TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS:
1) The processor controls the operation of the computer and performs its
data processing functions.
Answer: True False
2) It is not possible for a communications interrupt to occur while a printer
interrupt is being processed.
Answer: True False
3) A system bus transfers data between the computer and its external
environment.
Answer: True False
4) Cache memory is invisible to the OS.
Answer: True False
5) With interrupts, the processor can not be engaged in executing other
instructions while an I/O operation is in progress.
Answer: True False
6) Digital Signal Processors deal with streaming signals such as audio and
video.
Answer: True False
7) The fetched instruction is loaded into the Program Counter.
Answer: True False
8) Interrupts are provided primarily as a way to improve processor
utilization.
Answer: True False
9) The interrupt can occur at any time and therefore at any point in the
execution of a user program.
Answer: True False
10) Over the years memory access speed has consistently increased
more rapidly than processor speed.
Answer: True False
11) An SMP can be defined as a stand-alone computer system with two
or more similar processors of comparable capability.
,Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles, 7th Edition
Testbank Chapter 1
Answer: True False
12) The Program Status Word contains status information in the form of
condition codes, which are bits typically set by the programmer as a
result of program operation.
Answer: True False
13) An example of a multicore system is the Intel Core i7.
Answer: True False
14) In a two-level memory hierarchy the Hit Ratio is defined as the
fraction of all memory accesses found in the slower memory.
Answer: True False
15) The operating system acts as an interface between the computer
hardware and the human user.
Answer: True False
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS:
1) The four main structural elements of a computer system are:
A) Processor, Main Memory, I/O Modules and System Bus
B) Processor, I/O Modules, System Bus and Secondary Memory
C) Processor, Registers, Main Memory and System Bus
D) Processor, Registers, I/O Modules and Main Memory
Answer: A
2) The __________ holds the address of the next instruction to be fetched.
A) Accumulator (AC) B) Instruction Register
(IR)
C) Instruction Counter (IC) D) Program Counter
(PC)
Answer: D
3) The __________ contains the data to be written into memory and receives
the data read from memory.
A) I/O address register B) memory address
register
C) I/O buffer register D) memory buffer
register
Answer: D
,Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles, 7th Edition Testbank Chapter 1
4) Instruction processing consists of two
steps:
A) fetch and execute B) instruction and
execute
C) instruction and halt D) fetch and instruction
Answer: A
5) The ___________ routine determines the nature of the interrupt and
performs whatever actions are needed.
A) interrupt handler B) instruction signal
C) program handler D) interrupt signal
Answer: A
6) The unit of data exchanged between cache and main memory is
__________ .
A) block size B) map size C) cache size D) slot size
Answer: A
7) The _________ chooses which block to replace when a new block is to be
loaded into the cache and the cache already has all slots filled with other
blocks.
A) memory controller B) mapping function C) write policy D)
replacement algorithm
Answer: D
8) __________ is more efficient than interrupt-driven or programmed I/O for a
multiple-word I/O transfer.
A) Spatial locality B) Direct memory
access
C) Stack access D) Temporal locality
Answer: B
9) The __________ is a point-to-point link electrical interconnect specification
that enables high-speed communications among connected processor
chips.
A) QPI B) DDR3 C) LRUA D) ISR
Answer: A
10) Small, fast memory located between the processor and main
memory is called:
, Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles, 7th Edition
Testbank Chapter 1
A) Block memory B) Cache
memory
C) Direct memory D) WORM
memory
Answer: B
11) In a uniprocessor system, multiprogramming increases processor
efficiency by:
A) Taking advantage of time wasted by long wait interrupt handling
B) Disabling all interrupts except those of highest priority C)
Eliminating all idle processor cycles
D) Increasing processor speed
Answer: A
12) The two basic types of processor registers are:
A) User-visible and user-invisible registers B) Control and user-
invisible registers C) Control and Status registers
D) User-visible and Control/Status registers
Answer: D
13) When an external device becomes ready to be serviced by the
processor the device sends a(n) _________ signal to the processor.
A) access B) halt C) handler D) interrupt
Answer: D
14) One mechanism Intel uses to make its caches more effective is
__________ , in which the hardware examines memory access patterns and
attempts to fill the caches speculatively with data that is likely to be
requested soon.
A) mapping B) handling
C) interconnecting D) prefetching
Answer: D
15) A __________ organization has a number of potential advantages over
a uniprocessor organization including performance, availability,
incremental growth, and scaling.
A) temporal locality B) symmetric
multiprocessor
C) direct memory access D) processor status word
Answer: B
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:
1) The invention of the _________ was the hardware revolution that brought
about desktop and handheld computing.