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Computer Science Fundamentals

Computer Science

A set of medium-difficulty multiple-choice questions focusing on factual, theory-based computer science concepts.

algorithms data structures computability complexity theory programming languages computer architecture

18 Questions Medium Ages 14+ Apr 12, 2026

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This study set covers Computer Science through 18 practice questions. A set of medium-difficulty multiple-choice questions focusing on factual, theory-based computer science concepts. Every question includes the correct answer so you can learn as you go — pick any format above to get started.

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1 Which of the following sorting algorithms has an average-case time complexity of O(n log n)?

A Bubble Sort
B Insertion Sort
C Merge Sort
D Selection Sort

2 In terms of computability theory, what does the Halting Problem state?

A It is impossible to create a program that can predict if any given program will finish or run forever.
B All problems can be solved by a Turing machine.
C There exists a universal Turing machine that can simulate any other Turing machine.
D The set of all decidable languages is countably infinite.

3 What is the primary function of a compiler?

A To execute machine code directly.
B To translate source code written in a high-level language into machine code.
C To manage memory allocation for programs.
D To provide a graphical user interface for software development.

4 Which data structure follows the Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) principle?

A Queue
B Linked List
C Stack
D Tree

5 What is the purpose of Big O notation in algorithm analysis?

A To precisely measure the execution time of an algorithm in seconds.
B To describe the upper bound of an algorithm's time or space complexity.
C To determine the memory usage of a data structure.
D To provide a definitive ranking of all known algorithms.

6 In object-oriented programming, what is polymorphism?

A The ability to inherit properties from multiple parent classes.
B The process of encapsulating data and methods within a class.
C The ability of an object to take on many forms, typically through method overriding or overloading.
D The creation of new classes based on existing ones.

7 Which of these is a fundamental principle of relational database design?

A Data duplication is encouraged for faster retrieval.
B Tables should be designed to minimize redundancy and improve data integrity.
C All data should be stored in a single, large table.
D Relationships between tables are defined using implicit links.

8 What is the significance of the Church-Turing thesis?

A It proves that all computational problems are solvable.
B It suggests that any function that can be computed by an algorithm can be computed by a Turing machine.
C It defines the limits of artificial intelligence.
D It states that only specific programming languages can achieve universal computation.

9 What does the term 'binary search' refer to?

A A search algorithm that examines every other element in a list.
B A search algorithm that requires the data to be sorted and divides the search interval in half at each step.
C A search algorithm used exclusively for binary files.
D A search algorithm with a worst-case time complexity of O(n).

10 In computer architecture, what is the role of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)?

A To fetch instructions from memory.
B To perform arithmetic and logical operations on data.
C To manage the flow of data between the CPU and peripherals.
D To store the results of computations.

11 What is a hash table?

A A data structure that stores elements in a sorted order.
B A data structure that uses a hash function to map keys to indices in an array.
C A linear data structure where elements are accessed sequentially.
D A tree-like structure used for hierarchical data storage.

12 Which of the following is a characteristic of a dynamically typed programming language?

A Variable types are checked at compile time.
B Variable types are checked at runtime.
C All variables must be explicitly declared with a type.
D Type errors are always caught before program execution.

13 What is the primary goal of cryptographic hashing?

A To encrypt messages for secure communication.
B To generate a unique, fixed-size fingerprint (hash) of data that is difficult to reverse.
C To compress large files for efficient storage.
D To provide a method for random number generation.

14 What is a Turing machine?

A A physical computer with specific processing capabilities.
B A theoretical model of computation that manipulates symbols on a tape according to a table of rules.
C A type of algorithm used for sorting data.
D A database management system.

15 In the context of operating systems, what is a deadlock?

A A situation where a process terminates unexpectedly.
B A state where two or more processes are unable to proceed because each is waiting for the other to release a resource.
C A condition where the system runs out of memory.
D A failure in the network connection.

16 What is a 'stack overflow' error?

A An error that occurs when a program attempts to write more data to a buffer than it can hold.
B An error that occurs when a recursive function calls itself too many times, exceeding the allocated stack memory.
C An error indicating that a network connection has failed.
D An error related to insufficient disk space.

17 Which of the following is a fundamental principle of NoSQL databases?

A Strict adherence to the ACID properties.
B Enforcement of rigid, predefined schemas.
C Flexibility in data models and often distributed architecture.
D Use of SQL as the primary query language.

18 What is the Traveling Salesperson Problem (TSP)?

A A problem of finding the shortest path between two specific points in a network.
B A problem of finding the shortest possible route that visits a set of cities exactly once and returns to the origin city.
C A problem of optimizing resource allocation in a manufacturing process.
D A problem related to scheduling tasks with dependencies.

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