Top Most Important Viva Question With Answer For Data Structure By Surya

1. Q: What is a data structure?

A: A data structure is a way of organizing and storing data in a computer to
perform operations efficiently.
2. Q: Differentiate between an array and a linked list.
A: Arrays have a fixed size and elements are stored in contiguous memory
locations, while linked lists consist of nodes connected through pointers and
can dynamically grow.
3. Q: Define time complexity and space complexity.
A: Time complexity refers to the amount of time an algorithm takes to run as
a function of the input size, while space complexity denotes the amount of
memory used by an algorithm.
4. Q: What is the difference between a stack and a queue?
A: A stack follows the Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) principle, while a queue adheres
to the First-In-First-Out (FIFO) principle.
5. Q: Explain the concept of recursion.
A: Recursion is a programming technique in which a function calls itself to
solve a smaller subproblem, ultimately leading to the solution of the original
problem.
6. Q: What is a binary search tree (BST)?
A: A BST is a binary tree where each node has at most two children, and the
left child is smaller, and the right child is larger than the parent node.
7. Q: How do you perform an inorder traversal of a binary tree?
A: To perform an inorder traversal, visit the left subtree, then the root node,
and finally the right subtree.
8. Q: Explain the concept of hashing.
A: Hashing is a technique used to map data to a fixed-size array, enabling
quick data retrieval based on a key.

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 9. Q: What are the differences between a singly linked list and a doubly linked
list?
A: In a singly linked list, each node points to the next node, while in a doubly
linked list, each node points to both the next and previous nodes.
10. Q: How do you reverse a linked list iteratively?
A: To reverse a linked list iteratively, you need to traverse the list, reversing
the next pointers of each node.
11. Q: Explain the concept of dynamic programming.
A: Dynamic programming is a method of solving complex problems by
breaking them down into overlapping subproblems and solving each
subproblem only once, storing its solution for future use.
12. Q: Define a priority queue.
A: A priority queue is a data structure that stores elements with associated
priorities and allows retrieval in a manner such that the element with the
highest priority is returned first.
13. Q: What are the advantages of using a linked list over an array?
A: Linked lists offer dynamic size, ease of insertion and deletion, and efficient
memory utilization compared to arrays.
14. Q: How do you find the factorial of a number using recursion?
A: The factorial of a number can be calculated using a recursive function,
such as:
def factorial(n):
if n == 0 or n == 1:
return 1
else:
return n * factorial(n - 1)

15. Q: Explain the concept of Big O notation.

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 A: Big O notation represents the upper bound or worst-case time complexity
of an algorithm in terms of the input size.
16. Q: Describe the process of performing a breadth-first search (BFS) on a
graph.
A: BFS involves visiting all the vertices of a graph level by level, starting from
a chosen source vertex, using a queue data structure.
17. Q: What are self-balancing binary search trees, and why are they used?
A: Self-balancing binary search trees automatically adjust their structure
during insertion and deletion to maintain balanced trees, improving search and
insertion performance.
18. Q: How do you check if a binary tree is a binary search tree (BST)?
A: To check if a binary tree is a BST, you can perform an inorder traversal and
check if the elements are in ascending order.
19. Q: Explain the concept of hashing collision and how it can be resolved.
A: Hashing collision occurs when two keys are mapped to the same hash
value. Techniques like chaining or open addressing can be used to resolve
collisions.
20. Q: Compare and contrast arrays and linked lists in terms of memory
allocation and access time.
A: Arrays have contiguous memory allocation, allowing faster access, while
linked lists require additional memory for pointers but provide flexibility in size.

Related Question with GTU MCA SEM 2 Data Structure Subject Syllabus

1. Q: Define data structure and its classification.

A: Data structure is a way of organizing and storing data in a computer to
perform operations efficiently. Data structures can be classified as linear and
nonlinear data structures.

