Data Structures and Algorithms Quizzes for Year 12 ICT

Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

Merge sort

Answer

Linear search

Answer

Binary search

Answer

Bubble sort

Question 2

Which technique is used to store and retrieve data, but is not a searching algorithm?

Accepted Answer

Hashing

Answer

Linear Search

Answer

Binary Search

Answer

Breadth-First Search

Question 3

Which of the following is a drawback of using a linked list data structure?

Accepted Answer

Random access to elements

Answer

Dynamic memory allocation

Answer

Efficient insertion and deletion

Answer

Suitable for representing complex data relationships

Question 4

What is the time complexity of finding an element in a balanced binary search tree?

Accepted Answer

O(log n)

Answer

O(1)

Answer

O(n)

Answer

O(n^2)

Question 5

Which of these is not a data structure?

Accepted Answer

Function

Answer

Array

Answer

LinkedList

Answer

Tree

Question 6

Which of the following is not considered a fundamental data structure in computer science?

Accepted Answer

Database

Answer

Array

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Tree

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a data structure?

Accepted Answer

Function

Answer

Array

Answer

Queue

Answer

Linked List

Question 8

Which data structure allows elements to be added and removed in a first-in, first-out (FIFO) order?

Accepted Answer

Queue

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Stack

Answer

Tree

Question 9

Which data structure allows for efficient insertion and deletion of elements at any point within the structure?

Accepted Answer

Linked List

Answer

Array

Answer

Stack

Answer

Queue

Question 10

Which data structure is ideal for implementing a priority queue, where elements are prioritized based on a specific attribute? Consider factors like efficient insertion, deletion, and access.

Accepted Answer

Heap

Answer

Array

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Queue

Question 11

What is the fundamental principle of a stack data structure?

Accepted Answer

Last In First Out (LIFO)

Answer

First In First Out (FIFO)

Answer

Random In Random Out (RIFO)

Answer

Last In Last Out (LILO)

Question 12

What is a key advantage of using a linked list data structure compared to an array?

Accepted Answer

Efficient data insertion and deletion

Answer

Faster data access

Answer

Reduced memory consumption

Answer

Improved cache locality

Question 13

Which of the following is **not** a standard time complexity notation?

Accepted Answer

n^2

Answer

O(n)

Answer

O(1)

Answer

O(log n)

Question 14

Which data structure is optimal for efficiently implementing the backtrack algorithm, enabling the exploration of multiple potential solutions and the ability to revert to prior states?

Accepted Answer

Stack

Answer

Array

Answer

Queue

Answer

Linked List

Question 15

Which data structure is a linear collection of elements that can be accessed one after the other?

Accepted Answer

Array

Answer

Tree

Answer

Graph

Answer

Hash table

Question 16

Which data structure follows a 'first-in, first-out' (FIFO) order, meaning the oldest element is accessed first?

Accepted Answer

Queue

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Stack

Answer

Tree

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a fundamental data structure in computer science?

Accepted Answer

Object

Answer

Array

Answer

Hash table

Answer

Tree

Question 18

Which fundamental data structure in this unit operates primarily on the Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) principle?

Accepted Answer

Stacks

Answer

Linked Lists

Answer

Queues

Answer

Graphs

Question 19

Which data structure adheres to the Last In, First Out (LIFO) principle, where the last element added is the first to be removed?

Accepted Answer

Stack

Answer

Queue

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a fundamental data structure in computer science?

Accepted Answer

Function

Answer

Array

Answer

Linked list

Answer

Stack

Question 21

Which of the following is the time complexity of the worst-case scenario of the search operation in a binary search tree (BST)?

Accepted Answer

O(log n)

Answer

O(n)

Answer

O(1)

Answer

O(n^2)

Question 22

Which of the following is not a fundamental data structure?

Accepted Answer

Function

Answer

Array

Answer

Tree

Question 23

Which data structure is ideal for handling a collection of items that adhere to a first-in, last-out (FILO) access pattern?

Accepted Answer

Stack

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Queue

Answer

Tree

Question 24

Which data structure should a programmer use to store a sequence of elements where the most recently added element is accessed first, following a last-in-first-out (LIFO) approach?

Accepted Answer

Stack

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Queue

Answer

Tree

Question 25

Compared to self-balancing trees like AVL trees or red-black trees, what is a drawback of using a binary search tree (BST)?

Accepted Answer

BSTs do not automatically adjust to data distribution.

Answer

BSTs are slower for searching.

