Which of the following is a significant drawback of preemptive SJF scheduling compared to non-preemptive SJF?

medium🪤 Complexity Trap Q13 of Q15

Operating Systems - Shortest Job First (SJF) - Preemptive vs Non-Preemptive

AIt reduces CPU utilization due to frequent context switches

BIt can cause starvation of longer processes if short jobs keep arriving

CIt always results in higher average turnaround time

DIt cannot handle processes arriving at different times

Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Understand starvation in preemptive SJF
Shorter jobs can continuously preempt longer ones, causing longer processes to wait indefinitely.
Step 2: Analyze other options
A: While context switches increase, CPU utilization remains high; overhead is a concern but not utilization.
B: Preemptive SJF generally reduces average turnaround time, not increases it.
D: Preemptive SJF is designed to handle processes arriving at different times.
Final Answer:
Option B -> Option B
Quick Check:
Starvation is a classic drawback of preemptive SJF.

Quick Trick: Preemptive SJF risks starving long jobs if short jobs keep arriving [OK]

Common Mistakes:

MISTAKES

Trap Explanation:

PITFALL

Option C is tempting because of context switch overhead, but CPU utilization remains high; starvation is the key drawback.

Interviewer Note:

CONTEXT

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