Device Management and Scheduling: A Comprehensive Guide for Operating Systems

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of a device controller?

Accepted Answer

To interface the CPU with I/O devices, handling data transfer and control signals

Answer

To store data and instructions for I/O operations

Answer

To provide an abstraction layer for I/O devices, hiding their implementation details from the operating system

Answer

To handle interrupts and exceptions from I/O devices

Question 2

What is the primary advantage of using a multilevel feedback queue scheduling algorithm?

Accepted Answer

Improved fairness for processes with varying I/O requirements

Answer

Reduced overhead compared to priority scheduling

Answer

Increased throughput for high-priority processes

Answer

Lower latency for real-time processes

Question 3

What primary role do semaphores play in I/O management?

Accepted Answer

To prevent multiple processes from accessing the same I/O device simultaneously, ensuring data integrity

Answer

To prioritize access to I/O devices for critical processes, ensuring timely execution

Answer

To store data and instructions for I/O operations, providing a central repository

Answer

To handle interrupts and exceptions from I/O devices, managing device-related events

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a primary responsibility of a device driver?

Accepted Answer

Executing application programs

Answer

Facilitating communication between devices and the operating system

Answer

Providing a software interface for device interaction

Answer

Allocating and managing device resources

Question 5

What is the primary role of a device controller?

Accepted Answer

Interfacing with the device at the hardware level

Answer

Managing interrupts generated by the device

Answer

Scheduling I/O requests for the device

Answer

Regulating device power consumption

Question 6

Which primary function does a device driver fulfill in I/O management?

Accepted Answer

Facilitating communication between hardware and the operating system

Answer

Scheduling I/O requests

Answer

Translating user commands into hardware actions

Answer

Allocating memory resources to the device

Question 7

What is the primary benefit of utilizing virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Expanding the amount of physical memory accessible to a process

Answer

Minimizing the occurrence of page faults

Answer

Enhancing disk I/O performance

Answer

Preventing segmentation errors

Question 8

Which potential issue is associated with using polling for device interrupts?

Accepted Answer

Excessive consumption of CPU resources

Answer

Risk of data loss

Answer

Increased latency

Answer

Potential system lock-ups

Question 9

What is the primary role of a DMA controller in I/O management?

Accepted Answer

Facilitating direct data transfer between memory and I/O devices

Answer

Scheduling I/O requests

Answer

Processing device interrupt requests

Answer

Translating user commands into hardware actions

Question 10

What is the fundamental difference between synchronous and asynchronous I/O?

Accepted Answer

Synchronous I/O halts the calling process until the I/O operation completes, unlike asynchronous I/O

Answer

Asynchronous I/O offers superior efficiency compared to synchronous I/O

Answer

Synchronous I/O is typically used for smaller I/O operations, whereas asynchronous I/O is used for larger ones

Answer

Synchronous I/O is only available in single-threaded operating systems

Question 11

Which potential advantage is offered by layered I/O systems?

Accepted Answer

Improved modularity and flexibility

Answer

Increased complexity and overhead

Answer

Reduced performance

Answer

Limited device support

Question 12

Which scheduling algorithm guarantees consistent response times by assigning each request a time slice of equal duration?

Accepted Answer

Round Robin

Answer

First-Come First-Served (FCFS)

Answer

Shortest Job First (SJF)

Answer

Priority Scheduling

Question 13

Which of the following is a primarily responsible for translating application requests into device-specific commands?

Accepted Answer

Device driver

Answer

Application program

Answer

Operating system

Answer

I/O controller

Question 14

What is the primary purpose of a device interrupt?

Accepted Answer

To signal to the CPU that a device requires immediate attention

Answer

To transfer data between a device and memory

Answer

To manage conflicts between multiple devices

Answer

To schedule I/O operations

Question 15

Which benefit of using direct memory access (DMA) for I/O operations is NOT mentioned below?

Accepted Answer

Lower power consumption

Answer

Reduced CPU overhead

Answer

Increased data transfer speed

Answer

Improved device responsiveness

Question 16

What is the primary goal of caching in an operating system's memory management?

