B.S.W.E. Bachelor of Software Engineering Operating Systems & Systems Programming 2

Question 1

What is the purpose of a semaphore in concurrent programming?

Accepted Answer

To control access to a shared resource by multiple threads or processes

Answer

A semaphore is a synchronization primitive that controls access to shared resources by maintaining a counter and using wait/signal operations.

Question 2

In C programming, what does the 'volatile' keyword indicate?

Accepted Answer

The variable may be changed by external factors (e.g., hardware or another thread), preventing compiler optimization

Answer

The volatile keyword tells the compiler not to optimize accesses to a variable because its value can change unexpectedly from outside the program's control flow.

Question 3

What is the role of the kernel in an operating system?

Accepted Answer

It acts as the core component managing hardware resources and providing services to user programs

Answer

The kernel is the core of an OS that manages hardware resources (CPU, memory, I/O), provides system calls, and mediates between software and hardware.

Question 4

Which memory region stores local variables and function call information?

Accepted Answer

Stack

Answer

The stack is used to store local variables, function parameters, and return addresses; it grows and shrinks automatically with function calls.

Question 5

What is a race condition in concurrent programming?

Accepted Answer

A bug where program behavior depends on the relative timing or ordering of uncontrolled events

Answer

A race condition occurs when two or more threads access shared data concurrently and the outcome depends on the non-deterministic order of their execution.

B.S.W.E. Bachelor of Software Engineering Practice Test

B.S.W.E. Bachelor of Software Engineering Practice Test

B.S.W.E. Bachelor of Software Engineering Operating Systems & Systems Programming 2