Deadlocks and Synchronization: Master Process Management Concepts

Question 1

Which synchronization primitive is used to protect a critical section of code, ensuring that only one thread can execute it at a time?

Accepted Answer

Mutex

Answer

Semaphore

Answer

Condition variable

Answer

Barrier

Question 2

What is the purpose of a lock in a multithreaded application?

Accepted Answer

To prevent concurrent access to shared resources, ensuring data integrity.

Answer

To ensure that threads execute in a specific order.

Answer

To synchronize access to CPUs, optimizing performance.

Answer

To improve overall performance by reducing thread contention.

Question 3

Differentiate between a semaphore and a mutex. Which one counts the number of available resources, while the other acts as a binary lock?

Accepted Answer

Semaphore counts resources, while a mutex is a binary lock.

Answer

Mutex counts accessing threads, while a semaphore is a binary lock.

Answer

Semaphore is a synchronization primitive, while mutex is a lock.

Answer

There is no difference between a semaphore and a mutex.

Question 4

Identify the following scenario: Two threads are waiting for each other to release a lock, preventing progress. What is this situation called?

Accepted Answer

Deadlock

Answer

Race condition

Answer

Livelock

Answer

Starvation

Question 5

What is the primary purpose of the Banker's algorithm?

Accepted Answer

Detecting and preventing deadlocks by analyzing resource allocation requests.

Answer

Allocating resources to processes efficiently.

Answer

Synchronizing threads to avoid race conditions.

Answer

Managing memory allocation to optimize performance.

Question 6

What is the specific function of a condition variable?

Accepted Answer

Synchronizing threads based on the satisfaction of a specific condition.

Answer

Protecting critical sections of code from concurrent access.

Answer

Allocating resources to threads based on priority.

Answer

Scheduling threads to optimize CPU utilization.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a necessary condition for livelock to occur?

Accepted Answer

A deadlock has already occurred

Answer

Multiple threads competing for a shared resource

Answer

No progress being made by any thread

Answer

Threads waiting on an event that will never occur

Question 8

What is the purpose of banker's algorithm?

Accepted Answer

To detect and prevent deadlocks

Answer

To recover from deadlocks

Answer

To improve system performance

Answer

To reduce memory usage

Question 9

What is the distinction between a semaphore and a mutex?

Accepted Answer

A semaphore can have a count greater than 1, while a mutex cannot

Answer

A mutex can be used to protect shared data, while a semaphore cannot

Answer

A semaphore is used for inter-process synchronization, while a mutex is used for intra-process synchronization

Answer

There is no difference between a semaphore and a mutex

Question 10

What is a race condition?

Accepted Answer

A situation where multiple processes access the same shared data concurrently without proper synchronization

Answer

A situation where a process runs too slowly

Answer

A situation where a deadlock occurs

Answer

A situation where a process terminates unexpectedly

Question 11

What is the purpose of a lock?

Accepted Answer

To ensure that only one process can access a shared resource at a time

Answer

To speed up access to shared resources

Answer

To prevent deadlocks

Answer

To detect race conditions

Question 12

Which of the following is an advantage of using synchronization primitives?

Accepted Answer

Increased reliability

Answer

Improved performance

Answer

Reduced memory usage

Answer

Simplified code

Question 13

What is the difference between logical and physical deadlocks?

Accepted Answer

Logical deadlocks occur when processes wait for resources indefinitely, while physical deadlocks occur when processes wait for resources they have already acquired

Answer

Physical deadlocks occur when processes wait for resources indefinitely, while logical deadlocks occur when processes wait for resources they have already acquired

Answer

There is no difference between logical and physical deadlocks

Answer

Logical deadlocks are more frequent than physical deadlocks

Question 14

How does the choice of synchronization primitive affect the performance of a multithreaded application?

Accepted Answer

Synchronization primitives can introduce varying levels of overhead due to thread synchronization.

Answer

Synchronization primitives limit the number of threads that can run at the same time.

Answer

Synchronization primitives improve the application's responsiveness.

Answer

Synchronization primitives can remove the need for thread synchronization.

Question 15

Which synchronization primitive allows multiple threads to access a critical section in an exclusive manner?

Accepted Answer

Lock

Answer

Condition variable

Answer

Barrier

Answer

Semaphore

Question 16

The main objective of synchronization in operating systems is to:

Accepted Answer

Ensure safe sharing of resources among multiple processes

Answer

Prevent deadlocks from occurring

Answer

Maximize system performance

Answer

Optimize memory management

Question 17

Which algorithm guarantees freedom from deadlocks?

