File System Interface and Implementation Questions and Answers

Q: Which of the following is the main purpose of the File System in an operating system ?

The file system's main purpose is to provide a structured way to store and access data.A file system organises data on storage devices into named files and directories, keeps track of where each file's blocks are, and controls access, so programs and users can store and retrieve data by name.Memory allocation, CPU scheduling and peripheral control are the jobs of the memory manager, the process scheduler and the device manager.

Q: Which file allocation method provides best access time for sequential access ?

The method is contiguous allocation.In contiguous allocation a file occupies consecutive blocks on the disk, so reading it in order needs little or no head movement between blocks. Any block can also be located directly from the start address and length. Both sequential and direct access are as fast as they can be.Linked allocation scatters blocks and has to follow pointers one by one. Indexed allocation needs index block lookups, and its data blocks may also be scattered. Hashed allocation is a way of organising directories, not a file block allocation method.

Q: Which file organization allows fastest direct access ?

The fastest direct access comes from hashing.In a hashed (direct) file, a hash function turns the record key straight into the address where the record is stored, so a record can usually be reached in a single access without searching.A sequential file must be read from the start until the record is found. An indexed file first looks the key up in an index and then goes to the record, which takes extra accesses. Linked organisation follows pointers from record to record, which is slower still.

Q: The mv command changes

The mv command changes the directory entry, option (C). Moving or renaming a file within a file system only rewrites the name in the directory (the link from the name to the inode number), while the inode, with the file's owner, size, times and block pointers, and the inode number remain as they were. Only moving the file to a different file system copies the data to a new inode, but the usual case in this question is the directory entry. So (A) the inode, (B) the inode number and (D) both the directory entry and the inode are wrong.

Q: A UNIX file system has 1 KB block size and 4-byte disk addresses. What is the maximum file size if the inode contains ten direct block entries, one single indirect block entry, one double indirect block entry and one triple indirect block entry ?

With 1 KB blocks and 4-byte disk addresses each indirect block holds \(1024 / 4 = 256\) addresses, so the number of blocks that can be reached is\[ 10 + 256 + 256^{2} + 256^{3} \]The last term is 16,777,216 blocks of 1 KB, which is 16 GB, and the other terms add only about 65 MB. So the maximum file size is about 16 GB, option (C). The values 30 GB and 64 GB are too large for this inode and 1 GB is too small.

Q: The versions of windows operating system like windows XP and window Vista uses following file system :

Windows XP and Windows Vista can use all of the file systems named: FAT-16, FAT-32 and NTFS, so the answer is (D). The FAT systems are kept for compatibility with older systems and removable disks, and NTFS is the system normally used for the system disk, with its security and journaling features.Options (A), (B) and (C) each give only one of the three, so none of them alone covers the versions of Windows named in the question.

11.

Which of the following is the main purpose of the File System in an operating system ?

A.Manage memory allocation
B.Manage CPU scheduling
C.Provide a structured way to store and access data
D.Control peripheral devices

Exam Year(s)

Tripura Public Service Commission - 2025,

Answer: C

The file system's main purpose is to provide a structured way to store and access data.

A file system organises data on storage devices into named files and directories, keeps track of where each file's blocks are, and controls access, so programs and users can store and retrieve data by name.

Memory allocation, CPU scheduling and peripheral control are the jobs of the memory manager, the process scheduler and the device manager.

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12.

Which file allocation method provides best access time for sequential access ?

A.Contiguous allocation
B.Linked allocation
C.Indexed allocation
D.Hashed allocation

Exam Year(s)

Tripura Public Service Commission - 2026,

Answer: A

The method is contiguous allocation.

In contiguous allocation a file occupies consecutive blocks on the disk, so reading it in order needs little or no head movement between blocks. Any block can also be located directly from the start address and length. Both sequential and direct access are as fast as they can be.

Linked allocation scatters blocks and has to follow pointers one by one. Indexed allocation needs index block lookups, and its data blocks may also be scattered. Hashed allocation is a way of organising directories, not a file block allocation method.

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13.

Which file organization allows fastest direct access ?

A.Sequential
B.Indexed
C.Hashing
D.Linked

Exam Year(s)

Tripura Public Service Commission - 2026,

Answer: C

The fastest direct access comes from hashing.

In a hashed (direct) file, a hash function turns the record key straight into the address where the record is stored, so a record can usually be reached in a single access without searching.

