Operating System MCQs

This comprehensive set of MCQs on Operating Systems is designed to cover all essential topics necessary for mastering the fundamental concepts and functionalities of modern operating systems. Focused on key subjects such as process management, memory management, file systems, security, and system architecture, these MCQs aim to help students and professionals build a strong foundation in Operating Systems, which are crucial for effective computing and application development.

Who should practice Operating System MCQs?

• Students pursuing degrees in computer science, information technology, or software engineering who need to understand the principles of operating systems.
• Individuals preparing for exams or certifications that include operating systems as part of their curriculum.
• Anyone aiming to strengthen their knowledge of process scheduling, memory allocation, and system security.
• Candidates looking to improve their understanding of various operating system architectures and their practical applications.
• Professionals seeking to enhance their skills in system administration and software development in an operating systems environment.
• Suitable for all students eager to develop their technical skills and gain confidence in working with different operating systems effectively.

1. Which of the following is not a type of operating system?

a) Batch Operating System
b) Real-time Operating System
c) Distributed Operating System
d) Java Operating System

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2. Which of the following is an example of a real-time operating system?

a) Windows 10
b) MacOS
c) RTLinux
d) Ubuntu

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3. Which part of the operating system is responsible for managing hardware?

a) Shell
b) Kernel
c) Command Line Interface
d) Graphical User Interface

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4. Which of the following is not a function of an operating system?

a) Memory management
b) Application development
c) Process management
d) File system management

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5. What is a key characteristic of modern operating systems?

a) Batch processing
b) Time-sharing
c) Single-user
d) Manual control

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6. In which type of OS does the user interact directly with the hardware?

a) Real-time OS
b) Network OS
c) Distributed OS
d) Embedded OS

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7. Which of the following is not a type of user interface?

a) Command Line Interface
b) Graphical User Interface
c) Application Programming Interface
d) Batch Interface

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8. The primary purpose of an operating system is to:

a) Provide an environment for software to function
b) Provide internet access
c) Edit documents
d) Facilitate hardware design

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9. Which of the following is an example of a desktop operating system?

a) Windows XP
b) UNIX
c) Android
d) iOS

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10. What is the function of the file system in an operating system?

a) Manage hardware
b) Manage files and directories
c) Provide network security
d) Monitor system performance

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11. Which of the following is a type of system call?

a) Process control
b) File manipulation
c) Device management
d) All of the above

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12. Which scheduling algorithm is based on the concept of time quantum?

a) First-Come, First-Served
b) Shortest Job Next
c) Round Robin
d) Priority Scheduling

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13. Which of the following is a non-preemptive scheduling algorithm?

a) Shortest Remaining Time First
b) First-Come, First-Served
c) Round Robin
d) Priority Scheduling

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14. What is the main function of the BIOS in a computer system?

a) Manage memory
b) Initialize hardware during booting
c) Manage user applications
d) Control network devices

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15. Virtual memory is:

a) An illusion of infinite memory space
b) A type of physical memory
c) Used for storing frequently accessed data
d) None of the above

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16. The process of swapping involves:

a) Transferring data between memory and CPU
b) Transferring data between memory and disk
c) Transferring data between disk and network
d) None of the above

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17. Which of the following operating systems is open source?

a) Windows 10
b) MacOS
c) UNIX
d) Linux

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18. What does GUI stand for in the context of operating systems?

a) General User Interface
b) Graphical User Interface
c) Global User Interface
d) Guided User Interface

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19. The main purpose of an interrupt in a computer system is to:

a) Allow the CPU to complete its current job
b) Allow the CPU to handle urgent tasks
c) Allow the CPU to manage memory efficiently
d) Allow the CPU to manage files and directories

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20. Which of the following is used for inter-process communication?

a) Shared memory
b) Message passing
c) Semaphores
d) All of the above

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21. What is the main function of a device driver?

a) Manage memory
b) Manage files
c) Facilitate communication between hardware and OS
d) Provide internet access

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22. Which of the following is an example of system software?

a) Microsoft Word
b) Photoshop
c) Windows OS
d) Chrome browser

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23. What is the main goal of multiprogramming?

a) Increase CPU utilization
b) Increase memory utilization
c) Reduce disk usage
d) Reduce power consumption

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24. Which of the following is a characteristic of a distributed operating system?

a) Centralized processing
b) Shared resources
c) Single-user system
d) Manual task management

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25. What does the acronym “POSIX” stand for?

