Unit 1: Linux Basics and Installation - Practice Quiz

CSE105 — Creative Engineering Workshop 60 Questions
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1 Who is credited with creating the Linux kernel in 1991?

Introduction to Linux and UNIX Easy
A. Dennis Ritchie
B. Richard Stallman
C. Linus Torvalds
D. Ken Thompson

2 Which type of software license best describes Linux?

Introduction to Linux and UNIX Easy
A. Freeware only
B. Open source
C. Proprietary
D. Shareware

3 In which decade was the original UNIX operating system first developed?

Introduction to Linux and UNIX Easy
A. 1970s
B. 1990s
C. 1950s
D. 2000s

4 Which of the following is a popular Linux distribution?

Introduction to Linux and UNIX Easy
A. Windows
B. macOS
C. Ubuntu
D. Solaris

5 Which component of the UNIX architecture interacts directly with the computer hardware?

UNIX Architecture Easy
A. Applications
B. Kernel
C. Utilities
D. Shell

6 What is the primary role of the shell in UNIX?

UNIX Architecture Easy
A. Interpret user commands
B. Manage memory allocation
C. Store files on disk
D. Control CPU scheduling

7 Which layer of UNIX sits between the shell and the hardware?

UNIX Architecture Easy
A. User applications
B. Kernel
C. Terminal window
D. File system icons

8 Which of the following is an example of a UNIX shell?

UNIX Architecture Easy
A. VirtualBox
B. GNOME
C. GRUB
D. Bash

9 What is the recommended minimum RAM for installing a modern Ubuntu desktop?

Ubuntu Installation Easy
A. 16 KB
B. 64 GB
C. 4 GB
D. 128 MB

10 During Ubuntu installation, which file system format is commonly used for the root partition?

Ubuntu Installation Easy
A. FAT16
B. NTFS
C. HFS+
D. ext4

11 What is the file format of an Ubuntu installation image downloaded from the official site?

Ubuntu Installation Easy
A. EXE
B. APK
C. ISO
D. DMG

12 What does a dual boot setup allow a user to do?

Dual Boot Installation Easy
A. Install two antivirus programs
B. Run two monitors at once
C. Choose between two operating systems at startup
D. Double the CPU speed

13 Which boot loader is commonly used to manage a Linux and Windows dual boot?

Dual Boot Installation Easy
A. BASH
B. SATA
C. GRUB
D. BIOS

14 What is a virtual machine?

Virtual Machine Installation (VirtualBox/VMware) Easy
A. A type of USB drive
B. A physical server rack
C. A network router
D. A software emulation of a physical computer

15 Which of the following is virtualization software used to run Linux inside another OS?

Virtual Machine Installation (VirtualBox/VMware) Easy
A. VirtualBox
B. Bash
C. ext4
D. GNOME

16 In virtualization, the operating system running inside the virtual machine is called the:

Virtual Machine Installation (VirtualBox/VMware) Easy
A. Shell OS
B. Kernel OS
C. Host OS
D. Guest OS

17 What is the main advantage of a Live USB/CD?

Live USB/CD Installation Easy
A. Permanently delete Windows automatically
B. Upgrade the CPU speed
C. Increase RAM capacity
D. Run Linux without installing it on the hard disk

18 Which tool is commonly used to create a bootable Live USB from an ISO file?

Live USB/CD Installation Easy
A. GRUB
B. Bash
C. Rufus
D. GNOME

19 What does WSL allow Windows users to do?

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Easy
A. Overclock the processor
B. Run a Linux environment directly on Windows
C. Encrypt the hard drive
D. Replace Windows entirely with Linux

20 Which of the following is a Linux desktop environment?

Linux Desktop Environments (GNOME, KDE) Easy
A. GNOME
B. GRUB
C. VirtualBox
D. Rufus

21 A developer claims that Linux is a complete operating system by itself. Which statement most accurately corrects or clarifies this claim?

Introduction to Linux and UNIX Medium
A. Linux is technically only the kernel; a full OS combines it with GNU utilities and other software
B. Linux is a UNIX distribution owned and licensed by AT&T Bell Labs
C. Linux is a proprietary shell that interprets UNIX commands only
D. Linux is a desktop environment that runs on top of the Windows kernel

22 Which of the following best explains why Linux is described as 'UNIX-like' rather than 'UNIX'?

Introduction to Linux and UNIX Medium
A. It cannot run any software that was originally written for UNIX systems
B. It follows UNIX design principles and POSIX standards but does not derive from original UNIX source code
C. It was developed before UNIX and later influenced the UNIX architecture
D. It uses the same proprietary source code as original AT&T UNIX under license

23 In the layered UNIX architecture, a user program needs to read a file from disk. Which sequence correctly represents the flow of the request?

