3 Meadows Coding Questions
1. Scenario: Find the Missing Number in a Sequence
Problem:
You’re working at a warehouse that tracks the IDs of packages arriving each day. The system assigns
sequential numbers from 1 to n for each day's arrivals, but due to a system glitch, one number is
missing. Write a program that finds the missing number.
Input:
arr = [1, 2, 3, 5]
Expected Output:
4
2. Scenario: Move All Zeroes to End
Problem:
In a mobile game, scores of zero represent fouls. You’re given an array of scores and need to shift all
fouls (zeroes) to the end while maintaining the order of the other scores.
Input:
arr = [0, 1, 0, 3, 12]
Expected Output:
[1, 3, 12, 0, 0]
3. Scenario: Reverse a Linked List
Problem:
You’re implementing a basic text editor undo functionality. Every action is stored as a linked list. To
undo, you need to reverse the list of actions.
Input:
1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → NULL
Expected Output:
4 → 3 → 2 → 1 → NULL
4. Scenario: Detect a Cycle in a Linked List
Problem:
In a GPS tracking system, the route data is stored in a linked list. If a location appears twice without
arriving back at the start, it might indicate a looped path. Write a program to detect a loop.
Input:
1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 2 (loop back to 2)
Expected Output:
True
5. Scenario: Allocate Memory for Student Records
Problem:
You are designing a student management system where student records are dynamically created as
students enroll. Write a C program to dynamically allocate memory for storing marks of n students
using malloc.
Input:
n = 3, marks = 45, 56, 89
Expected Output:
Memory allocated and printed:
45 56 89
6. Scenario: Print Array Using Pointer Arithmetic
Problem:
You’ve been asked to train new interns on pointer basics. Write a C program to read 5 integers into an
array and print them using only pointer arithmetic (no array indexing).
Input:
arr = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]
Expected Output:
10 20 30 40 50
7. Scenario: Find the Longest Increasing Subsequence
Problem:
A stock analyst wants to find the longest period during which stock prices have increased day-by-day.
Given an array of stock prices, return the length of the longest increasing subsequence.
Input:
[10, 9, 2, 5, 3, 7, 101, 18]
Expected Output:
4 ([2, 3, 7, 101])
8. Scenario: Build a Tree of Categories
Problem:
An e-commerce website uses a binary tree structure to organize its categories (e.g., Electronics →
Phones, Laptops). Write a program to construct the tree and perform an inorder traversal to list all
categories.
Input (tree):
markdown
Electronics
/ \
Phones Laptops
Expected Output (inorder):
Phones Electronics Laptops
9. Scenario: Preventing Deadlock in Banking App
Problem:
You are developing a banking app where customers can transfer funds. Explain with a code snippet
how to avoid deadlocks when two users try to transfer funds to each other simultaneously.
Input:
Accounts A and B trying to lock each other
Expected Output:
Proper ordering of lock acquisition to prevent deadlock
10. Scenario: Reverse Words in a Sentence
Problem:
In a voice-to-text application, sentences are generated in reverse order by mistake. Write a program to
reverse the words in a sentence to correct the transcript.
Input:
"world the to Welcome"
Expected Output:
"Welcome to the world"
11. Scenario (OOPs – Inheritance): Employee Management System
You are designing a software for a company. The system should manage different types of employees –
regular employees and managers. Managers have an additional bonus field. Use inheritance to
calculate and display total salary.
Input:
Employee: name = “John”, salary = 30000
Manager: name = “Alice”, salary = 50000, bonus = 10000
Expected Output:
John - Total Salary: 30000
Alice - Total Salary: 60000
12. Scenario (OOPs – Encapsulation): Bank Account
You are implementing a class BankAccount where balance and account number must be secure
(private). Allow the user to deposit, withdraw, and check balance through public methods only.
Input:
Deposit: 1000
Withdraw: 400
Expected Output:
Balance after deposit: 1000
Balance after withdrawal: 600
13. Scenario (OOPs – Polymorphism): Shape Area Calculator
Develop a program with a base class Shape and derived classes Circle, Rectangle, and Triangle. Each
class must have an area() method. Use polymorphism to call the appropriate method at runtime.
Input:
Circle: radius = 3
Rectangle: length = 4, width = 5
Triangle: base = 6, height = 3
Expected Output:
Circle Area: 28.27
Rectangle Area: 20
Triangle Area: 9
14. Scenario (Linked List): Add Two Numbers Represented by Linked Lists
You are building a calculator for large numbers stored as linked lists (digits in reverse). Write a function
to add two numbers and return the result as a linked list.
Input:
List1 = 2 → 4 → 3 (represents 342)
List2 = 5 → 6 → 4 (represents 465)
Expected Output:
7 → 0 → 8 (represents 807)
15. Scenario (Linked List): Remove N-th Node from End
In an audio processing pipeline, you store filters as a linked list. To optimize the filter chain, you want
to remove the N-th filter from the end.
