Red-black trees provide _______ guarantees on the height of the tree, ensuring efficient operations.

  • Arbitrary
  • Loose
  • No
  • Strict
Red-black trees provide strict guarantees on the height of the tree. These guarantees ensure that the height of the tree is logarithmic in the number of nodes, leading to efficient search, insertion, and deletion operations.

In a graph containing cycles, _______ sorting cannot be performed as it violates the prerequisite of a directed acyclic graph (DAG).

  • Depth-First
  • Linear
  • Radix
  • Topological
In a graph containing cycles, topological sorting cannot be performed as it violates the prerequisite of a directed acyclic graph (DAG). Topological sorting relies on establishing a linear ordering of vertices, which is not possible in the presence of cycles.

Consider a scenario where you need to implement a cache to store frequently accessed database records. Explain how you would use a hash table to achieve efficient caching.

  • Design a cache with a linked list for efficient record retrieval.
  • Employ a hash table with keys as record identifiers and values as the corresponding database records.
  • Implement a cache using a stack data structure for simplicity.
  • Use a hash table with keys as the most recently accessed records for cache eviction.
To achieve efficient caching, using a hash table with keys as record identifiers and values as the corresponding database records is a suitable approach. This allows for constant-time lookups and efficient retrieval of frequently accessed records.

The Floyd-Warshall algorithm computes the shortest paths between _______ pairs of vertices in a weighted graph.

  • Adjacent, Important
  • All possible, All possible
  • Connected, Selected
  • Specific, Critical
The Floyd-Warshall algorithm computes the shortest paths between all possible pairs of vertices in a weighted graph. It uses dynamic programming to find the shortest paths and is suitable for graphs with both positive and negative edge weights.

Consider a scenario where stability in sorting is paramount, and you need to sort a list of objects with equal keys. Discuss how merge sort maintains stability and why it would be a suitable choice for this scenario.

  • Merge sort does not maintain stability as it may reorder equal elements during the merging step.
  • Merge sort maintains stability by preserving the relative order of equal elements during the merge step. It compares elements in a way that ensures equal elements from different subarrays retain their original order. Thus, when merging sorted subarrays, elements with equal keys remain in their original order, maintaining stability. Merge sort is a suitable choice for this scenario due to its stable sorting behavior and efficient performance.
  • Merge sort maintains stability by randomly shuffling equal elements during the merge step.
  • Merge sort maintains stability by using a hashing function to determine the order of equal elements during merging.
Merge sort's stability stems from its merge step, where it ensures that equal elements from different subarrays maintain their original order. This makes merge sort an ideal choice for scenarios where stability is paramount, such as when sorting objects with equal keys, as it guarantees that the relative order of equal elements is preserved.

When is the Rabin-Karp algorithm particularly useful compared to other pattern matching algorithms?

  • Effective when dealing with large texts and patterns.
  • Efficient for short patterns or patterns with fixed lengths.
  • Preferable for patterns containing repetitive characters.
  • Suitable for scenarios where preprocessing is not feasible.
The Rabin-Karp algorithm is particularly useful when dealing with large texts and patterns. Its efficiency lies in its ability to hash the pattern and compare the hash values, making it effective for scenarios where preprocessing is feasible and the pattern length is not fixed.

What type of data structure is a binary tree?

  • Circular Data Structure
  • Linear Data Structure
  • Non-linear Data Structure
  • Sequential Data Structure
A binary tree is a non-linear data structure. Unlike linear structures (e.g., arrays, linked lists), a binary tree represents a hierarchical structure where each node has at most two children, forming branches.

DFS explores as _______ as possible before backtracking.

  • Broad
  • Deep
  • Far
  • Much
DFS explores as deep as possible before backtracking. It follows the depth of a branch in the search space, going as far as it can before backtracking to explore other branches.

Explain the concept of array manipulation and provide examples.

  • Creating arrays using manipulation functions, e.g., concatenate, reverse, and slice.
  • Manipulating array memory directly, e.g., reallocating and deallocating.
  • Operating on array indices, e.g., incrementing, decrementing, and iterating.
  • Performing operations on array elements, e.g., sorting, searching, and modifying.
Array manipulation involves performing various operations on array elements, such as sorting, searching, and modifying. Examples include rearranging elements, finding specific values, and updating array content based on specific conditions.

To handle multiple strings in the longest common substring problem, one can extend the dynamic programming approach using _______.

  • Divide and Conquer
  • Greedy Algorithms
  • Hash Tables
  • Suffix Trees
To handle multiple strings in the longest common substring problem, one can extend the dynamic programming approach using Suffix Trees. Suffix Trees efficiently represent all suffixes of a string and facilitate the identification of common substrings among multiple strings.