System Programming MCQs

By: Prof. Dr. Fazal Rehman | Last updated: April 16, 2025

1. Select the system software that always resides in main memory
(A) Text editor
(B) Loader
(C) Linker
(D) Assembler

2. The Daisy chain is a device used for ________?
(A) Interconnecting a number of devices to a number of controllers
(B) Connecting a number of controllers to devices
(C) Connecting a number of devices to a controller
(D) All of the above

3. If you need to create, edit, and print documents, select the software type that should be used.
(A) Desktop publishing
(B) Spreadsheet
(C) Word processing
(D) UNIX

4. The Producer-consumer problem can be solved by ____________?
(A) Semaphores
(B) Monitors
(C) Event counters
(D) All of the above

5. Define bootstrapping.
(A) A language compiles itself
(B) A language compiling other language programs
(C) A language interpreting other language programs
(D) All of the above

6. The Shell is the main feature of _______?
(A) System software
(B) DOS
(C) UNIX
(D) Application software

7. The execution of a program is called
(A) Instruction
(B) Process
(C) Procedure
(D) Function

8. Select from the following that can be used as a criterion for the division of data structures used in language processing.
(A) Purpose of a data structure
(B) Nature of a data structure
(C) Lifetime of a data structure
(D) All of the above

9. Select the correct description of UNIX device driver
(A) Unstructured
(B) Structured into two halves called top half and bottom half
(C) None of the above
Answer: (B) Structured into two halves called top half and bottom half

10. What is memory?
(A) A device that performs a sequence of processes specified by instructions in memory
(B) A computational unit to perform specific functions
(C) A sequence of instructions
(D) A device where information is stored

11. Select the addressing mode in which the operand is given explicitly in the instruction itself.
(A) Immediate mode
(B) Absolute mode
(C) Indirect mode
(D) Index mode

12. Select the addressing mode where the effective address of the operand is generated by adding a constant value to the contents of a register.
(A) Indirect mode
(B) Immediate mode
(C) Absolute mode
(D) Index mode

13. Define garbage
(A) Allocated storage with all access paths to it destroyed
(B) Un-allocated storage
(C) Allocated storage
(D) Uninitialized storage

14. Select from the following the program that does not belong to utility
(A) Spooler
(B) Editor
(C) Debugger
(D) All of the above

15. Select the development strategy where executive control modules of a system are coded and tested first, which is called?
(A) Bottom-up development
(B) Left-right development
(C) Top-down development
(D) All of the above

16. Select the systems software that does the job of merging the records from two files into one.
(A) Utility program
(B) Documentation system
(C) Networking software
(D) Security software

17. The computer cannot boot if it does not have ____________?
(A) Loader
(B) Compiler
(C) Operating system
(D) Assembler

18. The Process Manager has to keep track of __________?
(A) The priority of each program
(B) The status of each program
(C) The information management support to a programmer using the system
(D) Both A and B

19. The sequence of instructions, in a computer language, to obtain the desired result is called
(A) Algorithm
(B) Program
(C) Decision Table
(D) All of the above

20. The action implementing an instruction’s meaning is carried out through
(A) Instruction execution
(B) Instruction decode
(C) Instruction fetch
(D) Instruction program

21. The running time of a program is based on __________?
(A) The order in which computations are performed
(B) The way the registers and addressing modes are used
(C) The usage of machine idioms
(D) All of these

22. The bottom-up parser creates ____________?
(A) Rightmost derivation in reverse
(B) Rightmost derivation
(C) Leftmost derivation
(D) Leftmost derivation in reverse

23. The Object program is a __________?
(A) Translation of high-level language into machine language
(B) Program to be translated into machine language
(C) Program written in machine language
(D) None of the mentioned

24. Select the system software based in main memory
(A) Linker
(B) Assembler
(C) Text editor
(D) All of these

25. Select the software that gives permission to your computer to communicate with the user, applications, and hardware, and is known as
(A) System software
(B) Word processor
(C) Application software
(D) Database software

26. Select the programs that link computer resources and provide an interface between users and the computer, and are also used to run the application programs.
(A) Operating systems
(B) Utilities
(C) Device drivers
(D) Language translators

27. Select the specialized programs that allow specific input or output devices to interact with the rest of the computer system are called
(A) Device drivers
(B) Utilities
(C) Operating systems
(D) Language translators

28. The type of program that performs certain tasks associated with managing computer resources, also called
(A) Operating system
(B) Utility
(C) Language translator
(D) None of these

29. For the computer to understand the program, it must be converted into machine language by ___________?
(A) Language translator
(B) Utility
(C) Device driver
(D) Operating system

30. Select the function that does not belong to the operating system
(A) Manage resources
(B) Provide a user interface
(C) Internet access
(D) Load and run applications

31. Select the items that are used by the computer in its functioning and are collectively known as
(A) Capital
(B) Stuff
(C) Resources
(D) Properties

32. Select the programs that have all of the computer’s resources like memory, processing, storage, and devices such as printers, which are collectively known as
(A) Language translators
(B) Interfaces
(C) Applications
(D) Resources

33. The compiler is used to transfer ___________ that the computer can understand.
(A) Source code into data
(B) Algorithm into data
(C) Computer language into data
(D) None of the above

34. The object code is then passed by a program known as
(A) Linker
(B) Source code
(C) Integer
(D) None of the above

35. When we start the computer, a special type of absolute loader is executed, it is known as
(A) Compile and Go loader
(B) Bootstrap loader
(C) Boot loader
(D) Relating loader

36. Define the program?
(A) A device where information is stored
(B) A sequence of instructions
(C) A device that performs a sequence of operations specified by instructions in memory
(D) None of these

37. Select the following parts of the system that include the programs or instructions.
(A) Icon
(B) Hardware
(C) Software
(D) Information

38. The symbol used to separate the user name from the ISP in email addresses is
(A) %
(B) *
(C) .
(D) @

39. The different types of applications and documents are represented on the Windows desktop through ______?
(A) Graphs
(B) Labels
(C) Icons
(D) Symbols

40. The coordination of processor operation in CPU is controlled by ___________?
(A) Registers
(B) ALU
(C) CU
(D) All of the above

41. Select the inventor of the microprocessor
(A) Marican E Huff
(B) John Atansof
(C) Joseph Jucquard
(D) All of the above

42. Select the name of the first microprocessor chip was
(A) Intel4004
(B) Intel2004
(C) Intel300