MCQs: Data Structure & Algorithm Basics

1. What is a data structure?

A. A program that manipulates data

B. A way to organize and store data

C. A tool for data visualization

D. A type of programming language

Correct Answer: B

2. The primary purpose of a data structure is to:

A. Display data in a fancy way

B. Store data temporarily

C. Organize data for efficient processing

D. Encrypt data

Correct Answer: C

3. Which of the following is a linear data structure?

A. Tree

B. Graph

C. Queue

D. Hash table

Correct Answer: C

4. Which of these is a non-linear data structure?

A. Array

B. Stack

C. Linked list

D. Binary tree

Correct Answer: D

5. What is the time complexity of searching in an unsorted array?

A. O(1)
B. O(log n)

C. O(n)

D. O(n log n)

Correct Answer: C

6. Which operation inserts an element into a stack?

A. Add

B. Push

C. Enqueue

D. Insert

Correct Answer: B

7. The operation of removing an element from the front of a queue is called:

A. Dequeue

B. Pop

C. Delete

D. Remove

Correct Answer: A

8. Which data structure uses FIFO (First In First Out)?

A. Stack

B. Queue

C. Array

D. Graph

Correct Answer: B

9. Which data structure uses LIFO (Last In First Out)?

A. Array

B. Queue

C. Stack

D. Linked list
Correct Answer: C

10. Which of the following allows fast random access?

A. Linked list

B. Stack

C. Array

D. Tree

Correct Answer: C

Classification of Data Structures

11. Data structures are mainly classified into:

A. Static and Dynamic

B. Simple and Complex

C. Linear and Non-linear

D. Integer and Character

Correct Answer: C

12. Which of the following is not a primitive data structure?

A. Integer

B. Float

C. Stack

D. Character

Correct Answer: C

13. Which of the following is a hierarchical data structure?

A. Array

B. Stack

C. Graph

D. Tree

Correct Answer: D
14. Which is not an example of a linear data structure?

A. Queue

B. Array

C. Stack

D. Graph

Correct Answer: D

15. Linked lists are best described as:

A. Static linear structures

B. Dynamic linear structures

C. Static non-linear structures

D. None of the above

Correct Answer: B

Operations on Data Structures

16. Traversal means:

A. Inserting data

B. Deleting data

C. Accessing each element exactly once

D. Sorting the data

Correct Answer: C

17. Which of these is not a basic operation on data structures?

A. Traversing

B. Deleting

C. Compiling

D. Inserting

Correct Answer: C
18. What is the worst-case time complexity of inserting an element in a
linked list?

A. O(1)

B. O(n)

C. O(log n)

D. O(n^2)

Correct Answer: B

19. In stack, which operation is not allowed directly?

A. Pop from bottom

B. Push

C. Pop from top

D. Display

Correct Answer: A

20. What is the process of rearranging elements in a specific order called?

A. Insertion

B. Sorting

C. Merging

D. Searching

Correct Answer: B

What is an Algorithm

21. An algorithm is:

A. A software application

B. A sequence of steps to solve a problem

C. A computer program

D. A compiler
Correct Answer: B

22. Which of the following is true about an algorithm?

A. It must always produce output

B. It may or may not be finite

C. It must run infinitely

D. It is optional in problem-solving

Correct Answer: A

23. An algorithm must terminate after:

A. Infinite steps

B. A condition is met

C. A finite number of steps

D. Random steps

Correct Answer: C

24. The efficiency of an algorithm depends on:

A. The hardware only

B. The operating system

C. Time and space complexity

D. Programming language used

Correct Answer: C

25. A good algorithm must be:

A. Complex and efficient

B. Simple and ambiguous

C. Unclear and long

D. Correct and efficient

Correct Answer: D

Properties of Algorithm
26. Which is NOT a property of an algorithm?

A. Definiteness

B. Finiteness

C. Ambiguity

D. Input

Correct Answer: C

27. Which property of an algorithm ensures each step is clearly defined?

A. Input

B. Output

C. Definiteness

D. Effectiveness

Correct Answer: C

28. An algorithm must have zero or more:

A. Outputs

B. Inputs

C. Loops

D. Statements

Correct Answer: B

29. The output of an algorithm must be:

A. Ambiguous

B. Incomplete

C. Well-defined

D. Ignored

Correct Answer: C

30. Which property ensures that an algorithm does not run forever?

A. Finiteness

B. Looping
C. Recursion

D. Complexity

Correct Answer: A

Additional Questions (31-50)

31. What is the primary goal of using data structures?

A. Make code longer

B. Improve time and space efficiency

C. Confuse the programmer

D. Increase CPU load

Correct Answer: B

32. Which of these is not a function of data structures?

A. Efficient data access

B. System designing

C. Storing data

D. Data encryption

Correct Answer: D

33. Which data structure is most efficient for priority tasks?

A. Queue

B. Stack

C. Priority Queue

D. Array

Correct Answer: C

34. Which data structure is used for recursive function calls?

A. Stack

B. Queue

C. Array
D. Graph

Correct Answer: A

35. What does ADT stand for?

A. Advanced Data Tree

B. Abstract Data Type

C. Algorithm Defined Type

D. Array Data Table

Correct Answer: B

36. The best-case time complexity of linear search is:

A. O(n)

B. O(1)

C. O(log n)

D. O(n^2)

Correct Answer: B

37. In which data structure are elements added and removed from the same
end?

A. Queue

B. Stack

C. Array

D. Linked List

Correct Answer: B

38. Algorithms can be expressed as:

A. Pseudocode

B. Flowcharts

C. Programming code

D. All of the above

Correct Answer: D
39. What is the space complexity of an algorithm?

A. Memory required during execution

B. CPU usage

C. Size of input

D. Speed of algorithm

Correct Answer: A

40. Time complexity describes:

A. Time required by CPU

B. Number of steps to complete task

C. Size of program

D. Compilation time

Correct Answer: B

41. Sorting an array in ascending order is an example of:

A. Traversal

B. Sorting operation

C. Searching

D. Graph traversal

Correct Answer: B

42. Which data structure is ideal for undo operations in text editors?

A. Queue

B. Stack

C. Linked list

D. Hash table

Correct Answer: B

43. What is the role of pointers in data structures?

A. Encrypt data

B. Store logical decisions

D. Store constants

Correct Answer: C

44. In a binary tree, each node can have at most:

A. 1 child

B. 2 children

C. 3 children

D. Infinite children

Correct Answer: B

45. Which algorithm is best for finding shortest paths?

A. Bubble Sort

B. Dijkstra’s Algorithm

C. Quick Sort

D. DFS

Correct Answer: B

46. Which of these data structures is mainly used in compiler syntax

A. Tree

B. Hash Table

C. Stack

D. Queue

Correct Answer: C

47. A hash function is used to:

A. Encrypt data

B. Sort elements

C. Map keys to values

D. Search arrays
Correct Answer: C

48. A stack is implemented using which basic principle?

A. FIFO

B. LIFO

C. FILO

D. LILO

Correct Answer: B

49. Which of these properties is crucial for algorithm termination?

A. Definiteness

B. Effectiveness

C. Finiteness

D. Complexity

Correct Answer: C

50. What is a key reason for studying algorithms?

A. To learn new syntax

B. To solve problems efficiently

C. To write more code

D. To memorize code

Correct Answer: B