Test Prep CS 690 Test 1

How to Prepare – all topics  Make an outline for each subject/topic or make flash cards  For each major idea, write a short paragraph summarizing the main points  Be sure to know definitions of terms, so you can understand the questions.

How to Prepare - papers  Review any papers/systems What is its main overall purpose? What is its main overall purpose? How does it compare to similar projects/systems/etc. ? How does it compare to similar projects/systems/etc. ? e.g. SPIN v exokernel v microkernels (e.g., L4 )e.g. SPIN v exokernel v microkernels (e.g., L4 ) Pick out 3-5 major ideas/concepts Pick out 3-5 major ideas/concepts Why did they do this research (motivation)?Why did they do this research (motivation)? What is their “big idea”? How do they justify it?What is their “big idea”? How do they justify it? Abstract, Introduction & Summary should be good sources for much of the informationAbstract, Introduction & Summary should be good sources for much of the information

Other Tips  Review your homework and read my comments. If I said your answers were vague, focus on being more specific. If I said your answers were vague, focus on being more specific. If I said “correct, but not necessary”, focus on answering the question that was asked, do not feel like you must give lots of background. If I said “correct, but not necessary”, focus on answering the question that was asked, do not feel like you must give lots of background.  Read the question carefully and do what it says!!

Exam Format  Multiple choice, matching or other objective question  Short answer Comparisons Comparisons “What’s the significance of this concept” “What’s the significance of this concept” State the main concept/purpose/reason State the main concept/purpose/reason  Essay or paragraphs

What Is a Good Answer?  The facts are right.  It is not just something you have memorized and regurgitated  It answers the question I asked, not the question you thought I would ask.  It addresses the main points and does not focus on side issues.  It is not vacuous  It is organized and coherent, not just a collection of key words strung together

How to Answer a Compare Question  Question: “Compare/contrast an apple and an orange.”  Bad Answer: “An apple is red and crunchy while an orange is juicy, and a member of the citrus genus.”  Better: “Apples and oranges are both fruits and have a round shape. Apples are from the genus malus and oranges from the citrus genus. Apples are usually red, oranges are orange.”  In other words, look at the same attributes in both and decide how they are the same or different and if possible why.

Compare Example  If you just describe and evaluate each separately, you will not get full credit.  Use phrases like “A does it this way; on the other hand, B does it that way”, or “A and B both do this”.

Significant Difference Example  Similar to compare/contrast, but not identical  Significant differences usually should be a difference in method or approach, not an effect of that method. So rather than say “A is more efficient than B” give the difference in method or structure that causes A to be more efficient.

For Example  Question: Give a significant difference between the FCFS scheduling algorithm and RR scheduling.  Good Answer: “FCFS removes a process from the run state when it blocks or terminates. RR removes a process from the run state when it exceeds a pre-determined time-slice.” or “FCFS allows the process to decide how long it runs but RR has an upper limit to how long a process can run before another process is allowed to execute.”  Not as good, but not terrible: “RR gives better service to short processes than FCFS”. Usually its better to concentrate on how things work and then address the effects  Bad : “RR uses time-slices, FCFS doesn’t”  Notice: All of these answers compare on the same characteristic

Vacuous Answer  A vacuous answer is one that doesn’t say anything useful, although it may sound authoritative.  Fancy words, elegant phrases aren’t enough if they don’t convey any information.

For Example  Question: “What is virtual memory?”  Vacuous Answer: “Virtual memory is a very important memory management technique. Today, almost all operating systems employ some form of virtual memory. Virtual memory is implemented by the memory management portion of the operating system. It requires special computer hardware and software. Computers without virtual memory are not as efficient or user-friendly as computers with virtual memory…blah, blah, blah.”

General Directions  Bring several pens/pencils  Write only on the paper I give you.  Nothing on your desk but writing implements, eraser, test paper  Once the test starts, DO NOT SPEAK TO ANYONE BUT ME!  Don’t leave the classroom during the test.

GOOD LUCK!