Virtual Memory: Expanding Memory Horizons in Operating Systems

Question 1

Which technique is primarily used to implement virtual memory in operating systems?

Accepted Answer

Paging

Answer

Segmentation

Answer

Combining memory segments

Answer

Expanding physical memory size

Question 2

What is the main advantage of using virtual memory in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

Expands the perceived amount of memory available to programs

Answer

Eliminates the need for physical memory

Answer

Reduces the complexity of memory management

Answer

Provides better protection against memory corruption

Question 3

Which component of a virtual memory system is responsible for converting virtual addresses to physical addresses?

Accepted Answer

Memory Management Unit (MMU)

Answer

Page table

Answer

Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB)

Answer

File system

Question 4

What is the term used to describe the excessive and continuous swapping of program pages between main memory and secondary storage?

Accepted Answer

Thrashing

Answer

Segmentation fault

Answer

Page fault

Answer

Deadlock

Question 5

What is the primary function of a page table in virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Maps virtual addresses to physical addresses

Answer

Provides a buffer for recently accessed memory locations

Answer

Manages memory permissions

Answer

Implements scheduling algorithms

Question 6

What is the key purpose of segmentation in virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Isolating program segments to enhance protection and modularity

Answer

Simplifying memory management

Answer

Increasing memory efficiency

Answer

Providing exclusive access to memory regions

Question 7

Which of the following is the smallest unit of data that can be swapped in virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Page

Answer

Segment

Answer

Block

Answer

Cluster

Question 8

Describe the primary distinction between demand paging and prepaging in virtual memory.

Accepted Answer

Demand paging loads pages only when needed, while prepaging loads pages in anticipation.

Answer

Demand paging is used in single-user systems, while prepaging is used in multi-user systems.

Answer

Demand paging requires more memory overhead than prepaging.

Answer

Prepaging eliminates the possibility of page faults.

Question 9

What is the primary objective of utilizing virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

To augment the physical memory accessible to a running program

Answer

To accelerate the execution of frequently invoked programs

Answer

To facilitate memory sharing among multiple processes

Answer

To enhance the security of memory access

Question 10

Which of the following is not an advantage associated with the implementation of virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Mitigated security risks

Answer

Expansion of memory capacity

Answer

Performance optimization

Answer

Simplified memory management

Question 11

What is the specific region of secondary storage designated for storing pages that are temporarily removed from physical memory?

Accepted Answer

Swap space

Answer

Cache memory

Answer

Register memory

Answer

Main memory

Question 12

Which scheduling algorithm is commonly employed within virtual memory systems?

Accepted Answer

Least recently used (LRU)

Answer

First-in, first-out (FIFO)

Answer

Shortest job first (SJF)

Answer

Round-robin

Question 13

What is the term for the transfer of a page from physical memory to swap space?

Accepted Answer

Page out

Answer

Page fault

Answer

Page in

Answer

Segmentation fault

Question 14

Which of the following is a potential issue that can arise in virtual memory systems?

Accepted Answer

Thrashing

Answer

Deadlock

Answer

Segmentation violation

Answer

Memory leak

Question 15

Which of the following operating systems does not incorporate virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

DOS

Answer

Windows

Answer

Linux

Answer

MacOS

Question 16

In a virtual memory system, the virtual address space is typically designed to be larger than the physical address space.

Accepted Answer

True

Answer

False

Question 17

What is the primary trade-off when using virtual memory in operating systems?

Accepted Answer

A larger address space, but the risk of memory thrashing.

Answer

Larger memory capacity with improved security.

Answer

Less memory fragmentation and better process isolation.

Answer

Faster memory access and lower power consumption.

Question 18

Which of the following is the primary benefit of implementing virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Expands the amount of usable memory beyond physical memory limitations

Answer

Enhances the execution speed of applications

Answer

Decreases the necessity for disk storage

Answer

Eliminates the requirement for memory management

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a commonly used page replacement algorithm?

Accepted Answer

Round-Robin

Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

First-In First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Optimal

Question 20

What is the main purpose of a page table?

Accepted Answer

Tracks the location of pages in physical memory

Answer

Stores the actual data from virtual memory

Answer

Controls access to virtual memory addresses

Answer

Manages the assignment of physical memory

Question 21

Which of the following is a potential drawback associated with using virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Increased overhead due to page faults

Answer

Reduced memory efficiency

Answer

Lengthened application loading times

Answer

Increased susceptibility to data breaches

Question 22

What is the main advantage of a demand paging virtual memory system?

Accepted Answer

Reduces the memory needed at any given time

Answer

Eliminates the requirement for a page table

Answer

Improves performance in heavily loaded systems

Answer

Provides isolation between processes

Question 23

Which of the following is a potential drawback associated with virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Increased memory access time

Answer

Reduced system stability

Answer

Lowered multitasking capabilities

Answer

Enhanced data vulnerability

Question 24

Which page replacement algorithm is commonly used in virtual memory systems?

Accepted Answer

Least recently used (LRU)

Answer

First-in first-out (FIFO)

Answer

Last-in first-out (LIFO)

Answer

Optimal page replacement (OPT)

Question 25

In a virtual memory system, what is the function of the page table?

Accepted Answer

Keeping track of pages currently residing in memory

Answer

Storing the data for each page

Answer

Managing the movement of pages between memory and storage devices

Answer

Preventing unauthorized access to memory

Question 26

Virtual memory introduces security vulnerabilities. Explain these vulnerabilities and describe effective techniques to minimize the risks.

Accepted Answer

Paging and segmentation can isolate processes and prevent unauthorized memory access.

Answer

Virtual memory is inherently secure and does not pose any security risks.

Answer

Virtual memory allows processes to access each other's physical memory, but not virtual address spaces.

