#1 Operating System Test - 68+ MCQs: Operating System Quiz: Test Your Knowledge with Operating System Questions and Answers

1. What is the role of a device driver in an operating system?

To translate programming code into machine code

To control peripheral hardware devices

To manage software applications

To create user interfaces

2. Which of the following is not an example of a multi-user operating system?

Windows 10

Linux

macOS

Unix

3. What is the 'shell' in the context of an operating system?

A protective outer layer of the computer

A type of operating system for submarines

A user interface for interacting with the operating system

A part of the computer's hardware

4. Which type of software manages the allocation of system resources in an operating system?

Application software

Device drivers

System software

Firmware

5. Which operating system is open-source and often used in servers and embedded systems?

Windows

macOS

Linux

Android

6. What is a context switch in an OS, and why is it necessary?

It is the process of switching between different user accounts.

It is the process of switching between different applications.

It is the process of saving and restoring the state of a CPU to allow multiple processes to share the same CPU.

It is the process of switching between different operating systems.

7. What is virtual memory, and why is it used in modern operating systems?

Virtual memory is a type of memory used in virtual machines.

Virtual memory is a marketing term for high-capacity RAM.

Virtual memory is a technique that uses disk space to simulate additional RAM, allowing larger programs and more processes to run.

Virtual memory is a type of memory used exclusively by graphics cards.

8. What is the purpose of a 'scheduler' in an operating system?

To schedule software updates

To manage appointments and calendars

To allocate CPU time to different tasks

To control screen brightness

9. What is the difference between a process and a thread in an operating system?

A process is a standalone program with its own memory space, while a thread is a smaller unit of a process that shares the same memory space as other threads in the same process.

A process and a thread are the same thing; the terms are used interchangeably.

A process is a collection of threads, and a thread is a collection of processes.

A process and a thread both refer to the same concept in an operating system.

10. Which operating system is known for its use on Apple's iPhones and iPads?

Windows

macOS

Linux

iOS

11. What is a race condition in multi-threaded programming, and how can it be avoided?

A race condition is a competition between multiple threads to access shared resources, leading to unpredictable and undesirable behavior. It can be avoided using mutexes (mutual exclusion) or synchronization primitives.

A race condition is a type of marathon race organized for programmers. It can be avoided by training harder.

A race condition is a situation where one thread is faster than others, and it cannot be avoided.

A race condition is a condition that occurs only in single-threaded programs.

12. Which operating system is known for its penguin mascot?

Windows

macOS

Linux

Android

13. What is a 'process' in the context of operating systems?

A program in execution

A type of computer virus

A peripheral device

A system configuration file

14. What is 'virtual memory' in an operating system?

A memory card used in virtual reality gaming

A feature that allows multiple operating systems to run simultaneously

A technique that uses disk space to simulate additional RAM

A type of memory used in graphics processing units (GPUs)

