Chapter 4

Operating System

A. Multiple choice questions:

1. Which among the following is not an example of an Operating System?
a. Windows 7

b. Linux

c. Unix

d. Microsoft Word

Ans. d. Microsoft Word

2. Name the type of Operating System that allows multiple users to run programs at the same time on
a single computer.
a. Multi-Threading Operating System

b. Multitasking Operating System

c. Distributed Operating System

d. Multi-User Operating System

Ans. d. Multi-User Operating System

3. Name the type of Operating System that processes inputs simultaneously to such an extent that it is
fast enough to affect the next input or process.
a. Real Time Operating System

b. Multitasking Operating System

c. Distributed Operating System

d. Multi-User Operating System

Ans. a. Real Time Operating System

4. Name the type of Operating System that allows several applications to be loaded and simultaneously
used in the memory.
a. Real Time Operating System

b. Multitasking Operating System

c. Distributed Operating System

d. Multi-User Operating System

Ans. b. Multitasking Operating System

5. Name the specialized program that acts as a path between the operating system and virtually all
hardware not on the computers motherboard.
a. Device Driver

b. Virtual Memory

c. System Driver

d. None of these

Ans. a. Device Driver

6. Which of the following does not come under the memory management of the Operating System?
a. It keeps track of the main memory and checks which part is in use and by which process. It also
keeps track of the part that is not in use.
b. It checks whether the RAM is physically broken or not and gives a relevant message during the
booting process.
c. It makes a decision on which process will get memory when and by how much.
d. It allocates the memory according to the requirement of the process.
Ans. b. It checks whether the RAM is physically broken or not and gives a relevant message
during the booting process.

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7. Which of the following is the File Management functionality of an Operating System?

a. It handles the organisation and tracking of files and directories (folders) saved or retrieved from
the secondary storage devices.
b. It ensures that a file is contained in a folder.
c. It does not track the time of creation of a file.
d. It ensures that the secondary memory is not used by any programs.
Ans. d. It ensures that the secondary memory is not used by any programs.
8. Name Indias Linux based Operating System developed at CDAC.
a. Bharat Linux

b. Bharat Operating System Solutions

c. India Operating System

d. All of these

Ans. b. Bharat Operating System Solutions

9. A very popular Operating System mage by Google for hand held devices like Smart Phones and Tablets.
a. Symbian

b. Windows 8

c. Android

d. iOS

Ans. c. Android
10. Name the developer of Linux.
a. Linus Benedict Torvalds

b. Linus Andrews

c. Linus Tux

d. Linus Benedict Simonds

Ans. a. Linus Benedict Torvalds

B. Fill in the blanks:
1. An Operating System is a software that provides a platform for other applications to be executed.
2. The Distributed operating system allows software and data to be distributed around the system.
3. Booting is the process of loading the Operating System into the memory during start up.
4. BOSS Linux is based upon Debian Linux which is one of the most stable Linux distribution.
5. ios is an Operating System used in iPhones.
6. Dennis Ritchie was one of the co-creators of the UNIX Operating System.
7. Process Scheduling is the process through which the Operating System decides which process gets
the processor when and for how much time.
8. The Solaris Operating System is currently maintained by Oracle Company.
9. The Kernel layer of the Operating System is responsible for multitasking, process control, exception
handling and interrupt processing.
10. The User Interface is a software layer which allows the user to interact directly with the operating
system.
11. Multithreading is an Operating System that allows different parts of a single program to run
concurrently.
C. State whether the following statements are true or false:
1. The iOS is developed and maintained by Apple.

[True]

2. Real Time and Multi Threading Operating System behaves same like each other.

[False]

3. Booting is the process of storing the Operating System into the Hard Disk.

[False]

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4. Tracking of files and folders is the File Management functionality.

[True]

5. The lowest layer of the Operating System layer is the Kernel.

[True]

6. Operating System is not responsible for de-allocating the memory when a process no longer
requires it.
[False]
7. An Application Software can execute even without an Operating System.

[False]

8. Symbian is an Operating System developed by Google.

[False]

9. iOS is a very popular Operating System in Apples hand-held devices.

[True]

10. An Application Software allocates the CPU to a process.

[False]

11. Operating System is also responsible for managing devices.

D. Answer the following questions:

[True]

1. What is an Operating System?

Ans. An Operating System is a System Software that manages and serves other programs and also
provides an interface for the user to interact with a computer.
2. Why is an Operating System needed for a Computer System?
Ans. An operating system is the driving force for using the computer. It provides a software platform,
on top of which, other programs, called application programs are executed. The application
programs are designed in such a way that it can run on the environment of a particular
operating system.
3. State one difference between Multiprocessing and Multitasking Operating System.
Ans. Multiprocessing Operating System supports and allocates programs on more than one CPU (or
processor). Multi-tasking operating System on the other hand allows several applications to be
loaded and simultaneously used in the memory. But the processor handles only one application
at a particular time and is capable of switching between the applications giving a feeling that
each application is getting executed simultaneously.
4. What is the function of a Distributed Operating System?
Ans. Distributed operating system allows software and data to be distributed around the system.
The software and files are stored on different storage devices which are located in different
geographical locations and may be accessed from different computer terminals using this
operating system.
5. Name the different functionalities associated with an Operating System.
Ans. The different functionalities associated with an Operating System are:
Booting the Computer
Processor Management
Device Management
Memory Management
File Management
User Interface
Application Program Interface(API)
Protection and Security
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6. State the process of Booting in a Computer System.