UNIX Architecture Medium
A. Application → Shell/System call → Kernel → Hardware
B. Shell → Hardware → Kernel → Application
C. Hardware → Kernel → Shell → Application
D. Kernel → Application → Shell → Hardware

24 Which component of the UNIX architecture acts as the interface between the user and the kernel by interpreting typed commands?

UNIX Architecture Medium
A. The device driver
B. The shell
C. The bootloader
D. The system call table

25 Why are system calls considered a critical part of the UNIX architecture?

UNIX Architecture Medium
A. They replace the need for a kernel in modern UNIX systems
B. They provide the controlled entry points through which programs request kernel services
C. They compile source code directly into machine instructions
D. They are graphical tools used to configure the desktop environment

26 During a standard Ubuntu installation, which filesystem is most commonly used by default for the root partition?

Ubuntu Installation Medium
A. FAT32
B. ext4
C. HFS+
D. NTFS

27 A student wants Ubuntu to use a dedicated area of the disk for memory overflow when RAM is full. Which partition should be configured for this purpose?

Ubuntu Installation Medium
A. EFI partition
B. Boot partition
C. Swap partition
D. Home partition

28 Which mount point in an Ubuntu installation typically stores individual users' personal files and settings?

Ubuntu Installation Medium
A. /home
B. /etc
C. /boot
D. /var

29 When setting up a dual boot with Windows already installed, why is it generally recommended to install Windows before Linux?

Dual Boot Installation Medium
A. Windows cannot be installed after any Linux partition exists on the disk
B. Windows and Linux require identical partition tables that only Windows can create
C. Linux's GRUB bootloader can detect Windows and add it to the boot menu, whereas Windows overwrites GRUB
D. Linux automatically deletes the Windows bootloader if installed second

30 After a dual boot setup, a user boots the machine but sees only Windows with no option to choose Linux. What is the most likely cause?

Dual Boot Installation Medium
A. Ubuntu was installed onto an NTFS partition by mistake
B. The Linux kernel was never compiled during installation
C. The GRUB bootloader was overwritten or is not being loaded first
D. The RAM is insufficient to display the boot menu

31 On a modern UEFI-based system, which partition must exist to store bootloader files for both operating systems in a dual boot?

Dual Boot Installation Medium
A. EFI System Partition (ESP)
B. Swap partition
C. Extended logical partition
D. Recovery partition

32 A user installs Ubuntu inside VirtualBox but notices poor graphics performance and cannot resize the screen dynamically. What is the recommended fix?

Virtual Machine Installation (VirtualBox/VMware) Medium
A. Disable virtualization support in the BIOS
B. Install VirtualBox Guest Additions in the guest OS
C. Convert the virtual disk from VDI to NTFS format
D. Reinstall the host operating system entirely

33 In VirtualBox, which network mode allows the guest VM to obtain its own IP on the same physical network as the host, appearing as a separate device?

Virtual Machine Installation (VirtualBox/VMware) Medium
A. Bridged Adapter
B. NAT
C. Internal Network
D. Host-only Adapter

34 A student's VM fails to start with an error about hardware virtualization. Which BIOS/UEFI setting most likely needs to be enabled?

Virtual Machine Installation (VirtualBox/VMware) Medium
A. TPM 2.0
B. Fast Boot
C. Secure Boot
D. Intel VT-x / AMD-V

35 What is the primary advantage of running Linux from a Live USB before installing it?

Live USB/CD Installation Medium
A. It lets you test the OS and hardware compatibility without modifying the existing system
B. It requires no ISO image or bootable media to function
C. It automatically encrypts the host machine's hard drive
D. It permanently installs the OS faster than any other method

36 Which tool is commonly used to write an Ubuntu ISO image to a USB drive to make it bootable?

Live USB/CD Installation Medium
A. 7-Zip
B. Notepad++
C. WinRAR
D. Rufus

37 A user's changes made during a standard Live USB session disappear after rebooting. Which feature would preserve those changes across sessions?

Live USB/CD Installation Medium
A. Persistent storage
B. Secure Boot
C. Disk defragmentation
D. Journaling

38 What key architectural improvement does WSL 2 provide over WSL 1?

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Medium
A. It removes the need for Windows entirely to run Linux binaries
B. It only supports graphical Linux applications and not the command line
C. It translates Linux system calls into Windows calls without any kernel
D. It runs a real Linux kernel inside a lightweight virtual machine

39 A developer wants to list all installed WSL distributions from the Windows command line. Which command should they use?

