In _____ allocation method for disk block allocation in a file system,…

Answer: Linked allocation

Why linked allocation is correct:

• Each file is stored as a linked list of disk blocks; every block holds a pointer to the next block.

• Insertion and deletion are easy because adding or removing a block only requires updating the pointer(s) in adjacent block(s); blocks do not need to be moved to maintain contiguity.

Trade-offs and limitations:

• Random access is inefficient because you must follow pointers sequentially from the file start to reach a specific block.

• Each block needs space for a pointer, which adds overhead; pointer corruption can harm file integrity.

Brief comparison with other methods:

• Indexed allocation stores pointers in an index block, giving efficient direct access; insertion/deletion requires updating the index and may need extra index space, so it is not as inherently simple as linked allocation.

• Contiguous allocation requires consecutive blocks; insertion or deletion is difficult because maintaining contiguity may require moving blocks or causes external fragmentation.

• A bit map is a free-space tracking structure, not a file-block allocation scheme; it helps find free blocks but does not itself make insertion/deletion within a file easy.