Answer

Security threats in virtual memory can be completely eliminated without the need for mitigation techniques.

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Improves the speed of memory access

Answer

Extends the available physical memory

Answer

Improves memory management efficiency

Answer

Reduces the need for real memory

Question 28

The page table is a data structure used in virtual memory to:

Accepted Answer

Map virtual memory addresses to physical memory addresses

Answer

Store data from programs

Answer

Manage the allocation of physical memory

Answer

Implement demand paging

Question 29

Which page replacement algorithm is known for its simplicity and fairness?

Accepted Answer

First-In First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

Optimal

Answer

Clock

Question 30

The process of transferring a page from physical memory to secondary storage is called:

Accepted Answer

Page out

Answer

Page in

Answer

Page fault

Answer

Thrashing

Question 31

The algorithm used to determine which pages of memory to swap out is known as a:

Accepted Answer

Page replacement algorithm

Answer

Page allocation algorithm

Answer

Page transfer algorithm

Answer

Page management algorithm

Question 32

Which of the following hardware components is essential for implementing virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Memory Management Unit (MMU)

Answer

Cache

Answer

Registers

Answer

Hard disk drive

Question 33

What is the purpose of a Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB)?

Accepted Answer

To cache frequently accessed page table entries

Answer

To manage the allocation of physical memory

Answer

To implement demand paging

Answer

To detect page faults

Question 34

What is the primary benefit of demand paging in virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Only pages that are needed are brought into physical memory

Answer

All pages of a program are allocated to physical memory at once

Answer

Page faults are prevented

Answer

Memory access speed is improved

Question 35

In a virtual memory system, the portion of memory that resides on the physical RAM is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Real memory

Answer

Page file

Answer

Swap space

Answer

Cache memory

Question 36

Which hardware component is responsible for translating virtual addresses into physical addresses in a virtual memory system?

Accepted Answer

Memory management unit (MMU)

Answer

Central processing unit (CPU)

Answer

Input/output (I/O) controller

Answer

Disk controller

Question 37

Which of the following is a key advantage of using virtual memory over physical memory only?

Accepted Answer

Increased memory capacity beyond physical limits

Answer

Improved multitasking capabilities

Answer

Enhanced security

Answer

Reduced power consumption

Question 38

What is a page fault exception, and how does it relate to virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

An exception that occurs when the CPU tries to access a virtual address that is not mapped to a physical address

Answer

An exception that occurs when the physical memory space is completely filled

Answer

An exception that occurs when a memory access permission violation happens

Answer

An exception that occurs when the operating system is running low on resources

Question 39

In the context of virtual memory, what is the purpose of a page table?

Accepted Answer

To store the mapping between virtual and physical addresses

Answer

To manage the allocation and deallocation of physical memory pages

Answer

To cache frequently accessed pages in physical memory

Answer

To prevent unauthorized access to virtual memory

Question 40

In the context of virtual memory management, what is the term for a fixed-size block of data that is swapped between physical memory and secondary storage?

Accepted Answer

Page

Answer

Frame

Answer

Segment

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT a commonly used page replacement algorithm?

Accepted Answer

Binary search

Answer

Least recently used (LRU)

Answer

First-in, first-out (FIFO)

Question 42

Which hardware component is primarily responsible for managing virtual memory and performing page replacement?

Accepted Answer

Memory management unit (MMU)

Answer

Random access memory (RAM)

Answer

Central processing unit (CPU)

Answer

Input-output controller (IOC)

Question 43

Compared to segmentation, what is a key advantage of using paging for virtual memory management?

Accepted Answer

Reduced internal fragmentation

Answer

Increased data locality

Answer

Improved memory security

Answer

Reduced TLB misses

Question 44

What is the primary goal of a demand paging scheme in virtual memory management?

Accepted Answer

To load pages into physical memory only when they are needed

Answer

To load all pages into physical memory at once

Answer

To replace pages in physical memory with less frequently used pages

Question 45

What is the term used to describe the situation where a program attempts to access a page that is not present in physical memory?

Accepted Answer

Page fault

Answer

Buffer overflow

Answer

Memory leak

Answer

Segmentation fault

Question 46

Which of the following is a primary benefit of implementing virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Expanded memory capacity beyond physical limits

Answer

Faster disk access speeds

Answer

Elimination of page faults

Answer

Enhanced processor efficiency

Question 47

In virtual memory, the process of transferring a page from secondary storage (disk) to primary memory (RAM) is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Page in

Answer

Page swap

Answer

Page out

Answer

Page fault

Question 48

Which page replacement algorithm aims to minimize the number of page faults by keeping track of recently used pages and prioritizing their retention in memory?

Accepted Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

First In First Out (FIFO)

Answer

Optimal

Answer

Random

Question 49

The primary function of a page table in virtual memory is to:

Accepted Answer

Translate virtual memory addresses into their corresponding physical memory addresses

Answer

Store the actual contents of pages

Answer

Manage page faults

Question 50

Which hardware component is responsible for translating virtual memory addresses into physical memory addresses?

Accepted Answer

Memory Management Unit (MMU)

Answer

Input/Output (I/O) Processor

Answer

Bus Controller

Answer

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Question 51

What is a potential drawback associated with the use of virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Increased latency due to page faults

Answer

Higher memory consumption in total

Answer

Reduced memory bandwidth

Answer

Increased security risks

Question 52

What is the key difference between a hard page fault and a soft page fault in virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

A hard page fault requires data to be loaded from secondary storage (disk), while a soft page fault does not.

Answer

A hard page fault is caused by user errors, while a soft page fault is caused by operating system errors.

Answer

A soft page fault occurs when a page is not found in memory, while a hard page fault occurs when a page is not found in virtual memory.