50 Data Structure MCQs with Answers
Q1. Stack is a ____ in data structure concept.
(A) Basic data type
(B) Derived data type
(C) Abstract data type
(D) Primitive data type
Answer: Abstract data type
Q2. In a stack, insertion and deletion follow which order?
(A) FIFO
(B) LIFO
(C) Random
(D) Priority
Answer: LIFO
Q3. Which data structure is most natural to implement recursion?
(A) Queue
(B) Stack
(C) Array
(D) Linked list
Answer: Stack
Q4. Which data structure is used in Breadth-First Search (BFS) of a graph?
(A) Stack
(B) Queue
(C) Heap
(D) Deque
Answer: Queue
Q5. Which is typically used for Depth-First Search (DFS)?
(A) Queue
(B) Heap
(C) Stack
(D) Hash table
Answer: Stack
Q6. A binary tree with n nodes has how many edges?
(A) n
(B) n+1
(C) n-1
(D) n-2
Answer: n-1
Q7. For a full binary tree with 2n+1 total nodes, the number of leaf nodes is:
(A) n
(B) n+1
(C) 2n
(D) 2n+1
Answer: n+1
Q8. The maximum number of nodes at level l of a binary tree is:
(A) 2^l
(B) l^2
(C) 2l
(D) l!
Answer: 2^l
Q9. The worst-case height of a binary tree with n nodes is:
(A) log2(n)
(B) n
(C) n/2
(D) sqrt(n)
Answer: n
Q10. Which traversal order is Root Left Right?
(A) Inorder
(B) Preorder
(C) Postorder
(D) Level order
Answer: Preorder
Q11. In a simple graph with n vertices, maximum possible degree of a vertex is:
(A) n
(B) n-1
(C) n+1
(D) 2n-1
Answer: n-1
Q12. A graph G = (V, E) means:
(A) V=variables, E=edges
(B) V=vertices, E=edges
(C) V=vertices, E=equations
(D) V=values, E=edges
Answer: V=vertices, E=edges
Q13. Which algorithm finds single-source shortest path for nonnegative weights?
(A) Kruskal
(B) Prim
(C) Bellman-Ford
(D) Dijkstra
Answer: Dijkstra
Q14. Which algorithm is used to compute a Minimum Spanning Tree (MST)?
(A) Dijkstra
(B) Bellman-Ford
(C) Kruskal
(D) Binary search
Answer: Kruskal
Q15. Which traversal uses a queue?
(A) DFS
(B) BFS
(C) Topological sort
(D) Dijkstra
Answer: BFS
Q16. Merge sort follows which strategy?
(A) Divide and conquer
(B) Greedy
(C) Dynamic programming
(D) Backtracking
Answer: Divide and conquer
Q17. Quick sort uses:
(A) Divide and conquer
(B) Greedy
(C) Backtracking
(D) Dynamic programming
Answer: Divide and conquer
Q18. Which has the best average-case complexity?
(A) Bubble sort
(B) Selection sort
(C) Merge sort
(D) Insertion sort
Answer: Merge sort
Q19. Which searching algorithm requires a sorted array?
(A) Linear search
(B) Binary search
(C) Hash search
(D) DFS
Answer: Binary search
Q20. Heap sort is based on:
(A) Queue
(B) Stack
(C) Heap
(D) Graph
Answer: Heap
Q21. Collision resolution by chaining uses:
(A) Array
(B) Linked list
(C) Stack
(D) Binary tree
Answer: Linked list
Q22. Load factor in hashing is:
(A) n+m
(B) n/m
(C) m/n
(D) n*m
Answer: n/m
Q23. Which is open addressing?
(A) Chaining
(B) Linear probing
(C) Separate chaining
(D) Bucket hashing
Answer: Linear probing
Q24. Best-case lookup in hashing is:
(A) O(1)
(B) O(log n)
(C) O(n)
(D) O(n log n)
Answer: O(1)
Q25. Double hashing is used to:
(A) Increase load factor
(B) Resolve collisions
(C) Sort keys
(D) Compress data
Answer: Resolve collisions
Q26. Which is NOT a linked-list type?
