Lab 1: Revision of Programming Concepts in C

Possible Viva Questions & Answers

1. What is a structure in C? How is it declared?

o A structure is a user-defined data type that groups related variables of different

types.

2. How does dynamic memory allocation work in C?

o It allocates memory at runtime using malloc(), calloc(), realloc(), and free().

3. What is the difference between fwrite() and fprintf()?

o fwrite() writes data in binary format, whereas fprintf() writes in text format.

4. What is the purpose of clearing input buffers?

o To avoid unwanted characters interfering with scanf(). Use:

5. How can you store and retrieve data from a binary file?

6. What are pointers, and why are they important in C?

o Pointers store memory addresses and enable dynamic memory allocation.

7. What is the difference between struct and union?

 o struct stores all members separately, whereas union shares memory among
members.

8. How does malloc() differ from calloc()?

o malloc() allocates uninitialized memory, whereas calloc() allocates zero-initialized

memory.

9. What is the typedef keyword used for?

o It assigns a new name to an existing type.

10. What is the size of a structure? How many pointers does it have?

o The size depends on its data members and memory alignment. A structure may
have multiple pointer members depending on its definition.

Lab 2: Singly Linked List Implementation

Possible Viva Questions & Answers

1. What is a singly linked list?

o A dynamic data structure where each node points to the next node.

2. How many pointers does a singly linked list node have?

o It has one pointer, which points to the next node.

3. How does insertion at the beginning of a singly linked list work?

4. How to delete a node by value?

5. How to traverse a linked list?

 6. What is the time complexity of inserting a node in a linked list?

o O(1) at the beginning, O(n) at the end.

7. What happens if we delete the head node?

o The second node becomes the new head.

8. What is the difference between malloc() and free() in a linked list?

o malloc() allocates memory for a node, free() deallocates it.

9. How does searching for a node in a linked list work?

10.What is the advantage of linked lists over arrays?

• Dynamic size, efficient insertion/deletion.

Lab 3: Advanced Singly Linked List

Possible Viva Questions & Answers

1. How do you reverse a linked list?

 2. How many pointers does a linked list reversal algorithm use?

o Typically three: prev, current, and next.

3. How to detect a loop in a linked list?

o Use Floyd’s Cycle Detection Algorithm (slow and fast pointers).

4. How to merge two sorted linked lists?

5. What is a circular linked list?

o The last node points back to the first node.

Lab 4: Doubly Circular Linked List

Possible Viva Questions & Answers

1. What is a doubly linked list?

o Each node contains pointers to both the previous and next nodes.

2. How many pointers does a doubly linked list node have?

o It has two: prev and next.

3. How do you insert a node in a doubly linked list?

 4. How do you delete the last node?

Lab 5: Stack Implementation

Possible Viva Questions & Answers

1. What is a stack?

o A LIFO data structure.

2. How many pointers does a stack have?

o One (top).

3. How to implement a stack using an array?

Lab 6: Queue Implementation

Possible Viva Questions & Answers

1. What is a queue?

o A FIFO data structure.

2. How many pointers does a queue have?

o Two (front and rear).

3. How to implement a queue using an array?

Short Theoretical Questions with Answers for Each Lab

Lab 1: Revision of Programming Concepts in C

1. What is the purpose of using struct in C?

o It is used to group related variables of different data types into a single unit.

2. How does sizeof() work with structures?

o It returns the total memory size occupied by a structure, including any padding
added by the compiler.

3. What is the difference between malloc() and calloc()?

o malloc() allocates uninitialized memory, while calloc() allocates zero-initialized

memory.

4. How do you access structure members using a pointer?

o Use the -> operator (e.g., ptr->name).

5. What is the use of typedef in C?

o It is used to create an alias for existing data types.

6. What happens if free() is not used after malloc()?

o Memory leak occurs, leading to inefficient memory usage.

7. What is the purpose of fopen() and fclose()?

o fopen() opens a file, and fclose() closes an open file to free resources.

8. Why is fprintf() used instead of printf() for file operations?

o fprintf() writes formatted output to a file instead of the console.