Input:
List = 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5, n = 2
Expected Output:
1→2→3→5
16. Scenario (Stack): Valid Parentheses Checker
While developing a compiler, you need to verify that every opening bracket in code has a matching
closing bracket using a stack.
Input:
"{[()]}"
Expected Output:
Valid
17. Scenario (Queue): First Non-Repeating Character in a Stream
In a live typing assistant, you are given a stream of characters. After each character, show the first
character that has not repeated so far.
Input:
aabc
Expected Output:
a#bb
18. Scenario (Sorting): Arrange Students by Marks
You are tasked with building a gradebook where students must be listed in descending order of marks.
Implement a sorting algorithm (e.g., merge sort or quick sort).
Input:
[{name: "Amit", marks: 75}, {name: "Rita", marks: 89}, {name: "John", marks: 65}]
Expected Output:
Rita (89), Amit (75), John (65)
19. Scenario (Searching – Binary Search): Find a Product by ID
In an e-commerce inventory system, product IDs are sorted. Implement a binary search to quickly
locate if a product ID exists.
Input:
Product IDs = [1001, 1003, 1005, 1010], target = 1005
Expected Output:
Product Found at Index: 2
20. Scenario (Searching): Find First and Last Position of Element
In a testing system, student scores are stored in a sorted array. Write a program to find the first and
last occurrence of a specific score.
Input:
[5, 7, 7, 8, 8, 10], score = 8
Expected Output:
First Index = 3, Last Index = 4
21. Scenario (OOPs – Constructor Overloading): Student Registration System
You are developing a student registration system. Sometimes students register with only a name;
other times with a name and age. Use constructor overloading to handle both scenarios.
Input:
Student s1("Amit");
Student s2("Rita", 21);
Expected Output:
Student: Amit, Age: N/A
Student: Rita, Age: 21
22. Scenario (OOPs – Abstraction): Online Payment System
Design an abstract class Payment with a method pay(amount). Derive classes like CreditCard and
PayPal which implement pay() in their own way.
Input:
Payment *p1 = new CreditCard();
p1->pay(500);
Expected Output:
Paid ₹500 via Credit Card.
23. Scenario (Linked List): Reverse Nodes in K-Group
You’re building a photo album where each k photos should be rearranged in reverse to form a design
pattern. Implement a function to reverse every group of k nodes in a linked list.
Input:
1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5, k = 2
Expected Output:
2→1→4→3→5
24. Scenario (Linked List): Merge K Sorted Lists
You need to combine several sorted mailing lists. Implement a program to merge k sorted linked lists
into one sorted linked list.
Input:
[1→4→5], [1→3→4], [2→6]
Expected Output:
1→1→2→3→4→4→5→6
25. Scenario (Stack): Evaluate Reverse Polish Notation
In a calculator app, you want to implement postfix (RPN) evaluation using a stack. Each operator
applies to the last two numbers.
Input:
["2", "1", "+", "3", "*"]
Expected Output:
9 (as (2 + 1) * 3 = 9)
26. Scenario (Sorting – Bubble Sort Visualization): Animation Tool
In an educational animation tool, you want to show how bubble sort works step by step on a list of
numbers.
Input:
[5, 3, 8, 4]
Expected Output:
Step 1: [3, 5, 8, 4]
Step 2: [3, 5, 4, 8]
Step 3: [3, 4, 5, 8]
27. Scenario (Searching – Linear Search): Contact List Search
In a contact list app, a user can search by name. Use linear search to find the index of a contact.
Input:
["Arjun", "Deepa", "Meena"], search = “Meena”
Expected Output:
Contact found at index: 2
28. Scenario (Sorting – Insertion Sort): Sort Attendance by Roll Number
You are developing a school attendance system. Students arrive randomly and you want to sort them
by roll number using insertion sort.
Input:
[45, 12, 89, 33]
Expected Output:
[12, 33, 45, 89]
29. Scenario (OOPs – Static Members): Track Object Count
Implement a class Book with a static variable that tracks how many book objects have been created.
Input:
Book b1, b2, b3;
Expected Output:
Total Books Created: 3
30. Scenario (Linked List): Detect and Remove Loop
In a navigation system, a wrong loop can crash the program. Write a function to detect and remove the
loop from a linked list.
Input:
1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 2 (cycle)
Expected Output:
Loop detected and removed.
31. Scenario (Linked List): Check Palindrome
A word is stored as a singly linked list. Write a function to check if the word is a palindrome.
Input:
r→a→d→a→r
Expected Output:
True
32. Scenario (Linked List): Sort a Linked List
You're managing product prices stored in a linked list. Write a function to sort the list.