a) Portable Operating System Interface
b) Public Operating System Interface
c) Personal Operating System Interface
d) Professional Operating System Interface

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26. What is the primary function of the scheduler in an operating system?

a) Manage memory
b) Schedule tasks for execution
c) Manage files
d) Control input/output devices

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27. Which of the following is not a type of memory management technique?

a) Paging
b) Segmentation
c) Swapping
d) Networking

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28. The concept of paging is used to:

a) Manage processes
b) Manage memory
c) Manage hardware
d) Manage files

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29. Which of the following is a deadlock prevention technique?

a) Mutual exclusion
b) Hold and wait
c) Circular wait
d) Resource allocation graph

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30. What is the primary role of the operating system’s command interpreter?

a) Manage hardware
b) Execute user commands
c) Manage memory
d) Control network devices

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31. Which of the following is not an operating system?

a) Windows
b) Linux
c) Oracle
d) Unix

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32. What is the main advantage of a multiprocessor system?

a) Increased reliability
b) Reduced power consumption
c) Simplified software
d) None of the above

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33. The primary purpose of a shell in an operating system is to:

a) Manage files
b) Provide a user interface
c) Manage memory
d) Control hardware devices

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34. Which of the following is not a type of system call?

a) Process control
b) File manipulation
c) Signal manipulation
d) Memory allocation

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35. Which of the following is a common feature of modern operating systems?

a) Batch processing
b) Time-sharing
c) Multi-user capability
d) All of the above

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36. What is the main function of a bootloader?

a) Manage memory
b) Load the operating system into memory
c) Manage files
d) Control input/output devices

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37. Which of the following is not a process state?

a) New
b) Running
c) Blocked
d) Executed

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38. Which of the following is a benefit of virtual memory?

a) Increased processing speed
b) Improved security
c) Increased physical memory
d) Ability to run larger applications

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39. Which of the following is a type of disk scheduling algorithm?

a) FIFO
b) LIFO
c) SSTF
d) LRU

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40. What is the main purpose of a semaphore in an operating system?

a) Manage memory
b) Synchronize processes
c) Manage files
d) Control hardware devices

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41. Which of the following is not a component of the operating system?

a) Kernel
b) Shell
c) User applications
d) File system

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42. The term “thrashing” refers to:

a) Excessive paging
b) High CPU usage
c) Network congestion
d) Disk fragmentation

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43. Which of the following is an example of an embedded operating system?

a) Windows XP
b) Linux
c) VxWorks
d) macOS

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44. Which of the following is a technique used for memory allocation?

a) Paging
b) Swapping
c) Segmentation
d) All of the above

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45. The process of dividing the disk into tracks and sectors is called:

a) Disk formatting
b) Disk partitioning
c) Disk scheduling
d) Disk fragmentation

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46. Which of the following is not a type of operating system kernel?

a) Monolithic kernel
b) Microkernel
c) Hybrid kernel
d) Nano kernel

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47. The term “context switch” refers to:

a) Switching between different memory segments
b) Switching between different processes
c) Switching between different files
d) Switching between different hardware devices

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48. Which of the following is an example of a mobile operating system?

a) Windows 10
b) Linux
c) Android
d) Unix

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49. The main function of a process control block (PCB) is to:

a) Manage files
b) Manage memory
c) Store process-related information
d) Control input/output devices

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50. The concept of “spooling” is used in which of the following?

a) Memory management
b) Process management
c) Input/output management
d) File management

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51. Which command is used to remove a directory in Unix/Linux?

a) rm
b) rmdir
c) remove
d) rd

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52. What is the purpose of the chmod command in Unix/Linux?

a) Change file ownership
b) Change file permissions
c) Change file name
d) Change file location

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53. In a virtual memory system, which of the following is placed in the memory?

a) Kernel
b) Entire process
c) Only the required pages of a process
d) None of the above

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54. Which of the following is an example of a process synchronization mechanism?

a) Semaphore
b) Paging
c) Scheduling
d) Fragmentation

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55. Which of the following is a disadvantage of a microkernel?

a) Reduced security
b) Increased complexity
c) Lower performance
d) Lack of modularity

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56. Which of the following is used to improve the efficiency of cache memory?

a) Paging
b) Segmentation
c) Caching algorithms
d) Disk scheduling algorithms

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57. Which of the following is a type of real-time scheduling algorithm?

a) Round Robin
b) Earliest Deadline First (EDF)
c) Shortest Job First

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58. Which of the following statements is true about multithreading?

a) It increases the complexity of program design.
b) It is not supported by modern operating systems.
c) It allows multiple threads to run concurrently within a process.
d) It decreases CPU utilization.

