1.
What is the primary purpose of memory management in an operating
system?
a) To increase CPU clock speed
b) To share memory among multiple processes efficiently
c) To reduce the size of executable files
d) To eliminate all memory errors
2. Which hardware components are used for memory protection?
a) ALU and CU
b) Base and limit registers
c) Cache and buffers
d) DMA controllers
3. What happens when a process tries to access memory outside its
allocated range?
a) The system automatically extends its memory allocation
b) A trap to the operating system occurs
c) The memory becomes fragmented
d) The process is immediately terminated
4. What is the main advantage of swapping?
a) It eliminates all memory fragmentation
b) It allows more processes to run than physical memory can hold
c) It makes all processes run faster
d) It reduces CPU utilization
5. In dynamic partitioning, what is a "hole"?
a) A memory location that always causes errors
b) A block of available memory
c) A fixed-size memory partition
d) A memory area reserved for the OS
6. Which memory allocation strategy allocates the first available block that is
large enough?
a) Best-fit
b) First-fit
c) Worst-fit
d) Fixed-fit
7. What is internal fragmentation?
a) When memory is divided into unequal partitions
b) When allocated memory is larger than requested memory
c) When processes are scattered throughout memory
d) When the OS takes up too much memory
8. What does the MMU (Memory Management Unit) do?
a) Manages CPU scheduling
b) Maps logical addresses to physical addresses
c) Compresses memory contents
d) Controls I/O devices
9. Which of these is NOT a memory management requirement?
a) Relocation
b) Protection
c) Logical and physical addresses
d) Process prioritization
10. What is the main disadvantage of fixed equal-size partitions?
a) They cause external fragmentation
b) They limit the number of processes
c) They waste memory due to internal fragmentation
d) They are too flexible
11. What is the difference between logical and physical addresses?
a) Logical addresses are used by programmers, physical by hardware
b) They are the same thing
c) Logical addresses are larger than physical
d) Physical addresses are virtual
12. What is compaction used for?
a) To reduce program size
b) To eliminate external fragmentation
c) To speed up the CPU
d) To create more partitions
13. Which placement algorithm produces the smallest leftover hole?
a) First-fit
b) Best-fit
c) Worst-fit
d) Fixed-fit
14. What is the backing store used for in swapping?
a) Storing memory images of swapped-out processes
b) Keeping backup copies of the OS
c) Storing permanent files
d) Caching frequently used data
15. What happens during a context switch regarding memory management?
a) The MMU is turned off
b) Relocation and limit registers are loaded
c) All processes are swapped out
d) Memory is compacted
16. What is external fragmentation?
a) When memory is wasted inside partitions
b) When available memory is scattered in small blocks
c) When the OS takes too much memory
d) When processes overlap in memory
17. Which of these systems uses dynamic partitioning?
a) OS/MVT
b) Windows 10
c) Linux
d) All modern operating systems
18. What is the relocation register also known as?
a) Limit register
b) Base register
c) Protection register
d) MMU register
19. What is the main advantage of unequal-size partitions over equal-size?
a) They eliminate all fragmentation
b) They reduce internal fragmentation less
c) They are easier to implement
d) They need no memory management
20. What is the purpose of the limit register?
a) To indicate the highest legal address
b) To point to the OS location
c) To count CPU cycles
d) To manage I/O operations
21. Which of these is true about swapping?
a) It is always enabled in modern systems
b) It is used when memory exceeds a threshold
c) It eliminates the need for memory management
d) It makes processes run slower
22. What is the main disadvantage of compaction?
a) It causes internal fragmentation
b) It is time-consuming
c) It requires special hardware
d) It limits process size
23. Which binding time results in different logical and physical addresses?
a) Compile time (same)
b) Load time (same)
c) Execution time
d) Link time
24. What does the term "roll out, roll in" refer to?
a) A swapping variant for priority scheduling
b) A memory protection technique
c) A fragmentation solution
d) A CPU scheduling algorithm
25. In the address translation example with base=300040 and limit=120900,
what is the highest legal address?
