduling strategies
  3. Memory Management Techniques - Paging chops memory into neat, fixed-size blocks, while segmentation slices it according to logical divisions. This dynamic duo ensures your applications get the space they need without stepping on each other's toes. Learn these tricks to optimize RAM usage and keep your system running smoothly. Learn memory magic
  4. Virtual Memory Concepts - Virtual memory lets your machine juggle processes bigger than its physical RAM using demand paging and clever page replacement like Least Recently Used (LRU). This sneaky technique boosts multitasking power and keeps everything in balance. Grasping these ideas is your ticket to expert memory utilization. Unlock virtual memory
  5. File System Structures - Dive into directories, inodes, and File Allocation Tables (FAT) to see how files are neatly organized on disk. This architecture prevents data chaos and helps you troubleshoot like a digital detective. Knowing these foundations means faster searches and smoother storage management. Inspect file systems
  6. File Permissions & Access Control - In the Unix universe, rwx stands for Read, Write, Execute - and it's your way to grant or deny superpowers. Proper permissions protect your kingdom from rogue scripts and prying eyes. Master these rules to keep your data fortress secure and squeaky clean. Secure your files
  7. Inter-Process Communication (IPC) - Message passing and shared memory are your communication lifelines between processes, letting them swap secrets and tackle big tasks together. Send a note or share a whiteboard - both methods have their perks. Understanding IPC is key to building complex, multitasking-friendly apps. Connect via IPC
  8. Deadlock Conditions & Prevention - Deadlocks are like traffic jams where every car is waiting for another to move. With resource allocation graphs and the Banker's algorithm, you can spot jams before they happen and clear the way. Learn these strategies to keep your processes cruising smoothly. Prevent process jams
  9. System Security Measures - Keep intruders at bay with strong authentication, bulletproof encryption, and regular security updates. It's like changing your locks and installing alarms to protect your digital castle. Staying vigilant and patched ensures your kingdom stays safe from sneaky invaders. Fortify your system
  10. Common OS Vulnerabilities - Stuff like buffer overflows and malware can turn your system from hero to zero if left unchecked. Learn to spot these threats and deploy mitigation techniques - think firewalls, antivirus, and continuous monitoring. Stay ahead of the bad guys by knowing their tricks and best practices. Tackle OS threats
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