Deck 2: Algorithm Discovery and Design

Question 1

When writing arithmetic expressions in pseudocode, you may assume that the computing agent executing your algorithm has all the capabilities of a typical calculator.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The fact that natural language can have many different meanings in different contexts makes it difficult to use for designing algorithms.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Pseudocode is a special set of English language constructs modeled to look like the statements available in most programming languages.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Control operations can be used to alter the normal sequential flow of control in an algorithm.

Question 5

A sequential algorithm executes its instructions in a straight line from top to bottom and then stops.

Question 6

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

Question 7

In a posttest loop, it is possible for the loop body to never be executed.

Question 8

Java and C++ are examples of pseudocode languages.

Question 9

The if/then/else operation allows you to select exactly one of two alternatives.

Question 10

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

Question 11

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

Question 12

When writing arithmetic expressions in pseudocode, it is safe to assume that the computing agent already knows the basic trigonometric functions, sine, cosine, and tangent.

Question 13

In pseudocode, it does not matter exactly how you choose to write your instructions as long as the intent is clear and unambiguous.

Question 14

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

Question 15

Once an algorithm has been developed, it may itself be used in the construction of other algorithms.

Question 16

An unstructured, "free-flowing" writing style should be used for writing algorithms.

Question 17

Languages such as Java and C++ are the algorithmic design languages of choice.

Question 18

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

Question 19

Finding the maximum number in a given set is an example of a problem that computer scientists want to solve.

Question 20

Having an infinite loop in an algorithm is an error.

Question 21

If, then, and else are examples of ____ statements.

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

Question 22

____ operations allow the computing agent to receive data values from the outside world that it may then use in later instructions.

A) ingoing
B) outgoing
C) input
D) output

Question 23

In addition to designing a correct algorithm, computer scientists concern themselves with algorithmic efficiency.

Question 24

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 25

____ is the process of searching for a special pattern of symbols within a larger collection of information.

A) Sequential search
B) Dynamic processing
C) Pattern matching
D) Pattern search

Question 26

____ is the ability to separate the high-level view of an entity or an operation from the low-level details of its implementation.

A) Inheritance
B) Randomness
C) Encapsulation
D) Abstraction

Question 27

Computer algorithms are limited to accepting only two values as input.

Question 28

A purely ____ algorithm is also called a straight-line algorithm.

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

Question 29

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

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

Question 30

A ____ is the repetition of a block of instructions.

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

Question 31

Iteration should be minimized when designing algorithms.

Question 32

____ is an example of a natural language.

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

Question 33

The multiplication operation can be reduced to repeatedly adding a number a certain number of times.

Question 34

Most computer scientists use ____ to design and represent algorithms.

A) natural languages
B) high-level programming languages
C) low-level programming languages
D) pseudocode

Question 35

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

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

Question 36

Consider this line of code: Set the value of Area to length*width "Area" is a____.

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

Question 37

A(n) ____ is a named storage location that can hold a data value.

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

Question 38

The two parts of a "while" statement are known as the loop head and the loop body.

Question 39

Together, conditional and iterative operations are called ____ operations.

A) sequential
B) control
C) hierarchical
D) dynamic

Question 40

In a pretest 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 41

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 42

In the multiplication algorithm discussed in this chapter, the statement, "Get values for a and b" is a(n) ____ operation.

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

Question 43

The standard algorithm for searching a(n) ____ list of values is called sequential search.

A) ordered
B) unordered
C) numerical
D) alphabetical

Question 44

A(n) ____ is a collection of useful algorithms.

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

Question 45

The design of an algorithm to solve a problem is highly dependent on the organization of the ____ involved in the problem.

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

Question 46

How are the computer science terms, "index", and "pointer" related?

A) the index refers to the pointer
B) the pointer refers to the index
C) the index holds a value, while the pointer references a value
D) they are synonyms

Question 47

In order to implement a "find" functionality in a word processor, one would have to design a ____ algorithm.

A) pattern matching
B) natural language
C) sequential
D) do-while

Question 48

The ____ loop is an example of a posttest loop.

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

Question 49

How could an algorithm fall into an infinite loop?

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

Question 50

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

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