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Chapter 2: Processes and Threads

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1. What is a process in an operating system?
a) A program in execution
b) A program in storage
c) A program in input/output
d) A program in compilation
Answer: a) A program in execution

2. Which of the following is not a state of a process?

a) Running
b) Blocked
c) Sleeping
d) Debugging
Answer: d) Debugging

3. What is a thread in an operating system?

a) A program in execution
b) A lightweight process
c) A process in input/output
d) A process in compilation
Answer: b) A lightweight process

4. Which of the following is not a benefit of multithreading?

a) Improved responsiveness
b) Efficient use of resources
c) Reduced context switching
d) Simplified program design
Answer: c) Reduced context switching

5. What is the purpose of a process scheduler in an operating system?

a) To allocate CPU time to processes
b) To manage threads within a process
c) To manage input/output operations
d) To manage memory allocation
Answer: a) To allocate CPU time to processes

6. What is the difference between a user-level thread and a kernel-level thread?

a) User-level threads are faster than kernel-level threads
b) User-level threads are managed by the operating system, while kernel-level
threads are managed by the user
c) User-level threads are invisible to the operating system, while kernel-level
threads are visible
d) User-level threads are less efficient than kernel-level threads
Answer: c) User-level threads are invisible to the operating system, while kernel-
level threads are visible

7. Which of the following is not a type of process synchronization mechanism?

a) Semaphores
b) Monitors
c) Locks
d) Threads
Answer: d) Threads

8. What is a critical section in a process?

a) A section of code that must be executed atomically
b) A section of code that is not important
c) A section of code that is executed before the main program
d) A section of code that is executed after the main program
Answer: a) A section of code that must be executed atomically

9. Which of the following is not a deadlock prevention technique?

a) Resource allocation graph
b) Banker's algorithm
c) Timeouts
d) Starvation avoidance
Answer: d) Starvation avoidance

10. What is the purpose of a mutex?

a) To prevent deadlocks
b) To protect shared resources
c) To manage threads
d) To manage processes
Answer: b) To protect shared resources

11. Which of the following is not a type of thread synchronization mechanism?

a) Semaphores
b) Monitors
c) Locks
d) Preemption
Answer: d) Preemption

12. What is a context switch in an operating system?

a) When a process voluntarily gives up the CPU
b) When a process is interrupted and the CPU switches to another process
c) When a process is terminated
d) When a process is created
Answer: b) When a process is interrupted and the CPU switches to another process

13. Which of the following is not a reason why processes may need to communicate
with each other?
a) Sharing data
b) Coordination
c) Load balancing
d) Debugging
Answer: d) Debugging
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14. What is a process?
a) An executable program
b) A thread of execution
c) A unit of computation
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above

15. What is a thread?

a) A unit of computation
b) A lightweight process
c) A program
d) A device driver
Answer: b) A lightweight process

16. Which of the following is true about a process?

a) It has its own memory space
b) It shares memory space with other processes
c) It shares memory space with its threads
d) None of the above
Answer: a) It has its own memory space
17. Which of the following is true about a thread?
a) It has its own memory space
b) It shares memory space with other threads in the same process
c) It shares memory space with other processes
d) None of the above
Answer: b) It shares memory space with other threads in the same process

18. What is the purpose of a process control block (PCB)?

a) To store information about a process
b) To allocate memory to a process
c) To execute a process
d) To schedule a process
Answer: a) To store information about a process

19. What is the purpose of a thread control block (TCB)?

a) To store information about a thread
b) To allocate memory to a thread
c) To execute a thread
d) To schedule a thread
Answer: a) To store information about a thread

20. Which of the following is true about context switching?

a) It occurs when a process is created
b) It occurs when a process is terminated
c) It occurs when a process is suspended
d) It occurs when a process is resumed
Answer: c) It occurs when a process is suspended

21. What is the difference between a user-level thread and a kernel-level thread?
a) A user-level thread is managed by the operating system, while a kernel-level
thread is managed by the application.
b) A user-level thread is faster than a kernel-level thread.
c) A user-level thread is less efficient than a kernel-level thread.
d) A user-level thread is not visible to the operating system, while a kernel-level
thread is.
Answer: d) A user-level thread is not visible to the operating system, while a
kernel-level thread is.

