Task manager and system monitoring in Intro to Computing - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to list all running processes using the ps command.

Intro to Computing

ps [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-ef

B-xyz

C-abc

D-123

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using invalid options like -xyz or -abc

Omitting the dash before options

The ps -ef command lists all running processes in full format.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to display system resource usage with top in batch mode.

Intro to Computing

top [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-r

B-b

C-d

D-n

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using -r which reverses sort order

Using -d which sets delay time

The -b option runs top in batch mode, suitable for scripts or logging.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to kill a process by its PID using kill.

Intro to Computing

kill [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aprocess_id

B-9 process_id

Cpid

D-9 pid

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Omitting the signal option

Using variable names instead of actual PID

The correct syntax to force kill a process is kill -9 pid, where pid is the process ID.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill in the blanks to create a dictionary comprehension that maps process IDs to their command names from a list of tuples.

Intro to Computing

proc_dict = { [1]: [2] for [3], [4] in proc_list }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Apid

Bcmd

Cproc_id

Dcommand

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Swapping keys and values

Using inconsistent variable names

The dictionary comprehension maps each pid to its cmd from the list of process tuples.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill in the blanks to filter processes with CPU usage greater than 10% and create a dictionary of their names and CPU usage.

Intro to Computing

high_cpu = { [1]: [2] for [3], [4] in processes if [2] [5] 10 }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aname

Bcpu

Cproc_name

Dusage

E>

F<

Gproc

Hpercent

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong variable names

Using wrong comparison operator

The comprehension creates a dictionary with process names as keys and CPU usage as values, filtering those with usage greater than 10%.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a task manager in a computer system?

easy

A. To create backups of files

B. To install new software applications

C. To update the operating system automatically

D. To view and control running programs and processes

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what a task manager does

   A task manager shows running programs and processes on your computer.

2. Step 2: Identify the main function

   It allows you to monitor and control these running tasks, like ending a frozen program.

3. Final Answer:

   To view and control running programs and processes -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Task manager = control running programs [OK]

Hint: Task manager = see and manage running programs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing task manager with software installer
• Thinking task manager creates backups
• Assuming task manager updates OS

2. Which command is used on Linux to display currently running processes in a terminal?

easy

A. install

B. top

C. copy

D. format

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Linux commands for process monitoring

   The top command shows active processes and system resource usage.

2. Step 2: Eliminate unrelated commands

   install installs software, copy copies files, format prepares disks.

3. Final Answer:

   top -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Linux process list = top command [OK]

Hint: Use 'top' to see running processes on Linux [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'install' instead of 'top' to view processes
• Confusing 'copy' with process commands
• Trying 'format' which erases disks

3. What will be the output of the following command on Windows?
tasklist | findstr chrome.exe

medium

A. Lists the 'chrome.exe' processes if active

B. Starts the Chrome browser

C. Deletes the chrome.exe process

D. Shows network connections of Chrome

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the 'tasklist' command

   This command lists all running processes on Windows.

2. Step 2: Understand the pipe and 'findstr' usage

   The pipe sends output to 'findstr' which filters lines containing 'chrome.exe'.

3. Final Answer:

   Lists the 'chrome.exe' processes if active -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   tasklist + findstr = filtered process list [OK]

Hint: Pipe tasklist to findstr to filter processes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it launches or deletes Chrome
• Confusing process listing with network info
• Assuming it modifies processes

4. You run the command top -d on Linux but get an error. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. You need to run 'top' as root user always

B. The 'top' command does not support any options

C. The '-d' option requires a number to specify delay in seconds

D. The '-d' option is misspelled and should be '-D'

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the '-d' option usage in 'top'

   The '-d' option sets the delay between screen updates and requires a number argument.

2. Step 2: Identify the error cause

   If the number is missing or invalid, 'top' will show an error.

3. Final Answer:

   The '-d' option requires a number to specify delay in seconds -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   top -d needs number argument [OK]

Hint: Use '-d' with a number for delay in top command [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking 'top' has no options
• Believing root is always needed to run 'top'
• Using wrong option case '-D' instead of '-d'

5. You want to monitor CPU and memory usage on a Linux server and save the output every 10 seconds to a file named usage.log. Which command correctly does this?

hard

A. top -b -n 0 -d 10 > usage.log

B. top -d 10 > usage.log

C. top -b -d10 >> usage.log

D. top -d10 -b > usage.log

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand 'top' options for batch mode and delay

   The '-b' option runs 'top' in batch mode (non-interactive) suitable for logging. The '-n 0' option sets unlimited iterations for continuous output. The '-d 10' sets 10 seconds delay between updates.

2. Step 2: Check correct syntax for options and redirection

   Options must be separated by space: '-b -n 0 -d 10'. Using '>' overwrites the file, which is fine for fresh logs.

3. Final Answer:

   top -b -n 0 -d 10 > usage.log -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Batch mode + unlimited iterations + delay + redirect = top -b -n 0 -d 10 > usage.log [OK]

Hint: Use 'top -b -n 0 -d 10 > file' to log every 10 seconds [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting '-b' for batch mode causes interactive output
• Writing '-d10' without space can cause errors
• Using '>>' appends instead of overwriting unintentionally