Introduction to Operating Systems Exam Questions Ch.1

Survey of Operating Systems, 6e (Holcombe)

Chapter 1 Introduction to Operating Systems

1) This type of small integrated circuit is central to a desktop computer, performing the processing for the computer.

A) RAM

B) ROM BIOS

C) Motherboard

D) Microprocessor

2) This is the central circuit board of a computer.

A) Memory

B) Motherboard

C) ROM BIOS

D) Video adapter

3) Of the mobile OSs discussed in this chapter, which one is legally installed only on devices from a single manufacturer?

A) iOS

B) Android

C) Windows 10

D) Windows 10 Mobile

4) Which of the following choices is the Google OS installed by manufacturers on certain laptops, desktops, and tablet computers?

A) UNIX

B) iOS

C) Linux

D) Chrome OS

5) The user communicates with the OS through this software layer.

A) Job management

B) User interface

C) Device management

D) Video adapter

6) What OS function controls the focus (where the operating system's attention is at any given moment) and allows the user to move the focus from one application to another as the user brings it to the foreground?

A) User interface

B) Device management

C) Memory management

D) Task management

7) Which version of a popular desktop OS was released in 2009, but is still in use today despite the availability of newer versions?

A) Windows XP

B) Linux

C) macOS

D) Windows 7

8) What common mobile OS feature is important for people who want to access the same data across all their devices?

A) Acceleration

B) Updates

C) Synchronization

D) Touch screen

9) On a mobile device, the operating system resides in firmware, and is therefore, a/an ________ OS.

A) Single-user/multitasking

B) Multiuser/multitasking

C) Embedded

D) GUI

10) Use one of these popular mobile devices for cellular voice communications, browsing the Internet, managing email, and many other functions.

A) PC

B) Laptop

C) MacBook

D) Smartphone

11) What term is used in an OS GUI to describe a specialized file that contains information about the locations of other files?

A) Partition

B) Folder

C) File allocation table

D) Sector

12) Save money on your data plan by using this type of connection for connecting to the Internet whenever possible.

A) Bluetooth

B) Cellular

C) Ethernet

D) Wi-Fi

13) Although this OS predates microcomputers, today a wide variety of platforms still use recent versions.

A) UNIX

B) macOS

C) Windows

D) DOS

14) What version of UNIX came out of a California university, and carries the name of that campus?

A) AIX

B) HP/UX

C) BSD

D) Solaris

15) This acronym describes the networking of devices that are not thought of as computing devices but contain microcomputers to control their functions.

A) IC

B) UEFI

C) SoC

D) IoT

16) This early microcomputer predated the Apple II computer.

A) Commodore PET

B) MITS Altair

C) Lisa

D) IBM PC

17) This application program was considered the killer app for the Apple II computer.

A) Lotus 1-2-3

B) Microsoft BASIC

C) VisiCalc

D) CP/M

18) What program was the killer app that helped make the IBM PC successful in the 1980's?

A) Lotus 1-2-3

B) Microsoft BASIC

C) VisiCalc

D) CP/M

19) What was the first Apple computer with a GUI OS?

A) Lisa

B) Apple I

C) iMac

D) Apple II

20) This OS was jointly developed by Microsoft and IBM.

A) PC DOS

B) MS-DOS

C) OS/2

D) Warp

21) Introduced in 2001, this OS was still the prevalent Windows version on desktops on October 22, 2010, the last day you could buy a new PC with it preinstalled.

A) Windows Vista

B) Windows XP

C) Windows NT

D) Windows Me

22) What is the name of Google's mobile operating system, used on smartphones and tablets from many manufacturers?

A) Blackberry OS

B) iOS

C) Phone 8

D) Android

23) Use this onscreen device whenever you need to enter alphanumeric data into your mobile device.

A) Bluetooth keyboard

B) Screen rotation

C) Virtual keyboard

D) Accelerometer

24) What screen is the heart of the GUI introduced in Windows 8?

A) Desktop

B) Apps screen

C) Sign-in screen

D) Start screen

25) What hardware feature of most mobile devices is used by a mobile OS to detect when to rotate the screen to allow you to read or view the image properly?

A) SSD

B) Accelerometer

C) Touch screen

D) Digital camera

26) While earlier versions of this OS ran only on computers with the Motorola PowerPC chip, the current versions run on computers with Intel processors. Which OS is this?

A) Chrome OS

B) macOS

C) Linux

D) NextStep

27) What term is used for a software bundle that includes the Linux kernel and additional software?

A) Version

B) GNU

C) Edition

D) Distribution

28) What OS began as a student project in 1991?

A) Windows 3.1

B) Mac OS X

C) Linux

D) UNIX

29) Which of the following operating systems is open source?

A) Windows

B) DOS

C) macOS

D) Linux

30) Which of the following network technologies is the default for a smartphone?

A) Bluetooth

B) Cellular

C) Infrared

D) Ethernet

31) Smartphones generally have larger screens than tablets.

32) A computer that provides services to other computers over a network is a client.

33) A microcomputer is a computer built around a microprocessor.

34) The Apple Mac computer running the Mac OS System 1 was the first commercially available computer with a graphical user interface.

35) The most controversial changes to Windows in Windows 8 were to the GUI.

36) The same security threats that attack other computers target mobile devices.

37) Windows NT was a version of Windows that included a graphical interface on top of a DOS kernel.

38) The native user interface for Linux is a command-line interface.

39) Storage on a mobile device is usually an SSD.

40) Mac OS X (now macOS) runs on the same kernel used in its predecessor, Mac OS 9.

41) Complete this sentence: "An operating system is …"

42) Give at least two examples of computer input.

43) Give at least two examples of computer output.

44) List at least five desktop computer hardware components.

45) What contributed to the evolution of desktop operating systems?

46) Complete this sentence: "A tablet may or may not have cellular capabilities, but a smartphone is …"

47) Name at least two microcomputers created in the 1970s.

48) Complete this sentence: "Mobile devices do not have a single "killer app" that compels people to purchase them, rather an individual may be compelled to buy a certain mobile device based on …"

49) What OSs are you most likely to find on desktop (and laptop) computers today?

50) What one nontechnical fact separates Linux desktop distributions from Windows and macOS?