Final answer:
When a drive or controller is busy, an I/O request will be queued to be processed later, ensuring efficient system operations and prevention of data loss or errors.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a process needs I/O to or from a disk, and if the drive or controller is busy, then the correct answer is that the request will be placed in the queue of pending requests for that drive. This is a standard procedure in operating systems where I/O requests are managed by the I/O scheduler. If the disk is busy, the scheduler will add the request to a queue, and it will be processed when the drive becomes available. Ignoring or not placing the request is not an efficient way to handle I/O operations since it can lead to data loss or system errors.