Which of the following process state transitions is/are NOT possible?
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GATE CSE 2024 Set 1 · Q25
MSQ1 markEasy
Time
Which of the following process state transitions is/are NOT possible?
Select all that applyOne or more correct
Pick every correct option
Solution
Step-by-step verified solution
Official answer: B) Waiting to Running; C) Ready to Waiting
Processes, Threads and IPCIn a standard process state transition model (such as the 5-state process model):
Running to Ready (Option A): Possible when an interrupt occurs (e.g., time-slice expiration/preemption).
Waiting to Running (Option B):NOT possible. When an I/O or event completes, a process transitions from *Waiting (Blocked)* to *Ready*. It cannot directly transition from *Waiting* to *Running* without being scheduled from the *Ready* state first.
Ready to Waiting (Option C):NOT possible. A process only requests an I/O or waits for an event while it is actively executing in the *Running* state. Therefore, it transitions to *Waiting* only from *Running*, never directly from *Ready*.
Running to Terminated (Option D): Possible when a process completes execution or exits due to an error/kill signal.
Hence, the transitions that are NOT possible are B and C.
Try the question first, then check your work.
Examiner trap
The misconception this question tests
Recall the standard 5-state process transition diagram: a blocked/waiting process must go to the ready queue before the CPU scheduler can pick it, and a process must be executing to request an I/O operation.
This Processes, Threads and IPC previous year question is Q25 of the GATE CSE 2024 Set 1 paper. Find more GATE CSE PYQs on Processes, Threads and IPC in Operating Systems, or browse all GATE CSE PYQs.
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Processes, Threads and IPC in GATE CSE
Processes, Threads and IPC has 15 GATE CSE PYQs across 13 papers from 2011 to 2026. 4 of them are 1-mark MSQs like this one, and GATE CSE 2024 Set 1 has 2.
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Independent practice explanation verified by the GateAI team. GATE is conducted by the IITs; question text follows the official paper.