Process states (new, ready, running, waiting, terminated) in Operating Systems - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to identify the initial state of a process.

Operating Systems

process_state = "[1]"  # The state when a process is first created

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

Anew

Bready

Crunning

Dwaiting

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Confusing 'ready' with the initial state.

Choosing 'running' as the first state.

The new state is the first state of a process when it is created but not yet ready to run.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to represent the state when a process is waiting for CPU time.

Operating Systems

process_state = "[1]"  # The state when a process is ready to run but waiting for CPU

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

Awaiting

Bready

Cterminated

Dnew

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing 'waiting' which means waiting for I/O, not CPU.

Selecting 'terminated' which means the process has finished.

The ready state means the process is prepared to run but is waiting for the CPU to become available.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to show the state when a process is actively executing instructions.

Operating Systems

process_state = "[1]"  # The state when the process is currently using the CPU

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

Anew

Bready

Cwaiting

Drunning

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing 'ready' which means waiting to run, not running.

Selecting 'waiting' which means waiting for I/O.

The running state means the process is currently executing on the CPU.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to represent the state when a process is waiting for an event and the state when it has finished execution.

Operating Systems

if event_not_occurred:
    process_state = "[1]"
else:
    process_state = "[2]"

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

Awaiting

Bterminated

Crunning

Dready

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up 'ready' and 'waiting' states.

Confusing 'running' with 'terminated'.

The waiting state is when a process waits for an event like I/O completion. The terminated state means the process has finished execution.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a dictionary mapping process states to their descriptions.

Operating Systems

process_states = {
    "new": "[1]",
    "ready": "[2]",
    "terminated": "[3]"
}

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

AProcess is created but not ready

BProcess is prepared to run

CProcess has finished execution

DProcess is waiting for CPU

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Confusing 'ready' with 'waiting'.

Mixing descriptions of 'new' and 'terminated'.

This dictionary explains key process states: new means just created, ready means prepared to run, and terminated means finished.

Practice

1. Which process state indicates that a process is ready to use the CPU but is not currently running?

easy

A. Ready

B. Running

C. Waiting

D. New

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the meaning of the Ready state

   The Ready state means the process has all resources except the CPU and is waiting to be assigned the CPU.

2. Step 2: Compare with other states

   Running means the process is using the CPU; Waiting means it is waiting for an event; New means it is being created.

3. Final Answer:

   Ready -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Ready = waiting for CPU [OK]

Hint: Ready means waiting for CPU, not running yet [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Ready with Running
• Thinking Waiting means ready
• Mixing New with Ready

2. Which of the following correctly lists the process states in the order a process typically goes through from start to finish?

easy

A. New -> Ready -> Running -> Waiting -> Terminated

B. New -> Running -> Ready -> Waiting -> Terminated

C. New -> Ready -> Waiting -> Running -> Terminated

D. New -> Waiting -> Ready -> Running -> Terminated

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the typical process lifecycle

   A process starts as New, then moves to Ready when prepared to run, then Running when executing.

2. Step 2: Understand transitions to Waiting and Terminated

   While running, it may wait for I/O (Waiting), then return to Ready or finish (Terminated).

3. Final Answer:

   New -> Ready -> Running -> Waiting -> Terminated -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Correct lifecycle order = New -> Ready -> Running -> Waiting -> Terminated [OK]

Hint: Process starts New, then Ready, then Running [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping Ready and Running order
• Putting Waiting before Ready
• Skipping New state

3. Consider a process that is currently in the Waiting state. What will happen next when the event it is waiting for occurs?

medium

A. It moves to the Terminated state immediately.

B. It moves directly to Running state.

C. It stays in Waiting until manually terminated.

D. It moves to the Ready state to wait for CPU allocation.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the Waiting state

   Waiting means the process is paused, waiting for an event like I/O completion.

2. Step 2: What happens after the event?

   When the event occurs, the process becomes Ready to run but must wait for CPU scheduling.

3. Final Answer:

   It moves to the Ready state to wait for CPU allocation. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Waiting ends -> Ready state [OK]

Hint: Waiting ends, process goes to Ready, not Running directly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Waiting goes directly to Running
• Assuming immediate termination
• Believing process stays Waiting forever

4. A process is stuck in the Running state and never moves to Waiting or Terminated. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The process has just been created and is initializing.

B. The process is waiting for CPU allocation.

C. The process is in an infinite loop without I/O or exit.

D. The process has completed and is terminated.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the Running state behavior

   Running means the process is executing instructions on the CPU.

2. Step 2: Understand why it never leaves Running

   If it never moves to Waiting or Terminated, it likely loops endlessly without I/O or exit calls.

3. Final Answer:

   The process is in an infinite loop without I/O or exit. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Infinite loop causes stuck Running [OK]

Hint: Infinite loop keeps process Running endlessly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Running with Ready
• Thinking process is terminated
• Assuming process is waiting for CPU

5. A process moves from Ready to Running, then to Waiting, and back to Ready multiple times before termination. What does this pattern indicate about the process's behavior?

hard

A. The process is stuck in an infinite loop without I/O.

B. The process frequently waits for I/O or external events during execution.

C. The process is terminated and restarted repeatedly.

D. The process is never scheduled to run on the CPU.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand state transitions

   Moving from Running to Waiting means the process pauses for I/O or events.

2. Step 2: Returning to Ready means it resumes waiting for CPU after I/O completes.

   This cycle repeats until the process finishes and terminates.

3. Final Answer:

   The process frequently waits for I/O or external events during execution. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Running -> Waiting -> Ready cycle = I/O waits [OK]

Hint: Running to Waiting means I/O wait, then Ready to run again [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking process restarts after termination
• Assuming infinite loop
• Believing process never runs