A sequential file must be read from the start until the record is found. An indexed file first looks the key up in an index and then goes to the record, which takes extra accesses. Linked organisation follows pointers from record to record, which is slower still.

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14.

How much space will be required to store the bit map of a 1.3 GB disk with 512 bytes block size ?

A.332.8 KB
B.83.6 KB
C.266.2 KB
D.256.6 KB

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2013,

Answer: A

The bit map needs one bit per block. The number of blocks is the disk size divided by the block size, and the space is that number of bits converted to bytes.

\[ \frac{1.3 \times 2^{30}}{2^{9}} = 1.3 \times 2^{21} \]\[ 1.3 \times 2^{18} \approx 340{,}787 \text{ bytes} \]\[ 340{,}787 / 1024 \approx 332.8 \text{ KB} \]

So 332.8 KB is right. The other figures are not near 1.3 x 2^18 bytes, and they would arise from mistakes in converting units.

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15.

The directory structure used in Unix file system is called

A.Hierarchical directory
B.Tree structured directory
C.Directed acyclic graph
D.Graph structured directory

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2013,

Answer: C

The directory structure used in the Unix file system is a directed acyclic graph. Unix allows a file to have several links, so one file can appear in more than one directory, but cycles are not permitted. This is more general than a plain tree, where each file has a single parent.

A hierarchical or tree structured directory does not allow sharing of files through links, and a general graph structure would allow cycles, which Unix does not allow.

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16.

Consider the following UNIX command : sort \(\lt\)in\(\gt\) temp; head - 30 \(\lt\)temp; rm temp Which of the following functions shall be performed by this command ?

A.Sort, taking the input from "temp", prints 30 lines from temp and delete the file temp
B.Sort the file "temp", removes 30 lines from temp and delete the file temp
C.Sort, taking the input from "in" and writing the output to "temp" then prints 30 lines from temp on terminal. Finally "temp" is removed.
D.Sort, taking the input from "temp" and then prints 30 lines from "temp" on terminal. Finally "temp" is removed.

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2013,

Answer: C

The command sort <in> temp; head -30 <temp; rm temp has three parts. The first sorts, taking its input from the file in and writing its output to the file temp. The second, head -30 <temp, reads temp and prints its first 30 lines on the terminal. The third removes the file temp. That is option (C). Options (A) and (D) say the sort reads from temp, whereas temp is the output of the first command, and (B) says the 30 lines are removed from temp instead of being printed, which head does not do.

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17.

The mv command changes

A.the inode
B.the inode-number
C.the directory entry
D.both the directory entry and the inode

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2013,

Answer: C

The mv command changes the directory entry, option (C). Moving or renaming a file within a file system only rewrites the name in the directory (the link from the name to the inode number), while the inode, with the file's owner, size, times and block pointers, and the inode number remain as they were. Only moving the file to a different file system copies the data to a new inode, but the usual case in this question is the directory entry. So (A) the inode, (B) the inode number and (D) both the directory entry and the inode are wrong.

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18.

A UNIX file system has 1 KB block size and 4-byte disk addresses. What is the maximum file size if the inode contains ten direct block entries, one single indirect block entry, one double indirect block entry and one triple indirect block entry ?

A.30 GB
B.64 GB
C.16 GB
D.1 GB

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2013,

Answer: C

With 1 KB blocks and 4-byte disk addresses each indirect block holds \(1024 / 4 = 256\) addresses, so the number of blocks that can be reached is

\[ 10 + 256 + 256^{2} + 256^{3} \]

The last term is 16,777,216 blocks of 1 KB, which is 16 GB, and the other terms add only about 65 MB. So the maximum file size is about 16 GB, option (C). The values 30 GB and 64 GB are too large for this inode and 1 GB is too small.

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19.

The versions of windows operating system like windows XP and window Vista uses following file system :

A.FAT-16
B.FAT-32
C.NTFS (NT File System)
D.All of the above

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2013,

Answer: D

Windows XP and Windows Vista can use all of the file systems named: FAT-16, FAT-32 and NTFS, so the answer is (D). The FAT systems are kept for compatibility with older systems and removable disks, and NTFS is the system normally used for the system disk, with its security and journaling features.

Options (A), (B) and (C) each give only one of the three, so none of them alone covers the versions of Windows named in the question.

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