Operating Systems MCQs with Answers

Operating Systems MCQs with Answers: Operating systems (OS) are software programs that manage computer hardware and software resources and provide common services for computer programs. 

What is the primary function of an operating system?
A. Manage hardware resources
B. Run application software
C. Provide internet connectivity
D. Design user interfaces
Answer: A

Which memory management technique allows a process to be moved during its execution from one memory segment to another?
A. Paging
B. Swapping
C. Fragmentation
D. Segmentation
Answer: B

What is the purpose of the “scheduler” in an operating system?
A. Manage input/output operations
B. Allocate resources to processes
C. Handle memory allocation
D. Monitor network activities
Answer: B

Which file system is commonly used in Windows operating systems?
A. NTFS
B. HFS+
C. ext4
D. FAT32
Answer: A

What is the role of the device driver in an operating system?
A. Manage user interfaces
B. Control peripheral devices
C. Allocate memory resources
D. Schedule processes
Answer: B

Which of the following is a preemptive scheduling algorithm?
A. Round Robin
B. First Come First Serve (FCFS)
C. Shortest Job Next (SJN)
D. Priority Scheduling
Answer: A

What is the purpose of a system call in an operating system?
A. Execute application programs
B. Provide user interfaces
C. Request services from the kernel
D. Manage disk storage
Answer: C

Which process scheduling algorithm gives priority to the process with the highest priority number?
A. Round Robin
B. First Come First Serve (FCFS)
C. Shortest Job Next (SJN)
D. Priority Scheduling
Answer: D

What is the function of the Virtual Memory in an operating system?
A. Extend the physical RAM
B. Manage file systems
C. Handle input/output operations
D. Control peripheral devices
Answer: A

In the context of file systems, what is an inode?
A. A file extension
B. A file directory
C. An index node containing file metadata
D. A file path
Answer: C

What is the purpose of a semaphore in the context of synchronization in operating systems?
A. Manage memory allocation
B. Provide process scheduling
C. Control access to shared resources
D. Handle device drivers
Answer: C

Which command is used to display the list of processes in Unix/Linux operating systems?
A. ps
B. ls
C. top
D. cat
Answer: A

What is the primary purpose of the FAT (File Allocation Table) in file systems?
A. Manage file permissions
B. Allocate disk space to files
C. Track file locations on disk
D. Control file access
Answer: C

What is a deadlock in the context of operating systems?
A. A process waiting for a resource held by another process
B. A process that has terminated
C. A process with high priority
D. A process waiting for user input
Answer: A

What is the role of the DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller in a computer system?
A. Manage input/output operations
B. Allocate memory resources
C. Control peripheral devices
D. Transfer data between memory and devices
Answer: D

Which scheduling algorithm aims to reduce the turnaround time?
A. Round Robin
B. First Come First Serve (FCFS)
C. Shortest Job Next (SJN)
D. Priority Scheduling
Answer: C

What is the purpose of the Shell in an operating system?
A. Manage system resources
B. Provide a user interface to interact with the kernel
C. Control peripheral devices
D. Allocate memory resources
Answer: B

Which RAID level provides both striping and mirroring?
A. RAID 0
B. RAID 1
C. RAID 5
D. RAID 10
Answer: D

What is the purpose of the TRIM command in the context of solid-state drives (SSD)?
A. Allocate disk space
B. Optimize file access
C. Manage wear leveling
D. Control file permissions
Answer: C

Which command is used to change the current directory in a Unix/Linux shell?
A. cd
B. ls
C. pwd
D. cp
Answer: A

What is the purpose of the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) in networking within an operating system?
A. Translate IP addresses to MAC addresses
B. Route packets between networks
C. Manage DNS resolution
D. Control access to shared resources
Answer: A

In a multi-programming environment, what is the purpose of the job queue?
A. Store processes that are ready to execute
B. Manage input/output operations
C. Control access to shared resources
D. Handle process synchronization
Answer: A

What is the purpose of the swap space in a virtual memory system?
A. Extend the physical RAM
B. Manage file systems
C. Control access to shared resources
D. Optimize disk access
Answer: A

What is a zombie process in the context of operating systems?
A. A process that has terminated
B. A process waiting for user input
C. A process with high priority
D. A process that has completed execution but still has an entry in the process table
Answer: D

