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ASU CSE 240 Final Exam: Comprehensive Practice Question Bank (2026–2027)
Comprehensive Practice Bank — Introduction to Programming Languages
Imperative (C/C++), Object-Oriented (C++), Functional
(Scheme/LISP), Logic (Prolog) Paradigms
SECTION 1: PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE FUNDAMENTALS &
PARADIGMS
Question 1. What is the primary characteristic that
distinguishes the imperative programming paradigm from the
functional programming paradigm?
A) Imperative programming uses only recursion; functional
programming uses only loops
B) Imperative programming focuses on how to achieve a result
through step-by-step instructions, while functional
programming focuses on what result is desired through
expression evaluation
C) Imperative programming is always faster than functional
programming
D) Functional programming cannot use variables
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Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The imperative paradigm emphasizes explicit
sequences of commands that modify program state. The
functional paradigm treats computation as the evaluation of
mathematical functions, avoiding mutable state and side
effects.
Question 2. What programming paradigm does Fortran belong
to?
A) Functional
B) Logic
C) Imperative
D) Object-oriented
Correct Answer: C) Imperative
Rationale: Fortran (Formula Translator) is an
imperative/procedural programming language. It was one of
the earliest high-level languages and follows the imperative
paradigm with step-by-step instructions.
Question 3. What computing paradigm enforces stateless (no
side-effects) programming?
A) Imperative
B) Object-oriented
C) Functional
D) Procedural
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Correct Answer: C) Functional
Rationale: Functional programming enforces stateless
programming by avoiding mutable state and side effects.
Computation is treated as the evaluation of mathematical
functions.
Question 4. What is the stored program concept (von Neumann
machine)?
A) A program is stored on a disk and loaded into memory when
needed
B) A program is a sequence of instructions stored in memory,
and the CPU interprets the program in the specified order
C) A program is compiled before it is stored
D) A program is stored in the CPU's registers
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The stored program concept is one of the most
fundamental concepts in computer science. A program is a
sequence of instructions stored in memory, and the CPU
interprets the program in the specified order.
Question 5. What is a paradigm?
A) A type of programming language
B) A coherent set of methods that have been found to be
effective in handling a given type of problem
C) A compiler optimization technique
D) A memory management strategy
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Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A paradigm is a coherent set of methods that have
been found to be (more or less) effective in handling a given
type of problem.
Question 6. Which of the following is NOT a reason to learn
concepts and paradigms?
A) Increased capacity of expressing ideas
B) Improved background for choosing appropriate languages
C) Increased ability of learning new languages
D) Guaranteed job placement after graduation
Correct Answer: D) Guaranteed job placement after
graduation
Rationale: Reasons to learn concepts and paradigms include
increased capacity of expressing ideas, improved background
for choosing appropriate languages, increased ability of
learning new languages, increased ability of designing new
languages, and better command of languages.
Question 7. How do we evaluate a programming language?
A) Reliability, readability, writability, reusability, efficiency
B) Speed, cost, popularity, age, complexity
C) Compilation time, execution time, memory usage
D) Number of keywords, number of operators, number of data
types
ASU CSE 240 Final Exam: Comprehensive Practice Question Bank (2026–2027)
Comprehensive Practice Bank — Introduction to Programming Languages
Imperative (C/C++), Object-Oriented (C++), Functional
(Scheme/LISP), Logic (Prolog) Paradigms
SECTION 1: PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE FUNDAMENTALS &
PARADIGMS
Question 1. What is the primary characteristic that
distinguishes the imperative programming paradigm from the
functional programming paradigm?
A) Imperative programming uses only recursion; functional
programming uses only loops
B) Imperative programming focuses on how to achieve a result
through step-by-step instructions, while functional
programming focuses on what result is desired through
expression evaluation
C) Imperative programming is always faster than functional
programming
D) Functional programming cannot use variables
, Page |2
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The imperative paradigm emphasizes explicit
sequences of commands that modify program state. The
functional paradigm treats computation as the evaluation of
mathematical functions, avoiding mutable state and side
effects.
Question 2. What programming paradigm does Fortran belong
to?
A) Functional
B) Logic
C) Imperative
D) Object-oriented
Correct Answer: C) Imperative
Rationale: Fortran (Formula Translator) is an
imperative/procedural programming language. It was one of
the earliest high-level languages and follows the imperative
paradigm with step-by-step instructions.
Question 3. What computing paradigm enforces stateless (no
side-effects) programming?
A) Imperative
B) Object-oriented
C) Functional
D) Procedural
, Page |3
Correct Answer: C) Functional
Rationale: Functional programming enforces stateless
programming by avoiding mutable state and side effects.
Computation is treated as the evaluation of mathematical
functions.
Question 4. What is the stored program concept (von Neumann
machine)?
A) A program is stored on a disk and loaded into memory when
needed
B) A program is a sequence of instructions stored in memory,
and the CPU interprets the program in the specified order
C) A program is compiled before it is stored
D) A program is stored in the CPU's registers
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The stored program concept is one of the most
fundamental concepts in computer science. A program is a
sequence of instructions stored in memory, and the CPU
interprets the program in the specified order.
Question 5. What is a paradigm?
A) A type of programming language
B) A coherent set of methods that have been found to be
effective in handling a given type of problem
C) A compiler optimization technique
D) A memory management strategy
, Page |4
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A paradigm is a coherent set of methods that have
been found to be (more or less) effective in handling a given
type of problem.
Question 6. Which of the following is NOT a reason to learn
concepts and paradigms?
A) Increased capacity of expressing ideas
B) Improved background for choosing appropriate languages
C) Increased ability of learning new languages
D) Guaranteed job placement after graduation
Correct Answer: D) Guaranteed job placement after
graduation
Rationale: Reasons to learn concepts and paradigms include
increased capacity of expressing ideas, improved background
for choosing appropriate languages, increased ability of
learning new languages, increased ability of designing new
languages, and better command of languages.
Question 7. How do we evaluate a programming language?
A) Reliability, readability, writability, reusability, efficiency
B) Speed, cost, popularity, age, complexity
C) Compilation time, execution time, memory usage
D) Number of keywords, number of operators, number of data
types
