Midterm Summative Test Operating Systems

In operating systems, files act as the logical unit of data storage that hides the complexity of physical storage devices. What is the main purpose of a file in this context?

• To translate binary code into machine instructions

• To provide a logical interface between user applications and physical storage

• To optimize CPU scheduling and cache memory usage

• To replicate files across multiple devices for redundancy

A user saves a new report on a flash drive. The operating system automatically records its size, creation time, and ownership information. What do we call this descriptive data attached to the file?

• File Header

• File Metadata

• File Cache

• File Control Block

When an operating system maintains information such as the name, type, and access permissions of a file, this data is typically stored in:

• The process control block

• The file control block (FCB)

• The inode list

• The system log

When a user edits a text document and saves it, what specific file operation occurs at the OS level?

• File read

• File write

• File seek

• File delete

The “seek” operation in file handling is best described as:

• Moving the file pointer to a specific location in a file

• Loading the file into main memory

• Compressing file content for faster transfer

• Copying data between two directories

A music application plays a playlist sequentially, starting from the first song and continuing until the last. Which file access method is being applied?

• Sequential access

• Random access

• Indexed access

• Direct access

In database systems where large records must be retrieved directly without reading previous ones, which access method is ideal?

• Indexed access

• Random access

• Sequential access

• Mapped access

A company stores its video archives using indexed access to allow faster searching. Which of the following best describes the structure of this method?

• Each record is accessed sequentially in fixed-size blocks

• Each file has an index table with pointers to the data blocks

• Data blocks are linked together using pointers

• Each block stores the full content of the file

What is a major disadvantage of sequential file access?

• It cannot read binary data

• It takes longer to reach middle records

• It cannot store text files

• It requires fixed-size blocks

A directory structure that allows subdirectories within directories, resembling an inverted tree, is known as:

• Linear directory

• Tree-structured directory

• Hierarchical directory

• Graph-based directory