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Question

In the architecture of the Windows Operating System, which crucial component acts as the bridge between the application programs and the core hardware, operating in a protected mode to manage process scheduling, memory allocation, and interrupt handling?

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RRB NTPC 2025 Graduate CBT 2 Question Paper PDF (10-Jul-2026) (Shift 1)
The correct answer is

Kernel, which contains the executive services, process manager, and security reference monitor.

The kernel is the central core of the Windows Operating System and runs in a privileged protected mode (kernel mode), separated from ordinary user-mode application programs.

It acts as the intermediary between applications and the physical hardware, taking care of process scheduling, memory allocation, and interrupt handling.

The Win32 Subsystem only handles the runtime environment for applications, the Windows Shell (Explorer) provides the desktop user interface, and the Hardware Abstraction Layer sits below the kernel to hide hardware differences rather than bridging applications to hardware.

Hence, the component that bridges application programs and core hardware in protected mode is the Kernel.

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