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 2. Q: What is algorithm analysis?
A: Algorithm analysis refers to the study of the efficiency of algorithms in
terms of time and space complexity.
3. Q: How are strings represented in memory?
A: Strings are represented as arrays of characters in memory, with a null
character ('\0') at the end to indicate the end of the string.
4. Q: Explain KWIC indexing.
A: KWIC (Key Word in Context) indexing is a technique used in text processing
to index and retrieve phrases or sentences by their keywords.
5. Q: What are linear data structures? Provide examples.
A: Linear data structures are data structures in which elements are arranged
sequentially. Examples include arrays, stacks, queues, and linked lists.
6. Q: How is a stack implemented using a list? Give an application of a stack.
A: A stack can be implemented using a linked list or an array. An application of
a stack is function call management during recursion.
7. Q: Explain the concept of recursion with an example.
A: Recursion is a programming technique in which a function calls itself to
solve a problem. For example, the factorial of a number can be calculated using
recursion.
8. Q: What are balancing symbols, and how can stacks be used to check for
balancing symbols in an expression?
A: Balancing symbols are parentheses, braces, and brackets. Stacks can be
used to check for balancing symbols by pushing opening symbols onto the
stack and popping when encountering closing symbols.
9. Q: How is a queue implemented using a list? What is a circular queue?
A: A queue can be implemented using a linked list or an array. A circular
queue is a type of queue where the last element is connected to the first
element, forming a circular structure.
10. Q: What is a priority queue, and how is it different from a regular queue?

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 A: A priority queue is a data structure where elements are stored based on
their priority. Unlike a regular queue, elements in a priority queue are
dequeued based on their priority, not their order of insertion.
11. Q: How is a linked list implemented using the cursor method?
A: In the cursor method, linked lists are represented as arrays, and each
element contains two fields: one for the data and one for the index of the next
element.
12. Q: Explain the addition of polynomials using linked lists with an example.
A: Polynomial addition involves adding corresponding coefficients of terms
with the same degree. For example, (2x^3 + 3x^2 + 5x) + (4x^3 + 2x^2 + 6x) =
6x^3 + 5x^2 + 11x.
13. Q: What are nonlinear data structures? Provide examples.
A: Nonlinear data structures are structures where elements are not arranged
sequentially. Examples include trees and graphs.
14. Q: Describe the basic concepts of trees.
A: Trees are hierarchical data structures with a root node and subtrees. Each
node has zero or more child nodes and one parent node (except for the root).
15. Q: How are binary trees represented in memory, and how are basic
operations performed on them?
A: Binary trees can be represented using linked structures where each node
contains left and right pointers. Basic operations include insertion, deletion,
and traversal.
16. Q: Explain the manipulation of arithmetic expressions using trees.
A: Arithmetic expressions can be represented as expression trees, and
operations like evaluation and conversion between infix, prefix, and postfix
notations can be performed using these trees.
17. Q: What are sparse matrices, and how can they be represented using
multi-linked structures?
A: Sparse matrices contain mostly zero elements. They can be represented
using multi-linked structures like linked lists, where only the non-zero elements
are stored.

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 18. Q: How are graphs represented using matrices and lists?
A: Graphs can be represented using an adjacency matrix or an adjacency list.
In the matrix representation, elements indicate whether edges exist between
vertices, while in the list representation, edges are stored as linked lists.
19. Q: Describe the Breadth-First Search (BFS) algorithm with an example.
A: BFS is an algorithm used to traverse or search a graph level by level. It
starts from a selected vertex and visits all its adjacent vertices before moving to
the next level.
20. Q: Explain the Depth-First Search (DFS) algorithm with an example.
A: DFS is an algorithm used to traverse or search a graph by exploring as far
as possible along each branch before backtracking. It uses a stack to keep track
of visited vertices.
21. Q: What is sorting? Define notation and concepts used in sorting
algorithms.
A: Sorting is the process of arranging elements in a specific order. Notation
used in sorting includes Big O notation to denote time complexity and Theta
notation to represent average-case complexity.
22. Q: Describe the Selection Sort algorithm with its time complexity analysis.
A: Selection Sort repeatedly finds the minimum element from the unsorted
part of the array and places it at the beginning. It has a time complexity of
O(n^2).
23. Q: How does the Bubble Sort algorithm work, and what is its time
complexity?
A: Bubble Sort compares adjacent elements and swaps them if they are in
the wrong order. It repeatedly iterates through the array until the array is
sorted. Its time complexity is O(n^2).
24. Q: Explain the Merge Sort algorithm with its time complexity analysis.
A: Merge Sort is a divide-and-conquer algorithm that divides the array into
two halves, sorts them individually, and then merges them back together. It has
a time complexity of O(n log n).

