📝 The fork() and exec() process model

📖 From Operating System • 18. The Linux System • 36 questions available

Practice MCQs for The fork() and exec() process model. Test your knowledge with carefully crafted questions across easy, medium, and hard difficulty levels.

🔄 Last updated: 2026-07-27

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Q1. What is the primary purpose of the fork() system call in a UNIX‑like operating system?

🔹 A. It creates a new process that is a copy of the calling process

🔹 B. It replaces the current process image with a new program

🔹 C. It terminates the calling process and returns its exit status

🔹 D. It changes the effective user ID of the process

💡 Difficulty: easy | ✅ Correct: A

Q2. Why does UNIX separate process creation (fork) from program execution (exec) into two distinct system calls?

🔹 A. Because it allows a program to create a child and then modify the child’s environment before loading a new program

🔹 B. Because it simplifies the kernel by avoiding the need to load binaries directly

🔹 C. Because it reduces the number of system calls required to start a new program

🔹 D. Because it enforces security by preventing a parent from directly executing code in its address space

💡 Difficulty: medium | ✅ Correct: C

Q3. How does the address space of a child process immediately after a successful fork() compare to that of the parent before any exec()?

🔹 A. It is an exact copy, but the kernel uses copy‑on‑write so pages are shared until written

🔹 B. It is a completely new empty address space

🔹 C. It contains only the kernel’s code and no user‑level data

🔹 D. It is identical, but the child receives a separate set of physical memory pages right away

💡 Difficulty: hard | ✅ Correct: B

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🔗 Related Topics

📝 Linux History 📝 The Linux kernel 📝 The Linux system 📝 Linux distributions 📝 Linux licensing

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