22. Which of the following is true about a multi-threaded process?

a) It has multiple processes
b) It has multiple threads
c) It has multiple CPUs
d) It has multiple memory spaces
Answer: b) It has multiple threads

23. What is thread synchronization?

a) The ability of multiple threads to access shared resources without interference
b) The ability of a single thread to access multiple resources simultaneously
c) The ability of multiple threads to run in parallel
d) The ability of a single thread to execute multiple instructions simultaneously
Answer: a) The ability of multiple threads to access shared resources without
interference

24. What is a critical section?

a) A section of code that only one thread can execute at a time
b) A section of code that all threads can execute at the same time
c) A section of code that only kernel-level threads can execute
d) A section of code that only user-level threads can execute
Answer: a) A section of code that only one thread can execute at a time
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25. What is a process in an operating system?
a) A program that is loaded into memory and ready to execute
b) A program that is still in the secondary storage
c) A program that has been terminated
d) A program that is not allowed to run on the operating system
Answer: a

26. What is a thread in an operating system?

a) A lightweight process that can run in parallel with other threads
b) A process that is loaded into memory and ready to execute
c) A process that has been terminated
d) A process that is not allowed to run on the operating system
Answer: a

27. What is the main difference between a process and a thread?

a) A process can contain multiple threads, while a thread can only belong to one
process
b) A process is executed on the CPU, while a thread is executed on the GPU
c) A process and a thread are the same thing
d) A thread can contain multiple processes, while a process can only belong to one
thread
Answer: a

28. What is context switching in an operating system?

a) The process of switching between processes or threads to allow them to run
b) The process of switching between users to allow them to access the system
c) The process of switching between CPUs to improve performance
d) The process of switching between storage devices to improve data access
Answer: a

29. What is a process control block (PCB)?

a) A data structure that contains information about a process, such as its state,
priority, and resource usage
b) A data structure that contains information about a thread, such as its state,
priority, and resource usage
c) A data structure that contains information about the operating system, such as
its version and installed applications
d) A data structure that contains information about the computer hardware, such as
its CPU and memory capacity
Answer: a

30. What is a thread control block (TCB)?

a) A data structure that contains information about a thread, such as its state,
priority, and resource usage
b) A data structure that contains information about a process, such as its state,
priority, and resource usage
c) A data structure that contains information about the operating system, such as
its version and installed applications
d) A data structure that contains information about the computer hardware, such as
its CPU and memory capacity
Answer: a

31. What is a semaphore in an operating system?

a) A synchronization tool used to manage access to shared resources between
processes or threads
b) A tool used to measure the performance of the CPU
c) A tool used to measure the performance of the memory
d) A tool used to measure the performance of the network
Answer: a

32. What is a mutex in an operating system?

a) A synchronization tool used to manage access to shared resources between threads
b) A tool used to measure the performance of the CPU
c) A tool used to measure the performance of the memory
d) A tool used to measure the performance of the network
Answer: a

33. What is a critical section in an operating system?

a) A portion of code that accesses a shared resource and needs to be synchronized
b) A portion of code that does not access a shared resource and does not need to be
synchronized
c) A portion of code that is not allowed to execute on the CPU
d) A portion of code that is not allowed to execute on the GPU
Answer: a
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34. What is the primary difference between a process and a thread in an operating
system?
a. A process is a unit of execution, while a thread is a unit of scheduling.
b. A process is a unit of scheduling, while a thread is a unit of execution.
c. A process is a separate program, while a thread is a subset of a process.
d. A process is a subset of a thread, while a thread is a separate program.
Answer: c.

35. Which of the following statements is true about threads?

a. Threads share the same memory space with other threads in the same process.
b. Threads have their own separate memory space in the operating system.
c. Threads are isolated from other threads in the same process.
d. Threads can only run on one processor at a time.
Answer: a.

36. What is the benefit of using threads in an operating system?

a. Threads allow for efficient use of memory resources.
b. Threads allow for better use of the CPU.
c. Threads allow for better security.
d. Threads allow for easier debugging.
Answer: b.

37. What is the difference between a user-level thread and a kernel-level thread?
a. User-level threads are managed by the operating system, while kernel-level
threads are managed by the user.
b. User-level threads are faster than kernel-level threads.
c. User-level threads are less secure than kernel-level threads.
d. User-level threads are managed by the user, while kernel-level threads are
managed by the operating system.
Answer: d.

