Big Data Storage Concepts Lecture 5:

Chapter 5 Part 1
1. Which of the following best describes the purpose of a storage model
in a big data ecosystem?

a) To capture the logical representation of data for management

b) To capture the physical aspects and features for data storage
c) To regulate user access to data
d) To provide encryption for sensitive data
Answer: b

2. What is the primary focus of block-based storage?

a) Metadata management
b) Scalability and performance
c) Hierarchical organization of files
d) Object-level data abstraction
Answer: b

3. In block-based storage, how is data retrieved?

a) By using a hierarchical file path

b) By accessing metadata stored with the block
c) Through a data lookup table and block identifiers
d) By querying an object server
Answer: c
 4. Which of the following is a key characteristic of file-based storage?

a) Data is stored in blocks with fixed sizes

b) Data is organized in a hierarchical structure
c) Data is abstracted into objects with metadata
d) Data is stored in a flat namespace
Answer: b

5. In a distributed file system, what is the role of the name node?

a) To store the actual data

b) To perform read-write operations
c) To maintain the file entries hierarchy and regulate access
d) To replicate data across nodes
Answer: c

6. What is the primary purpose of replication in distributed file

systems?

a) To reduce storage costs

b) To improve fault tolerance
c) To increase metadata availability
d) To enhance data abstraction
Answer: b

7. HDFS is an open-source implementation of which system?

a) Amazon S3
b) Google File System (GFS)
c) Microsoft Azure Storage
d) Apache Cassandra
Answer: b

8. Which of the following is NOT a goal of HDFS?

a) Fault detection and recovery

b) Managing huge datasets
c) Hierarchical file organization
d) Efficient computation near data
Answer: c

9. What is the primary advantage of object-based storage over other

models?

a) It uses block identifiers for data retrieval

b) It abstracts lower storage layers for easier management
c) It organizes data in a hierarchical structure
d) It eliminates the need for metadata
Answer: b

10. In object-based storage, what does an object typically include?

a) Data and a hierarchical file path

b) Data, metadata, attributes, and a unique object identifier
c) Data and a replication mechanism
d) Data and a block identifier
Answer: b
 11. Which of the following is a key feature of the flat namespace in
object-based storage?

a) Hierarchical file paths

b) Location-independent addressing
c) Block-based data partitioning
d) Metadata stored with data
Answer: b

12. What is the primary function of the metadata server in object-

based storage?

a) To store the actual data

b) To manage block identifiers
c) To maintain metadata as objects
d) To replicate data across nodes
Answer: c

13. Which storage model is most commonly used as the core

storage for Hadoop ecosystems?

a) Block-based storage
b) File-based storage
c) Object-based storage
d) HDFS
Answer: d
 14. What is a unique feature of HDFS compared to other storage
systems?

a) Metadata is stored with each block

b) It provides automatic balancing of storage utilization
c) It eliminates the need for replication
d) It uses a flat namespace for data storage
Answer: b

15. Which protocol is traditionally associated with block-based

storage?

a) HTTP
b) SCSI
c) FTP
d) REST
Answer: b

16. What is the main advantage of distributed block storage in

cloud environments?

a) Hierarchical organization
b) Scalability and fault tolerance
c) Object-level metadata management
d) Reduced need for replication
Answer: b
 17. What is the role of the block server in distributed block
storage?

a) To store the actual data blocks

b) To maintain the mapping from block IDs to data blocks
c) To replicate data across nodes
d) To manage file hierarchies
Answer: b

18. Which of the following is a limitation of block-based storage?

a) Lack of scalability
b) Absence of metadata
c) Difficulty in managing hierarchical data
d) Inability to support distributed environments
Answer: b

19. Which storage model is best suited for applications requiring

fine-grained data policies?

a) Block-based storage
b) File-based storage
c) Object-based storage
d) HDFS
Answer: c
 20. What is the primary benefit of the automated balancer in
HDFS?

a) To improve fault tolerance

b) To enhance cluster storage utilization
c) To simplify metadata management
d) To reduce replication overhead
Answer: b

21. Which storage model uses key-value pairs for maintaining data
locations?

a) File-based storage
b) Block-based storage
c) Object-based storage
d) HDFS
Answer: c

22. What is the role of data nodes in HDFS?

a) To manage file hierarchies

b) To store and replicate actual data blocks
c) To perform metadata operations
d) To regulate user access
Answer: b

23. Which of the following is a characteristic of Google File System

(GFS)?

a) Hierarchical file paths

b) Scalability across commodity hardware
c) Object-level data abstraction
d) Metadata stored with data
Answer: b

24. What is the purpose of a backup node in HDFS?

a) To store additional replicas of data

b) To address single-node failures of the primary name node
c) To manage metadata as objects
d) To improve data abstraction
Answer: b

25. Which of the following is a key characteristic of distributed file

systems?

a) Use of flat namespaces

b) Absence of metadata
c) Block-based data storage
d) Replication for fault tolerance
Answer: d

26. What is the main advantage of storing metadata separately in

object-based storage?

a) Easier processing and manipulation of metadata

b) Improved fault tolerance
c) Enhanced scalability
d) Reduced storage costs
Answer: a
 27. Which of the following is NOT a feature of HDFS?

a) Automated fault detection

b) Flat namespace organization
c) Scalability across clusters
d) Support for huge datasets
Answer: b

28. What is the primary focus of file-based storage in big data?

a) Scalability and performance

b) Object-level data abstraction
c) Hierarchical organization of data
d) Location-independent addressing
Answer: c

29. Which storage model is most suitable for applications

requiring hierarchical file structures?

a) Block-based storage
b) File-based storage
c) Object-based storage
d) HDFS
Answer: b

30. What is the main challenge addressed by replication in

distributed file systems?

a) Metadata management
b) Fault tolerance
c) Scalability
d) Data abstraction
Answer: b

True/False Questions

1. Block-based storage is ideal for storing large multimedia files like

videos and images because it allows metadata to be attached to each file
for easy categorization.
Answer: False
Explanation: Block-based storage does not support metadata attachment
directly. Instead, it focuses on storing raw data in fixed-size blocks for high
performance and low latency. Object-based storage is better suited for storing
multimedia files with metadata.

