Memory Management: A Comprehensive Guide for Computer Science Students

Question 1

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Increased memory fragmentation

Answer

Increased address space

Answer

Improved performance for frequently used data

Answer

Increased memory protection

Question 2

In demand paging, when is a page loaded into memory from secondary storage?

Accepted Answer

When the CPU requests the page

Answer

When the operating system starts up

Answer

When there is free memory available

Answer

When a process ends

Question 3

What is a drawback of using virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Increased memory overhead

Answer

Enlarged address space

Answer

Enhanced performance for memory-demanding applications

Answer

Lessened memory fragmentation

Question 4

What is a potential drawback of using virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Thrashing, which can significantly slow down the system

Answer

Reduced memory fragmentation

Answer

Improved performance in systems with limited physical memory

Answer

Enhanced security and isolation between processes

Question 5

What is a drawback of using virtual memory in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

Introduction of memory overhead

Answer

Enhanced process isolation

Answer

Reduced memory fragmentation

Answer

Facilitated execution of memory-intensive applications

Question 6

What is a primary advantage of using virtual memory in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

Extends the effective memory capacity by allowing applications to use more memory than physically available.

Answer

Eliminates the need for page replacement algorithms.

Answer

Prevents memory fragmentation by allocating memory contiguously.

Answer

Ensures that processes cannot access invalid or unauthorized memory locations.

Question 7

In an operating system that employs virtual memory, what is a potential disadvantage?

Accepted Answer

Reduced system performance due to increased memory overhead

Answer

Elimination of memory fragmentation

Answer

Enhanced security through process isolation

Answer

Accelerated application execution for memory-intensive tasks

Question 8

Which memory management technique partitions physical memory into segments, allowing each segment to be paged independently?

Accepted Answer

Segmentation

Answer

Demand paging

Answer

Thrashing

Answer

Cache memory

Question 9

In a virtual memory system, which hardware component is responsible for translating virtual addresses to physical addresses?

Accepted Answer

MMU

Answer

CPU

Answer

Page table

Answer

Cache

Question 10

In a virtual memory system, which page replacement algorithm is known for its ease of implementation and minimal resource consumption?

Accepted Answer

First-In First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Optimal Algorithm

Answer

Clock Algorithm

Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Question 11

What is a key advantage of using virtual memory in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

Expanding the effective physical memory available to a process

Answer

Sharing physical memory between processes

Answer

Reducing external fragmentation

Answer

Eliminating the need for a memory management unit (MMU)

Question 12

Compared to physical memory, what is a primary advantage of virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Reduced memory fragmentation and improved utilization

Answer

Enhanced application isolation and security

Answer

Elimination of page faults and faster process execution

Answer

Direct access to physical memory by application programs

Question 13

In operating systems, which memory management technique is widely employed to efficiently allocate and organize memory for multiple processes?

Accepted Answer

Segmentation and Paging

Answer

Thrashing and Demand Paging

Answer

Cache Memory and Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB)

Question 14

In a paged virtual memory system, which page replacement algorithm utilizes past page usage data to decide which page to replace?

Accepted Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

First-In-First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Least Frequently Used (LFU)

Answer

Random

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Guaranteed performance improvement for all applications

Answer

Extended address space for processes

Answer

Uninterrupted execution of programs regardless of physical memory availability

Answer

Reduced memory fragmentation by enabling pages to be swapped out to disk

Question 16

In the Working Set Model, which component identifies the pages that a process has recently accessed and is likely to need again soon?

Accepted Answer

Working Set

Answer

Resident Set

Answer

Page Fault Rate

Answer

Memory Usage

Question 17

Which of the following is a scheduling algorithm, as opposed to a page replacement algorithm?

Accepted Answer

Round Robin

Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

First-In, First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Optimal Page Replacement

Question 18

In a paged memory management system, which statement is incorrect?

Accepted Answer

Paged memory management does not increase the overall memory capacity of the system.

Answer

Paged memory management can improve memory performance by reducing page faults.

Answer

Paged memory management allows virtual memory, enabling processes to access memory beyond their physical memory limits.

Question 19

In a Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB), what is the primary function of the tag field?

Accepted Answer

To compare incoming memory requests with the virtual page number to determine if the corresponding page is in physical memory.

Answer

To store the page frame number of the corresponding page in physical memory.

Answer

To store the protection bits associated with the corresponding page in memory.

Answer

To store the physical address of the corresponding page in memory.

Question 20

In a virtual memory system, which hardware component is responsible for translating virtual addresses to physical addresses?

Accepted Answer

Memory Management Unit (MMU)

Answer

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Answer

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Question 21

What is a potential disadvantage of using virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Higher memory fragmentation

Answer

Increased memory capacity

Answer

Improved performance through caching

Answer

Protection against memory access errors

Question 22

What is a primary objective of memory management in operating systems?

Accepted Answer

Efficiently allocate and deallocate memory to processes

Answer

Prevent memory leaks and segmentation faults

Answer

Isolate processes from each other

Answer

Optimize the performance of the operating system

Question 23

What is a key advantage of using virtual memory in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

Allows processes to use more memory than physically available

Answer

Eliminates the need for physical memory

Answer

Increases the speed of all running processes

Answer

Simplifies the creation of multithreaded programs

Question 24

In a virtual memory system, thrashing occurs when the demand for physical memory exceeds its availability. What is a direct result of thrashing?

