CS 326 STANDARD EXAMS SHEET 2025/2026 QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTION RATED A+
✔✔What languages were gen 2? - ✔✔Algol 60, PL/I, Fortran 77(standardized)
✔✔What was introduced in Gen 3? - ✔✔Completely structured control statements
Arrays
Records
Constants
Enums
Subtypes
User Controlled data
Strongly typed data
✔✔What languages were in Gen 3? - ✔✔Pascal, C, Algol 68
✔✔What was introduced in Gen 4? - ✔✔Data Abstraction
✔✔What languages were gen 4? - ✔✔Ada 83, Fortran 90
✔✔What was introduced in gen 5? - ✔✔Inheritance
Polymorphism
✔✔What languages were in gen 5? - ✔✔C++, C#, Java, Ada 95, Python, etc.
✔✔What is a BNF? - ✔✔4-tuple grammar of a PL that has a set of:
Terminals
Nonterminals
S is a set in G
Production Set
✔✔What does {} mean in EBNF? - ✔✔Can put contents 0+ times
✔✔What does [] mean in EBNF? - ✔✔Can put contents 0 or one times
✔✔What are the rules for variable names? - ✔✔Start with a letter
Alphanumeric with some exceptions
Case-sensitive?
Max-Length?
✔✔What is a keyword? - ✔✔words that have a special meaning if used in a special
place in a special way
, ✔✔What is a reserved word? - ✔✔special string that can only used with its special
meaning
✔✔What is a pre-defined word? - ✔✔String has a special meaning but can be
redeclared by user
✔✔What are 2 different ways variables can be addressed? - ✔✔Same name, different
addresses
Same address, different names
✔✔What is aliasing? - ✔✔Bounding different names to the same address
✔✔What are the problems with aliasing? - ✔✔Changing value of one changes all
Gives a loophole around the type rules
✔✔What does variable typing do? - ✔✔Determines range of legal values that can be
stored in that memory cell
✔✔What's the exception to the fact that the system cannot determine the type of a
declaration? - ✔✔Tag architecture
✔✔How many types does the tag architecture store? - ✔✔8
✔✔What is static typing? - ✔✔typing specified by declaration
✔✔What are the advantages to static typing? - ✔✔Better for professional world
✔✔What is dynamic typing? - ✔✔type determined by type of value it currently contains
✔✔What are the advantages to dynamic typing? - ✔✔No declarations needed
✔✔What are the disadvantages to dynamic typing? - ✔✔All type errors become runtime
errors
Runtime overhead in space and time
✔✔What does it mean to call a language strongly typed? - ✔✔All possible type exists
are always checked for and reported
✔✔What are strongly typed languages? - ✔✔Ada, Java
✔✔What are somewhat strongly type languages? - ✔✔Pascal
✔✔Why is C++ only halfway strongly types? - ✔✔No runtime checks
AND SOLUTION RATED A+
✔✔What languages were gen 2? - ✔✔Algol 60, PL/I, Fortran 77(standardized)
✔✔What was introduced in Gen 3? - ✔✔Completely structured control statements
Arrays
Records
Constants
Enums
Subtypes
User Controlled data
Strongly typed data
✔✔What languages were in Gen 3? - ✔✔Pascal, C, Algol 68
✔✔What was introduced in Gen 4? - ✔✔Data Abstraction
✔✔What languages were gen 4? - ✔✔Ada 83, Fortran 90
✔✔What was introduced in gen 5? - ✔✔Inheritance
Polymorphism
✔✔What languages were in gen 5? - ✔✔C++, C#, Java, Ada 95, Python, etc.
✔✔What is a BNF? - ✔✔4-tuple grammar of a PL that has a set of:
Terminals
Nonterminals
S is a set in G
Production Set
✔✔What does {} mean in EBNF? - ✔✔Can put contents 0+ times
✔✔What does [] mean in EBNF? - ✔✔Can put contents 0 or one times
✔✔What are the rules for variable names? - ✔✔Start with a letter
Alphanumeric with some exceptions
Case-sensitive?
Max-Length?
✔✔What is a keyword? - ✔✔words that have a special meaning if used in a special
place in a special way
, ✔✔What is a reserved word? - ✔✔special string that can only used with its special
meaning
✔✔What is a pre-defined word? - ✔✔String has a special meaning but can be
redeclared by user
✔✔What are 2 different ways variables can be addressed? - ✔✔Same name, different
addresses
Same address, different names
✔✔What is aliasing? - ✔✔Bounding different names to the same address
✔✔What are the problems with aliasing? - ✔✔Changing value of one changes all
Gives a loophole around the type rules
✔✔What does variable typing do? - ✔✔Determines range of legal values that can be
stored in that memory cell
✔✔What's the exception to the fact that the system cannot determine the type of a
declaration? - ✔✔Tag architecture
✔✔How many types does the tag architecture store? - ✔✔8
✔✔What is static typing? - ✔✔typing specified by declaration
✔✔What are the advantages to static typing? - ✔✔Better for professional world
✔✔What is dynamic typing? - ✔✔type determined by type of value it currently contains
✔✔What are the advantages to dynamic typing? - ✔✔No declarations needed
✔✔What are the disadvantages to dynamic typing? - ✔✔All type errors become runtime
errors
Runtime overhead in space and time
✔✔What does it mean to call a language strongly typed? - ✔✔All possible type exists
are always checked for and reported
✔✔What are strongly typed languages? - ✔✔Ada, Java
✔✔What are somewhat strongly type languages? - ✔✔Pascal
✔✔Why is C++ only halfway strongly types? - ✔✔No runtime checks