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 25. Q: How is the Heap Sort algorithm different from other sorting
algorithms?
A: Heap Sort uses a binary heap data structure to sort elements. It builds a
heap from the array and repeatedly extracts the minimum (or maximum)
element to sort the array.
26. Q: Describe the Quick Sort algorithm and its partitioning process.
A: Quick Sort selects a pivot element and partitions the array into two
subarrays: elements less than the pivot and elements greater than the pivot. It
recursively sorts the subarrays.
27. Q: What is searching? Explain sequential searching and its time
complexity.
A: Searching is the process of finding a specific element in a collection of
data. Sequential searching involves iterating through the elements one by one
until the target element is found. Its time complexity is O(n).
28. Q: How does Binary Search work, and what are its prerequisites?
A: Binary Search is used to find a target element in a sorted array by
repeatedly dividing the search interval in half. The array must be sorted for
Binary Search to work correctly. Its time complexity is O(log n).
29. Q: What are height-balanced trees, and how do they ensure efficiency in
searching?
A: Height-balanced trees, such as AVL trees, maintain a balance factor for
each node, ensuring that the heights of the left and right
subtrees differ by at most 1. This ensures efficient searching with a time
complexity of O(log n).
30. Q: Explain the concept of 2-3 trees and their advantages over binary
search trees.
A: 2-3 trees are balanced trees where each internal node can have either two
or three child nodes. They are more balanced than binary search trees, leading
to better search performance.
31. Q: What is a weight-balanced tree, and how does it balance its nodes?

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 A: Weight-balanced trees, like the Red-Black tree, maintain a balance factor
based on the number of nodes in each subtree. They use rotations and
recoloring to balance the tree during insertions and deletions.
32. Q: Describe the concept of hash table search methods.
A: Hash table search methods involve using a hash function to map keys to
indices in the table, allowing for quick retrieval of elements.
33. Q: What is hashing, and what are the components of a hash function?
A: Hashing is the process of converting data into a fixed-size array index.
Components of a hash function include the hash code, compression function,
and table size.
34. Q: How can you resolve collisions in hashing, and what are the
advantages and disadvantages of different collision resolution techniques?
A: Collisions in hashing can be resolved using techniques like chaining or
open addressing. Chaining uses linked lists to handle collisions, while open
addressing involves probing until an empty slot is found.
35. Q: How do you implement the addition of two polynomials using linked
lists?
A: To add two polynomials represented using linked lists, traverse both lists
simultaneously, add coefficients of terms with the same exponent, and create a
new linked list for the result.
36. Q: Explain how multi-lists can be used to represent sparse matrices.
A: Multi-lists are used to represent sparse matrices by creating linked lists for
each row and column, with each node containing the value and the column or
row index.
37. Q: How are arithmetic expressions manipulated using trees, and what are
the advantages of using expression trees?
A: Arithmetic expressions can be represented as expression trees, allowing
easy evaluation and conversion between different notations (infix, postfix,
prefix).
38. Q: Discuss the applications of trees in computer science.

