Quiz 1

Question 1

Provides basic computing resources

Answer 1

Hardware

Question 2

Defines the ways in which the system resources are used to solve the computing problems of the users

Answer 2

Application programs

Question 3

A set of software frameworks that provide additional services to application developers

Answer 3

Middleware

Question 4

A software-generated interrupt caused either by an error or a user request

Answer 4

Trap/exception

Question 5

Request to the OS to allow user to wait for I/O completion

Answer 5

System call

Question 6

Contains entry for each I/O device indicating its type, address, and state

Answer 6

Device-status table

Question 7

Determines the logical interaction between the device and the computer

Answer 7

Disk controller

Question 8

Copying information into faster storage system

Answer 8

Caching

Question 9

Manages the execution of user programs to prevent errors and improper use of the computer

Answer 9

Control program

Question 10

Understands the device controller and provides the rest of the operating system with a uniform interface to the device

Answer 10

Device driver

Question 11

A wire that CPU hardware has that the CPU senses after executing every instruction

Answer 11

Interrupt-request line

Question 12

Interrupt request line that is reserved for events such as unrecoverable memory errors

Answer 12

Nonmaskable interrupt

Question 13

Interrupt request line that can be turned off by the CPU before the execution of critical instruction sequences that must not be interrupted

Answer 13

Maskable interrupt

Question 14

Interrupt mechanism in which each element in the interrupt vector points to the head of a list of interrupt handlers

Answer 14

Interrupt chaining

Question 15

Enables the CPU to defer the handling of low-priority interrupts without masking all interrupts and makes it possible for a high-priority interrupt to preempt the execution of a low-priority interrupt

Answer 15

Interrupt priority levels

Question 16

Holds the addresses of the interrupt service routines for various devices

Answer 16

Interrupt vector

Question 17

How various hardware and software resources are shared.

Answer 17

Resource utilization

Question 18

“The one program running at all times.”

Answer 18

Kernel

Question 19

Provides access between components and shared memory/communication among processors, main memory, and I/O modules

Answer 19

System bus

Question 20

Temporary storage location for frequently accessed data

Answer 20

Cache

Question 21

Storage that is infrequently written to and is nonvolatile

Answer 21

Firmware

Question 22

Storage systems that are slow enough and large enough that they are used only for special purposes

Answer 22

Tertiary storage

Question 23

Provides a uniform interface between controller and kernel

Answer 23

Device driver

Question 24

Controls the operation of the computer and performs its data processing functions.

Answer 24

Processor

Question 25

What is a processor referred to ask when there is only one?

Answer 25

Central processing unit (CPU)

Question 26

Moves data between the computer and its external environment, which consists of a variety of devices, including secondary memory devices, communications equipment, and terminals

Answer 26

I/O modules

Question 27

Determines which cache location a new block of data that is read into the cache will occupy

Answer 27

Mapping function

Question 28

Chooses, within the constraints of the mapping function, 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

Answer 28

Replacement algorithm

Question 29

Enables programmer to minimize main memory references by optimizing register use

Answer 29

User-visible registers

Question 30

Used by processors to control operating of the processor and used by privileged OS routines to control the execution of programs

Answer 30

Control and status registers

Question 31

Register that specifies the address for the next read or write

Answer 31

Memory address register (MAR)

Question 32

Register that contains data written into memory or receives data read from memory

Answer 32

Memory buffer register (MBR)

Question 33

Bit set by processor hardware as a result of operations

Answer 33

Condition codes/flags