Answer

BSTs are less efficient for insertion.

Answer

BSTs do not support range queries.

Question 26

Which data structure enables flexible insertion and deletion of elements at any position, ensuring efficient dynamic operations?

Accepted Answer

Linked List

Answer

Array

Question 27

Which data structure is best suited for storing elements in a last-in, first-out (LIFO) order?

Accepted Answer

Stack

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Queue

Answer

Tree

Question 28

In a balanced binary search tree, what is the time complexity for searching an element?

Accepted Answer

O(log n)

Answer

O(1)

Answer

O(n)

Answer

O(n^2)

Question 29

Which data structure operates on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis, where items are added to one end and removed from the other?

Accepted Answer

Queue

Answer

Stack

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Tree

Question 30

In which scenario would a binary search tree be a better choice than a linked list?

Accepted Answer

Searching sorted data efficiently

Answer

Performing frequent insertions and deletions

Answer

Conserving memory space

Answer

Handling large volumes of unsorted data

Question 31

What is the worst-case time complexity of a sequential search on a linked list with n elements?

Accepted Answer

O(n)

Answer

O(1)

Answer

O(log n)

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a standard time complexity notation used for analyzing the performance of algorithms?

Accepted Answer

Pi(n)

Answer

O(n)

Answer

Omega(n)

Answer

Theta(n)

Question 33

When analyzing the performance of algorithms, what does space complexity refer to?

Accepted Answer

The memory used by the algorithm's data structures

Answer

The time needed to run the algorithm

Answer

The number of operations the algorithm performs

Answer

The size of the input data for the algorithm

Question 34

In a singly linked list, what's the time complexity of finding the middle element?

Accepted Answer

O(n)

Answer

O(1)

Answer

O(log n)

Answer

O(n^2)

Question 35

In a singly linked list, which operation typically has a time complexity of O(1)?

Accepted Answer

Adding an element to the end

Answer

Finding an element by index

Answer

Removing an element from the middle

Answer

Reversing the list

Question 36

What is a key difference between linked lists and arrays in terms of their structure and size?

Accepted Answer

Linked lists are dynamic in size, while arrays are fixed in size.

Answer

Linked lists are more efficient for accessing the middle element, while arrays are more efficient for accessing the first or last element.

Answer

Linked lists are easier to implement than arrays.

Answer

Linked lists and arrays have no significant differences.

Question 37

Which data structure represents hierarchical relationships between data items and is non-linear?

Accepted Answer

Tree

Answer

Queue

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Hash Table

Question 38

In a balanced binary search tree (BST) with height **h** and an average of **b** child nodes per node, what is the time complexity of search and insertion operations?

Accepted Answer

O(log h) for search and O(log h) for insertion

Answer

O(h) for search and O(h) for insertion

Answer

O(b) for search and O(b) for insertion

Question 39

What is a key advantage of using self-balancing trees (like AVL or red-black trees) over traditional binary search trees?

Accepted Answer

Self-balancing trees ensure a balanced structure, no matter how elements are added.

Answer

Self-balancing trees use less memory than traditional binary search trees.

Answer

Self-balancing trees are much faster than traditional binary search trees for searching.

Question 40

Which sorting algorithm is known for its simplicity, maintains the order of equal elements, and has a time complexity of O(n^2)?

Accepted Answer

Bubble Sort

Answer

Insertion Sort

Answer

Merge Sort

Question 41

What is the primary structural difference between complete binary trees and perfect binary trees?

Accepted Answer

Complete binary trees have all levels filled except possibly the last, which is filled from left to right, while perfect binary trees have all levels completely filled.

Answer

Perfect binary trees have a symmetrical structure, while complete binary trees do not.

Answer

Complete binary trees have a minimum number of nodes for a given height, while perfect binary trees do not.

Answer

Perfect binary trees have the same number of leaves and internal nodes, while complete binary trees do not.

Question 42

What is the time complexity of traversing a graph using breadth-first search?

Accepted Answer

O(n)

Answer

O(n^2)

Answer

O(log n)

Answer

O(n^3)

Question 43

What is the role of a hash function in a hash table?

Accepted Answer

To map a key to a specific location in the table

Answer

To sort the elements in the table

Answer

To search for an element in the table

Answer

To delete an element from the table

Question 44

Which data structure is used to represent a set of unique elements?

Accepted Answer

Set

Answer

List

Answer

Map

Answer

Array

Question 45

What is the fundamental difference between a stack and a queue?

