Operating Systems, 5th ed.

Chapter 3 Process Description and Control True / False Questions:

Chapter 3

1. T / F The principal function of the processor is to execute machine instructions residing in main memory. ANS: T 2. T / F A process trace is a listing of the sequence of instructions that execute for that process. ANS: T 3. T / F The principal responsibility of the operating system is to control the execution of processes. ANS: T 4. T / F When one process spawns another, the spawning process is referred to as the child process and the spawned process is referred to as the parent process. ANS: F (opposite is true) 5. T / F Round-Robin processing refers to a method of thread prioritization for scheduling. ANS: F (not prioritized) 6. T / F The primary difference between the Two-State Process Model and the Five-State Process Model is that the latter splits the Running state into two new states: Ready and Blocked. ANS: F (splits the Not Running state) 7. T / F One solution to the problem of limited main memory space is swapping, which involves moving all or part of a process from main memory to secondary memory. ANS: T 8. T / F In order to define the control structures (e.g., tables) that the O/S needs to manage processes and resources, it must have access to configuration data during initialization.

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Operating Systems, 5th ed. ANS: T

Chapter 3

9. T / F The Process Image refers to the binary form of the program code. ANS: F (refers to process elements: program, data, stack & attributes) 10. T / F The portion of the Process Control Block that consists of the contents of the processor registers is called the Process Control Information. ANS: F (processor state information) 11. T / F The less-privileged processor execution mode is often referred to as kernel mode. ANS: F (user mode) 12. T / F The primary process table contains one entry per process, unless the process spawns a new process, in which case the table contains multiple entries for the parent process. ANS: F (only one entry for the parent process) 13. T / F One kind of system interrupt, the trap, relates to an error or exception condition in the currently running process. ANS: T 14. T / F In the Nonprocess Kernel approach to defining the relationship between the O/S and the User Process, the O/S code is executed as a separate entity that operates in privileged mode. ANS: T 15. T / F A typical UNIX system employs two Running states, to indicate whether the process is executing in user mode or kernel mode. ANS: T

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Operating Systems, 5th ed. Multiple Choice Questions: 1. The behavior of a processor can be characterized by examining: a. b. c. d. A single process trace Multiple process traces The interleaving of the process traces All of the above

Chapter 3

ANS: C 2. The behavior of an individual process can be characterized by examining: a. b. c. d. A single process trace Multiple process traces The interleaving of the process traces All of the above

ANS: A 3. The basic Two-State Process Model defines two possible states for a process in relationship to the processor: a. b. c. d. Running and Executing Running and Not Running Executing and Waiting None of the above

ANS: B 4. There are a number of conditions that can lead to process termination, including: a. b. c. d. Normal completion Bounds violation Parent termination All of the above

ANS: D 5. In the Five-State Process Model, the following represents a valid state transition: a. b. c. d. Running -> Blocked New -> Running New -> Blocked All of the above

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Operating Systems, 5th ed. ANS: A

Chapter 3

6. In a Process Model that implements two suspend states, a valid state transition is represented by: a. b. c. d. Ready/Suspend -> Ready Running -> Ready/Suspend Ready -> Ready/Suspend All of the above

ANS: D 7. The scheduling strategy where each process in the queue is given a certain amount of time, in turn, to execute and then returned to the queue, unless blocked is referred to as: a. b. c. d. Prioritization Round-Robin LIFO All of the above

ANS: B 8. A Memory Table is an O/S control structure that is used by the O/S to: a. b. c. d. Manage I/O devices Manage processes Provide information about system files None of the above

ANS: D (used to keep track of main real and secondary virtual memory) 9. The Process Image element that contains the collection of attributes needed by the O/S to control a particular process is called the: a. b. c. d. User Data System Stack Process Control Block None of the above

ANS: C 10. The Process Image element that contains the modifiable part of the user space is called the: a. User Program

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Operating Systems, 5th ed. b. System Stack c. Process Control Block d. None of the above ANS: D (User Data)

Chapter 3

11. The processor execution mode that user programs typically execute in is referred to as: a. b. c. d. User mode System mode Kernel mode None of the above

ANS: A 12. One step in the procedure for creating a new process involves: a. b. c. d. Initializing the process control block Allocating space for the process Assigning a unique identifier All of the above

ANS: D 13. A process switch may occur when the system encounters an interrupt condition, such as that generated by a: a. b. c. d. Memory fault Supervisor call Trap All of the above

ANS: D 14. In the Process Based O/S: a. b. c. d. Major kernel functions are organized as separate functions The User Process Image includes a kernel stack O/S code and data are contained in the shared address space None of the above

ANS: A 15. In a typical UNIX system, the element of the process image that contains the processor status information is the:

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Operating Systems, 5th ed.

Chapter 3

a. b. c. d.

System-level context Register context User-level context All of the above

ANS: B

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Operating Systems, 5th ed. Fill-In-The-Blank Questions:

Chapter 3

1. The listing of a sequence of instructions that execute for a particular process is called a ___________________. ANS: trace 2. The behavior of a processor can be characterized by examining the interleaving of the process ____________ for the processes currently running on the system. ANS: traces 3. The portion of the operating system that selects the next process to run is called the _______________. ANS: dispatcher 4. When the O/S creates a process at the explicit request of an existing process, the action is referred to as _______________________. ANS: process spawning 5. A process that cannot execute until some event occurs is said to be in the _______________ state. ANS: blocked 6. In a system that implements two suspend states, a process that has been swapped out of main memory and into secondary memory and that is also awaiting an event is in the ________/________ state. ANS: Blocked/Suspend 7. The scheduling strategy where each process in the queue is given a certain amount of time, in turn, to execute and then returned to the queue. This scheduling strategy is referred to as _______________. ANS: round-robin 8. The O/S control structure that the O/S uses to manage system processes is called the ________________. ANS: process table 9. The User Data, User Program, System Stack and Process Control Block elements collectively make up what is referred to as the __________________.

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Operating Systems, 5th ed.

Chapter 3

ANS: process image 10. The Process Identification, Processor State Information and the Process Control Information are the general categories that collectively make up what is referred to as the _________________. ANS: process control block 11. The processor typically maintains the current operating mode (i.e., user or kernel) in the _________________. ANS: program status word (PSW) 12. The first step in creating a new process is to assign a unique ________________ to the new process. ANS: process identifier 13. The execution of a user process may be interrupted by a __________________, which might be generated by the process requesting an I/O operation. ANS: supervisor call 14. In the __________________ model for illustrating the relationship between the O/S and User Processes, the O/S has its own region of memory to use and its own system stack for controlling procedure calls and returns. ANS: separate kernel 15. Process creation in a typical UNIX system is made by means of a kernel system call named _______________. ANS: fork()

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