What is the role of the boot loader in the boot process of an operating system?
A. Manage file systems
B. Load the operating system into memory
C. Control access to shared resources
D. Handle process synchronization
Answer: B

Which command is used to create a new directory in a Unix/Linux shell?
A. mkdir
B. touch
C. rm
D. cp
Answer: A

What is the purpose of a page table in the context of virtual memory?
A. Manage file systems
B. Control access to shared resources
C. Translate virtual addresses to physical addresses
D. Optimize disk access
Answer: C

Which of the following is a characteristic of a multi-user operating system?
A. Single-user login
B. Limited hardware support
C. Simultaneous access by multiple users
D. Lack of networking capabilities
Answer: C

What is the purpose of the RAID 5 parity information in a disk array?
A. Optimize disk access
B. Provide fault tolerance
C. Manage file permissions
D. Control file access
Answer: B

In the context of process scheduling, what is the turnaround time of a process?
A. The time taken by a process to execute
B. The time taken by a process to complete its execution and exit
C. The time a process spends waiting in the ready queue
D. The total time a process is in the system, including waiting time and execution time
Answer: B

What is the purpose of the echo command in Unix/Linux?
A. Display system information
B. Create a new file
C. Print the contents of a file
D. Display messages on the terminal
Answer: D

What is the role of the RAID controller in a RAID system?
A. Manage file systems
B. Control access to shared resources
C. Optimize disk access
D. Handle data striping and parity generation
Answer: D

Which file system is commonly used in Linux operating systems?
A. NTFS
B. HFS+
C. ext4
D. FAT32
Answer: C

What is the purpose of the chmod command in Unix/Linux?
A. Change the modification time of a file
B. Change file permissions
C. Create a new directory
D. Copy files
Answer: B

Which of the following is a function of the memory manager in an operating system?
A. Manage input/output operations
B. Control peripheral devices
C. Allocate and deallocate memory space
D. Schedule processes
Answer: C

What is the purpose of the NIC (Network Interface Card) in networking?
A. Manage DNS resolution
B. Control file access
C. Handle device drivers
D. Connect a computer to a network
Answer: D

Which command is used to remove a file in Unix/Linux?
A. rm
B. cp
C. mv
D. touch
Answer: A

What is the role of the kernel in an operating system?
A. Manage file systems
B. Control access to shared resources
C. Provide a bridge between hardware and software
D. Handle process synchronization
Answer: C

In the context of file systems, what is the purpose of the journaling technique?
A. Optimize disk access
B. Provide fault tolerance
C. Manage file permissions
D. Control file access
Answer: B

Which of the following is an example of a real-time operating system?
A. Windows
B. Linux
C. Android
D. QNX
Answer: D

What is the purpose of the grep command in Unix/Linux?
A. Search for files
B. Display system information
C. Display the contents of a file
D. Search for a pattern in a file
Answer: D

What is the purpose of the ping command in networking?
A. Manage DNS resolution
B. Test network connectivity
C. Control file access
D. Display system information
Answer: B

In the context of memory management, what is thrashing?
A. Excessive swapping of processes
B. Rapid execution of processes
C. Fragmentation of memory
D. Efficient use of cache memory
Answer: A

Which of the following is a feature of a multi-tasking operating system?
A. Single-tasking capability
B. Limited hardware support
C. Simultaneous execution of multiple processes
D. Lack of process scheduling
Answer: C

What is the purpose of the chown command in Unix/Linux?
A. Change the owner of a file
B. Change file permissions
C. Copy files
D. Create a new directory
Answer: A

Which algorithm is used for disk scheduling to reduce arm movement?
A. First Come First Serve (FCFS)
B. Shortest Seek Time First (SSTF)
C. Round Robin
D. Priority Scheduling
Answer: B

What is the purpose of the ifconfig command in Unix/Linux?
A. Display system information
B. Configure network interfaces
C. Control file access
D. Change file permissions
Answer: B

In the context of operating systems, what is a context switch?
A. A process waiting for a resource
B. Changing from user mode to kernel mode
C. Switching between processes
D. Allocating memory resources
Answer: C

What is the purpose of the cron command in Unix/Linux?
A. Display system information
B. Schedule recurring tasks
C. Control file access
D. Change file permissionsAnswer: B

Which of the following is a characteristic of a real-time operating system?
A. General-purpose use
B. Predictable response time
C. Lack of multitasking
D. Limited hardware support
Answer: B