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Medium
A. wsl --list
B. wsl --kernel
C. wsl --install-all
D. wsl --run

40 Which scenario best justifies choosing WSL over a full virtual machine for Linux development on Windows?

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Medium
A. Running a Linux server that must be fully isolated from the Windows host network
B. Lightweight command-line Linux tooling with fast startup and tight Windows integration
C. Booting directly into Linux hardware drivers for GPU passthrough gaming
D. Simulating multiple different physical machines with distinct MAC addresses

41 In the UNIX architecture, a user process invokes read() on a file descriptor. Which sequence correctly describes the privilege transitions and layers traversed?

UNIX Architecture Hard
A. User mode → device driver → kernel mode → system call interface → hardware
B. Shell → kernel mode → user mode → system call interface → hardware
C. Kernel mode → shell → system call interface → user mode → hardware
D. User mode → system call interface → kernel mode → device driver → hardware, then return to user mode

42 Which statement most accurately distinguishes Linux from traditional UNIX in terms of standards and lineage?

Introduction to Linux and UNIX Hard
A. Linux is a certified UNIX operating system directly descended from AT&T System V source code
B. Linux is a UNIX-like kernel that is not derived from AT&T UNIX code but often adheres to POSIX standards
C. Linux is a proprietary fork of BSD UNIX maintained by a single vendor
D. Linux and UNIX share the exact same kernel codebase but differ only in shells

43 A user installs Windows after Linux on a dual-boot BIOS/MBR system and finds the GRUB menu no longer appears, booting straight into Windows. What is the root cause?

Dual Boot Installation Hard
A. The Linux partition was deleted during the Windows installation
B. GRUB was uninstalled automatically because Windows detected a conflict
C. Windows overwrote the MBR bootloader with its own, removing the GRUB entry
D. UEFI Secure Boot permanently disabled the GRUB bootloader

44 What is the fundamental architectural difference between WSL 1 and WSL 2 that affects system call compatibility?

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Hard
A. WSL 2 emulates Linux entirely in user space without any kernel
B. WSL 1 runs a real Linux kernel while WSL 2 uses syscall translation
C. WSL 2 runs a real Linux kernel in a lightweight VM, while WSL 1 translates Linux syscalls to Windows NT calls
D. Both run identical Linux kernels but WSL 2 adds a GUI layer

45 A VirtualBox guest running 64-bit Ubuntu only offers 32-bit options and fails to boot the ISO. Which combination of causes is most likely?

Virtual Machine Installation (VirtualBox/VMware) Hard
A. The virtual disk was formatted with the wrong filesystem
B. The host RAM exceeds VirtualBox's maximum allocation limit
C. The guest additions package is missing from the ISO
D. Hardware virtualization (VT-x/AMD-V) is disabled in BIOS or conflicts with Hyper-V on the host

46 Which statement correctly characterizes the toolkit and design philosophy difference between GNOME and KDE Plasma?

Linux Desktop Environments (GNOME, KDE) Hard
A. GNOME uses Qt and KDE uses GTK, but both share the same window manager
B. GNOME uses GTK and favors simplicity/minimal configuration; KDE Plasma uses Qt and favors high customizability
C. GNOME uses Qt with heavy customization; KDE Plasma uses GTK with minimalism
D. Both use GTK but GNOME is written in C++ and KDE in C

47 When creating a bootable Ubuntu USB, why does using dd if=ubuntu.iso of=/dev/sdb work but copying the ISO into a mounted filesystem does not?

Live USB/CD Installation Hard
A. Copying to a mounted filesystem encrypts the boot files automatically
B. dd writes the raw ISO image including the boot sector and partition structure block-by-block
C. dd compresses the ISO so it fits the boot sector
D. dd converts the ISO to FAT32 which is required for booting

48 During Ubuntu installation on a UEFI system, the installer requires an EFI System Partition. What are its correct characteristics?

Ubuntu Installation Hard
A. A btrfs partition mounted at /efi storing the root filesystem
B. A swap partition formatted as NTFS used only during boot
C. An ext4 partition of at least 2 GB mounted at /boot holding the kernel
D. A FAT32-formatted partition (~100–550 MB) flagged as esp/boot holding bootloader files

49 Which layer of the UNIX architecture is directly responsible for translating user commands into kernel service requests but is itself a user-level program?