Accepted Answer

Reduced processor utilization

Answer

Increased memory access efficiency

Answer

Enhanced responsiveness to user requests

Answer

Extended memory bandwidth consumption

Question 25

In virtual memory management, which page replacement algorithm is not commonly employed?

Accepted Answer

Most Recently Used (MRU)

Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

First-In First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Least Frequently Used (LFU)

Question 26

In an operating system using demand paging, what happens when a valid page reference is encountered but the corresponding page is not in main memory?

Accepted Answer

The missing page is retrieved from secondary storage into main memory.

Answer

The process that generated the page reference is terminated.

Answer

All active processes in the system are terminated.

Answer

The page reference is ignored, and execution continues.

Question 27

In a cache memory system, the main objective of a replacement policy algorithm is to:

Accepted Answer

Minimize cache misses

Answer

Maximize cache storage capacity

Answer

Reduce cache implementation costs

Answer

Enhance cache reliability

Question 28

In a paged virtual memory system, which page replacement algorithm is known for its simplicity, low overhead, but vulnerability to Belady's anomaly?

Accepted Answer

First-In First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

Optimal (OPT)

Answer

Least Frequently Used (LFU)

Question 29

In the Working Set Model, which component comprises the pages that a process has accessed recently and will likely need soon?

Accepted Answer

Dynamic Set

Answer

Resident Set

Answer

Clean Set

Question 30

In a virtual memory system that uses paging, what is the main purpose of the page table?

Accepted Answer

To map virtual memory addresses to physical memory addresses

Answer

To allocate physical memory to processes

Answer

To protect different memory regions

Answer

To implement the page replacement algorithm

Question 31

Which memory management technique enables a program to access a memory space that exceeds the physical memory capacity of the system?

Accepted Answer

Paging

Answer

Segmentation

Answer

Demand Paging

Question 32

When a page fault occurs in a virtual memory system, what action is taken?

Accepted Answer

The operating system retrieves the needed page from secondary storage and loads it into main memory.

Answer

The program that caused the page fault is ended, and its memory is recovered.

Answer

The operating system enters an endless loop, stopping all further execution.

Question 33

In a virtual memory system that employs demand paging, what is the primary concern with using this technique exclusively?

Accepted Answer

Increased risk of thrashing

Answer

Reduced memory overhead

Answer

Eliminated page faults

Answer

Guaranteed faster processing speeds

Question 34

In virtual memory management, which page replacement algorithm prioritizes replacing pages that have not been accessed recently?

Accepted Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

Most Recently Used (MRU)

Answer

First In First Out (FIFO)

Answer

Least Frequently Used (LFU)

Question 35

In a paging system, what data is stored in a page table?

Accepted Answer

Physical addresses of all pages in memory

Answer

List of valid and invalid pages in memory

Answer

Virtual addresses of all pages in memory

Question 36

Which memory management technique can effectively resolve external fragmentation, where fixed-size allocated memory blocks create unused spaces between them?

Accepted Answer

Compaction

Answer

Garbage Collection

Answer

Demand Paging

Answer

Buddy System

Question 37

Which page replacement algorithm is purely theoretical and cannot be implemented in practice?

Accepted Answer

Optimal Page Replacement

Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

First-In First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Least Frequently Used (LFU)

Question 38

How does cloud computing impact memory management strategies, considering its distributed architecture and resource sharing?

Accepted Answer

Cloud computing introduces challenges in memory management due to its distributed nature.

Answer

Cloud computing eliminates the need for memory management.

Answer

Cloud computing simplifies memory management with standardized allocation mechanisms.

Answer

Cloud computing makes memory management irrelevant as applications run entirely in the cloud.

Question 39

In virtual memory systems, how does demand segmentation differ from demand paging?

Accepted Answer

Demand segmentation divides the address space into fixed-size segments, while demand paging divides it into variable-size pages.

Answer

Demand segmentation eliminates external fragmentation, while demand paging does not.

Answer

Demand segmentation is a hardware-based technique, while demand paging is a software-based technique.

Answer

Demand segmentation is used in 32-bit systems, while demand paging is used in 64-bit systems.

Question 40

In the realm of memory management, which architectural or algorithmic advancement has been the most pivotal in shaping its evolution over the past decades?

Accepted Answer

Virtual memory

Answer

Multi-core processors

Answer

NAND flash memory

Answer

Cloud computing

Question 41

Which page replacement algorithm selects the page that has not been used for the longest amount of time?

Accepted Answer

Least recently used (LRU)

Answer

First-in, first-out (FIFO)

Answer

Clock

Answer

Optimal

Question 42

What is the primary function of the page fault handler?

Accepted Answer

To load the required page into memory

Answer

To terminate the program that initiated the page fault

Answer

To display an error message to the user

Answer

To restart the computer system

Question 43

For a workload exhibiting high locality of reference, which page replacement algorithm is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

First-In First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Optimal (OPT)

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of virtual memory?