9. What is the difference between binary and text file handling in C?

o Binary files store data in raw form, whereas text files store human-readable data.
 10. How do you check if a file opened successfully in C?

o Check if fopen() returns NULL.

Lab 2: Singly Linked List Implementation

1. What is a singly linked list?

o A dynamic data structure where each node contains data and a pointer to the
next node.

2. What are the advantages of linked lists over arrays?

o Dynamic size, efficient insertions and deletions, no memory wastage.

3. How many pointers does a node in a singly linked list have?

o One, which points to the next node.

4. What is the role of head in a linked list?

o It stores the address of the first node of the list.

5. How is dynamic memory allocated for a linked list node?

o Using malloc() to allocate memory at runtime.

6. What is the worst-case time complexity of searching in a singly linked list?

o O(n), as we have to traverse the entire list.

7. Why is it necessary to check if head == NULL before deleting a node?

o To avoid accessing memory that does not exist.

8. What happens if we try to delete a node from an empty linked list?

o The operation fails as there are no nodes to delete.

9. How do we check if a linked list is empty?

o If head == NULL, the list is empty.

10. How do you handle memory leaks in a linked list?

o By freeing each node before deleting or exiting the program.

Lab 3: Advanced Singly Linked List

1. How do you reverse a singly linked list?

o By iterating through the list and adjusting pointers in reverse order.

2. What is a circular linked list?

o A linked list where the last node points back to the first node instead of NULL.

3. How does Floyd’s Cycle Detection Algorithm work?

o It uses two pointers, slow and fast, to detect a cycle in a linked list.

4. What is the difference between iterative and recursive reversal of a linked list?

o Iterative reversal modifies pointers in a loop, while recursive reversal modifies

pointers using function calls.

5. How does merging two sorted linked lists work?

o Compare node values one by one and merge them in sorted order.

6. What are dummy nodes in linked lists, and why are they used?

o Dummy nodes simplify linked list operations by acting as placeholders.

7. What is the purpose of the tail pointer in a linked list?

o It points to the last node, making insertions at the end efficient.

8. How can a linked list be sorted?

o Using merge sort or bubble sort.

9. What happens if you try to delete a node that doesn’t exist?

o The operation fails as there is nothing to delete.

10. How is a linked list stored in memory compared to an array?

o It uses non-contiguous memory locations, unlike arrays which use contiguous

memory.

Lab 4: Doubly Circular Linked List

1. What is a doubly linked list?

 o A linked list where each node has two pointers: one to the next node and one to
the previous node.

2. How many pointers does a doubly linked list node have?

o Two (prev and next).

3. How is a circular linked list different from a singly linked list?

o A circular linked list’s last node points to the first node instead of NULL.

4. What are the advantages of a doubly linked list over a singly linked list?

o Can be traversed in both directions, easier deletion.

5. How does deletion work in a circular linked list?

o The previous and next pointers are adjusted accordingly.

6. How do you traverse a doubly linked list in both directions?

o By using the next pointer to go forward and prev pointer to go backward.

Lab 5: Stack Implementation

1. What is a stack?

o A LIFO (Last In, First Out) data structure.

2. What is the difference between a stack and a queue?

o Stack follows LIFO, queue follows FIFO.

3. What are the basic operations of a stack?

o Push (insert), Pop (remove), Peek (view top element).

4. What is the purpose of the top pointer in a stack?

o It keeps track of the topmost element.

5. What happens when a stack overflows?

o It means the stack is full and cannot accept more elements.

6. How does a stack help in function calls?

o It stores return addresses and local variables.

Lab 6: Queue Implementation

1. What is a queue?

o A FIFO (First In, First Out) data structure.

2. What are the types of queues?

o Simple queue, circular queue, priority queue, deque.

3. What is the difference between a circular queue and a normal queue?

o A circular queue reuses empty spaces left by dequeued elements.

4. How does a priority queue differ from a simple queue?

o Elements in a priority queue are dequeued based on priority instead of order.

5. How are queues used in operating system process scheduling?

o They manage processes in scheduling algorithms like FCFS and Round Robin.