(A) Singly linked
(B) Doubly linked
(C) Circular linked
(D) Indexed linked
Answer: Indexed linked
Q27. Which linked list allows both forward & backward traversal?
(A) Singly linked
(B) Circular
(C) Doubly linked
(D) Sentinel
Answer: Doubly linked
Q28. Which is efficient for sparse polynomials?
(A) Array
(B) Linked list
(C) Stack
(D) Queue
Answer: Linked list
Q29. Which operation is costly in arrays compared to linked lists?
(A) Traversal
(B) Insertion
(C) Indexing
(D) Direct access
Answer: Insertion
Q30. Which linked list is best for queues?
(A) Singly linked (no tail)
(B) Circular linked
(C) Doubly linked (no tail)
(D) Array
Answer: Circular linked
Q31. Binary search time complexity:
(A) O(1)
(B) O(n)
(C) O(log n)
(D) O(n log n)
Answer: O(log n)
Q32. Linear search time complexity:
(A) O(1)
(B) O(log n)
(C) O(n)
(D) O(n^2)
Answer: O(n)
Q33. Which sort is not stable?
(A) Bubble sort
(B) Merge sort
(C) Quick sort
(D) Insertion sort
Answer: Quick sort
Q34. Worst-case complexity of Quick sort:
(A) O(n)
(B) O(log n)
(C) O(n log n)
(D) O(n^2)
Answer: O(n^2)
Q35. Which has O(1) access by index?
(A) Stack
(B) Queue
(C) Array
(D) Linked list
Answer: Array
Q36. Which is a non-linear data structure?
(A) Array
(B) Linked list
(C) Stack
(D) Tree
Answer: Tree
Q37. Which is linear?
(A) Tree
(B) Graph
(C) Stack
(D) Binary tree
Answer: Stack
Q38. Traversal yielding postfix from expression tree?
(A) Preorder
(B) Inorder
(C) Postorder
(D) Level order
Answer: Postorder
Q39. Traversal yielding prefix from expression tree?
(A) Preorder
(B) Inorder
(C) Postorder
(D) Level order
Answer: Preorder
Q40. Priority queue is efficiently implemented with:
(A) Stack
(B) Array
(C) Heap
(D) Linked list
Answer: Heap
Q41. Minimum edges in connected graph with n vertices:
(A) n
(B) n-1
(C) 2n
(D) n+1
Answer: n-1
Q42. A BST is:
(A) Complete tree
(B) Balanced tree
(C) Ordered tree
(D) Heap
Answer: Ordered tree
Q43. AVL tree is:
(A) Unbalanced
(B) Balanced BST
(C) Heap
(D) Graph
Answer: Balanced BST
Q44. B-trees are used in:
(A) OS internals
(B) Databases
(C) Compilers
(D) Networks
Answer: Databases
Q45. Undo in text editors uses:
(A) Queue
(B) Stack
(C) Linked list
(D) Heap
Answer: Stack
Q46. Traversal giving sorted order in BST:
(A) Preorder
(B) Inorder
(C) Postorder
(D) Level order
Answer: Inorder
Q47. Efficient LRU cache uses:
(A) Queue only
(B) Hash table + Doubly linked list
(C) Stack + Array
(D) Binary tree + stack
Answer: Hash table + Doubly linked list
Q48. Disjoint Set Union supports:
(A) Insert & delete
(B) Push & pop
(C) Find & union
(D) Enqueue & dequeue
Answer: Find & union
Q49. Cycle detection in directed graph often uses:
(A) BFS level order
(B) DFS with recursion stack
(C) Dijkstra
(D) Kruskal
Answer: DFS with recursion stack
Q50. Space complexity of adjacency matrix of graph with n vertices:
(A) O(n)
(B) O(n log n)
(C) O(n^2)
(D) O(1)
Answer: O(n^2)
