Inter-Process Communication: A Comprehensive Guide for Operating Systems

Question 1

Which of the following is the inter-process communication method that allows multiple processes to access and modify a shared memory region directly?

Accepted Answer

Shared Memory

Answer

Message Passing

Answer

Pipes

Answer

Semaphores

Question 2

In the context of message passing, what is the primary purpose of a message queue?

Accepted Answer

To store messages that are waiting to be processed

Answer

To provide exclusive access to shared memory

Answer

To establish communication channels between processes

Answer

To perform synchronization using semaphores

Question 3

What is the primary purpose of using a semaphore in inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

To prevent multiple processes from accessing shared resources simultaneously

Answer

To establish a shared memory region

Answer

To transmit messages between processes

Answer

To implement message queues

Question 4

Which inter-process communication method is commonly used when processes reside on different machines?

Accepted Answer

Message Passing

Answer

Shared Memory

Answer

Pipes

Answer

File Mapping

Question 5

What is the term used to describe a situation where two or more processes indefinitely wait for each other to release resources?

Accepted Answer

Deadlock

Answer

Starvation

Answer

Livelock

Answer

Race Condition

Question 6

What is the main purpose of using synchronization primitives in inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

To ensure orderly access to shared resources

Answer

To create channels for communication between processes

Answer

To temporarily store messages during transmission

Answer

To terminate processes in the event of errors

Question 7

Which of the listed options is NOT an advantage of pipes in inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

Guaranteed data reliability

Answer

Simplicity and ease of implementation

Answer

High efficiency and low overhead

Answer

Support for bidirectional communication

Question 8

What is the fundamental difference between synchronous and asynchronous inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

Synchronous communication blocks the sender until the message is processed, while asynchronous communication does not

Answer

Asynchronous communication outperforms synchronous communication in terms of speed

Answer

Synchronous communication provides better reliability than asynchronous communication

Answer

Asynchronous communication is more straightforward to implement than synchronous communication

Question 9

In a multi-tasking environment, which IPC method allows processes to share data directly in memory?

Accepted Answer

Shared memory

Answer

Message passing

Answer

Pipes

Question 10

Which IPC method involves sending and receiving messages between processes?

Accepted Answer

Message passing

Answer

Shared memory

Answer

Pipes

Question 11

What type of IPC method uses unidirectional communication channels?

Accepted Answer

Pipes

Answer

Shared memory

Answer

Message passing

Question 12

What is a deadlock in the context of IPC?

Accepted Answer

A situation where two or more processes wait for each other indefinitely

Answer

A condition where a process cannot access a resource it needs

Answer

An error that occurs when data is corrupted during transfer

Question 13

Which IPC method is most suitable for communication between processes running on different machines?

Accepted Answer

Message passing

Answer

Shared memory

Answer

Pipes

Question 14

What is the role of an IPC interface?

Accepted Answer

To define the communication protocols and data structures used for IPC

Answer

To manage the allocation and deallocation of shared resources

Answer

To handle error conditions that occur during IPC

Question 15

Which message passing method utilizes a dedicated channel for processes to exchange messages?

Accepted Answer

Pipes

Answer

Shared Memory

Answer

Signals

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a commonly used method of inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

Direct Memory Access (DMA)

Answer

Shared Memory

Answer

Message Passing

Answer

Pipes

Question 17

Shared Memory is a method of inter-process communication that involves:

Accepted Answer

Processes sharing a common memory area.

Answer

Processes exchanging messages through a message queue.

Answer

Processes communicating through a pipe.

Question 18

In Unix-like operating systems, which system call is used to create a shared memory segment?

Accepted Answer

shmget()

Answer

msgget()

Answer

pipe()

Question 19

The key difference between blocking and non-blocking inter-process communication is that:

Accepted Answer

Blocking communication pauses the calling process until the operation completes, while non-blocking communication does not.

Answer

Non-blocking communication pauses the calling process until the operation completes, while blocking communication does not.

Answer

Blocking communication is more efficient than non-blocking communication.

Question 20

Message passing would be a more suitable inter-process communication method than shared memory when:

Accepted Answer

Processes need to exchange small amounts of data infrequently.

Answer

Processes need to share large amounts of data frequently.

Answer

Processes need to share data in a real-time manner.

Question 21

Which of the following methods is NOT used for inter-process communication (IPC)?

Accepted Answer

File-based communication

Answer

Shared memory

Answer

Message passing

Answer

Pipes

Question 22

Shared memory allows processes to communicate by sharing a:

Accepted Answer

common address space

Answer

common file system

Answer

common network connection

Answer

common process table

Question 23

When using the `pipe()` system call, what is created?

Accepted Answer

A pair of unidirectional pipes

Answer

A single bidirectional pipe

Answer

A single unidirectional pipe

Answer

A pair of bidirectional pipes

Question 24

In a multi-threaded application, inter-thread communication can be achieved primarily using:

Accepted Answer

Shared variables

Answer

Message passing

Answer

Pipes

Answer

Signal handling

Question 25

Which system call is used to block a process until it receives a message?

Accepted Answer

msgrcv()

Answer

read()

Answer

recvfrom()

Answer

recvmsg()

Question 26

Which IPC method is commonly used for communication between processes on different machines?