a) 300040
b) 120900
c) 420939 ===========(300040 + (120900-1)
d) 300040 + 120900
26. What is the main reason modern OSs place the OS in high memory?
a) It's easier to implement
b) Because of interrupt vector location
c) To protect user processes
d) It's a historical convention
27. Which of these is NOT a solution to external fragmentation?
a) Compaction
b) Paging
c) Fixed partitions
d) Increasing memory size
28. What is the main advantage of dynamic partitioning over fixed?
a) It's simpler to implement
b) It reduces internal fragmentation
c) It eliminates all fragmentation
d) It needs no memory management
29. Which register holds the smallest legal physical memory address?
a) Limit register
b) Base register
c) Protection register
d) MMU register
30. What is the main purpose of memory protection?
a) To prevent processes from accessing each other's memory
b) To make processes run faster
c) To reduce memory requirements
d) To eliminate fragmentation
31. In the MMU scheme, what happens to logical addresses?
a) They are compressed
b) They are added to the base register value
c) They are checked against the limit register
d) Both b and c
32. What is the main disadvantage of best-fit allocation?
a) It leaves large leftover holes
b) It requires searching the entire list
c) It causes more fragmentation
d) It's slower than worst-fit
33. Which of these is true about logical address space?
a) It's the same as physical address space
b) It's generated by the CPU
c) It's managed by the compiler only
d) It's always smaller than physical space
34. What is the main advantage of first-fit over best-fit?
a) It produces less fragmentation
b) It's generally faster
c) It leaves larger leftover holes
d) It's more precise
35. What happens when swapping is disabled?
a) Processes can't be loaded
b) Memory allocation stops
c) The system uses only physical memory
d) The system may reject new processes
36. Which of these is NOT a type of memory partitioning?
a) Fixed partitioning
b) Dynamic partitioning
c) Virtual partitioning
d) Equal-size partitioning
37. What is the main purpose of the backing store?
a) To store the operating system
b) To hold swapped-out processes
c) To cache frequently used data
d) To store user files permanently
38. Which of these is true about relocation?
a) It's only done at compile time
b) It allows processes to be placed anywhere in memory
c) It eliminates all addressing errors
d) It makes processes run faster
39. What is the main difference between static and dynamic relocation?
a) Static is done at execution time
b) Dynamic allows compaction
c) Static is more secure
d) Dynamic is simpler
40. Which of these techniques is used in modern operating systems instead
of contiguous allocation?
a) Fixed partitioning
b) Dynamic partitioning
c) Paging
d) Single queue allocation
## True/False Questions (20 questions)
1. Swapping allows the total physical address space of processes to exceed
real physical memory.
2. The base register holds the largest legal physical memory address.
3. Internal fragmentation occurs when a process is smaller than the memory
block allocated to it.
4. Logical addresses are the same as physical addresses in all binding
schemes.
5. The best-fit allocation strategy always produces the best memory
utilization.
6. Protection prevents processes from accessing memory they don't own.
7. Fixed partitioning completely eliminates external fragmentation.
8. The MMU is responsible for CPU scheduling decisions.
9. Compaction requires dynamic relocation to work.
10. Modern operating systems typically place the OS in low memory.
11. The limit register specifies the size of a process's address space.
12. Dynamic partitioning was used in OS/MVT.
13. All memory allocation methods prevent fragmentation completely.
14. The worst-fit strategy allocates the smallest available hole.
15. Address binding can occur at compile, load, or execution time.
16. Unequal-size partitions eliminate all internal fragmentation.
17. The backing store is typically a fast disk large enough for memory
images
18. Logical address space is the set of addresses seen by the memory unit.
19. First-fit is generally faster than best-fit for memory allocation.
20. Paging is a solution to external fragmentation.
## Answer Key
### Multiple Choice Answers:
1-b, 2-b, 3-b, 4-b, 5-b, 6-b, 7-b, 8-b, 9-d, 10-c,
11-a, 12-b, 13-b, 14-a, 15-b, 16-b, 17-a, 18-b, 19-b, 20-a,
21-b, 22-b, 23-c, 24-a, 25-c, 26-b, 27-d, 28-b, 29-b, 30-a,
31-d, 32-b, 33-b, 34-b, 35-d, 36-c, 37-b, 38-b, 39-b, 40-c
### True/False Answers:
1-T, 2-F, 3-T, 4-F, 5-F, 6-T, 7-F, 8-F, 9-T, 10-F,
11-T, 12-T, 13-F, 14-F, 15-T, 16-F, 17-T, 18-F, 19-T, 20-T
