Computer and Software Engineering MCQS

An algorithm is best described as

• A sequence of SQL commands
• A process for automating hardware testing
• A finite set of well-defined instructions
• A programming language paradigm

In Big O notation, which of these describes linear time complexity?

• O(1)
• O(n)
• O(log n)
• O(n²)

Which data structure follows LIFO (last-in, first-out)?

• Queue
• Stack
• Graph
• Tree

A queue differs from a stack because it

• Accesses elements in LIFO order
• Accesses elements in FIFO order
• Stores elements non-sequentially
• Requires dynamic memory

Which sorting algorithm has average time complexity O(n log n)?

• Bubble sort
• Selection sort
• Merge sort
• Insertion sort

What is the main advantage of a linked list over an array?

• Constant-time random access
• Dynamic size adjustment
• Guaranteed contiguous storage
• Built-in sorting

In a binary tree, each node can have at most how many children?

• One
• Two
• Three
• Four

Static memory allocation occurs

• At runtime
• During compilation
• Only in Java
• Only on GPUs

What is the primary purpose of an operating system?

• To compile code
• To manage hardware and system resources
• To store user files in the cloud
• To encrypt network traffic

Which OS component handles file management?

• Scheduler
• Memory manager
• File system
• Assembler