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Quizzes > Computers & Technology > Programming & Software

Take the Ultimate Operating System Quiz!

Ready for an OS fundamentals quiz? Challenge yourself with operating system trivia!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for operating system quiz with OS fundamentals on sky blue background

This operating system quiz helps you check your grasp of core OS concepts like processes, threads, memory, file systems, and scheduling. Spot gaps before an exam and see where you need a review. For a warm-up, try a quick practice set .

What is the primary role of an operating system?
Store files permanently
Manage hardware resources
Provide internet connectivity
Execute user applications
The operating system manages hardware and software resources such as CPU, memory, and I/O devices to provide services to applications. It acts as an intermediary between hardware and user-level programs. Without an OS, users would need to handle hardware details manually, which is impractical.
Which of the following operating systems is an example of open source software?
macOS
Ubuntu Linux
iOS
Windows 10
Ubuntu Linux is an open source operating system whose source code is publicly available under a permissive license. Windows and macOS are proprietary systems with restricted source code. Open source licenses let users view, modify, and redistribute the code.
What does virtual memory allow an operating system to do?
Run multiple OSes simultaneously
Increase physical RAM
Use disk space to extend RAM
Provide real-time scheduling
Virtual memory enables an OS to use disk storage to simulate additional RAM, allowing larger applications to run than physical memory would permit. It swaps pages between RAM and disk as needed. This provides isolation between processes and efficient memory use.
In operating systems, what is a process?
A group of files
A type of device driver
A program in execution
A memory management scheme
A process is defined as a program in execution, including its current state such as program counter, registers, and variables. It is the fundamental unit of work that the OS schedules on the CPU. Processes can contain multiple threads that share its resources.
What is the main difference between preemptive and cooperative multitasking?
Single-core vs multi-core management
Time-slice allocation vs memory allocation
OS can interrupt tasks vs tasks yield control
Kernel-managed kill vs user kill
In preemptive multitasking, the OS scheduler can interrupt and switch out tasks based on time slices or priority. In cooperative multitasking, tasks must voluntarily yield control back to the scheduler. Preemptive systems tend to be more responsive and fair.
Which scheduler algorithm selects the process with the smallest execution time next?
Priority scheduling
First-come-first-served
Round robin
Shortest job first
The Shortest Job First (SJF) algorithm selects the process with the minimum estimated execution time next, which can minimize average waiting time. It may be implemented non-preemptively or in its preemptive variant as Shortest Remaining Time First. However, it can cause starvation for longer processes.
What is the primary purpose of a device driver in an operating system?
Manage user permissions
Monitor network traffic
Translate high-level requests into hardware operations
Encrypt device data
Device drivers are software modules that translate generic OS commands into device-specific hardware operations. They allow the OS and applications to interact with hardware without knowing low-level details. Correct drivers ensure hardware compatibility and performance.
How does paging differ from segmentation in memory management?
Preemptive vs cooperative
Fixed-size blocks vs variable-size blocks
Virtual vs physical
Single-level vs two-level
Paging divides memory into fixed-size pages and maps them to physical frames, reducing external fragmentation. Segmentation divides memory into variable-size segments based on logical program divisions. Paging provides uniform block sizes, while segmentation aligns with program structure.
What is a race condition in the context of operating systems?
Memory leak
Process waiting too long
Disk read error
Simultaneous access leads to unexpected results
A race condition occurs when the behavior of software depends on the timing or interleaving of multiple threads or processes accessing shared resources. Without proper synchronization, concurrent access can lead to unpredictable or incorrect results. This is a common issue in multi-threaded systems.
Which of the following best describes the difference between a thread and a process?
Thread shares addressing space, process has own
Process shares memory, thread isolated
Both share no memory
Both share all memory
Processes have their own private address spaces and system resources, while threads are subdivisions within a process that share the same memory and resources. Threads enable parallel execution within a process context but require synchronization to safely access shared data. Context switching threads is generally faster than switching processes.
What typically triggers a kernel panic in an operating system?
Normal shutdown
User application crash
Hardware failure or illegal memory access in kernel
Log file corruption
A kernel panic is triggered when the OS detects a fatal error within the kernel or hardware that it cannot safely recover from, such as illegal memory access or hardware failure. The system halts to prevent further damage or data corruption. Troubleshooting often involves examining logs or kernel messages.
How does the copy-on-write technique optimize memory usage?
Copies memory at boot
Locks pages to disk
Shares code but duplicates on write
Preloads pages into cache
Copy-on-write allows multiple processes to share the same memory pages until one process modifies a page. At that time, the OS creates a private copy for the writing process, conserving memory. This is commonly used during fork operations to optimize resource usage.
In a microkernel architecture, which component typically runs in user space and handles device drivers, improving system stability?
Each driver runs as a user-space process
They are compiled into a monolithic kernel image
They operate as hardware daemons in BIOS
Device drivers run in kernel space modules
In microkernel architectures, device drivers and other services run in user-space processes rather than kernel-space modules. This isolation enhances system stability because a faulty driver cannot crash the entire kernel. Communication between components occurs via message passing.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand Core OS Concepts -

