Master Synchronization and Communication in Computer Architecture: A Comprehensive Guide

Question 1

In multithreaded programming, what is the main purpose of a semaphore?

Accepted Answer

Preventing race conditions

Answer

Causing deadlocks

Answer

Improving performance through parallel execution

Answer

Storing data shared between threads

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a synchronization primitive used in computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

HTTP GET request

Answer

Lock

Answer

Semaphore

Answer

Spinlock

Question 3

What is the primary function of a semaphore in computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

To protect critical sections of code from concurrent access

Answer

To signal events between threads or processes

Answer

To enforce a specific order of execution

Answer

To prevent deadlocks

Question 4

What is the key difference between a spinlock and a semaphore in computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Spinlocks are faster but can lead to busy waiting, while semaphores are more efficient but require context switching

Answer

Semaphores are faster but can lead to busy waiting, while spinlocks are more efficient but require context switching

Answer

Spinlocks use hardware instructions, while semaphores use software

Answer

There is no difference between spinlocks and semaphores

Question 5

What is the role of the 'CAS' (Compare-And-Swap) instruction in synchronization in computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

To atomically read and update the value of a memory location

Answer

To prevent race conditions

Answer

To implement locks and semaphores

Answer

To synchronize threads across different processors

Question 6

In message-passing systems, what is the primary purpose of a message queue?

Accepted Answer

Temporary storage for messages exchanged between processes

Answer

Direct message exchange without intermediate storage

Answer

Synchronization mechanism for shared memory access

Answer

Hardware component for physical message transfer

Question 7

In computer architecture, what is the primary function of a semaphore?

Accepted Answer

To manage access to shared resources

Answer

To enable communication among threads

Answer

To enforce program execution order

Answer

To identify deadlocks

Question 8

What is the primary purpose of a barrier synchronization primitive?

Accepted Answer

To coordinate the execution of multiple threads

Answer

To safeguard shared resources from simultaneous access

Answer

To facilitate message exchange between threads

Answer

To identify memory leaks

Question 9

In the context of multi-threading, what is a critical section?

Accepted Answer

A code segment that must be executed by only one thread at a time

Answer

A shared data structure requiring protection from concurrent access

Answer

A mechanism for inter-process communication

Answer

A method for detecting deadlocks

Question 10

Describe the distinction between a spinlock and a blocking lock.

Accepted Answer

A spinlock continuously checks for resource availability, while a blocking lock waits.

Answer

A blocking lock continuously checks for resource availability, while a spinlock waits.

Answer

A spinlock is always faster than a blocking lock.

Answer

A blocking lock is always faster than a spinlock.

Question 11

In the context of synchronization, what is the purpose of a monitor?

Accepted Answer

To enforce mutual exclusion and provide condition synchronization

Answer

To detect and resolve deadlocks

Answer

To facilitate message passing between threads

Answer

To enhance cache performance

Question 12

¿Cuál es la principal diferencia entre un semáforo y un bloqueo?

Accepted Answer

Un semáforo tiene un contador que realiza un seguimiento del número de procesos que esperan para entrar en la sección crítica, mientras que un bloqueo no.

Answer

Un bloqueo solo se puede adquirir una vez, mientras que un semáforo se puede adquirir varias veces.

Answer

Un semáforo es un dispositivo de hardware, mientras que un bloqueo es una construcción de software.

Answer

No hay ninguna diferencia entre un semáforo y un bloqueo.

Question 13

¿Cuál es el propósito de un mecanismo de sincronización de barrera?

Accepted Answer

Garantizar que todos los subprocesos de un grupo hayan llegado a un determinado punto antes de continuar.

Answer

Proteger las secciones críticas del acceso concurrente.

Answer

Gestionar la asignación de recursos entre subprocesos.

Answer

Facilitar la comunicación entre subprocesos sin memoria compartida.

Question 14

¿Cuál es el propósito principal de un bloqueo de lectura-escritura?

Accepted Answer

Imponer acceso exclusivo a un recurso compartido por un único escritor o lector a la vez.

Answer

Permitir que varios lectores accedan simultáneamente a un recurso compartido.

Answer

Permitir que varios escritores accedan simultáneamente a un recurso compartido.

Answer

Evitar interbloqueos en sistemas multiprocesador.

Question 15

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre una técnica de sincronización de espera activa y una de espera inactiva?

Accepted Answer

La espera activa comprueba continuamente una condición, mientras que la espera inactiva bloquea el subproceso hasta que se cumple una condición.

Answer

La espera inactiva comprueba continuamente una condición, mientras que la espera activa bloquea el subproceso hasta que se cumple una condición.