UNIX Architecture Hard
A. The interrupt handler
B. The device driver layer
C. The shell
D. The system call dispatcher

50 A developer notices that files stored under /home in WSL 2 have much faster I/O than files accessed via /mnt/c. Why?

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Hard
A. /mnt/c uses NTFS compression that slows every read
B. /home is stored entirely in RAM as a tmpfs mount
C. /mnt/c disables caching because it is read-only
D. /home resides on the VM's native ext4 virtual disk, while /mnt/c crosses the 9P protocol to the Windows filesystem

51 In a UEFI dual-boot setup, why can enabling Windows "Fast Startup" corrupt or lock shared NTFS partitions accessed from Linux?

Dual Boot Installation Hard
A. Fast Startup reformats the NTFS partition to exFAT on shutdown
B. Fast Startup encrypts the NTFS partition with BitLocker automatically
C. Fast Startup deletes the Linux swap partition to speed boot
D. Fast Startup hibernates the kernel leaving the NTFS filesystem in an unclean, locked state

52 What is the primary purpose of installing VirtualBox Guest Additions (or VMware Tools) after setting up a Linux guest?

Virtual Machine Installation (VirtualBox/VMware) Hard
A. To enable the guest to run as a bootloader for the host OS
B. To provide paravirtualized drivers enabling better display, shared folders, and clipboard integration
C. To convert the virtual disk from dynamic to fixed size
D. To replace the guest's Linux kernel with a host-optimized one

53 Which characteristic is a defining feature of the GNU/Linux ecosystem that traditional proprietary UNIX systems generally lacked?

Introduction to Linux and UNIX Hard
A. Freely available source code under copyleft licensing like the GPL
B. Use of a monolithic kernel design
C. Support for multitasking and multiuser operation
D. A hierarchical filesystem with a single root directory

54 A user chooses "LVM with encryption" during Ubuntu installation. What does this arrangement provide compared to a standard ext4 partition scheme?

Ubuntu Installation Hard
A. Read-only root partition with encrypted swap only
B. Automatic RAID mirroring across two disks without encryption
C. A compressed filesystem that doubles storage capacity
D. Flexible logical volume resizing plus full-disk encryption via LUKS on the physical volume

55 What distinguishes a "persistent" live USB from a standard live USB session?

Live USB/CD Installation Hard
A. A persistent live USB can only boot on UEFI systems
B. A persistent live USB uses a dedicated writable overlay so changes survive reboots
C. A persistent live USB installs the OS permanently to the internal disk
D. A persistent live USB runs entirely from RAM with no storage

56 On a modern Ubuntu system, what is the relationship between the display server (Wayland/X11) and the desktop environment like GNOME?

Linux Desktop Environments (GNOME, KDE) Hard
A. GNOME and the display server are the same process sharing one address space
B. The display server is a component of the Linux kernel controlling GNOME
C. The desktop environment runs on top of the display server, which manages rendering and input
D. The desktop environment replaces the display server entirely at login

57 In the UNIX process model, when a shell runs an external command like ls, which system call sequence is typically used?

UNIX Architecture Hard
A. exit() in the parent, then fork() in the kernel
B. exec() first, then fork() to spawn duplicate processes
C. fork() to create a child process, then exec() to replace its image with the program
D. wait() followed by exec() without any fork()

58 A VM is configured with a NAT network adapter. What networking limitation does this impose compared to a bridged adapter?

Virtual Machine Installation (VirtualBox/VMware) Hard
A. The guest cannot access the internet at all under NAT
B. The guest can only communicate with other VMs, not the host
C. The guest can reach external networks but is not directly reachable from the LAN without port forwarding
D. The guest shares the exact same IP address as the host on the LAN

59 Why does WSL 2 require virtualization features (Hyper-V/Virtual Machine Platform) to be enabled, whereas WSL 1 does not?

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Hard
A. WSL 2 boots a genuine Linux kernel inside a lightweight utility VM requiring the hypervisor
B. WSL 2 emulates an x86 processor in software requiring VT-x
C. WSL 2 encrypts all traffic and needs hardware encryption engines
D. WSL 1 uses more CPU cores and thus needs virtualization instead

60 When manually partitioning for a Linux/Windows dual boot on a single GPT disk, why is it critical to leave the existing EFI System Partition intact rather than creating a new one?

Dual Boot Installation Hard
A. Both operating systems share the same ESP for their bootloaders, and firmware expects a consistent boot entry location
B. The ESP must always be the last partition on a GPT disk
C. A second ESP would automatically erase all Windows data
D. GPT disks permit only a single primary partition total