Accepted Answer

Banker's algorithm

Answer

Wound-wait algorithm

Answer

Peterson's algorithm

Answer

Dijkstra's algorithm

Question 18

Deadlock detection aims to pinpoint the exact series of events that caused the deadlock. What is a significant challenge associated with this process?

Accepted Answer

Identifying the exact sequence of events leading to the deadlock

Answer

Breaking the deadlock without losing data

Answer

Deciding which processes to end to resolve the deadlock

Answer

Preventing deadlocks from happening in the first place

Question 19

Deadlock Prevention Algorithm: Which algorithm is widely used to prevent deadlocks in operating systems?

Accepted Answer

Banker's algorithm: Determines whether a system is safe to allocate resources to processes to avoid deadlocks.

Answer

Dijkstra's algorithm: A graph theory algorithm used to find the shortest path to a destination.

Answer

Round-robin scheduling algorithm: A scheduling algorithm that gives each process a fair share of the CPU.

Answer

Lottery scheduling algorithm: A scheduling algorithm that randomly selects processes to run.

Question 20

Synchronization Primitive to Prevent Race Conditions: Which synchronization primitive is primarily designed to prevent race conditions, where multiple threads try to access shared data concurrently?

Accepted Answer

Mutex: A lock that ensures mutual exclusion, allowing only one thread to access a shared resource at a time.

Answer

Semaphore: A variable used to regulate access to a shared resource.

Answer

Condition variable: A variable used to synchronize threads based on specific conditions.

Answer

Monitor: A high-level synchronization construct that combines mutexes and condition variables.

Question 21

Purpose of Deadlock Detection Algorithm: What is the primary function of a deadlock detection algorithm?

Accepted Answer

To identify when a deadlock has occurred in the system.

Answer

To prevent deadlocks from happening in the first place.

Answer

To automatically resolve deadlocks without human intervention.

Answer

To optimize system performance by detecting and resolving performance bottlenecks.

Question 22

Which algorithm is commonly used to identify and prevent deadlocks?

Accepted Answer

Banker's algorithm

Answer

Round-robin scheduling

Answer

First-in, first-out (FIFO) scheduling

Answer

Priority scheduling

Question 23

Which issue can arise due to race conditions?

Accepted Answer

Both data corruption and unexpected program termination

Answer

Data corruption

Answer

Unexpected program termination

Answer

Reduced memory efficiency

Question 24

What distinguishes a mutex from a semaphore?

Accepted Answer

Mutexes enforce exclusive access, while semaphores manage resource sharing

Answer

Semaphores enforce exclusive access, while mutexes manage resource sharing

Answer

Mutexes and semaphores serve the same purpose

Answer

Mutexes are more efficient than semaphores

Question 25

What is an advantage of employing locks in multithreaded applications?

Accepted Answer

Enhanced data consistency and integrity

Answer

Increased execution speed

Answer

Reduced memory overhead

Answer

Simplified debugging process

Question 26

What is the minimum duration a thread can be blocked when acquiring a lock?

Accepted Answer

Zero milliseconds

Answer

One millisecond

Answer

Ten milliseconds

Answer

One second

Question 27

Which lock type is used to protect code sections from simultaneous access?

Accepted Answer

Spinlock

Answer

Fair lock

Answer

Reader-writer lock

Answer

Ticket lock

Question 28

In multithreaded applications, which techniques are commonly employed to prevent race conditions?

Accepted Answer

Locks and semaphores

Answer

Deadlock detection and avoidance

Answer

Polling and busy waiting

Answer

Thread priorities and scheduling

Question 29

The Banker's algorithm is primarily used for:

Accepted Answer

Deadlock prevention

Answer

Deadlock detection

Answer

Deadlock recovery

Answer

Resource allocation

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT a basic synchronization primitive?

Accepted Answer

Thread

Answer

Mutex

Answer

Semaphore

Answer

Event

Question 31

The primary goal of a deadlock recovery mechanism is to:

Accepted Answer

Restore the system to a state where it can continue execution.

Answer

Prevent deadlocks from occurring.

Answer

Detect deadlocks and abort the involved processes.

Question 32

Which advantage is associated with using semaphores for synchronization?

Accepted Answer

Ensuring fair and orderly access to shared resources.

Answer

Improving the overall performance of the operating system.

Answer

Preventing race conditions

Answer

Eliminating the need for shared memory.

