Shelly Cashman Series Lab - Evaluating Operating Systems


Name   ____________________________________


Course and Division _______________________


Date   ___________________     Page 1 of 2


As you step through the Interactive Lab, answer the following
questions in the spaces provided. For multiple choice
questions, enter the appropriate letter on the blank line.

1. The primary component of the system software is known as
the _____________.

a. application software
b. user
c. operating system
d. hardware

2. The kernel contains external commands. True or False?
_____________

3. Explain how a user interacts with a command language.

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

4. What type of pointing device is commonly used with a 
graphical user interface? _____________

a. light pen
b. mouse
c. scanner
d. joy stick

5. List the three main functions of an operating system.

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

6. The operating system can give higher priority to 
important programs by allocating them more time slices.
True or False? _____________













Shelly Cashman Series Lab - Evaluating Operating Systems
Page 2 of 2

7. Data read from or written to an input/output device is
stored in areas of memory called _____________.

a. integrated circuits
b. disk drives
c. microprocessors
d. buffers

8. By using threads, the system's performance 
_____________.

a. increases
b. decreases
c. remains the same
d. overloads

9. List the six types of operating systems.

___________________________   ____________________________

___________________________   ____________________________

___________________________   ____________________________

10. Microsoft Windows 3.1 is an example of a _____________
operating environment.

a. foreground
b. single-program
c. low-priority
d. task switching

11. In a non-cooperative multitasking system, CPU access
is controlled by the programs being used. True or False?
_____________

12. UNIX is an example of a _____________ system.

a. pre-emptive multitasking
b. cooperative multitasking
c. non-cooperative multitasking
d. task switching

13. A multiprocessing operating system uses the computer
hardware to simulate several virtual machines. True or 
False? _____________