Accepted Answer

To improve I/O performance by storing frequently accessed data

Answer

To reduce the number of disk accesses required

Answer

To handle conflicts between multiple devices

Answer

To schedule I/O operations more efficiently

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a common type of device error?

Accepted Answer

Deadlock

Answer

Parity error

Answer

Checksum error

Answer

Timeout error

Question 18

What is the fundamental difference between synchronous and asynchronous I/O operations?

Accepted Answer

Synchronous operations block the calling process until the operation is completed, whereas asynchronous operations do not.

Answer

Asynchronous operations block the calling process until the operation is completed, whereas synchronous operations do not.

Answer

Synchronous operations are always faster than asynchronous operations.

Answer

Asynchronous operations are always faster than synchronous operations.

Question 19

Which I/O scheduling algorithm prioritizes requests based on their arrival time, ensuring fairness?

Accepted Answer

First-Come First-Served (FCFS)

Answer

Shortest Seek Time First (SSTF)

Answer

SCAN

Answer

Cyclic-SCAN

Question 20

What is the main purpose of a disk cache mechanism within an operating system?

Accepted Answer

Storing frequently used data for quicker retrieval

Answer

Reducing disk access time by optimizing seek operations

Answer

Preventing disk fragmentation and optimizing storage space

Answer

Expanding the overall disk capacity beyond its physical limitations

Question 21

Which I/O channeling technique allows data transfer directly between I/O devices and memory without involving the CPU?

Accepted Answer

Direct Memory Access (DMA)

Answer

Programmed I/O

Answer

Interrupt-driven I/O

Answer

Polling

Question 22

Which component of a file system is not directly related to file organization and management?

Accepted Answer

Swap space

Answer

File allocation table

Answer

Directory structure

Answer

Inodes

Question 23

What is the primary purpose of employing a device semaphore in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

Restricting concurrent access to shared devices, ensuring data integrity

Answer

Scheduling processes fairly to prevent starvation

Answer

Enhancing I/O performance by minimizing wait times

Answer

Managing device interrupts efficiently

Question 24

Which advantage is gained by adopting a layered architecture for device drivers?

Accepted Answer

Enhanced modularity and code reusability

Answer

Substantial performance improvements

Answer

Reduced complexity in device management

Answer

Improved security measures

Question 25

What is the main responsibility of the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) during device management?

Accepted Answer

Initializing and configuring I/O devices during system startup

Answer

Handling I/O requests and data transfer between devices and the OS

Answer

Providing a user interface for interacting with devices

Answer

Caching frequently accessed I/O data to improve performance

Question 26

Which disk scheduling algorithm prioritizes requests based on their distance from the current head position?

Accepted Answer

Shortest Seek Time First (SSTF)

Answer

First-Come, First-Served (FCFS)

Answer

Elevator Algorithm

Answer

Round Robin

Question 27

What is the primary purpose of a semaphore in the context of device management?

Accepted Answer

To prevent multiple processes from accessing a shared device or resource simultaneously

Answer

To signal the availability of a device to the operating system

Answer

To prioritize I/O requests based on their importance

Answer

To allocate memory for I/O operations

Question 28

How does virtual memory enhance the effectiveness of I/O management?

Accepted Answer

It expands the available memory capacity for I/O operations beyond physical memory limitations

Answer

It eliminates the need for dedicated I/O devices

Answer

It improves the performance of I/O devices by reducing latency

Answer

It simplifies the process of device driver development

Question 29

What is the primary function of a file descriptor?

Accepted Answer

To uniquely identify a specific file or device within the system

Answer

To store the actual data contents of a file

Answer

To control access permissions and operations allowed on a file or device

Answer

To provide detailed information about the file's properties and attributes

Question 30

What is a deadlock in device management?

Accepted Answer

A situation where two or more processes wait indefinitely for each other to release resources.

Answer

A condition where a device becomes unresponsive due to a software failure.

Answer

A scheduling conflict that results in poor system performance.

Answer

A race condition that occurs when multiple processes attempt to access a shared resource.

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT a type of bus used in computer systems?

Accepted Answer

Ethernet

Answer

PCI

Answer

ISA

Answer

SCSI

Question 32

What is the function of a DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller?

