What term describes software that manages hardware resources and provides services for programs?

• A. Operating System
• B. Assembler
• C. Compiler
• D. Linker

Answer: (A)

An operating system is the software that coordinates and controls the computer’s hardware resources—CPU time, memory, storage, and I/O devices—and offers a set of services that programs use, such as process scheduling, memory management, file systems, and device drivers. This layer provides the abstractions and environment that allow applications to run, share resources safely, and interact with hardware without needing to manage those details directly. Examples include Windows, Linux, and macOS.

The other terms are development tools. An assembler translates assembly language into machine code; a compiler translates high-level language code into executable machine code; a linker combines object files into a single executable and resolves references. They don’t manage hardware resources or provide the running environment for all programs, which is the role of the operating system.