Deadlocks in Operating Systems MCQs: Detection, Prevention and Avoidance

Test your knowledge of deadlocks in operating systems with this MCQ quiz. Covering detection, prevention and avoidance strategies, assess your understanding of essential concepts to prevent system failures.

Questions (30)


  1. A deadlock occurs in a system when:

    • a) Processes are blocked from executing due to resource contention
    • b) A process consumes all available memory
    • c) A process is running without interruption
    • d) Resources are allocated to processes in a non-sequential order
    View Answer
    Correct Processes are blocked from executing due to resource contention
  2. Which of the following is a necessary condition for a deadlock to occur?

    • a) Mutual exclusion
    • b) Resource preemption
    • c) Process starvation
    • d) Process synchronization
    View Answer
    Correct Mutual exclusion
  3. Which technique is used to detect deadlocks in an operating system?

    • a) Resource allocation graph
    • b) FIFO scheduling
    • c) Round Robin scheduling
    • d) Page replacement algorithms
    View Answer
    Correct Resource allocation graph
  4. The Banker's Algorithm is primarily used for:

    • a) Deadlock detection
    • b) Deadlock prevention
    • c) Deadlock avoidance
    • d) Resource allocation
    View Answer
    Correct Deadlock avoidance
  5. Which of the following is a strategy for preventing deadlocks?

    • a) Resource allocation graph
    • b) Process synchronization
    • c) Ensuring that at least one deadlock condition is violated
    • d) Using virtual memory
    View Answer
    Correct Ensuring that at least one deadlock condition is violated
  6. The deadlock detection algorithm for detecting deadlocks in a resource allocation graph uses:

    • a) Process states
    • b) Cycles in the graph
    • c) Waiting time of processes
    • d) Priority of the processes
    View Answer
    Correct Cycles in the graph
  7. Which of the following is a characteristic of deadlock prevention?

    • a) It allows deadlocks to occur but tries to avoid them at a later stage
    • b) It requires breaking one of the Coffman’s necessary conditions
    • c) It detects deadlocks once they happen
    • d) It allows the system to recover from a deadlock
    View Answer
    Correct It requires breaking one of the Coffman’s necessary conditions
  8. In the context of deadlocks, which condition is associated with the concept of ‘hold and wait’?

    • a) A process holding resources and waiting for others
    • b) A process waiting for all resources to be allocated at once
    • c) A process receiving resources in sequence
    • d) A process executing independently of other processes
    View Answer
    Correct A process holding resources and waiting for others
  9. Which of the following is an example of a deadlock avoidance strategy?

    • a) Resource preemption
    • b) Using a priority-based scheduling mechanism
    • c) Ensuring that the system does not enter an unsafe state
    • d) Allowing infinite resources
    View Answer
    Correct Ensuring that the system does not enter an unsafe state
  10. The deadlock detection and recovery strategy involves:

    • a) Killing all processes in the system
    • b) Analyzing resource allocation and process states to find deadlock cycles
    • c) Using priority scheduling
    • d) Preventing resources from being allocated to processes
    View Answer
    Correct Analyzing resource allocation and process states to find deadlock cycles
  11. Which of the following can lead to deadlock in an operating system?

    • a) Circular wait condition
    • b) High CPU utilization
    • c) Preemptive resource allocation
    • d) Frequent context switching
    View Answer
    Correct Circular wait condition
  12. Which of the following is true about the hold and wait condition in deadlock?

    • a) A process must hold at least one resource while waiting for others
    • b) A process must release all resources before waiting
    • c) It prevents a system from entering a deadlock
    • d) It guarantees that a process will eventually be executed
    View Answer
    Correct A process must hold at least one resource while waiting for others
  13. Deadlock prevention is achieved by:

    • a) Allowing processes to wait indefinitely for resources
    • b) Breaking one of the Coffman’s necessary conditions
    • c) Ignoring resource allocation
    • d) Using high-level abstractions
    View Answer
    Correct Breaking one of the Coffman’s necessary conditions
  14. Which of the following is a necessary condition for deadlock to occur?

    • a) Mutual exclusion
    • b) Deadlock detection
    • c) Process synchronization
    • d) Priority inversion
    View Answer
    Correct Mutual exclusion
  15. A resource allocation graph is used to:

    • a) Allocate resources to processes
    • b) Prevent deadlocks from occurring
    • c) Detect cycles and deadlocks
    • d) Monitor system performance
    View Answer
    Correct Detect cycles and deadlocks
  16. Which of the following algorithms is used for deadlock avoidance?

