Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in .

This section includes InterviewSolutions, each offering curated multiple-choice questions to sharpen your knowledge and support exam preparation. Choose a topic below to get started.

51.

The state of a process is defined by __________(a) the final activity of the process(b) the activity just executed by the process(c) the activity to next be executed by the process(d) the current activity of the processThis question was addressed to me during an internship interview.This interesting question is from Process Control Block in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Right ANSWER is (d) the current ACTIVITY of the process

For EXPLANATION: The state of a process is defined by the current activity of the process. A process state CHANGES when the process executes. The process states are as New, Ready, Running, WAIT, Terminated.

52.

The number of processes completed per unit time is known as __________(a) Output(b) Throughput(c) Efficiency(d) CapacityI have been asked this question in exam.Enquiry is from Process Control Block topic in section Processes of Operating System

Answer» RIGHT answer is (b) Throughput

The explanation: The number of PROCESSES completed per unit time is known as Throughput. Suppose there are 4 processes A, B, C & D they are taking 1, 3, 4 & 7 units of time respectively for their executions. For 10 units of time, throughput is high if PROCESS A, B & C are running first as 3 processes can EXECUTE. If process C runs first then throughput is low as maximum only 2 processes can execute. Throughput is low for processes which take a long time for execution. Throughput is high for processes which take a short time for execution.
53.

A Process Control Block(PCB) does not contain which of the following?(a) Code(b) Stack(c) Bootstrap program(d) DataI had been asked this question in unit test.My question is from Process Control Block in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

The CORRECT choice is (c) Bootstrap program

Best explanation: Process Control Block (PCB) contains INFORMATION related to a process such as Process State, Program Counter, CPU Register, etc. Process Control Block is also known as Task Control Block. Bootstrap program is a program which runs initially when the system or computer is BOOTED or rebooted.

54.

The address of the next instruction to be executed by the current process is provided by the __________(a) CPU registers(b) Program counter(c) Process stack(d) PipeThis question was posed to me at a job interview.My question is taken from Processes topic in division Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Right option is (B) Program COUNTER

To EXPLAIN: The address of the next instruction to be executed by the CURRENT process is PROVIDED by the Program Counter. After every instruction is executed, the Program Counter is incremented by 1 i.e. address of the next instruction to be executed. CPU fetches instruction from the address denoted by Program Counter and execute it.

55.

Which system call can be used by a parent process to determine the termination of child process?(a) wait(b) exit(c) fork(d) getI had been asked this question in an internship interview.The doubt is from Processes in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Right choice is (a) wait

Best explanation: wait() system call is used by the PARENT process to determine TERMINATION of CHILD process. The parent process USES wait() system call and GETS the exit status of the child process as well as the pid of the child process which is terminated.

56.

A process stack does not contain __________(a) Function parameters(b) Local variables(c) Return addresses(d) PID of child processThis question was posed to me in exam.My question comes from Processes in division Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Correct choice is (d) PID of child process

Easiest explanation - Process stack CONTAINS Function parameters, LOCAL variables and Return ADDRESS. It does not CONTAIN the PID of child process.

57.

A set of processes is deadlock if __________(a) each process is blocked and will remain so forever(b) each process is terminated(c) all processes are trying to kill each other(d) none of the mentionedThis question was posed to me in unit test.Question is taken from Processes in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Correct answer is (a) each process is blocked and will remain so forever

Best explanation: DEADLOCK is a situation which OCCURS because process A is WAITING for one resource and holds another resource (blocking resource). At the same time another process B demands blocking a resource as it is already held by a process A, process B is waiting state unless and until process A RELEASES occupied resource.

58.

What is interprocess communication?(a) communication within the process(b) communication between two process(c) communication between two threads of same process(d) none of the mentionedI had been asked this question at a job interview.This question is from Processes in chapter Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Right answer is (b) communication between two process

The best explanation: Interprocess Communication (IPC) is a communication mechanism that allows PROCESSES to communicate with each other and synchronise their actions without using the same ADDRESS SPACE. IPC can be ACHIEVED using shared memory and MESSAGE passing.

59.

What is the ready state of a process?(a) when process is scheduled to run after some execution(b) when process is unable to run until some task has been completed(c) when process is using the CPU(d) none of the mentionedI got this question in an interview.I'm obligated to ask this question of Processes in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Right CHOICE is (a) when process is SCHEDULED to run after some execution

Explanation: READY STATE of the process means process has all necessary resources which are required for execution of that process when CPU is allocated. Process is ready for execution but WAITING for the CPU to be allocated.

60.

A process can be terminated due to __________(a) normal exit(b) fatal error(c) killed by another process(d) all of the mentionedI got this question during an internship interview.This question is from Processes in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

The correct answer is (d) all of the mentioned

Best explanation: A process can be TERMINATED normally by COMPLETING its TASK or because of fatal error or killed by another process or forcefully killed by a USER. When the process completes its task without any error then it exits normally. The process may exit abnormally because of the occurrence of fatal error while it is running. The process can be killed or terminated forcefully by another process.

61.

In Unix, Which system call creates the new process?(a) fork(b) create(c) new(d) none of the mentionedI got this question in exam.Asked question is from Processes in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Correct option is (a) fork

Explanation: In UNIX, a new PROCESS is created by fork() system CALL. fork() system call returns a process ID which is GENERALLY the process id of the CHILD process created.

62.

In operating system, each process has its own __________(a) address space and global variables(b) open files(c) pending alarms, signals and signal handlers(d) all of the mentionedThe question was posed to me in quiz.The origin of the question is Processes topic in division Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Correct CHOICE is (d) all of the mentioned

Explanation: In OPERATING Systems, each process has its own ADDRESS SPACE which contains code, data, stack and heap segments or sections. Each process also has a list of files which is opened by the process as WELL as all pending alarms, signals and various signal handlers.