Input:
10 → 3 → 7 → 1
Expected Output:
1 → 3 → 7 → 10
33. Scenario (Stack): Infix to Postfix Conversion
Implement a feature in a compiler that converts an infix expression to postfix using a stack.
Input:
(A + B) * C
Expected Output:
AB+C*
34. Scenario (Stack): Remove Adjacent Duplicates
In a data compression system, you want to remove adjacent duplicates from a string using a stack.
Input:
"abbaca"
Expected Output:
"ca"
35. Scenario (Stack): Next Greater Element
In a stock analysis tool, return the next greater element for each number using a stack.
Input:
[2, 1, 2, 4, 3]
Expected Output:
[4, 2, 4, -1, -1]
36. Scenario (Sorting – Selection Sort): Sort Exam Scores
A teacher wants to manually sort scores using selection sort.
Input:
[40, 20, 60, 10]
Expected Output:
[10, 20, 40, 60]
37. Scenario (Sorting – QuickSort): Organize Books by ID
Books stored in an array must be sorted using QuickSort.
Input:
[34, 7, 23, 32]
Expected Output:
[7, 23, 32, 34]
38. Scenario (Searching – Ternary Search): Game Level Finder
You need to search a score in a sorted leader-board using ternary search.
Input:
[10, 20, 30, 40, 50], search = 40
Expected Output:
Found at index: 3
39. Scenario (Searching – Exponential Search): Find a Customer ID
In a large, sorted database, use exponential search to find a customer ID.
Input:
[1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 15, 20, 30], target = 15
Expected Output:
Found at index: 5
40. Scenario (OOPs – Copy Constructor): Copy Product Info
You clone a product entry using a copy constructor.
Input:
Product A with id=101, name="Laptop"
Product B = copy of A
Expected Output:
Product B: id=101, name=Laptop
41. Scenario (Queue – Priority Queue): Hospital Emergency Queue
Patients are prioritized by severity. Use a priority queue to serve critical ones first.
Input:
[(name="A", priority=2), (name="B", priority=1)]
Expected Output:
B is served before A
42. Scenario (Sorting – Counting Sort): Sort Exam Grades (0-100)
Use counting sort to efficiently sort exam scores that range from 0 to 100.
Input:
[50, 20, 100, 75, 20]
Expected Output:
[20, 20, 50, 75, 100]
43. Scenario (Linked List – Intersection Point): Merge Users' Activity
Two activity logs (linked lists) merge at a common point. Find where they intersect.
Input:
List A: 1 → 2 → 3 → 6 → 7
List B: 4 → 5 → 6 → 7
Expected Output:
Intersection at node with value: 6
44. Scenario (Queue – Circular Buffer): IoT Sensor Buffer
Sensor data is stored in a fixed-size circular queue. Handle enqueue and dequeue operations.
Input:
Enqueue 3, 4, 5 → Dequeue → Enqueue 6
Expected Output:
Queue = [4, 5, 6]
45. Scenario (Sorting – Shell Sort): Optimize Sort with Gap
Implement shell sort to reduce number of comparisons for partially sorted data.
Input:
[10, 8, 9, 2, 4]
Expected Output:
[2, 4, 8, 9, 10]
46. Scenario (Linked List – Remove Duplicates from Unsorted List)
You’re given an unsorted linked list with duplicates. Remove duplicates.
Input:
10 → 20 → 10 → 30 → 20
Expected Output:
10 → 20 → 30
47. Scenario (Stack – Balanced Brackets)
You want to validate if a string with {[()]} is balanced.
Input:
"{[()]}"
Expected Output:
Balanced
48. Scenario (Queue – Implement Using Array)
Create a queue using an array with enqueue and dequeue.
Input:
Enqueue: 1, 2 → Dequeue → Enqueue: 3
Expected Output:
Queue = [2, 3]
49. Scenario (Sorting – Radix Sort): Sort Phone Numbers
Sort a list of 10-digit phone numbers using radix sort.
Input:
[9876543210, 9123456789, 9988776655]
Expected Output:
[9123456789, 9876543210, 9988776655]
50. Scenario (2D Array – Pathfinding Simulation): Fire Escape Plan in a Building
You are simulating an emergency fire escape plan in a building represented by a 2D grid. Each cell in
the grid can be:
'S' = start position (person)
'E' = exit
'1' = wall (cannot pass)
'0' = open path
Your goal is to write a program to find the shortest path from 'S' to 'E' using Breadth-First Search (BFS)
or another suitable algorithm. If there is no path, return -1.
Input (Grid):
44
[
['S', '0', '1', '0'],
['1', '0', '1', '0'],
['0', '0', '0', '0'],
['1', '1', '1', 'E']
]
Expected Output:
Shortest path length: 7
The path is:
(0,0) → (0,1) → (1,1) → (2,1) → (2,2) → (2,3) → (3,3)