Answer

La espera activa utiliza un bloqueo giratorio, mientras que la espera inactiva utiliza un semáforo.

Answer

No hay ninguna diferencia entre la espera activa y la espera inactiva.

Question 16

¿Cuál es la principal limitación del uso de semáforos para la sincronización?

Accepted Answer

Pueden provocar una inversión de prioridad.

Answer

Requieren una lógica de programación compleja.

Answer

No son compatibles con todos los sistemas operativos.

Answer

Solo se pueden utilizar para la sincronización binaria (0 o 1).

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a lock implementation technique in computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

Semaphore

Answer

Test-and-Set

Answer

Compare-and-Swap

Answer

Mutual Exclusion Lock

Question 18

What is the primary purpose of a semaphore in synchronization?

Accepted Answer

To ensure exclusive access to shared resources

Answer

To allow multiple processes to access shared resources concurrently

Answer

To prioritize access to resources for specific processes

Answer

To detect deadlocks and prevent system crashes

Question 19

What is the fundamental difference between a spinlock and a blocking lock?

Accepted Answer

Spinlocks actively wait for a lock to become available, while blocking locks pause the process until the lock is released.

Answer

Spinlocks pause the process until the lock is released, while blocking locks actively wait for the lock to become available.

Answer

Spinlocks are used for short-term resource protection, while blocking locks are used for long-term resource protection.

Answer

There is no difference between spinlocks and blocking locks.

Question 20

What is the primary role of a synchronization primitive in computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

To control access to shared resources and ensure data integrity

Answer

To improve the performance of parallel processes

Answer

To detect and resolve deadlocks

Answer

To provide a communication channel between processes

Question 21

What is the distinction between a critical section and a lock in computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

A critical section is a region of code that must be executed atomically, while a lock is a mechanism to enforce exclusive access to a critical section.

Answer

A lock is a region of code that must be executed atomically, while a critical section is a mechanism to enforce exclusive access to a lock.

Answer

There is no difference between a critical section and a lock.

Answer

Critical sections are used for long-term resource protection, while locks are used for short-term resource protection.

Question 22

What is the main purpose of a semaphore in the context of computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

To signal the availability of resources

Answer

To protect critical sections of code

Answer

To enforce mutual exclusion

Answer

To implement a first-in-first-out (FIFO) queue

Question 23

What is a deadlock in the context of computer architecture?

Accepted Answer

A situation where multiple processes wait indefinitely for each other to release resources

Answer

A logical error that prevents a program from executing correctly

Answer

A synchronization primitive that ensures mutual exclusion

Answer

A type of communication channel used in distributed systems

Question 24

Which of the following is **not** a common technique for synchronizing threads in multithreaded programming?

Accepted Answer

Synchronization object

Answer

Semaphore

Answer

Message queue

Answer

Lock

Question 25

Which of the following is a type of semaphore typically used to restrict access to a resource to a specific number of threads?

Accepted Answer

Counting semaphore

Answer

Condition variable

Answer

Binary semaphore

Answer

Mutex

Question 26

Which of the following is a mechanism used to communicate between threads that share a common memory space, allowing for message passing?

Accepted Answer

Message queue

Answer

Socket

Answer

Pipe

Answer

Signal

Question 27

Which of the following is an advantage of using locks for thread synchronization?

Accepted Answer

They guarantee exclusive access to shared resources, preventing concurrent access.

Answer

They can be used to implement deadlock-free synchronization.

Answer

They are more efficient than semaphores.

Question 28

Which of the following is a key benefit of using message queues for inter-thread communication?

Accepted Answer

They decouple the sender and receiver threads, enabling asynchronous communication.

Answer

They are faster than pipes and sockets.

Answer

They are more secure than other communication methods.

Question 29

Which of the following is a type of inter-process communication (IPC) mechanism that allows processes to directly exchange data through shared memory?

Accepted Answer

Pipe

Answer

Signal

Answer

Socket

Answer

Message queue

Question 30

Which of the following is a commonly used pattern in object-oriented programming for implementing synchronization between threads?

Accepted Answer

Guarded block

Answer

Factory

Answer

Builder

Answer

Singleton

Question 31

Which synchronization mechanism enforces mutual exclusion, permitting only one thread to access a critical section at a time?

Accepted Answer

Lock

Answer

Message queue

Answer

Monitor

Answer

Semaphore

Question 32

What is the primary function of a semaphore within the context of synchronization?