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59. Which of the following is a valid memory management technique?

a) Contiguous allocation
b) Non-contiguous allocation
c) Both a and b
d) None of the above

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60. In Unix/Linux, what does the command ps do?

a) Displays the current directory
b) Displays the list of processes
c) Displays the contents of a file
d) Displays the disk usage

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61. Which of the following is not a type of file system?

a) NTFS
b) FAT32
c) EXT3
d) HTTP

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62. What is the primary purpose of the mkfs command in Unix/Linux?

a) Format a disk
b) Mount a filesystem
c) Create a filesystem
d) Check a filesystem

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63. Which of the following scheduling algorithms might lead to starvation?

a) First-Come, First-Served
b) Round Robin
c) Shortest Job First
d) None of the above

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64. Which of the following is not a common file attribute?

a) Read-only
b) Hidden
c) Executable
d) Deletable

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65. Which of the following is used to handle deadlocks in operating systems?

a) Banker’s algorithm
b) Starvation
c) Fragmentation
d) Segmentation

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66. In Unix/Linux, what does the command grep do?

a) Searches for a pattern in files
b) Displays the contents of a file
c) Deletes files
d) Copies files

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67. Which of the following is a type of operating system security feature?

a) Access control
b) Disk scheduling
c) Memory allocation
d) Process management

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68. Which of the following is a common method for inter-process communication (IPC)?

a) Message queues
b) Paging
c) File allocation table
d) Disk fragmentation

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69. Which of the following is a part of the process control block (PCB)?

a) Process state
b) Process ID
c) Program counter
d) All of the above

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70. Which of the following is not a type of system software?

a) Operating system
b) Compiler
c) Web browser
d) Device driver

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71. In Unix/Linux, what does the command df do?

a) Displays disk space usage
b) Displays file contents
c) Deletes files
d) Formats disks

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72. Which of the following is not a valid process state?

a) New
b) Ready
c) Waiting
d) Terminated

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73. Which of the following is used to manage user permissions in Unix/Linux?

a) chmod
b) chown
c) chgrp
d) All of the above

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74. Which of the following is not a layer of the OSI model?

a) Application
b) Data link
c) Network
d) File system

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75. Which of the following is not a type of disk partition?

a) Primary partition
b) Extended partition
c) Logical partition
d) Virtual partition

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76. Which of the following is used to protect against data loss due to system crashes?

a) Backup
b) Defragmentation
c) Disk scheduling
d) Memory allocation

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77. In Unix/Linux, what does the command kill do?

a) Terminates a process
b) Lists all processes
c) Starts a process
d) Renames a file

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78. Which of the following is a feature of a distributed operating system?

a) Centralized control
b) Resource sharing
c) Single-user capability
d) None of the above

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79. Which of the following is used for process synchronization?

a) Mutex
b) Cache
c) Virtual memory
d) File system

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80. In Unix/Linux, what does the command tar do?

a) Archives files
b) Displays file contents
c) Deletes files
d) Copies files

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81. Which of the following is a technique to prevent deadlock?

a) Mutual exclusion
b) Hold and wait
c) Circular wait
d) Resource allocation graph

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82. Which of the following is not a property of a transaction in database systems?

a) Atomicity
b) Consistency
c) Isolation
d) Multiprogramming

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83. Which of the following is a common file management command in Unix/Linux?

a) ls
b) cd
c) mv
d) All of the above

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84. What is the main function of the fork system call in Unix/Linux?

a) Create a new process
b) Terminate a process
c) Change process priority
d) Display process information

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85. Which of the following is not a type of operating system interface?

a) Command Line Interface
b) Graphical User Interface
c) Network Interface
d) Batch Interface

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86. In Unix/Linux, what does the command passwd do?

a) Changes the user’s password
b) Displays the user’s password
c) Deletes the user’s password
d) Encrypts files

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87. Which of the following is a type of access control?

a) Discretionary Access Control (DAC)
b) Mandatory Access Control (MAC)
c) Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
d) All of the above

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88. Which of the following is not a component of a distributed system?

a) Network
b) Database
c) User
d) Kernel

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89. Which of the following is an example of a non-preemptive scheduling algorithm?

a) Round Robin
b) First-Come, First-Served
c) Shortest Remaining Time First
d) Priority Scheduling

