Objective Computer Knowledge

Q. The operating system controls access to the CPU by assigning a(n) ____________ to each task requiring CPU utilization.
A. interrupt handler
B. slices of time
C. stack
D. event
Answer: B
Q. When a peripheral device needs immediate attention from the operating system, it generates a(n):
A. interrupt.
B. spool.
C. stack.
D. page file.
Answer: A
Q. User actions such as keystrokes or mouse clicks are referred to as:
A. interrupts.
B. tasks.
C. events.
D. processes.
Answer: C
Q. An interrupt handler is a:
A. location in memory that keeps track of recently generated interrupts.
B. hardware device that manages the interrupts generated by peripheral units.
C. utility program that communicates interrupts to the operating system.
D. special numeric code that indicates the priority of an interrupt.
Answer: D
Q. A spooler is a:
A. location in memory that maintains the contents of a document until it prints out.
B. queue of print jobs that are waiting to print.
C. program that coordinates the print jobs that are waiting to process.
D. message sent from the printer to the operating system when a print job is completed.
Answer: C
Q. Virtual memory is typically located:
A. in RAM.
B. in the CPU.
C. in a flash card.
D. on the hard disk.
Answer: D
Q. The purpose of a swap (or page) file is to:
A. maintain pages of documents that are being spooled to the printer.
B. hold a program’s data or instructions in virtual memory when it can’t fit in RAM.
C. prevent thrashing in a multi-tasking environment.
D. allow multiple print jobs to print their pages out simultaneously.
Answer: B
Q. Thrashing is caused by:
A. over-reliance on swapping to virtual memory.
B. insufficient hard disk space.
C. too many processors being managed by the operating system.
D. inaccurate information stored in the registry.
Answer: A
Q. Communication between the operating system and a peripheral device such as a CD-ROM drive or a printer is facilitated by a(n):
A. spooler.
B. network card.
C. device driver.
D. application program interface.
Answer: C
Q. Common functions and routines that need to be executed by many computer programs can be made available via a(n) ____________, which prevents the necessity for programmers to duplicate the effort of writing the same type of code.
A. utility program
B. system kernel
C. BIOS directory
D. application program interface
Answer: D
Q. Which of the following is the correct sequence of actions that take place during the boot-up process?
A. Load operating system ? Activate BIOS ? Perform POST ? Check configuration settings
B. Activate BIOS ? Perform POST ? Load operating system ? Check configuration settings
C. Perform POST ? Load operating system ? Activate BIOS ? Check configuration settings
D. Activate BIOS ? Check configuration settings ? Perform POST ? Load operating system
Answer: B
4Q. The program that is responsible for loading the operating system into RAM is the:
A. BIOS.
B. bootstrap program.
C. device driver.
D. supervisor program.
Answer: A
Q. The Basic Input/Output system resides in:
A. RAM.
B. ROM.
C. the CPU.
D. memory cache.
Answer: B
Q. When you start up the computer, the boot-up stage at which the BIOS version, manufacturer, and data are displayed on the monitor is called:
A. bootstrap.
B. power-on self test.
C. system configuration.
D. kernel loading.
Answer: B
Q. Part of the POST process is to ensure that the test of essential peripheral devices coincides with the hardware configurations that are stored in:
A. ROM.
B. the hard drive.
C. CMOS.
D. cache memory.
Answer: C