AP CSP - 2

Which of the following best explains the ability to solve problems algorithmically?

• Any problem can be solved algorithmically, though some algorithmic solutions may require humans to validate the results.

• Any problem can be solved algorithmically, though some algorithmic solutions must be executed on multiple devices in parallel.

• Any problem can be solved algorithmically, though some algorithmic solutions require a very large amount of data storage to execute.

• There exist some problems that cannot be solved algorithmically using any computer.

For which of the following situations would it be best to use a heuristic in order to find a solution that runs in a reasonable amount of time?

• Appending a value to a list of n elements, which requires no list elements be examined.

• Finding the fastest route that visits every location among n locations, which requires n! possible routes be examined.

• Performing a binary search for a score in a sorted list of n scores, which requires that fewer than n scores be examined.

• Performing a linear search for a name in an unsorted database of n people, which requires that up to n entries be examined.

Which of the three algorithms will identify the correct people?

• I only

• II only

• I and II

• II and III

Which of the following algorithms displays the correct distance for all possible values of num1 and num2 ?

• Step 1:

  Add num1 and num2 and store the result in the variable sum.

   Step 2:    Take the absolute value of sum and display the result.

• Step 1:

  Subtract num1 from num2 and store the result in the variable diff.

  Step 2:

  Take the absolute value of diff and display the result.

• Step 1:

  Take the absolute value of num1 and store it in the variable absNum1.

  Step 2:

  Take the absolute value of num2 and store it in the variable absNum2.

  Step 3:

  Add absNum1 and absNum2 and display the result.

• Step 1:

  Take the absolute value of num1 and store it in the variable absNum1.

  Step 2:

  Take the absolute value of num2 and store it in the variable absNum2.

  Step 3:

  Subtract absNum1 from absNum2 and display the result.

A certain game keeps track of the maximum and minimum scores obtained so far. If num represents the most recent score obtained, which of the following algorithms correctly updates the values of the maximum and the minimum?

• If num is greater than the minimum, set the minimum equal to num. Otherwise, if num is greater than the maximum, set the maximum equal to num.

• If num is less than the minimum, set the minimum equal to num. Otherwise, if num is greater than the maximum, set the maximum equal to num.

• If num is less than the minimum, set the minimum equal to num. Otherwise, if num is less than the maximum, set the maximum equal to num.

• If num is greater than the minimum, set the minimum equal to num. Otherwise, if num is less than the maximum, set the maximum equal to num.

Three different numbers need to be placed in order from least to greatest. For example, if the numbers are ordered 9, 16, 4, they should be reordered as 4, 9, 16. Which of the following algorithms can be used to place any three numbers in the correct order?

• If the first number is greater than the last number, swap them. Then, if the first number is greater than the middle number, swap them.

• If the first number is greater than the middle number, swap them. Then, if the middle number is greater than the last number, swap them.

• If the first number is greater than the middle number, swap them. Then, if the middle number is greater than the last number, swap them. Then, if the first number is greater than the last number, swap them.

• If the first number is greater than the middle number, swap them. Then, if the middle number is greater than the last number, swap them. Then, if the first number is greater than the middle number, swap them.

Which of the following statements is equivalent to the algorithm in the flowchart?

• 
• 
• 
• 

The variable age is to be used to represent a person’s age, in years. Which of the following is the most appropriate data type for age ?

• number

• Boolean

• string

• list

The variable isOpen is to be used to indicate whether or not a store is currently open. Which of the following is the most appropriate data type for isOpen ?

• number

• Boolean

• string

• list

A teacher is writing a code segment that will use variables to represent a student’s name and whether or not the student is currently absent. Which of the following variables are most appropriate for the code segment?

• A string variable named s and a Boolean variable named a

• A string variable named s and a numeric variable named n

• A string variable named studentName and a Boolean variable named isAbsent

• A string variable named studentName and a numeric variable named numAbsences