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Quiz: Process Management and Job Control

Test your understanding of processes, signals, and job control.

1. What is a process in Linux?

  1. A file stored on disk
  2. A running instance of a program
  3. A type of user account
  4. A network connection
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. A process is a running instance of a program. When you execute a command, the kernel creates a process with its own memory space, process ID (PID), and resources. Multiple processes can run the same program simultaneously.

Concept Tested: Process

See: Chapter 12 - What is a Process

2. What is a PID?

  1. Personal Identification Data
  2. Process ID - a unique number identifying each process
  3. Peripheral Interface Device
  4. Program Installation Directory
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. PID (Process ID) is a unique number the kernel assigns to each running process. PIDs are used to identify and manage processes. PID 1 is always the init/systemd process.

Concept Tested: Process ID

See: Chapter 12 - Process IDs

3. What does the ps aux command show?

  1. Only your processes
  2. All processes on the system with detailed information
  3. Auxiliary storage devices
  4. Power supply status
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. ps aux shows all processes running on the system (a = all users, u = user-oriented format, x = include processes without terminals). It displays PID, user, CPU%, memory%, and command.

Concept Tested: Ps Command

See: Chapter 12 - Ps Command

4. What does top do?

  1. Shows the top line of a file
  2. Displays real-time process information and system stats
  3. Lists files at the top of a directory
  4. Shows network topology
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. top provides a real-time, continuously updating view of system processes, CPU usage, memory usage, and other system statistics. Press q to quit, k to kill a process.

Concept Tested: Top Command

See: Chapter 12 - Top Command

5. What does kill 1234 do?

  1. Deletes file with ID 1234
  2. Sends the TERM signal to process 1234
  3. Shuts down the computer
  4. Removes user 1234
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. kill sends a signal to a process. By default, it sends SIGTERM (signal 15), asking the process to terminate gracefully. The number is the PID of the target process.

Concept Tested: Kill Command

See: Chapter 12 - Kill Command

6. What's the difference between kill and kill -9?

  1. They're identical
  2. kill requests termination; kill -9 forces immediate termination
  3. kill -9 is faster
  4. kill -9 kills 9 processes at once
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. kill sends SIGTERM (15), allowing the process to clean up before exiting. kill -9 sends SIGKILL (9), which immediately terminates the process—it cannot be ignored or caught. Use -9 only when necessary.

Concept Tested: Kill Command, Signals

See: Chapter 12 - Kill Signals

7. What does & at the end of a command do?

  1. Redirects output to a file
  2. Runs the command in the background
  3. Runs the command as root
  4. Appends output to a file
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Adding & at the end of a command runs it in the background, immediately returning control to the shell. For example, ./long_script.sh & starts the script without blocking your terminal.

Concept Tested: Background Processes

See: Chapter 12 - Background Processes

8. What does Ctrl+Z do to a running process?

  1. Terminates it permanently
  2. Suspends it (puts it in the background, stopped)
  3. Zooms in on the output
  4. Saves the current state
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Ctrl+Z suspends (pauses) the current foreground process and puts it in the background in a stopped state. Use fg to resume it in the foreground or bg to resume it in the background.

Concept Tested: Job Control

See: Chapter 12 - Job Control

9. What command lists background jobs in the current shell?

  1. ps
  2. jobs
  3. bg
  4. list
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. The jobs command lists all jobs (processes) started from the current shell session, including their status (Running, Stopped). Use fg %1 to bring job 1 to the foreground.

Concept Tested: Jobs Command

See: Chapter 12 - Jobs Command

10. What is a daemon?

  1. A malicious virus
  2. A background service process that runs continuously
  3. A debugging tool
  4. A type of file format
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. A daemon is a background process that runs continuously, typically started at boot time, providing services like web serving (httpd), printing (cupsd), or logging (syslogd). Daemon names often end in 'd'.

Concept Tested: Daemon Processes

See: Chapter 12 - Daemons