Basics of Operating Systems MCQs – 30 Essential Questions

Test your knowledge of operating systems with these 30 MCQs covering fundamental concepts, types and components. Perfect for students and professionals aiming to strengthen their basics in OS.

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  • 📋 Total Number of Questions: 30
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1. What is an operating system?
  • A hardware device for input/output
  • A software that acts as an intermediary between user and hardware
  • A device driver for input devices
  • None of the above
2. Which of the following is NOT an operating system?
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Google Chrome
  • MacOS
3. What is the primary function of an operating system?
  • To translate programming languages
  • To manage system resources and provide a user interface
  • To design hardware components
  • To control network traffic
4. Which type of operating system is designed for mobile devices?
  • Real-time operating system
  • Distributed operating system
  • Mobile operating system
  • Batch operating system
5. Which of the following is an example of a real-time operating system?
  • Windows XP
  • Linux Mint
  • RTOS
  • macOS
6. What is the kernel in an operating system?
  • The graphical user interface of the system
  • The core part of the OS that controls all operations
  • A utility program for disk management
  • A security feature
7. What is a multitasking operating system?
  • An OS that allows multiple users to log in simultaneously
  • An OS that can run multiple processes simultaneously
  • An OS designed only for batch processing
  • An OS for mobile devices
8. Which component of the operating system manages the CPU?
  • File system
  • Kernel
  • Process scheduler
  • Memory manager
9. What is the purpose of a device driver?
  • To enable communication between the OS and hardware devices
  • To manage system processes
  • To schedule tasks
  • To provide user interfaces
10. Which of the following is an example of a distributed operating system?
  • Windows
  • Android
  • Linux Mint
  • Hadoop
11. What does the term “bootstrapping” refer to in an operating system?
  • The process of upgrading system hardware
  • The process of starting up a computer and loading the OS
  • The process of compiling programs
  • None of the above
12. Which type of operating system is used in embedded systems?
  • Batch operating system
  • Real-time operating system
  • Mobile operating system
  • Distributed operating system
13. What is a shell in an operating system?
  • The hardware of the system
  • The user interface to interact with the kernel
  • The antivirus program of the system
  • A system utility
14. What does a batch operating system do?
  • Processes jobs in real-time
  • Processes jobs in groups or batches without user interaction
  • Processes multiple tasks simultaneously
  • None of the above
15. Which of these is a popular open-source operating system?
  • MacOS
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Android
16. What is the function of virtual memory in an operating system?
  • To physically expand RAM
  • To allow execution of processes that may not completely fit into physical memory
  • To connect external memory devices
  • To act as an operating system scheduler
17. What is the purpose of the task manager in operating systems like Windows?
  • To manage user accounts
  • To monitor and control running processes
  • To configure hardware devices
  • To design software interfaces
18. Which of the following operating systems is NOT UNIX-based?
  • Linux
  • Windows
  • macOS
  • FreeBSD
19. What does GUI stand for?
  • General User Interface
  • Graphic Utility Interpreter
  • Graphical User Interface
  • Graphics Used in Internet
20. What is the role of system calls in an OS?
  • To facilitate hardware communication directly from the application
  • To provide the OS with updates
  • To monitor network traffic
  • To enable communication between user applications and the OS
21. Which operating system is most commonly used for mainframes?
  • macOS
  • z/OS
  • Windows Server
  • Android
22. What is the primary difference between a process and a program?
  • A process is active while a program is passive
  • A process is hardware-based while a program is software-based
  • A process is compiled while a program is interpreted
  • A process is stored while a program is executed
23. Which of the following is NOT a type of operating system?
  • Batch operating system
  • Multiprogramming operating system
  • General-purpose operating system
  • Time-sharing operating system
24. What is the function of an interrupt in an OS?
  • To store system logs
  • To signal the OS to handle an event or execute a task
  • To process user input
  • To connect external devices
25. Which of the following is an example of a closed-source operating system?
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Windows
  • Ubuntu
26. What is the primary purpose of a time-sharing OS?
  • To execute a single task at a time
  • To allow multiple users to share system resources effectively
  • To improve hardware reliability
  • To connect multiple devices to a network
27. What is a system daemon in an OS?
  • A hardware device
  • A process that runs in the background
  • A security program
  • A user interface
28. Which component is responsible for loading the OS into memory during boot?
  • Compiler
  • Bootloader
  • Device driver
  • Scheduler
29. What is the purpose of the command interpreter in an OS?
  • To execute commands entered by the user
  • To debug system errors
  • To connect hardware to software
  • To manage storage devices
30. Which type of operating system ensures a quick response to critical tasks?
  • Real-time operating system
  • Batch operating system
  • Time-sharing operating system
  • Distributed operating system