What is the role of the kernel in an operating system?
a) It provides a user interface for interacting with the system
b) It manages the system’s hardware resources
c) It compiles source code into machine code
d) It is responsible for network communications
Answer:
b) It manages the system’s hardware resources
Explanation:
The kernel is the core part of an operating system. It manages hardware resources such as CPU, memory, and devices, and ensures that applications have secure and controlled access to these resources.
The kernel acts as a bridge between applications and the physical hardware, abstracting the complexity of hardware communication while managing system calls, process scheduling, and memory allocation.
Without the kernel, the operating system wouldn’t be able to control and allocate resources effectively to running processes.