Computer Science quiz

What is an algorithm?

• A computer program

• A set of instructions to solve a problem

• A mathematical equation

• A hardware component

Which of the following is NOT a common type of algorithm?

• Search algorithms

• Sorting algorithms

• Encryption algorithms

• Cooking algorithms

What is the time complexity of a linear search algorithm in the worst case?

• O(1)

• O(log n)

• • O(n^2)

• O(n)

Which sorting algorithm has the best average-case time complexity?

• Bubble sort

• Insertion sort

• Merge sort

• Selection sort

What is the key idea behind the divide-and-conquer approach?

• Breaking a problem into smaller subproblems

• Solving a problem by brute force

• Using a greedy approach to find the optimal solution

• Backtracking to find all possible solutions

Which statement about logarithmic and exponential growth is correct?

• Both logarithmic and exponential growth rates are proportional to the square of the input size.

• Logarithmic growth rates decrease as the input size increases, while exponential growth rates remain constant.

• Logarithmic growth involves halving the search space repeatedly, while exponential growth doubles the number of operations at each step.

• Exponential growth is faster than logarithmic growth only for small input sizes.

What is the main drawback of using Quick Sort for a highly skewed dataset?

• Quick Sort has a high average-case complexity of O(n^2).

• The algorithm’s partitioning leads to uneven divisions, causing a worst-case time complexity of O(n^2).

• Quick Sort requires additional space, making it inefficient for large datasets.

• It cannot handle datasets with duplicate elements efficiently.

What is the primary reason why Merge Sort is considered more efficient than Quick Sort for large datasets with many duplicate values?

• Merge Sort’s worst-case time complexity is better than Quick Sort's.

• Merge Sort avoids recursion, which Quick Sort heavily relies on.

• Merge Sort is stable, while Quick Sort may not be stable, especially for duplicate values.

• Merge Sort uses a better partitioning strategy than Quick Sort.

Which of the following is NOT a common data structure used in algorithms?

• Array

• Linked list

• Queue

• Graph

What is the purpose of a stack data structure?

• To store data in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) manner

• To store data in a last-in-first-out (LIFO) manner

• To store data in a sorted order

• To store data in a random order