Accepted Answer

Increased memory consumption

Answer

Extended address space

Answer

Reduced memory fragmentation

Answer

Enhanced performance

Question 45

In a multitasking operating system, which of the following advantages does paging offer over segmentation in terms of memory utilization?

Accepted Answer

Eliminates external fragmentation, allowing for more efficient memory utilization.

Answer

Provides built-in support for memory sharing between processes.

Answer

Eliminates the need for a relocation register in memory management.

Answer

Allows for faster context switching between processes.

Question 46

Which page replacement algorithm is simple, has low computational overhead, but can suffer from Belady's Anomaly?

Accepted Answer

First In First Out (FIFO)

Answer

Optimal (OPT)

Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Question 47

Which page replacement algorithm is known for its simplicity but may lead to suboptimal performance in specific scenarios?

Accepted Answer

First-In-First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

Optimal

Answer

Second Chance

Question 48

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

Accepted Answer

To map virtual addresses to physical memory locations

Answer

To manage physical memory allocation and deallocation

Answer

To track page usage and aid in page replacement decisions

Answer

To cache frequently accessed pages for performance enhancement

Question 49

How do memory protection mechanisms, like memory segmentation and paging, contribute to preserving system integrity?

Accepted Answer

By isolating processes and preventing unauthorized memory access.

Answer

By enhancing performance through optimized memory access speed.

Answer

By automatically detecting and correcting memory errors.

Question 50

What primary purpose does a page table serve?

Accepted Answer

Mapping virtual addresses to physical addresses

Answer

Managing the allocation of memory blocks

Answer

Storing process data and code

Answer

Controlling memory resource permissions

Question 51

Which action is considered a major cause of memory fragmentation?

Accepted Answer

Variable-sized memory allocation

Answer

Contiguous memory allocation

Answer

Page allocation

Answer

Buddy allocation

Question 52

What is the primary role of a memory management unit (MMU)?

Accepted Answer

Translating virtual memory addresses to physical memory addresses

Answer

Allocating and managing memory pages

Answer

Controlling memory resource access

Answer

Storing the code and data for a process

Question 53

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

Accepted Answer

Increased physical memory requirements

Answer

Increased apparent memory capacity

Answer

Improved performance for some workloads

Answer

Reduced memory fragmentation

Question 54

Which page replacement algorithm selects the page that has not been accessed for the longest period of time?

Accepted Answer

Least Recently Used (LRU)

Answer

First-In First-Out (FIFO)

Answer

Least Frequently Used (LFU)

Answer

Optimal

Question 55

What is the primary function of a memory management unit (MMU)?

Accepted Answer

To translate virtual addresses to physical addresses

Answer

To allocate memory to running processes

Answer

To handle page faults

Answer

To implement page replacement algorithms

Question 56

What is the main purpose of a Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB) in virtual memory management?

Accepted Answer

To cache frequently translated virtual-to-physical address mappings

Answer

To handle page faults

Answer

To implement page replacement algorithms

Answer

To allocate memory to processes

Question 57

What is the primary difference between a hard page fault and a soft page fault?

Accepted Answer

A hard page fault occurs when a page is not present in memory, while a soft page fault occurs when a page is present but not accessible

Answer

A soft page fault occurs when a page is not present in memory, while a hard page fault occurs when a page is present but not accessible

Answer

Hard page faults are faster to resolve than soft page faults

Answer

Soft page faults are more likely to occur than hard page faults

Question 58

Define the primary objective of memory management in an operating system.

Accepted Answer

Efficient allocation of memory to processes

Answer

Prevention of memory leaks

Answer

Enhancement of overall system responsiveness

Answer

Ensuring the integrity of data

Question 59

Describe virtual memory and its function.

Accepted Answer

A technique that extends physical memory using disk space

Answer

A special type of memory with faster access speeds than RAM

Answer

A reserved memory area dedicated to kernel operations

Answer

A system responsible for managing memory pages

Question 60

Explain the primary advantage of employing a hierarchical page table structure.

Accepted Answer

Enhanced efficiency in memory management operations

Answer

Reduction in the size of page tables

Answer

Faster access to memory

Answer

Improved security measures

Question 61

Explain the role of a Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB).

Accepted Answer

Caching frequently used page table entries

Answer

Managing page replacement algorithms

Answer

Allocating memory to processes

Answer

Handling memory protection

Question 62

Describe the purpose of a page table.

Accepted Answer

Storing physical memory addresses corresponding to virtual memory addresses

Answer

Managing page replacement algorithms

Answer

Allocating memory to processes

Answer

Handling memory protection

Question 63

Describe a significant challenge in memory management for multi-core processors.

Accepted Answer

Maintaining cache coherence

Answer

Preventing deadlocks

Answer

Overcoming memory bandwidth constraints

Answer

Managing virtualization

Question 64

Which memory management technique involves treating disk space as an extension of main memory, allowing programs to access virtual memory that is larger than their physical memory capacity?

Accepted Answer

Virtual memory

Answer

Segmentation

Answer

Paging

Answer

Swapping