2. File-based storage is naturally hierarchical and is suitable for organizing

data based on directories and subdirectories.
Answer: True
Explanation: File-based storage systems are designed to organize data
hierarchically using directories and subdirectories, making them ideal for use
cases requiring structured data access, such as document management
systems.

3. Object-based storage uses a flat namespace and allows metadata to be

attached to each object, making it suitable for storing unstructured data
like photos and videos.
Answer: True
Explanation: Object-based storage is specifically designed for unstructured
data. It uses a flat namespace for quick retrieval and allows metadata
attachment, enabling efficient management of large datasets like photos and
videos.
 4. HDFS (Hadoop Distributed File System) is optimized for real-time
analytics and low-latency data access.
Answer: False
Explanation: HDFS is optimized for large-scale data storage and batch
processing rather than real-time analytics. It is designed for high throughput
and fault tolerance but is not suitable for low-latency applications.

5. Block-based storage is suitable for applications requiring high-

performance processing of structured data, such as transactional
databases.
Answer: True
Explanation: Block-based storage is designed for high performance and low
latency, making it ideal for structured data applications like transactional
databases, where data needs to be accessed and processed quickly.

6. File-based storage systems are not fault-tolerant and do not support data
replication.
Answer: False
Explanation: Many file-based storage systems, especially Distributed File
Systems (DFS), support fault tolerance through data replication. This ensures
data availability even in the event of hardware failure.

7. Object-based storage cannot scale to handle large volumes of data

because it lacks distributed architecture.
Answer: False
Explanation: Object-based storage is highly scalable and is often
implemented using distributed architecture. This makes it capable of handling
large volumes of data efficiently.
 8. HDFS is suitable for storing and processing large datasets, such as those
used in machine learning and big data analytics.
Answer: True
Explanation: HDFS is specifically designed for distributed storage and
processing of large datasets, making it an excellent choice for machine
learning and big data analytics.

9. Block-based storage systems allow for the attachment of metadata to

each block, making them ideal for categorizing data.
Answer: False
Explanation: Block-based storage does not support metadata attachment
directly. It focuses on storing raw data in fixed-size blocks, and metadata
management is typically handled by higher-level systems.

10. File-based storage is ideal for storing IoT sensor data that needs to
be processed in real time.
Answer: False
Explanation: File-based storage is not optimized for real-time processing.
Block-based storage is better suited for IoT sensor data because it offers high-
speed data access and low latency.

11. Object-based storage is ideal for cloud storage providers because it

supports metadata attachment and location-independent addressing.
Answer: True
Explanation: Object-based storage is widely used by cloud providers due to
its ability to attach metadata to objects and provide location-independent
addressing, enabling efficient data management and retrieval.

12. HDFS provides fault tolerance by replicating data across multiple

nodes in the cluster.
Answer: True
Explanation: HDFS ensures fault tolerance by replicating data across
multiple nodes. This replication mechanism protects against data loss in case
of hardware or node failures.

13. Block-based storage is designed for high throughput and batch

processing of large datasets.
Answer: False
Explanation: Block-based storage is designed for low-latency, high-
performance processing of small, structured datasets. HDFS, on the other
hand, is optimized for high throughput and batch processing of large datasets.

14. File-based storage systems are naturally flat and do not support
hierarchical data organization.
Answer: False
Explanation: File-based storage systems are hierarchical by design, allowing
data to be organized into directories and subdirectories.

15. Object-based storage is not suitable for applications requiring

hierarchical data organization.
Answer: True
Explanation: Object-based storage uses a flat namespace and is not designed
for hierarchical data organization. It is better suited for applications requiring
metadata-driven categorization and retrieval.

16. HDFS is not suitable for applications requiring low-latency data

access, such as transactional databases.
Answer: True
Explanation: HDFS is optimized for high throughput and batch processing
rather than low-latency data access, making it unsuitable for transactional
databases.
 17. Block-based storage is the best option for storing genomic data
with metadata like sample ID and experiment type.
Answer: False
Explanation: Object-based storage is better suited for genomic data because
it allows metadata to be attached to each dataset, enabling efficient
categorization and retrieval.

18. File-based storage is ideal for storing player profiles and game
states in a hierarchical structure.
Answer: True
Explanation: File-based storage supports hierarchical organization, making it
suitable for storing player profiles and game states by player ID and game
title.

19. Object-based storage is not fault-tolerant and cannot replicate data

across nodes.
Answer: False
Explanation: Object-based storage is fault-tolerant and supports data
replication across nodes, ensuring data availability and durability.

20. HDFS supports computation near the data, reducing network

traffic and improving processing efficiency.
Answer: True
Explanation: HDFS is designed to support computation near the data, which
minimizes network traffic and enhances processing efficiency, especially for
big data analytics.