CHAPTER 1 - OPERATING SYSTEM AND GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE - ROLE

AND FUNCTIONS
CLASS 8 - LOGIX KIPS ICSE COMPUTER WITH BLUEJ

Fill in the blanks

Question 1

Hardware refers to the physical parts of a computer that you can see and
touch.

Question 2

Software refers to the instructions or programs, that tell the hardware what to
do.

Question 3

Application software is a set of programs designed to perform specific type of

job.

Question 4

Distributed operating system runs on computers which are located in different

geographical areas, interconnected through a network.

Question 5

A Command line is a space on the display screen in which commands are typed
in by the user.

State True or False

Question 1

Computers work with an interaction of hardware and software.

True

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Question 2

Application software is a collection of one or more programs that controls and

manages the overall operation and performance of a computer system.
False

Question 3

Operating System acts as a central coordinator between the user and the
software.
False

Question 4

Multi-threading operating system allows more than one user to use the same
computer at the same time or at different times.
True

Question 5

CUI requires the user to type commands in order to interact with the computer
system.
True

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1

A computer interprets the instructions given by a user with the help of an

1. Operating System ✓
2. Device Driver
3. Utility Software

Question 2

The ability to perform more than one task together at one time is called

1. Multi-programming
2. Multi-tasking ✓
3. Multi-threading

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Question 3

.......... has the capability to prioritise the processes, minimise the execution
time and work independently with no interdependencies.

1. RTOS ✓
2. PTOS
3. LTOS

Question 4

Character User Interface is also known as .......... Interface.

1. Single User
2. Command Line ✓
3. Multi User

Question 5

.......... requires more RAM to run

1. GUI ✓
2. CUI
3. CLI

Application Based Questions

Question 1

While conducting a lecture on the types of operating system, Mohit's

instructor asked him to name an opearting system that is used when the time
span required to react to an input is rigid and time bound. Can you help Mohit
in answering the question?

Answer

RTOS (Real Time Operating System)

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Question 2

In a quiz competition, the quiz master asked one of the participants, Nyra, "In
which user interface, the user mostly gets immediate visual feedback of the
action he performs?" To this Nyra replied "CUI". Is she right? If not, what is the
right answer?

Answer
Nyra is wrong. Correct answer is GUI (Graphical User Interface)

Question 1

Define hardware and software.

Answer

Hardware refers to the physical parts of the computer that we can see and
touch. Software refers to the instructions or programs that tell the hardware
what to do.

Question 2

What is a System software? Into how many categories can it be classified?

Answer

System software is a collection of one or more programs that controls and

manages the overall operation and performance of a computer system. It can
be classified into the following categories: Operating System, Language
Processors, Device Drivers, and Utility Software.

Question 3

Explain why we need an Operating system.

Answer

Operating system acts as the central coordinator between hardware and

software. It fills the communication gap between the hardware and the user.
An operating system encompasses all operations such as What to do?, When
to do?, How to do? For example, when a button is pressed on a hardware, this
information is passed to the operating system which takes care of the final
outcome by handling What to do?, When to do? and How to do it?

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Question 4

Explain any two functions of an Operating system.

Answer

Two functions of an Operating system are:

1. Processor Management — The OS (Operating System) ensures that each

process/application receives enough time from the processor to function
properly. It also tries to utilize as many processor cycles as possible for
the real time work.

2. Memory Storage and Management — The OS (Operating System)

manages the sharing of internal memory among the multiple
applications. It also ensures that one process should not consume the
memory allocated to another process. An OS has to make efficient
utilisation of different types of memory (RAM, Cache, etc.) within the
system, so as to ensure proper execution of every process.

Question 5

What are the advantages of GUI over CUI?

Answer

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 GUI (Graphical User Interface) CUI (Character User Interface)

GUI interface is much attractive and CUI interface is relatively less

appealing. appealing.

GUI is easier to learn and more user-

CUI is a text based interface and
friendly due to the presence of various
hence is not as user friendly as
graphical elements like icons, menu,
GUI.
buttons, etc.

A user is required to memorize

With GUI, a user does not have to learn
many commands to operate and
complicated commands.
control a CUI.

GUI users have Windows that allow a CUI does not offer the same
user to work, view, control, and ease and ability to work with
manipulate multiple programs and multiple programs at once on
folders at the same time. one screen.

GUI supports the use of both a mouse

CUI supports the use of a
and keyboard to control and navigate
keyboard only.
through your system.

In CUI, there is no obvious

In GUI, the user mostly gets immediate
feedback. If we consider the
visual feedback of the action he is
same example, one or more
doing. For example, the user can see
additional commands will have
immediately that a file is successfully
to be issued to confirm the file
moved from one directory to another.
transfer action.

Only one task can be executed

In GUI multiple tasks can run
at a particular point of time in
simultaneously at a time.
CUI.

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Question 6

Write short notes on the following:

i. Multi-user operating system

Answer

Multi-user operating system allows more than one user to use the same
computer at the same time or at different times. Some Operating Systems,
which fall in this category are: Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows XP,
Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Linux, Unix. Windows
2000 was the first version of Windows, which allowed creation of several user
accounts on a single machine.

ii. Multi-threading operating system

Answer

These operating systems allow different parts of a software program to run

simultaneously. The feature of multi-threading can delay the execution
response of certain processes. For example, if a Game server is hosted on LAN,
then all players connecting to that server will utilise different parts of the same
game at the same time. All resources will be utilised from the server machine,
which can be a performance degrading factor. The common examples of such
operating systems are: Windows NT/2000, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows
8, Windows 8.1, Unix, Linux, etc.

iii. Real time operating system

Answer

RTOS (Real time operating system) is designed to handle real life scenarios and
problems. Such operating systems have the capability to prioritise the
processes, minimise execution time, and work independently with no
interdependencies. Real time operating system is used when the time span
required to react to an input is rigid and time bound. Even a microsecond of
delay will cause the system to fail. Examples are: Air traffic control, Robots,
Weapon systems, and Industrial control systems.
There are two types of Real Time Operating Systems:

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 1. Hard Real-time systems — These systems guarantee that critical tasks
are completed in time.
2. Soft Real-time systems — These systems are less restrictive. Examples
are: Undersea exploration, Planetary rovers, and Virtual reality.

iv. Distributed operating system

Answer

Distributed operating system runs on a set of computers that are located in

different geographical areas, interconnected by a network. It controls these
interconnected systems and makes them appear as a single computer. It allows
all the linked machines to access data and software, and the process takes over
the common network from different computers, irrespective of their location
on the globe.

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