63.

The systems which allow only one process execution at a time, are called __________(a) uniprogramming systems(b) uniprocessing systems(c) unitasking systems(d) none of the mentionedI had been asked this question in unit test.Question is from Processes in chapter Processes of Operating System

Answer»

The CORRECT option is (b) uniprocessing SYSTEMS

The best I can EXPLAIN: Those systems which allows more than one PROCESS execution at a time, are called MULTIPROGRAMMING systems. Uniprocessing means only one processor.

64.

The OS X has ____________(a) monolithic kernel(b) hybrid kernel(c) microkernel(d) monolithic kernel with modulesI had been asked this question during an interview.This question is from Basics in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Right CHOICE is (b) hybrid KERNEL

Explanation: OS X has a hybrid kernel. Hybrid kernel is a combination of TWO different kernels. OS X is developed by Apple and ORIGINALLY it is known as Mac OS X.

65.

Which one of the following is not a real time operating system?(a) VxWorks(b) QNX(c) RTLinux(d) Palm OSI had been asked this question in exam.This intriguing question originated from Basics topic in section Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Right choice is (d) Palm OS

To explain I WOULD say: VxWorks, QNX & RTLINUX are real-time operating SYSTEMS. Palm OS is a mobile operating system. Palm OS is developed for Personal Digital ASSISTANTS (PDAs).

66.

Which facility dynamically adds probes to a running system, both in user processes and in the kernel?(a) DTrace(b) DLocate(c) DMap(d) DAddThe question was asked in quiz.I would like to ask this question from Basics topic in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer» CORRECT CHOICE is (a) DTrace

Easy explanation - A facility that dynamically adds PROBES to a running SYSTEM, both in user process and in the kernel is called DTrace. This is very much useful in troubleshooting kernels in real-time.
67.

If a process fails, most operating system write the error information to a ______(a) log file(b) another running process(c) new file(d) none of the mentionedI got this question in an international level competition.My doubt is from Basics topic in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

The correct answer is (a) LOG file

The explanation is: If a process fails, most OPERATING systems write the error information to a log file. Log file is examined by the debugger, to find out what is the ACTUAL cause of that particular PROBLEM. Log file is useful for system PROGRAMMERS for correcting errors.

68.

In Operating Systems, which of the following is/are CPU scheduling algorithms?(a) Round Robin(b) Shortest Job First(c) Priority(d) All of the mentionedI had been asked this question in exam.Enquiry is from Basics topic in chapter Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Right OPTION is (d) All of the mentioned

To explain: In Operating Systems, CPU SCHEDULING algorithms are:

i) First Come First SERVED scheduling

ii) Shortest Job First scheduling

iii) Priority scheduling

iv) Round Robin scheduling

v) MULTILEVEL QUEUE scheduling

vi) Multilevel Feedback Queue scheduling

All of these scheduling algorithms have their own advantages and disadvantages.

69.

What is the main function of the command interpreter?(a) to get and execute the next user-specified command(b) to provide the interface between the API and application program(c) to handle the files in operating system(d) none of the mentionedThe question was asked in an interview for internship.My doubt is from Basics topic in section Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Correct OPTION is (a) to get and execute the next user-specified COMMAND

Easy explanation - The main function of command INTERPRETER is to get and execute the next user-specified command. Command Interpreter CHECKS for valid command and then runs that command else it will throw an error.

70.

Which one of the following error will be handle by the operating system?(a) power failure(b) lack of paper in printer(c) connection failure in the network(d) all of the mentionedI had been asked this question by my school principal while I was bunking the class.The question is from Basics in chapter Processes of Operating System

Answer»

The correct OPTION is (d) all of the mentioned

Best explanation: All the mentioned errors are handled by OS. The OS is CONTINUOUSLY monitoring all of its resources. Also, the OS is CONSTANTLY detecting and correcting errors.

71.

Which one of the following is not true?(a) kernel is the program that constitutes the central core of the operating system(b) kernel is the first part of operating system to load into memory during booting(c) kernel is made of various modules which can not be loaded in running operating system(d) kernel remains in the memory during the entire computer sessionThe question was posed to me in an online quiz.My question is taken from Basics topic in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Correct choice is (c) KERNEL is made of various modules which can not be LOADED in running operating system

Easy explanation - Kernel is the first program which is loaded in memory when OS is loading as well as it remains in memory till OS is running. Kernel is the core part of the OS which is responsible for managing resources, allowing multiple processes to USE the resources and PROVIDE SERVICES to various processes. Kernel modules can be loaded and unloaded in run-time i.e. in running OS.

72.

To access the services of operating system, the interface is provided by the ___________(a) System calls(b) API(c) Library(d) Assembly instructionsI had been asked this question in an internship interview.This is a very interesting question from Basics topic in chapter Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Right ANSWER is (a) System calls

Best explanation: To access services of the OPERATING System an interface is provided by the System Calls. Generally, these are FUNCTIONS written in C and C++. OPEN, Close, Read, Write are some of most PROMINENTLY used system calls.

73.

What is an operating system?(a) collection of programs that manages hardware resources(b) system service provider to the application programs(c) interface between the hardware and application programs(d) all of the mentionedI got this question in an interview for job.This question is from Basics topic in portion Processes of Operating System

Answer»

Correct OPTION is (d) all of the mentioned

The best explanation: An OPERATING System acts as an intermediary between user/user applications/APPLICATION programs and HARDWARE. It is a program that manages hardware resources. It PROVIDES services to application programs.