File Systems in Operating Systems: MCQ Test for Learners

Master file systems in operating systems with this MCQ test. Explore key concepts like file types, directories, allocation methods and access controls to boost your knowledge.

Questions (30)


  1. What is the primary function of a file system in an operating system?

    • a) To allocate memory to running processes
    • b) To manage files and directories on storage devices
    • c) To handle user authentication and permissions
    • d) To control hardware interactions with the CPU
    View Answer
    Correct To manage files and directories on storage devices
  2. Which file allocation method uses fixed-sized blocks linked together?

    • a) Contiguous allocation
    • b) Indexed allocation
    • c) Linked allocation
    • d) Variable allocation
    View Answer
    Correct Linked allocation
  3. What type of file stores system configuration and settings?

    • a) Text file
    • b) Binary file
    • c) Directory file
    • d) Configuration file
    View Answer
    Correct Configuration file
  4. The file control block (FCB) contains information about:

    • a) CPU scheduling
    • b) Process memory allocation
    • c) File attributes and metadata
    • d) Cache memory structure
    View Answer
    Correct File attributes and metadata
  5. In which file allocation method does each file have its own index block?

    • a) Contiguous allocation
    • b) Indexed allocation
    • c) Linked allocation
    • d) Hash-based allocation
    View Answer
    Correct Indexed allocation
  6. What is the purpose of a directory in a file system?

    • a) To store temporary files
    • b) To manage and organize files
    • c) To allocate memory for processes
    • d) To control access to external devices
    View Answer
    Correct To manage and organize files
  7. Which term refers to the smallest unit of storage in a file system?

    • a) Sector
    • b) Cluster
    • c) Block
    • d) Byte
    View Answer
    Correct Block
  8. The process of mapping logical file names to physical locations on storage is known as:

    • a) File indexing
    • b) Address resolution
    • c) Path mapping
    • d) File allocation
    View Answer
    Correct File allocation
  9. Which of the following is not a file attribute?

    • a) File size
    • b) File type
    • c) File priority
    • d) File permissions
    View Answer
    Correct File priority
  10. What is the primary advantage of indexed file allocation?

    • a) Sequential access efficiency
    • b) Easy direct access to file blocks
    • c) Reduced storage overhead
    • d) Simplified file management
    View Answer
    Correct Easy direct access to file blocks
  11. What does a file system journal track?

    • a) User access history
    • b) Changes to files and directories
    • c) Physical storage locations
    • d) File permission updates
    View Answer
    Correct Changes to files and directories
  12. Which directory structure allows files to have multiple parent directories?

    • a) Single-level directory
    • b) Tree-structured directory
    • c) Graph directory structure
    • d) Multi-level directory
    View Answer
    Correct Graph directory structure
  13. The FAT file system is primarily used in:

    • a) Linux-based systems
    • b) Windows-based systems
    • c) macOS systems
    • d) Mobile devices only
    View Answer
    Correct Windows-based systems
  14. A file extension is typically used to indicate:

    • a) File size
    • b) File permissions
    • c) File type
    • d) File owner
    View Answer
    Correct File type
  15. What is a superblock in a file system?

    • a) A block containing metadata about the file system
    • b) A block storing user data
    • c) A block used for caching frequently accessed files
    • d) A backup block for the root directory
    View Answer
    Correct A block containing metadata about the file system
  16. The process of reducing file size without losing data is called:

    • a) Compression
    • b) Encryption
    • c) Clustering
    • d) Defragmentation
    View Answer
    Correct Compression
  17. What type of access method is used when data is retrieved in the order it is stored?

    • a) Direct access
    • b) Indexed access
    • c) Sequential access
    • d) Random access
    View Answer
    Correct Sequential access
  18. The NTFS file system is known for its support of:

    • a) Small file sizes only
    • b) Limited directory structures
    • c) Advanced security and large storage capacities
    • d) No journaling capabilities
    View Answer
    Correct Advanced security and large storage capacities
  19. The command used to list files and directories in a Unix-like system is:

    • a) mkdir
    • b) ls
    • c) rm
    • d) cp
    View Answer
    Correct ls
  20. A contiguous file allocation method is best suited for:

    • a) Random access
    • b) Sequential access
    • c) Multi-user environments
    • d) Large, fragmented storage systems
    View Answer
    Correct Sequential access
  21. What is a key disadvantage of linked file allocation?

    • a) Complex directory management
    • b) Difficulty in accessing large files sequentially
    • c) Lack of direct access capability
    • d) Increased storage overhead
    View Answer
    Correct Lack of direct access capability
  22. In Linux, the inode stores information about:

    • a) File contents
    • b) File location on disk
    • c) File metadata
    • d) Directory structure
    View Answer
    Correct File metadata
  23. Which of the following is not a valid file operation?

    • a) Create
    • b) Rename
    • c) Delete
    • d) Share
    View Answer
    Correct Share
  24. A RAID system primarily provides:

    • a) Increased memory allocation
    • b) Fault tolerance and improved performance
    • c) File encryption
    • d) Process management
    View Answer
    Correct Fault tolerance and improved performance
  25. File permissions in Linux are typically represented by:

    • a) Binary values
    • b) Decimal numbers
    • c) Octal numbers
    • d) Hexadecimal codes
    View Answer
    Correct Octal numbers
  26. The Ext4 file system is commonly used in:

    • a) Windows operating systems
    • b) Unix-like operating systems
    • c) macOS operating systems
    • d) Embedded systems
    View Answer
    Correct Unix-like operating systems
  27. A dangling pointer in file systems refers to:

    • a) A file that cannot be accessed due to broken links
    • b) A file that is hidden from the user
    • c) A corrupted directory structure
    • d) A file block without metadata
    View Answer
    Correct A file that cannot be accessed due to broken links
  28. The process of reorganizing data on disk to reduce fragmentation is called:

    • a) Compression
    • b) Defragmentation
    • c) Journaling
    • d) Formatting
    View Answer
    Correct Defragmentation
  29. What is the primary purpose of file encryption?

    • a) To optimize file retrieval
    • b) To protect file content from unauthorized access
    • c) To reduce file size
    • d) To improve system performance
    View Answer
    Correct To protect file content from unauthorized access
  30. A boot sector in a file system contains:

    • a) File allocation table
    • b) Metadata about all files
    • c) Bootloader code for starting the operating system
    • d) A directory tree structure
    View Answer
    Correct Bootloader code for starting the operating system

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