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 A: Trees have numerous applications, including representing hierarchical
data, file systems, decision-making, network routing, and parsing expressions.
39. Q: How do graphs differ from trees, and what are their applications?
A: Graphs differ from trees as they can have cycles and may not be
hierarchical. Graphs are used to model networks, social connections,
transportation systems, and much more.
40. Q: Compare and contrast adjacency matrix and adjacency list
representations for graphs.
A: In the adjacency matrix representation, a matrix is used to store edge
information, while in the adjacency list representation, linked lists are used to
store edge information. The choice depends on the density of the graph.
41. Q: How does Breadth-First Search (BFS) algorithm work on a graph? Give
an example.
A: BFS starts from a selected vertex and explores all its adjacent vertices first,
then moves to the next level of adjacent vertices. It uses a queue to keep track
of visited vertices.
42. Q: Describe the Depth-First Search (DFS) algorithm on a graph with an
example.
A: DFS explores a graph by traversing as far as possible along each branch
before backtracking. It uses a stack to keep track of visited vertices.
43. Q: Explain the concept of sorting algorithms and their significance in data
processing.
A: Sorting algorithms arrange elements in a specific order, facilitating
efficient searching and data retrieval.
44. Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of Selection Sort?
A: Advantages of Selection Sort include simplicity and ease of
implementation, but its main disadvantage is its time complexity of O(n^2).
45. Q: How does Bubble Sort compare to other sorting algorithms in terms of
time complexity?
A: Bubble Sort has a time complexity of O(n^2), making it less efficient than
algorithms like Merge Sort and Quick Sort for large datasets.

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 46. Q: What is the main advantage of Merge Sort over other sorting
algorithms?
A: Merge Sort has a time complexity of O(n log n) and guarantees consistent
performance regardless of the input data, making it efficient for large datasets.
47. Q: Discuss the role of pivot selection in Quick Sort's performance.
A: The choice of pivot significantly affects the performance of Quick Sort. A
good pivot choice reduces the number of recursive calls and makes the
algorithm more efficient.
48. Q: What is the key difference between sequential searching and Binary
Search?
A: Sequential searching iterates through elements one by one, while Binary
Search divides the search space in half at each step, making it more efficient for
sorted data.
49. Q: Describe the advantage of using a height-balanced tree over a regular
binary search tree.
A: Height-balanced trees, like AVL trees, ensure that the tree remains
balanced, leading to more efficient searching with a time complexity of O(log
n).
50. Q: How does the concept of hashing improve search performance
compared to other search methods?
A: Hashing allows for constant-time average-case search performance, as
elements are directly mapped to their storage locations in the hash table.
51. Q: What is the role of a hash function in the hashing process?
A: A hash function converts the input key into a fixed-size array index,
determining the position where the element will be stored in the hash table.
52. Q: Explain the process of resolving collisions using chaining.
A: In chaining, each slot in the hash table contains a linked list. When a
collision occurs, new elements are added to the linked list at the corresponding
slot.
53. Q: How is a circular queue different from a regular queue?

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 A: In a circular queue, the last element is connected back to the first
element, creating a circular structure. This allows for efficient space utilization.
54. Q: Why is it essential for binary trees to have efficient representation and
manipulation methods?
A: Efficient representation and manipulation methods ensure that binary
trees are balanced, reducing search and traversal time.
55. Q: Describe the role of graphs in real-world applications.
A: Graphs are widely used in modeling relationships, network topology,
recommendation systems, and social network analysis.
56. Q: What is the time complexity of Breadth-First Search (BFS) on a graph
with V vertices and E edges?
A: The time complexity of BFS on a graph is O(V + E), as it visits each vertex
and edge once.
57. Q: How does Merge Sort handle the merging of two sorted arrays or lists
efficiently?
A: Merge Sort uses a merging process where two sorted arrays or lists are
combined into a single sorted array or list in linear time.
58. Q: What are the applications of priority queues in real-world scenarios?
A: Priority queues are used in task scheduling, Dijkstra's algorithm for
shortest paths, and Huffman coding for data compression, among others.
59. Q: What are the key differences between linked lists and arrays?
A: Arrays have fixed sizes, contiguous memory allocation, and O(1) access
time, while linked lists have dynamic sizes, non-contiguous memory allocation,
and O(n) access time.
60. Q: How can trees be used to represent hierarchical data, such as file
systems?
A: Trees provide a natural representation for hierarchical data. In a file
system, each directory is a node, and the tree structure reflects the hierarchical
relationship between directories and files.

