Deck 2: Algorithm Discovery and Design

Question 1

The three basic sequential operations are called addition, multiplication, and exponentiation.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The use of high-level instructions during the design process is an example of abstraction. _________________________

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The if/then/else operation is a conditional statement.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The process of finding a solution to a given problem is called ____________________ discovery.

Question 5

Pseudocode is a formal language with rigidly standardized syntactic rules and regulations. _________________________

Question 6

Having an infinite loop in an algorithm is an error.

Question 7

Input and output enable the computing agent to communicate with the outside world.

Question 8

An unstructured, "natural language" writing style should never be used for writing algorithms.

Question 9

With a natural language, different readers can interpret the same sentence in totally different ways.

Question 10

Natural language is a set of English language constructs designed to resemble the statements in a programming language but that do not actually run on a computer. _________________________

Question 11

One of the most powerful features of a computer is its ability to handle loops.

Question 12

Pattern matching can only be applied to graphics and pictures.

Question 13

Java and C++ are examples of pseudocode languages.

Question 14

During the initial phases of design, we should be thinking and writing at a highly ____________________ level.

Question 15

____________________ is sometimes called a programming language without any details.

Question 16

____________________ operations allow us to alter the normal sequential flow of control in an algorithm.

Question 17

In a(n)____________________ loop, it is possible for the loop body to never be executed.

Question 18

A(n)control algorithm executes its instructions in a straight line from top to bottom and then stops. _________________________

Question 19

Once an algorithm has been developed, it cannot be used in the construction of other algorithms.

Question 20

The process of searching for a special pattern of symbols within a larger collection of information is called object matching. _________________________

Question 21

A pattern-matching algorithm may be used to implement a _______ function in a word processor.

A)find
B)table
C)replace
D)multiplication

Question 22

To create a loop that executes exactly b times, we create a ____.

A)control object
B)counting method
C)counter
D)variable

Question 23

A(n)____ is an algorithmic operation that carries out a single numeric computation and stores the result.

A)expression
B)variable
C)computation
D)constant

Question 24

The ____ loop is an example of a posttest loop.

A)do/while
B)do
C)while
D)if/then/else

Question 25

____ operations provide the computing agent with data values from the outside world that it may use in later instructions.

A)Ingoing
B)Outgoing
C)Input
D)Output

Question 26

A ____ is a collection of useful, prewritten algorithms.

A)primitive
B)binary
C)set
D)library

Question 27

Which statement exemplifies abstraction?

A)The president of General Motors views the company in terms of every worker, every supplier, and every car.
B)The president of General Motors views the company in terms of its corporate divisions and high-level policy issues.
C)A good approach to algorithm design and software development is to focus on how we might actually implement a particular operation.
D)A convenient way to view the hardware component called "memory" is to focus on the billions of electronic devices that go into constructing a memory unit.

Question 28

The selection of an algorithm to solve a problem is greatly influenced by the way the input ____ for that problem are organized.

A)words
B)data
C)solutions
D)pseudocode

Question 29

A sequential search is the technique of looking at all the items in a list one at a time, starting at _______ of the list, until we either find what we are looking for or come to the end of the list.

A)The end
B)the middle
C)a defined location
D)the beginning

Question 30

In a posttest loop, the continuation condition is tested at the ____ through the loop.

A)beginning of each pass
B)beginning of only the first pass
C)end of each pass
D)end of only the last pass

Question 31

____ operations send results from the computing agent to the outside world.

A)Input
B)Put
C)Send
D)Output

Question 32

____ is an example of a natural language.

A)C
B)Java
C)English
D)Perl

Question 33

A ____ is the repetition of a block of instructions.

A)cycle
B)nucleus
C)matrix
D)loop

Question 34

In the line of pseudocode, "Set the value of Area to length × width", "Area" is a ____.

A)value
B)variable
C)constant
D)primitive

Question 35

Viewing an operation at a high level of abstraction and fleshing out the details of its implementation at a later time is known as ____ design.

A)bottom-up
B)top-down
C)increasing-size
D)increasing-depth

Question 36

"Print the value of product " is an example of a(n)____ operation.

A)sequential
B)conditional
C)input
D)output

Question 37

A purely ____ algorithm is sometimes termed a straight-line algorithm.

A)sequential
B)conditional
C)iterative
D)control

Question 38

____ statements are the "question-asking" operations of an algorithm.

A)Primitive
B)Iterative
C)Sequential
D)Conditional

Question 39

An algorithm can fall into an infinite loop when ____.

A)the input operations are missing
B)the algorithm uses more than one loop
C)the output operations are missing
D)the continuation condition of the loop never becomes false

Question 40

Examples of control operations would be _______ and _______.

A)conditional and iterative
B)dynamic and static
C)hierarchal and control
D)iterative and sequential

Question 41

Briefly describe what pseudocode is and is not.

Question 42

Explain the importance of the concept of building blocks in the use of algorithms.

Question 43

What is the problem with using high-level programming languages to represent algorithms?

Question 44

Briefly define the concept of iteration.

Question 45

What is the problem with using natural language to represent algorithms?

Question 46

What is pseudocode and why is it well-suited for representing algorithms?

Question 47

What is pattern matching?

Question 48

What is the definition of a library in terms of algorithms?

Question 49

Discuss in detail the application of pattern matching to the mapping of the human genome.

Question 50

Under what circumstances would the body of a pretest loop never be executed?