Accepted Answer

Sockets

Answer

Shared memory

Answer

Message passing

Answer

Pipes

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT a method of inter-process communication (IPC)?

Accepted Answer

File permissions

Answer

Shared memory

Answer

Message passing

Answer

Pipes

Question 28

In shared memory IPC, which of the following components allocates and manages the shared memory region?

Accepted Answer

Operating system kernel

Answer

User application process

Answer

System administrator

Answer

Compiler

Question 29

Which of the following system calls is used to create a shared memory segment?

Accepted Answer

shmget()

Answer

mmap()

Answer

pipe()

Answer

msgget()

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of message passing?

Accepted Answer

Improved performance for large data transfers

Answer

Increased overhead for small data transfers

Answer

Complexity in managing message queues

Answer

Potential for deadlocks

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT a type of inter-process synchronization mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Message queues

Answer

Mutexes

Answer

Semaphores

Answer

File locks

Question 32

In multi-tasking environments, how do IPC mechanisms like shared memory and message passing ensure data consistency, and what specific challenges do they face in doing so?

Accepted Answer

They implement locking mechanisms to prevent concurrent access to shared data, guaranteeing its integrity.

Answer

They rely solely on the operating system to manage data access permissions, ensuring data is protected.

Answer

They lack built-in synchronization mechanisms and depend entirely on application-level coding for data consistency.

Question 33

For a distributed system where processes run on different computers, which IPC technique is most suitable?

Accepted Answer

Message Passing

Answer

Shared Memory

Answer

Pipes

Question 34

Pipes are a unidirectional communication channel between processes. Which of the following is NOT a type of pipe?

Accepted Answer

LIFO pipe

Answer

Anonymous pipe

Answer

Named pipe

Answer

FIFO pipe

Question 35

In multi-tasking environments, processes may compete for resources such as CPU and memory. Which of the following is NOT a strategy for handling process synchronization?

Accepted Answer

Round-robin scheduling

Answer

Semaphores

Answer

Mutexes

Answer

Locks

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT a method of inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

Serial communication

Answer

Shared memory

Answer

Pipes

Answer

Message passing

Question 37

Which method of inter-process communication is most suitable for data that requires synchronization?

Accepted Answer

Shared memory

Answer

Pipes

Answer

Message passing

Answer

Sockets

Question 38

What is the main advantage of using message passing for inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

Decoupling of sender and receiver

Answer

Low overhead

Answer

Reliability

Answer

High performance

Question 39

What is the purpose of a semaphore in inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

To coordinate access to shared resources

Answer

To terminate processes

Answer

To create new processes

Answer

To send messages between processes

Question 40

What is the role of a message broker in message passing?

Accepted Answer

To route messages between sender and receiver

Answer

To encrypt messages for security

Answer

To store messages permanently

Question 41

Which of the following is a benefit of using pipes for inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

Simplicity and efficiency

Answer

High bandwidth

Answer

Support for remote communication

Answer

Reliability

Question 42

What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

Synchronous communication blocks the sender until the receiver receives the message, while asynchronous communication does not.

Answer

Synchronous communication is faster than asynchronous communication.

Question 43

Which industry standard protocol is used for message passing in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

AMQP (Advanced Message Queuing Protocol)

Answer

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

Answer

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

Answer

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

Question 44

Which Inter-Process Communication (IPC) method involves creating a shared memory region that multiple processes can access concurrently?

Accepted Answer

**Shared Memory**

Answer

Signals

Answer

Message Passing

Answer

Pipes

Question 45

Which IPC method involves exchanging messages between processes using a designated message queue?

Accepted Answer

**Message Passing**

Answer

Sockets

Answer

Pipes

Answer

Shared Memory

Question 46

Which IPC method establishes a unidirectional communication channel between two processes?

Accepted Answer

**Pipes**

Answer

Semaphores

Answer

Shared Memory

Answer

Message Passing

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of utilizing IPC?

Accepted Answer

**Increased overhead due to invoking system calls**

Answer

Enhanced synchronization

Answer

Facilitated data sharing

Answer

Boosted efficiency

Question 48

In a multi-tasking operating system, what type of IPC mechanism enables processes to communicate and synchronize their execution?

Accepted Answer

**Both synchronous and asynchronous**

Answer

Asynchronous only

Answer

Synchronous only

Answer

None of the above

Question 49

What is a primary advantage of utilizing shared memory for IPC?

Accepted Answer

**Accelerated communication speed**

Answer

Reduced overhead

Answer

Increased portability

Answer

Enhanced data security

Question 50

Which potential drawback is associated with applying message passing for IPC?

Accepted Answer

**Increased latency**

Answer

Lower bandwidth

Answer

Limited scalability

Answer

Elevated complexity

Question 51

Within a system employing IPC, which component is responsible for managing and coordinating communication between processes?

Accepted Answer

**IPC Kernel**

Answer

Process scheduler

Answer

File system

Answer

Network subsystem

Question 52

For communication between processes residing on distinct machines, which IPC method is commonly used?

Accepted Answer

**Sockets**

Answer

Pipes

Answer

Shared Memory

Answer

Message Passing

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT a kind of synchronization primitive employed in IPC?

Accepted Answer

**Mutex**

Answer

Semaphore

Answer

Barrier

Answer

Condition variable