A practical application of the stack data type is
A) the storage of local variables in a function call.
B) the tracking of the order of entry into and exit from nested loops.
C) the tracking of the order of calls and returns of functions in a program.
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

All three options, (A) storage of local variables, (B) tracking the order of entry and exit from nested loops, and (C) tracking order of calls and returns of functions, involve the use of a stack data structure. In (A), each time a function is called, a new stack frame is created to hold the function's local variables (which are popped off the stack as the function exits). In (B) and (C), a stack is used to keep track of the nested elements (loop iterations and function calls, respectively) so that they may be exited in the correct order, using a last-in, first-out (LIFO) ordering. Therefore, answer (D) is the best choice, as it covers all of the above.

A Practical Application of the Stack Data Type Is