Accepted Answer

Stacks follow LIFO (last-in-first-out) while queues follow FIFO (first-in-first-out)

Answer

Stacks are used for recursion while queues are used for message passing

Answer

Stacks store elements linearly while queues store elements in a ring buffer

Answer

Stacks can be implemented using arrays while queues can be implemented using linked lists

Question 46

What is the time complexity of inserting an element into a balanced binary search tree in the worst case?

Accepted Answer

O(log n)

Answer

O(1)

Answer

O(n)

Answer

O(n^2)

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT a fundamental data structure in computer science?

Accepted Answer

Class

Answer

Array

Answer

Linked list

Answer

Queue

Question 48

A stack is a data structure that follows the ____ principle, where the last element added is the first to be removed.

Accepted Answer

Last-in, first-out (LIFO)

Answer

First-in, first-out (FIFO)

Answer

Last-in, last-out (LILO)

Answer

First-in, last-out (FILO)

Question 49

Which of the following is an advantage of using a queue data structure?

Accepted Answer

Efficient insertion and deletion of elements

Answer

Random access to specific elements

Answer

Constant-time search operations

Answer

Dynamic memory allocation

Question 50

The maximum height of a binary tree with n nodes is:

Accepted Answer

log2(n)

Answer

n

Answer

n^2

Answer

2^n

Question 51

The time complexity of searching for an element in a balanced binary search tree is:

Accepted Answer

O(log n)

Answer

O(1)

Answer

O(n)

Answer

O(n^2)

Question 52

Which type of linked list is the most basic and historically the earliest?

Accepted Answer

Singly linked list

Answer

Circular linked list

Answer

Doubly linked list

Answer

Array-based list

Question 53

Which of the following data structures adheres to the First-In-First-Out (FIFO) principle?

Accepted Answer

Queue

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Stack

Answer

Tree

Question 54

Which data structure is well-suited for representing hierarchical relationships?

Accepted Answer

Tree

Answer

Array

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Graph

Question 55

Which algorithm efficiently searches for an element in a sorted array by repeatedly halving the array?

Accepted Answer

Binary Search

Answer

Linear Search

Answer

Breadth-First Search

Answer

Depth-First Search

Question 56

Which data structure allows efficient insertion and deletion from any position?

Accepted Answer

Linked List

Answer

Stack

Answer

Queue

Answer

Array

Question 57

Which algorithm traverses a tree data structure by visiting all nodes at each level before proceeding to the next level?

Accepted Answer

Breadth-First Search

Answer

Depth-First Search

Answer

Binary Search

Answer

Linear Search

Question 58

Which sorting algorithm has an average time complexity of O(n^2) and is relatively easy to implement?

Accepted Answer

Bubble Sort

Answer

Quick Sort

Answer

Merge Sort

Answer

Heap Sort

Question 59

What is the primary difference between a stack and a queue?

Accepted Answer

Stacks use Last-In-First-Out (LIFO), while queues use First-In-First-Out (FIFO).

Answer

Stacks are used for recursion, while queues are used for iterative processes.

Answer

Both options are correct.

Answer

Neither option is correct.

Question 60

Which data structure can express complex relationships between objects?

Accepted Answer

Graph

Answer

Linked List

Answer

Stack

Answer

Tree

Question 61

Under what circumstances is a linked list more efficient than an array?

Accepted Answer

Inserting or deleting elements in the middle of the list.

Answer

Accessing elements at the beginning of the list.

Answer

Accessing elements at the end of the list.

Answer

Linked lists are never more efficient than arrays.

Question 62

How do data structures and algorithms contribute to advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain technology?

Accepted Answer

Efficiently managing and processing vast data for analysis and decision-making

Answer

Designing user interfaces for software applications

Answer

Ensuring secure network connections and data protection

Answer

Creating realistic graphics for video games and virtual reality

Question 63

How does selecting an appropriate data structure impact the efficiency of an algorithm?

Accepted Answer

A suitable data structure can enhance the worst-case efficiency of an algorithm.

Answer

Data structure choice has no effect on algorithm efficiency.

Answer

A poorly chosen data structure can improve the average-case efficiency of an algorithm.

Answer

Data structure choice only affects space complexity, not time complexity.

Question 64

How could emerging technologies like quantum computing potentially affect the field of data structures and algorithms?

Accepted Answer

Boost the efficiency of current algorithms

Accepted Answer

Introduce new and innovative algorithms

Answer

Have minimal impact