    After completing this operating system quiz, you'll be able to recall fundamental OS components - process management, memory allocation, and file system structures - ensuring clarity on basic operating system questions.

  2. Analyze Process Management Principles -

    You'll learn to differentiate scheduling algorithms, concurrency control, and inter-process communication as presented in our process management quiz.

  3. Apply Memory Allocation Strategies -

    Practice paging, segmentation, and swapping techniques to manage memory effectively and address real-world allocation challenges.

  4. Evaluate File System Operations -

    Examine directory hierarchies, access permissions, and I/O mechanisms to understand how file systems support data storage and retrieval.

  5. Interpret Operating System Trivia -

    Develop strategies for approaching operating system trivia by identifying key concepts and relationships behind common trivia questions.

  6. Navigate the OS Quiz Online Platform -

    Gain tips for using our OS quiz online tool to track your performance, pinpoint knowledge gaps, and plan targeted review sessions.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Process Management & Scheduling Fundamentals -

    Processes transition through states - New, Ready, Running, Waiting, Terminated - as detailed in Tanenbaum's Modern Operating Systems. Major CPU scheduling algorithms like FCFS, SJF, and Round Robin (tuned with a time quantum, e.g., 20 ms) impact throughput and turnaround time, computed as Σ(turnaround time)/n. A memorable tip is "First Come, First Served" for FCFS and "Shortest Job Next" to recall SJF.

  2. Memory Allocation & Virtual Addressing -

    Operating systems use paging and segmentation to allocate memory safely; calculate any virtual address with VA = (page number × page size) + offset. Segmentation offers logical division of code and data, while paging avoids external fragmentation entirely. Remember the "PSO" formula (Page Size × Number) to decode addresses quickly on a basic operating system questions section.

  3. Page Replacement Algorithms & Thrashing -

    Page replacement algorithms decide which page to evict on a fault: FIFO uses a simple queue, LRU evicts least recently used pages, and the Optimal algorithm sets the performance ceiling. Watch out for Belady's Anomaly, where adding frames can paradoxically increase page faults under FIFO. A quick mnemonic "FLO" (FIFO, LRU, Optimal) helps fix the order in mind during an operating system quiz.

  4. Concurrency Control & Deadlock Strategies -

    Synchronization primitives like semaphores and mutexes enforce mutual exclusion and coordinate threads, as outlined in Silberschatz's Operating System Concepts. Deadlock requires four conditions - hold-and-wait, mutual exclusion, no-preemption, circular-wait - and negating any one prevents it; alternatively, the Banker's algorithm can maintain a safe resource allocation state. Recall the acronym "HENC" (Hold-and-wait, Exclusion, No-preemption, Circular-wait) to spot deadlock prerequisites quickly in OS quiz online or operating system trivia.

  5. File System Structures & Access Methods -

    File systems manage data using inodes (Unix) or a File Allocation Table (FAT), each mapping metadata to disk blocks. Allocation methods - contiguous, linked, and indexed - balance performance against internal and external fragmentation, with indexed allocation using pointer arrays for direct block access. When reviewing file system trivia, picture an "inode highway" branching into data blocks to visualize indexed pointers instantly.

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