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90. In Unix/Linux, what does the command touch do?

a) Creates an empty file
b) Deletes a file
c) Moves a file
d) Displays file contents

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91. Which of the following is not a type of operating system?

a) Single-user OS
b) Multi-user OS
c) Time-sharing OS
d) Network OS

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92. What is the main purpose of the mount command in Unix/Linux?

a) Unmount a filesystem
b) Format a disk
c) Mount a filesystem
d) Create a filesystem

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93. Which of the following is not a type of system vulnerability?

a) Virus
b) Worm
c) Trojan horse
d) Firewall

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94. Which of the following is used to enhance the security of an operating system?

a) Antivirus software
b) Firewalls
c) Encryption
d) All of the above

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95. Which of the following is not a type of system call?

a) Process control
b) File manipulation
c) Memory allocation
d) Command execution

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96. Which of the following is a feature of a real-time operating system?

a) Time-sharing
b) Predictable response time
c) Batch processing
d) None of the above

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97. In Unix/Linux, what does the command uname do?

a) Displays system information
b) Deletes files
c) Moves files
d) Renames files

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98. Which of the following is a technique used for memory protection?

a) Paging
b) Segmentation
c) Both a and b
d) None of the above

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99. Which of the following is a distributed file system?

a) NTFS
b) HDFS
c) FAT32
d) EXT4

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100. Which of the following is not a type of network topology?

a) Star
b) Bus
c) Ring
d) Cluster

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101. What is the primary function of an operating system?

A) To execute applications
B) To manage hardware and software resources
C) To provide internet connectivity
D) To design user interfaces

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102. Which of the following is an example of an operating system?

A) Microsoft Word
B) Windows 10
C) Adobe Photoshop
D) Google Chrome

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103. What is the term for a program that acts as an intermediary between the user and the computer hardware?

A) Application Software
B) Firmware
C) Operating System
D) Middleware

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104. Which of the following operating systems is open-source?

A) Windows
B) macOS
C) Linux
D) Android

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105. What is a kernel in an operating system?

A) The outer layer of the OS
B) The core component that manages system resources
C) A type of application software
D) A user interface element

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106. Which of the following is NOT a type of operating system?

A) Real-time OS
B) Network OS
C) Batch OS
D) Display OS

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107. What does the term “multitasking” refer to in operating systems?

A) Running multiple applications simultaneously
B) Completing one task before starting another
C) Dividing a task into smaller parts
D) Managing network resources

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108. What is the purpose of device drivers in an operating system?

A) To manage user accounts
B) To provide a user interface
C) To enable communication between the OS and hardware
D) To increase processing speed

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109. Which of the following is a graphical user interface (GUI) element?

A) Command prompt
B) Menu
C) Terminal
D) Batch file

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110. What is virtual memory?

A) Physical RAM installed in the computer
B) A portion of the hard disk used as additional RAM
C) Memory used for caching data
D) Memory that can be accessed from the cloud

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111. In which operating system would you find a “Task Manager”?

A) macOS
B) Linux
C) Windows
D) All of the above

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112. What does the command “ls” do in Unix/Linux?

A) Lists files and directories
B) Changes directory
C) Displays system information
D) Copies files

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113. What is a shell in the context of an operating system?

A) A physical component of the OS
B) A command-line interface for user interaction
C) A type of application software
D) A security feature of the OS

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114. Which of the following is a feature of a real-time operating system?

A) Delayed processing
B) Predictable response times
C) Extensive multitasking
D) High resource consumption

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115. What is the purpose of the file system in an operating system?

A) To manage system security
B) To provide a method for storing and organizing files
C) To execute applications
D) To connect to the internet

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116. Which of the following is a characteristic of the Windows operating system?

A) Open-source
B) Command-line only
C) Graphical user interface
D) Primarily used in servers

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117. What is the main advantage of using a 64-bit operating system?

A) It can run only 32-bit applications
B) It has limited memory addressing
C) It can utilize more RAM than a 32-bit OS
D) It is easier to install

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118. In operating systems, what is “paging”?

A) A method for loading applications
B) A memory management scheme that eliminates the need for contiguous memory allocation
C) A method for organizing files
D) A way to create backups

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119. Which of the following is NOT a function of an operating system?

A) Process management
B) Memory management
C) Compiling code
D) Device management

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120. What does the acronym “API” stand for in the context of operating systems?

A) Application Program Interface
B) Automatic Programming Interface
C) Advanced Protocol Interface
D) Application Programming Integration

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