38. How are processes and threads related to each other in an operating system?
a. A process can have multiple threads, but a thread cannot have multiple
processes.
b. A process and a thread are the same thing in an operating system.
c. A process is always made up of multiple threads.
d. A thread can have multiple processes, but a process cannot have multiple
threads.
Answer: a.

39. What is a context switch in an operating system?

a. A process switching between different threads.
b. A thread switching between different processes.
c. An interrupt that causes a process to switch to a different thread.
d. A system call that causes a process to switch to a different process.
Answer: b.

40. Which of the following is an example of a multithreaded operating system?

a. Windows XP
b. MS-DOS
c. Mac OS X
d. Linux
Answer: d.

41. What is a thread pool in an operating system?

a. A group of threads that are assigned to a specific task.
b. A group of threads that are assigned to different tasks.
c. A group of processes that share a common memory space.
d. A group of processes that are assigned to a specific task.
Answer: a.

42. What is the difference between a process switch and a thread switch?
a. A process switch involves switching between different processes, while a thread
switch involves switching between different threads.
b. A process switch involves switching between different threads, while a thread
switch involves switching between different processes.
c. A process switch and a thread switch are the same thing.
d. A process switch and a thread switch are not possible in the same operating
system.
Answer: a.

43. What is a deadlock in an operating system?

a. A situation where two or more processes or threads are waiting for each other to
release a resource.
b. A situation where a process or thread is waiting for a resource that is not
available.
c. A situation where a process or thread has used up all available memory.
d. A situation where a process or thread has been terminated unexpectedly.
Answer: a.
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44. What is a process in an operating system?
a) A program in execution
b) A file stored on the hard drive
c) A data structure in RAM
d) A peripheral device connected to the computer
Answer: a) A program in execution

45. What is a thread in an operating system?

a) A separate program running in the background
b) A unit of execution within a process
c) A type of file stored on the hard drive
d) A peripheral device connected to the computer
Answer: b) A unit of execution within a process

46. Which of the following is not an advantage of using threads in an operating

system?
a) Increased responsiveness
b) Better resource utilization
c) Improved scalability
d) Reduced complexity
Answer: d) Reduced complexity

47. Which of the following is not a characteristic of a process in an operating

system?
a) Has its own address space
b) Can have multiple threads
c) Can communicate with other processes
d) Is always executed sequentially
Answer: d) Is always executed sequentially

48. What is process scheduling in an operating system?

a) The order in which processes are loaded into memory
b) The order in which processes are executed by the CPU
c) The process of terminating a process
d) The process of creating a new process
Answer: b) The order in which processes are executed by the CPU

49. Which of the following scheduling algorithms gives priority to processes with
higher CPU burst times?
a) Round-robin scheduling
b) Shortest Job First (SJF) scheduling
c) Priority scheduling
d) First Come First Serve (FCFS) scheduling
Answer: c) Priority scheduling

50. What is a context switch in an operating system?

a) The process of switching between user mode and kernel mode
b) The process of saving the current state of a process and restoring the state of
a different process
c) The process of moving a process from the ready queue to the running queue
d) The process of loading a process into memory
Answer: b) The process of saving the current state of a process and restoring the
state of a different process

51. What is a deadlock in an operating system?

a) A situation where two or more processes are waiting for each other to release
resources
b) A situation where a process is stuck in an infinite loop
c) A situation where a process tries to access a resource that is already being
used by another process
d) A situation where a process terminates abnormally
Answer: a) A situation where two or more processes are waiting for each other to
release resources

52. What is a semaphore in an operating system?

a) A hardware device used to synchronize processes
b) A software tool used to manage system resources
c) A process for allocating memory to a process
d) A file system used to store data
Answer: b) A software tool used to manage system resources

53. What is mutual exclusion in an operating system?

a) A technique used to prevent deadlocks
b) A technique used to prevent starvation
c) A technique used to prevent multiple processes from accessing a shared resource
simultaneously
d) A technique used to prevent context switches
Answer: c) A technique used to prevent multiple processes from accessing a shared
resource simultaneously
54. Which of the following is not a type of synchronization mechanism used in
operating systems?
a) Mutex
b) Semaphore
c) Monitor
d) Loop
Answer: d) Loop
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