Question:
What is thrashing in virtual memory?
What is thrashing in virtual memory?
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Look for the option about constant page swapping, not about speed or leaks.
Updated On: Jul 2, 2026
- Excessive paging that slows down system performance
- A process that executes too quickly
- A memory leak in the operating system
- A process that remains in the ready queue for too long
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Thrashing happens in a demand-paging system when the total memory demand of the active processes is larger than the available physical frames.
Step 2: With too few frames per process, almost every memory access causes a page fault. The CPU keeps swapping pages in and out of the disk instead of doing useful work.
Step 3: This constant paging activity means the CPU spends most of its time servicing page faults, so throughput drops sharply. That state of high paging and low real progress is called thrashing.
Step 4: The other options do not fit. Fast execution, a memory leak, and a long wait in the ready queue are not thrashing. So option (A) is correct.
Step 2: With too few frames per process, almost every memory access causes a page fault. The CPU keeps swapping pages in and out of the disk instead of doing useful work.
Step 3: This constant paging activity means the CPU spends most of its time servicing page faults, so throughput drops sharply. That state of high paging and low real progress is called thrashing.
Step 4: The other options do not fit. Fast execution, a memory leak, and a long wait in the ready queue are not thrashing. So option (A) is correct.
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