Accepted Answer

To transfer data directly between memory and I/O devices without involving the CPU.

Answer

To schedule I/O operations and manage device priorities.

Answer

To provide an interface between the operating system and hardware devices.

Answer

To handle interrupts generated by I/O devices.

Question 33

Which scheduling algorithm prioritizes processes based on their arrival time, ensuring FIFO (First-In-First-Out) behavior?

Accepted Answer

First-Come First-Served (FCFS)

Answer

Shortest Job First (SJF)

Answer

Priority-Based Scheduling

Answer

Round-Robin Scheduling

Question 34

What is the primary purpose of a device semaphore in operating systems?

Accepted Answer

To prevent multiple processes from accessing the same device simultaneously, ensuring exclusive access

Answer

To store the current state of an I/O device

Answer

To synchronize the execution of processes that share I/O resources

Answer

To manage the allocation of memory for I/O operations

Question 35

What is the fundamental difference between synchronous I/O operations and asynchronous I/O operations?

Accepted Answer

Synchronous I/O operations block the caller until the I/O operation completes, while asynchronous I/O operations do not

Answer

Asynchronous I/O operations block the caller until the I/O operation completes, while synchronous I/O operations do not

Answer

Synchronous I/O is used for large data transfers, while asynchronous I/O is used for small data transfers

Answer

Asynchronous I/O is used for large data transfers, while synchronous I/O is used for small data transfers

Question 36

What is the primary objective of device virtualization in operating systems?

Accepted Answer

To abstract the physical characteristics of devices, providing a simplified and consistent interface to application programs

Answer

To combine multiple physical devices into a single, more powerful virtual device

Answer

To reduce the number of physical devices required in a system

Answer

To provide a sandboxed environment for testing device drivers

Question 37

Which I/O scheduling algorithm prioritizes requests based on their arrival time?

Accepted Answer

First-Come First-Served (FCFS)

Answer

Shortest Job First (SJF)

Answer

Priority Scheduling

Answer

Round Robin

Question 38

Which of the following is a major drawback of using device polling for I/O operations?

Accepted Answer

Increased CPU utilization

Answer

Reduced system performance

Answer

Increased latency

Answer

Lower device throughput

Question 39

What is the primary function of an interrupt service routine (ISR)?

Accepted Answer

To respond to a hardware interrupt

Answer

To schedule I/O operations

Answer

To manage device drivers

Answer

To handle memory management

Question 40

Which I/O scheduling algorithm prioritizes requests based on the shortest seek time for disk devices?

Accepted Answer

Shortest Seek Time First (SSTF)

Answer

First-Come, First-Served (FCFS)

Answer

Scan (Elevator)

Answer

Circular-Scan (C-SCAN)

Question 41

What is the main purpose of a virtual device?

Accepted Answer

To provide a consistent interface for accessing different physical devices

Answer

To improve performance by reducing I/O overhead

Answer

To protect the operating system from malfunctioning hardware

Answer

To allow multiple processes to access the same physical device concurrently

Question 42

What is the primary benefit of RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)?

Accepted Answer

Improved data reliability

Answer

Increased storage capacity

Question 43

Which technique involves optimizing I/O performance by organizing data on disk drives?

Accepted Answer

Disk Defragmentation

Answer

Disk Fragmentation

Question 44

What is the purpose of a buffer in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

To store data temporarily during I/O operations

Answer

To manage memory allocation

Question 45

Which characteristic distinguishes a multiprocessor system?

Accepted Answer

Multiple CPUs share the same memory and I/O devices

Answer

Each CPU has its own dedicated memory and I/O devices

Question 46

What is the main difference between logical and physical memory?

Accepted Answer

Logical memory is managed by the operating system, while physical memory is accessible to user programs

Answer

Physical memory is accessible by the user programs, while logical memory is managed by the operating system

Question 47

What is the primary responsibility of a process scheduler?

Accepted Answer

Allocating CPU time to different processes

Answer

To manage memory allocation for processes

Question 48

What is a benefit of using a hierarchical file system?

Accepted Answer

It simplifies file management by organizing files into directories

Answer

It improves file access speed by reducing the search space