Ans. Booting refers to the process of powering on a computer and getting into the operating system.
During the boot process, the computer will perform a self-diagnostic, also known as a POST
(Power On Self-Test) and load necessary drivers and programs that help the computer and
devices communicate into the RAM.
7. Give two functionalities of the Processor Management.
Ans. Two functions of the Processor Management of an Operating System are:
The operating system keeps track of the processor and the status of process.
The operating system allocates the processor (CPU) to a process.
8. What do you understand by the term device management?
Ans. The operating system is responsible for managing device communication via their respective
drivers. The device driver is a specialized program that acts as a path between the operating
system and virtually all hardware not on the computers motherboard. The device driver acts
as a translator between the electrical signals of the hardware subsystems and the high-level
programming languages of the operating system, application and utility programs.
9. State two functionalities of the Memory Management of an Operating System.
Ans. The two functionalities of the Memory Management of an Operating System are:
The operating system keeps track of the main memory and checks which part is in use and by
which process. It also keeps track of the part that is not in use.
The operating system makes a decision on which process will get memory when and by how much.
Thus each process must have enough memory in which to execute, and should not overlap the
memory space of another process nor be run into by another process.
10. What is File Management?
Ans. The file management capability of an operating system is responsible for the way files and folders
are efficiently stored in the secondary memory. Accessing such files and folders in the easiest
possible manner is also its responsibility.
11. What is User Interface? What are the two possible User Interfaces of an Operating System?
Ans. User Interface refers to the environment through which a user interacts with the computer. The
two popular user interfaces are:
Character User Interface (CUI)
Graphics User Interface (GUI)
12. State two security features that an Operating System can provide.
Ans. Two security features that an Operating System can provide are:
The accessibility of different applications, processes, user accounts are controlled by a protection
mechanism. This leads to the resources of the computer to be used in a consistent way.
The security mechanism of the operating system prevents unauthorized access to the computer.
13. Name the different layers in an Operating System Model.
Ans. There are five different layers in an Operating System namely:
User Interface
File Management System
Input / Output
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 Memory Management
Kernel
14. What is a Kernel?
Ans. The Kernel of an Operating System refers to the lowest layer of the operating system. It acts as a
regulator for the whole system, controlling the allocation of time slices to users or processes and
ensuring that resources are allocated fairly. The kernel is responsible for multi-tasking, process
control, exception handling (on error handling ) and interrupt processing.
15. What made Android Operating System so popular?
Ans. Android Operating System is popular in hand-held devices not only it is because it is free, but is
also a stable version available for download in public environment.
E. Application based questions:
1. Mr Simonds is planning to use a free open source Operating System for personal use, with a
host of Applications packaged with it. Suggest an Operating System with such requirements
and also the reason for the choice.
Ans. Mr Simonds can go for Linux Operating System not only because it is free because of the
number of application that comes packed with it.
2. You know by now that BOSS is an Indian answer to the multilingual (for Indian languages)
requirement, which keeps it apart from the Operating System generally of the West.
a. Name an Office software that is used in it.

b. Name a fairly heavy graphics software in it.

Ans.
a. Bharateeya OpenOffice

b. GIMP for graphics

3. Mrs Sadhana want her personal office PC to be secured and protected. Suggest some built-in
features of the Operating System that gives her the protection and security required.
Ans. Some of the built-in features of an operating system that would give Mrs Sadhana protection
and security are:
It allows user accounts for each individual accounts for each user,
It allows user authorisation can be attained using password protection.
It allows the user to define and thus allows accessibility of different kind of information for different
people.
It allows data encryption thus allowing protection of data by making it un-understandable for those
for which it is not meant for.
It allows data backup for storing data on a peripheral device other than the hard disk.
In a networked environment, only trusted computers should be able to share data. Some of the
common security threats occur due to hacking, viruses, etc.
4. Mr. Rohan just started learning about computer. He is planning to buy a computer system, but
he got stuck with the requirement of the Operating Systems User Interface. Suggest him and
User Interface along with reasons.
Ans. For Mr Rohan an Operating System that provides Graphical User Interface is more preferable as
it is easy to master without much of an effort unlike a Character User Interface which requires
some effort, because Mr. Rohan needs to know the different commands through which he can
make the computer do some task.
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5. One of the primary features of an Operating System is File Management. State at least three
functionalities of the File Management.
Ans. The File Management feature of an Operating System provides the following functionalities:
It handles the organisation and tracking of files and directories (folders) saved or retrieved from the
secondary storage devices.
It allows the user to perform such tasks as creating files and directories, renaming files, copying and
moving files and deleting files.
It keeps track of information, location, uses, status, etc., of the file system.
It decides which process gets the secondary memory resources, allocates the resources and deallocate the resources when the process is complete.

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