If the search item is the 900th item in the list, the sequential search makes ____ key comparisons to determine whether the search item is in the list.
A) 100
B) 900
C) 9000
D) 90,000

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In sequential search, we need to iterate through each item in the list to find the search item. Therefore, if the search item is the 900th item in the list, we need to iterate through 900 items before finding it. Hence, the number of key comparisons made is equal to the position of the search item in the list, which is 900 in this case. Therefore, the correct answer is B.

If the Search Item Is the 900th Item in the List