    • a) Banker's Algorithm
    • b) First-Come, First-Served (FCFS)
    • c) Shortest Job First (SJF)
    • d) Round Robin (RR)
    View Answer
    Correct Banker's Algorithm
  17. In which situation is deadlock detection most useful?

    • a) When the system is unable to allocate new resources
    • b) When there is an ongoing need to continuously monitor for deadlocks
    • c) When resources are dynamically allocated in an uncertain order
    • d) When the system has limited resources
    View Answer
    Correct When there is an ongoing need to continuously monitor for deadlocks
  18. The ‘Circular Wait’ condition for deadlock occurs when:

    • a) Each process holds a resource and waits for another resource in a circular chain
    • b) A process waits indefinitely for resources to be allocated
    • c) Resources are allocated in a round-robin fashion
    • d) Processes are continuously synchronized
    View Answer
    Correct Each process holds a resource and waits for another resource in a circular chain
  19. In which of the following cases would deadlock avoidance not be required?

    • a) In systems with no shared resources
    • b) In systems with very few processes
    • c) In systems that do not have resource sharing
    • d) In systems where resources are preempted automatically
    View Answer
    Correct In systems that do not have resource sharing
  20. Which technique helps resolve deadlock by removing the cause of resource contention?

    • a) Resource allocation graph
    • b) Preemption of resources
    • c) Process starvation
    • d) Timeout mechanisms
    View Answer
    Correct Preemption of resources
  21. The ‘No preemption’ condition of deadlock is violated when:

    • a) Resources can be forcibly taken from a process holding them
    • b) Resources are allocated to processes without any check
    • c) Processes are unable to release resources
    • d) Resources are pre-empted at regular intervals
    View Answer
    Correct Resources can be forcibly taken from a process holding them
  22. The ‘Wait-For Graph’ method is used in:

    • a) Process scheduling
    • b) Deadlock prevention
    • c) Deadlock avoidance
    • d) Deadlock detection
    View Answer
    Correct Deadlock detection
  23. Which of the following is true about deadlock recovery?

    • a) It involves removing resources from processes until deadlock is resolved
    • b) It uses priority mechanisms to continue process execution
    • c) It allocates additional resources to deadlocked processes
    • d) It prevents deadlocks by blocking processes from entering the system
    View Answer
    Correct It involves removing resources from processes until deadlock is resolved
  24. Which of the following is the correct sequence of actions to recover from deadlock?

    • a) Allow processes to run indefinitely
    • b) Allocate additional resources, restart processes, preempt resources
    • c) Monitor resource allocation, avoid starvation, restart processes
    • d) Detect, preempt resources, roll back processes, restart
    View Answer
    Correct Detect, preempt resources, roll back processes, restart
  25. In the context of resource allocation, which of the following does not violate deadlock prevention rules?

    • a) Allocating resources one by one and ensuring that no circular wait occurs
    • b) Allocating all resources to a process before execution
    • c) Allowing processes to hold resources indefinitely while waiting
    • d) Allowing mutual exclusion without restrictions
    View Answer
    Correct Allocating resources one by one and ensuring that no circular wait occurs
  26. In which situation is deadlock prevention the most effective?

    • a) When system resources are extremely limited
    • b) When there is a high number of concurrent processes and resources
    • c) When there is little resource contention in the system
    • d) When processes require continuous access to shared resources
    View Answer
    Correct When there is little resource contention in the system
  27. What is the primary goal of deadlock detection in a system?

    • a) To identify whether a system is in a deadlock state
    • b) To prevent processes from accessing resources
    • c) To allocate resources equally to all processes
    • d) To synchronize process execution
    View Answer
    Correct To identify whether a system is in a deadlock state
  28. Which of the following methods can help in the recovery of a deadlock in a system?

    • a) Rebooting the system
    • b) Giving priority to processes based on their execution time
    • c) Preventing resources from being allocated
    • d) Rollback of processes to a safe state
    View Answer
    Correct Rollback of processes to a safe state
  29. What is a ‘safe state’ in the context of deadlock avoidance?

    • a) A state where all processes can finish executing without causing a deadlock
    • b) A state where processes can be preempted at any time
    • c) A state where resources are allocated randomly
    • d) A state where all resources are locked
    View Answer
    Correct A state where all processes can finish executing without causing a deadlock
  30. Which of the following is not a valid method of deadlock prevention?

    • a) Ensuring the system never enters a circular wait
    • b) Allowing resources to be preempted
    • c) Allowing processes to request resources after they have started execution
    • d) Forcing processes to request all resources at once
    View Answer
    Correct Allowing processes to request resources after they have started execution

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