WGU C949 DATA STRUCTURES AND ALGORITHMS I OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS COMPLETE WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

WGU C949 DATA STRUCTURES AND ALGORITHMS I OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS COMPLETE WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS Question 1 Which of the following is considered a primitive data type? A) Array B) Linked List C) Integer D) Stack Correct Answer: C) Integer Rationale: Primitive data types are the basic building blocks provided by programming languages. Integers, characters, booleans, and floating-point numbers are primitive types. Arrays, linked lists, and stacks are non-primitive or abstract data structures built from primitive types. ________________________________________ Question 2 What is the primary purpose of a data structure? A) To execute program instructions B) To organize and store data efficiently C) To compile source code D) To manage network connections Correct Answer: B) To organize and store data efficiently Rationale: A data structure is a way of collecting and organizing data so that operations can be performed on it effectively. It provides a framework for storing, accessing, and manipulating data. The choice of data structure directly affects algorithm efficiency. ________________________________________ Question 3 Which Abstract Data Type (ADT) stores items in which the order does not matter and duplicate items are allowed? A) Set B) Bag C) Stack D) Queue Correct Answer: B) Bag Rationale: A Bag is an ADT for storing items where order does not matter and duplicate items are allowed. A Set does not allow duplicates, while Stack and Queue enforce specific ordering rules for insertion and removal. ________________________________________ Question 4 Which data structure follows the Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) principle? A) Queue B) Deque C) Stack D) Priority Queue Correct Answer: C) Stack Rationale: A stack follows the Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) principle. All operations (push and pop) occur at the "top" of the stack, meaning the last item placed on the stack is the first one retrieved. ________________________________________ Question 5 What is the time complexity for accessing an element by index in an array? A) O(1) B) O(log n) C) O(n) D) O(n²) Correct Answer: A) O(1) Rationale: Arrays provide O(1) time complexity for accessing elements by index. Because they occupy contiguous memory blocks, the address of any element can be calculated directly using the base address and index offset. ________________________________________ Question 6 Which data structure allows elements to be inserted and deleted from only one end and provides no direct access to the other end? A) Doubly Linked List B) Deque C) Stack D) Circular Queue Correct Answer: C) Stack Rationale: A stack follows the Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) principle. All operations (push and pop) occur at the "top" of the stack, meaning the last item placed on the stack is the first one retrieved. ________________________________________ Question 7 Which statement best describes a queue data structure? A) It is a sequence of elements in which insertion and deletion take place at one end B) It is a sequence of elements in which insertion and deletion take place at both ends C) It is a sequence of elements where insertion can take place anywhere but deletion is at the front D) It is a sequence of elements where insertions take place at the back and deletions at the front Correct Answer: D) It is a sequence of elements where insertions take place at the back and deletions at the front Rationale: A queue follows the First-In, First-Out (FIFO) principle. This means the first element added to the structure (at the back/rear) is the first one to be removed (from the front). ________________________________________ Question 8 Which data structure allows for the insertion and deletion of data elements at both the front and the rear ends?