WGU D386 Hardware and Operating Systems
Essentials – Objective Assessment Complete
Exam Questions with Verified Correct Answers
(2025/2026)
1. What is used by the operating system to hold its system code and other
programs?: Random access memory (RAM)
2. What is an example of a server operating system?: Red Hat Enterprise Linux
3. What is a fundamental building block of an operating system that keeps
track of each process in memory, including whether to run it or wait for some
1/3
, event?: Process control management
4. What is an example of a system call used by the POSIX API for POSIX-based
systems running UNIX, Linux, and macOS?: Read()
5. Which part of a hard disk drive is responsible for storing actual data?: Plat-
ters
6. How do computers avoid burdening the main central processing unit (CPU)
with programmed I/O (PIO)?: by offloading to a direct-memory-access controller
7. What is the primary function of the file system interface?: to provide a way
for the system to access and use files
8. There are a number of different types of components of a motherboard.
Which motherboard component is used for support of slower onboard periph-
erals?: southbridge
9. Which chipset is a set of circuitry that provides support to the slower
onboard peripherals?: Southbridge
10. Which cache memory is the smallest but fastest?: L1
2/3
Essentials – Objective Assessment Complete
Exam Questions with Verified Correct Answers
(2025/2026)
1. What is used by the operating system to hold its system code and other
programs?: Random access memory (RAM)
2. What is an example of a server operating system?: Red Hat Enterprise Linux
3. What is a fundamental building block of an operating system that keeps
track of each process in memory, including whether to run it or wait for some
1/3
, event?: Process control management
4. What is an example of a system call used by the POSIX API for POSIX-based
systems running UNIX, Linux, and macOS?: Read()
5. Which part of a hard disk drive is responsible for storing actual data?: Plat-
ters
6. How do computers avoid burdening the main central processing unit (CPU)
with programmed I/O (PIO)?: by offloading to a direct-memory-access controller
7. What is the primary function of the file system interface?: to provide a way
for the system to access and use files
8. There are a number of different types of components of a motherboard.
Which motherboard component is used for support of slower onboard periph-
erals?: southbridge
9. Which chipset is a set of circuitry that provides support to the slower
onboard peripherals?: Southbridge
10. Which cache memory is the smallest but fastest?: L1
2/3
