CPA Operating Systems & Process Management Flashcards
6 cards from real CPA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 CPA Operating Systems & Process Management flashcards as text
What is the primary role of an operating system's process scheduler?
Answer: Manage CPU time allocation among processes
The process scheduler allocates CPU time among competing processes to maximize efficiency and responsiveness.
Which scheduling algorithm gives the shortest average waiting time when all job lengths are known in advance?
Answer: Shortest Job First
Shortest Job First (SJF) minimizes average waiting time by always executing the process with the smallest CPU burst next.
In operating systems, what is a 'race condition'?
Answer: A situation where output depends on unpredictable timing of concurrent operations
A race condition occurs when multiple threads access shared data concurrently and the result depends on the order of execution.
What mechanism prevents two processes from simultaneously entering their critical sections?
Answer: Mutex lock
A mutex (mutual exclusion) lock ensures that only one process can enter a critical section at a time.
Which state transition occurs when a process's time slice expires in a preemptive scheduler?
Answer: Running → Ready
When a time slice expires the scheduler preempts the process and moves it from Running back to Ready, so another process can run.
What is 'deadlock' in operating systems?
Answer: A condition where two or more processes wait indefinitely for resources held by each other
Deadlock is a state where a set of processes are permanently blocked because each is waiting for a resource held by another process in the set.