Accepted Answer

Regulate access to shared resources

Answer

Temporarily store data

Answer

Protect critical sections

Answer

Transmit messages between processes

Question 33

Which communication mechanism enables asynchronous data exchange between processes that are not directly connected?

Accepted Answer

Message queue

Answer

Monitor

Answer

Lock

Answer

Semaphore

Question 34

What is a deadlock in the context of synchronization?

Accepted Answer

A scenario where two or more processes wait indefinitely for resources held by each other

Answer

A situation where a process cannot acquire a resource due to contention

Answer

A condition where a thread waits for a lock that is never released

Question 35

Which of the following is a potential benefit of utilizing locks for synchronization?

Accepted Answer

Ensuring data integrity by preventing concurrent access to shared variables

Answer

Enhancing performance by minimizing context switching overhead

Answer

Simplifying code by eliminating the need for complex synchronization mechanisms

Question 36

What is a race condition in the context of synchronization?

Accepted Answer

A situation where the outcome of a computation depends on the unpredictable order of execution of multiple threads

Answer

A condition where a thread acquires a lock unnecessarily

Answer

A state where a process cannot progress due to waiting for a resource

Question 37

What is the primary purpose of a monitor in synchronization?

Accepted Answer

To encapsulate both data and synchronization mechanisms, enabling controlled access to shared resources

Answer

To establish a global lock that prevents all processes from accessing shared data simultaneously

Question 38

What is the primary function of a condition variable in synchronization?

Accepted Answer

To enable threads to wait until a specific condition is met before proceeding

Answer

To signal the completion of a task

Answer

To protect shared resources from concurrent access

Question 39

In a producer-consumer scenario, what is the primary role of a message queue?

Accepted Answer

To act as a buffer for messages, decoupling the producer and consumer

Answer

To ensure synchronized access to shared resources

Answer

To enable communication between processes on different machines

Question 40

A deadlock occurs when:

Accepted Answer

Two or more processes become blocked indefinitely, each waiting for a resource held by another

Answer

Deadlocks are easily detected and resolved by the operating system

Question 41

A barrier synchronization mechanism is typically used to:

Accepted Answer

Ensure all participating threads reach a specific point before proceeding further

Answer

Allow threads to access a shared resource in a mutually exclusive manner

Answer

Send messages between threads running on different cores

Question 42

Which technique can be employed to prevent deadlocks?

Accepted Answer

Resource ordering

Answer

Increasing the number of available resources

Answer

Using a single semaphore for all shared resources

Question 43

In a multi-threaded environment, which technique is commonly used to ensure thread safety for shared data structures?

Accepted Answer

Using locks to protect critical sections

Answer

Increasing the priority of threads

Answer

Disabling interrupts

Answer

Using asynchronous communication

Question 44

Which synchronization mechanism enables mutual exclusion and allows threads to wait for a specific condition to be fulfilled?

Accepted Answer

Condition variable

Answer

Spinlock

Answer

Mutex

Answer

Semaphore

Question 45

A critical section represents a code segment that:

Accepted Answer

Should only be executed by one thread at a time to prevent data corruption.

Answer

Is only accessible by threads with elevated permissions.

Answer

Can be executed concurrently by multiple threads without issues.

Question 46

What is the primary objective of a semaphore?

Accepted Answer

To regulate access to a shared resource by limiting the number of threads that can access it simultaneously.

Answer

To provide a means of inter-process communication.

Question 47

What constitutes the fundamental distinction between a mutex and a semaphore?

Accepted Answer

A mutex enforces mutual exclusion, whereas a semaphore regulates access to a resource with a finite number of units.

Answer

A mutex can be used for inter-process communication, whereas a semaphore cannot.

Question 48

Which of the following drawbacks may arise when utilizing a spinlock for synchronization?

Accepted Answer

Excessive CPU consumption when a thread awaits the lock.

Answer

Implementation challenges in multi-core systems.

Answer

It offers weaker synchronization guarantees than other methods.

Question 49

A race condition occurs when:

Accepted Answer

Multiple threads concurrently access and modify shared data, leading to unpredictable outcomes.

Answer

A thread is blocked waiting for a resource that is already in use.

Answer

Two threads attempt to acquire the same lock simultaneously.

Question 50

What is the primary purpose of a message queue in inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

To facilitate asynchronous message exchange between processes, acting as a buffer for messages.

Answer

To enforce a specific order of communication between processes.

Answer

To establish a direct connection between processes for real-time communication.

Question 51

In the context of computer networks, which of the following is an illustration of a widely used communication protocol?

Accepted Answer

TCP/IP

Answer

Semaphore

Answer

Mutex

Answer

Spinlock