15. Which operating system is designed primarily for use on servers and is known for its stability?

Windows

macOS

Linux

iOS

16. What is the primary function of an operating system's 'shell'?

To provide protection against malware

To manage network connections

To provide a user interface for running commands and programs

To control the computer's power supply

17. What is the main function of a device driver in an operating system?

To manage computer memory

To manage network connections

To facilitate communication between the operating system and hardware devices

To organize files and folders

18. What is the purpose of the 'scheduler' in an operating system?

To schedule appointments for users

To manage the schedule of software updates

To manage the execution of processes and allocate CPU time

To schedule disk defragmentation tasks

19. What is the purpose of an 'interrupt' in the context of operating systems?

To stop the computer from functioning

To request the operating system's attention for a specific task

To initiate a computer shutdown

To send a signal to external devices

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

To store and organize data files

To control the computer's power supply

To manage the CPU's clock speed

To connect to the internet

21. What does CPU stand for in the context of operating systems?

Central Processing Unit

Computer Programming Unit

Central Power Unit

Computer Performance Unit

22. What is the purpose of the 'registry' in the Windows operating system?

To store user passwords

To maintain a record of all file changes

To store system configuration settings

To store software installation files

23. What is 'context switching' in the context of operating systems?

Switching between different keyboard layouts

Switching between user accounts

Switching between different operating systems

Switching between processes or tasks in the CPU

24. Which file system is commonly used in Windows operating systems?

NTFS

HFS+

EXT4

FAT32

25. In the context of operating systems, what does 'CLI' stand for?

Common Language Interface

Command Line Interface

Control Language Interpreter

Computer Language Interface

26. Which operating system is known for its use in smartphones and tablets?

Windows

Linux

iOS

macOS

27. What is 'file fragmentation' in the context of file systems?

A method of encrypting files

The process of breaking a file into smaller fragments

The process of defragmenting a hard drive

The scattered distribution of file data on a storage medium

28. In the context of file permissions, what does 'Read' permission allow a user to do?

Modify the file

View the contents of the file

Delete the file

Rename the file

29. What is the main purpose of the 'Task Manager' in Windows?

To play games

To browse the internet

To manage running processes and applications

To create documents

30. What is the main purpose of an operating system?

To manage hardware resources

To create software applications

To provide internet connectivity

To design user interfaces

31. Which operating system was developed by Microsoft as a successor to MS-DOS?

Windows 3.1

Windows 95

Windows XP

Windows 10

32. What is 'system call' in the context of operating systems?

A call for technical support

A request for a system upgrade

An interface for applications to request services from the operating system

A call made to report system errors

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

Running applications

Managing hardware resources

Displaying graphical user interfaces

Sending emails

34. What is a page fault in virtual memory management, and how is it handled?

A page fault occurs when a page of data is not found in physical memory and needs to be loaded from secondary storage. It is handled by the operating system's memory management unit, which fetches the required page from secondary storage and updates the page table.

A page fault is a type of memory error that cannot be handled.

A page fault is a situation where a program crashes.

A page fault is a situation where virtual memory is disabled.

35. Which operating system is commonly used on Apple Macintosh computers?

Windows

Linux

iOS

macOS

36. What is the primary function of the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) in a computer?

To manage computer memory

To manage network connections

To control the computer's power supply

To facilitate the initial startup of the computer

37. Which operating system is known for its use in scientific and research computing due to its scalability and performance?

Windows

Linux

macOS

iOS

38. What is 'RAID' in the context of storage management in operating systems?

A type of computer virus

A technique for data backup

A system for controlling external devices

A method of combining multiple disks to improve performance and redundancy

39. What is 'paging' in memory management of an operating system?

Turning pages of a book

A technique to divide physical memory into fixed-size blocks

A way to organize files in a file system

Printing documents

40. What is the purpose of an operating system's kernel?

To provide a graphical user interface

To manage memory and hardware resources

To create software applications

To design user interfaces

41. What is the purpose of a kernel in an operating system?

To manage hardware resources

To provide a graphical user interface

To execute user applications

To store system logs

42. Which operating system is open-source and widely used in server environments?

macOS

Windows

Linux

iOS

43. Which component of the operating system is responsible for managing memory?

Kernel

Compiler

Scheduler

File system

44. What is the primary function of a file system in an operating system?

To manage computer memory

To manage network connections

To organize and store data on storage devices

To control the computer's power supply

45. What is a 'shell' in the context of operating systems?

A protective case for computer hardware

A user interface for interacting with the operating system

A type of file format

A type of hardware device

46. What is 'file permissions' in the context of file systems and operating systems?

A list of files in a directory

A set of rules that determine who can access or modify a file

A file's location on a storage medium

A method of compressing files

47. Which operating system is known for its use in gaming consoles like the PlayStation?

Windows

Linux

iOS

PlayStation OS

48. What is the role of an interrupt in an operating system, and how does it affect system performance?

An interrupt is a signal generated by hardware or software to request the immediate attention of the CPU. It affects system performance by allowing the CPU to respond quickly to events and perform tasks efficiently.

An interrupt is a type of error that slows down system performance.

An interrupt is a message from the user to the operating system to stop all tasks.

An interrupt is a signal to restart the computer.

49. Which operating system is known for its use in servers and mainframes?

Windows

Linux

macOS

IBM z/OS

50. What is the role of a 'bootloader' in the startup process of a computer?

To load the operating system into memory

To create a backup of user data

To manage network connections

To play startup sounds

Operating System MCQ Test 1