UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

System software is designed to control and coordinate the hardware components of a computer. It provides a platform on which application software can run and offers generic services like file management, memory management and device control. Operating systems, utility programs and device management modules fall under this category. Therefore the description in the stem correctly points to system software.

Option A:
Option A, application software, is written to perform specific user tasks such as word processing or spreadsheet analysis. It relies on lower-level services provided by system software and does not itself generally manage hardware resources. Hence it does not satisfy the description.

Option B:
Option B, firmware, is software embedded into hardware devices and stored in non-volatile memory. While it helps control specific equipment, it does not usually provide broad services to other programs running on a general-purpose computer. Thus it is too narrow to fit the stem.

Option C:
Option C is correct because system software sits between the hardware and user applications, managing resources and offering standard services. It includes the operating system and core utilities that ensure the whole system functions reliably. This role precisely matches the statement in the question.

Option D:
Option D, a device driver, is a specialised program that allows the operating system to communicate with a specific hardware device. It is typically considered a component of system software rather than the overarching category itself. Therefore it is not the best completion for the blank.