Question 33

What is the key difference between a deadlock and a starvation scenario?

Accepted Answer

In a deadlock, multiple processes wait indefinitely for each other to release resources, while in starvation, a single process is indefinitely denied access to a necessary resource.

Answer

Deadlocks can be resolved by the operating system, while starvation can only be resolved by the application.

Question 34

Which of the following actions can potentially lead to race conditions?

Accepted Answer

Multiple threads accessing shared data concurrently.

Answer

Malware infection

Answer

Insufficient memory

Question 35

What is the primary purpose of a mutex lock in synchronization?

Accepted Answer

To guarantee exclusive access to a shared resource by a single process or thread.

Answer

To prevent race conditions

Answer

To allocate resources to processes

Answer

To detect and recover from deadlocks

Question 36

Which is a potential limitation of using the Banker's algorithm for deadlock prevention?

Accepted Answer

It necessitates prior knowledge of all resource requests, which may not always be feasible.

Answer

It can lead to decreased system performance.

Answer

It is highly complex to implement.

Question 37

What is the central aim of deadlock avoidance strategies?

Accepted Answer

To prevent deadlocks from occurring by carefully managing resource allocation and avoiding unsafe states.

Answer

To ensure fair access to resources

Answer

To detect and recover from deadlocks

Question 38

What is the primary purpose of using semaphores in synchronization?

Accepted Answer

To prevent concurrent access to shared resources and maintain data integrity.

Answer

To prioritize the execution of processes in a specific order.

Answer

To enable processes to share resources without conflicts.

Question 39

Which advantage does deadlock prevention offer over deadlock detection?

Accepted Answer

Guaranteed prevention of deadlocks, eliminating their occurrence.

Answer

Ease of implementation compared to deadlock detection.

Answer

Reduced overhead during regular system operation.

Answer

Ability to resolve deadlocks that do occur.

Question 40

What is the primary function of the Banker's Algorithm?

Accepted Answer

To determine whether a system is in a safe state and can avoid deadlocks.

Answer

To actively prevent deadlocks from occurring in the system.

Answer

To detect deadlocks when they arise in the system.

Question 41

Which technique is employed for deadlock avoidance?

Accepted Answer

Resource ordering, ensuring that processes acquire resources in a predefined sequence.

Answer

Deadlock recovery, restoring the system after a deadlock.

Answer

Deadlock detection, identifying deadlocks when they occur.

Answer

Ostrich algorithm, ignoring the possibility of deadlocks.

Question 42

What is the major disadvantage associated with deadlock detection?

Accepted Answer

Performance overhead introduced during normal system operation.

Answer

Limited ability to detect all possible deadlocks.

Answer

Potential for system crashes due to deadlock detection.

Answer

Requirement for significant system resources.

Question 43

How does a deadlock differ from a race condition?

Accepted Answer

A deadlock occurs when multiple processes wait indefinitely for each other, while a race condition arises when multiple processes access the same resource simultaneously without proper synchronization.

Answer

Deadlocks can be resolved through preemption, but race conditions cannot.

Question 44

What is the primary objective of a deadlock recovery mechanism?

Accepted Answer

To restore the system to a safe state after a deadlock has occurred.

Answer

To detect deadlocks and alert system administrators.

Answer

To prevent deadlocks from occurring in the first place.

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT a necessary condition for a deadlock to occur?

Accepted Answer

Resource starvation

Answer

Circular wait

Answer

Hold and wait

Answer

Mutual exclusion

Question 46

Which of the following algorithms is commonly used to prevent deadlocks?

Accepted Answer

Banker's algorithm

Answer

Shortest remaining time first scheduling

Answer

Round-robin scheduling

Answer

Priority scheduling

Question 47

What is the first step in resolving a deadlock?

Accepted Answer

Detecting the deadlock

Answer

Rolling back transactions

Answer

Terminating the involved processes

Question 48

Which of the following is a benefit of deadlock avoidance algorithms?

Accepted Answer

Guaranteed deadlock freedom

Answer

Reduced memory overhead

Answer

Increased thread safety

Answer

Improved system performance

Question 49

What is the purpose of a lock in synchronization?

Accepted Answer

To ensure mutual exclusion

Answer

To increase system throughput

Answer

To prevent starvation

Question 50

What is the potential consequence of race conditions in a multithreaded environment?

Accepted Answer

Data corruption

Answer

Reduced system performance

Answer

Increased memory overhead