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 61. Q: What is a cursor implementation of a linked list?
A: Cursor implementation of a linked list represents each node as an index in
an array, where each element contains data and an index pointing to the next
node.
62. Q: How is a double-ended queue (Deque) different from a regular queue?
A: A double-ended queue (Deque) allows elements to be inserted and
removed from both ends, while a regular queue follows the First-In-First-Out
(FIFO) principle.
63. Q: How can you perform multiplication of two polynomials using linked
lists?
A: To multiply two polynomials represented using linked lists, traverse both
lists and multiply each term of one polynomial with each term of the other,
then add the results.
64. Q: Explain the basic tree concepts: root, parent, child, sibling, and leaf
node.
A: In a tree, the topmost node is called the root. Nodes directly connected to
a parent node are its children, nodes with the same parent are siblings, and
nodes with no children are leaf nodes.
65. Q: How do you perform operations on binary trees, such as insertion and
deletion?
A: In a binary tree, insertion involves finding the appropriate position for the
new node and creating a link from the parent to the new node. Deletion
involves reconnecting the child nodes of the deleted node to maintain the
tree's structure.
66. Q: Explain the concept of converting a general tree to a binary tree.
A: To convert a general tree to a binary tree, one child of each node is
designated as the left child, and other children are linked using the "right
sibling" property.
67. Q: Describe the sequential and other representations of trees.
A: Sequential representation of trees uses arrays to store nodes, while other
representations include linked structures and threaded binary trees.

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 68. Q: How can you use a tree to manipulate arithmetic expressions?
A: An expression tree can be used to evaluate arithmetic expressions by
recursively evaluating the left and right subtrees and applying the
corresponding operator.
69. Q: What are multi-linked structures, and how can they be used to
represent sparse matrices?
A: Multi-linked structures use multiple links to represent a data structure
efficiently. In sparse matrices, multi-linked structures are used to store only
non-zero elements to save memory.
70. Q: How are graphs represented using adjacency matrix and adjacency list
structures?
A: In an adjacency matrix, a 2D array is used to represent the graph's edges,
while an adjacency list uses an array of linked lists, where each linked list
represents the neighbors of a vertex.
71. Q: Compare and contrast Breadth-First Search (BFS) and Depth-First
Search (DFS) algorithms in terms of traversal order and memory usage.
A: BFS explores nodes level by level, while DFS explores nodes deeply before
backtracking. BFS may use more memory due to the need to store all nodes at
each level, while DFS uses less memory as it only needs to store the path from
the root to the current node.
72. Q: Describe the Selection Sort algorithm with its advantages and
disadvantages.
A: Selection Sort repeatedly finds the minimum element and places it at the
beginning. Advantages include simplicity, but it has a time complexity of O(n^2)
and does not adapt well to nearly sorted data.
73. Q: Explain the Merge Sort algorithm with its advantages and
disadvantages.
A: Merge Sort divides the array into two halves, sorts them, and then merges
them back together. Advantages include consistent performance and a time
complexity of O(n log n), but it requires additional memory for merging.

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 74. Q: Compare Quick Sort and Merge Sort in terms of their partitioning and
merging steps.
A: Quick Sort partitions the array based on a pivot, while Merge Sort divides
the array into two halves without considering the content. Merge Sort merges
two sorted arrays, while Quick Sort does not require a separate merging step.
75. Q: What is the primary advantage of using hashing over other search
methods, such as linear search?
A: Hashing provides average-case constant-time search performance, which
is significantly faster than linear search's O(n) time complexity.

Related To Practical syllabus

1. Q: What is the purpose of the first structure with integer array and size?
A: The first structure is used to store an integer array and its size. It will be
used to demonstrate various sorting algorithms on the array.
2. Q: Explain the Selection Sort algorithm.
A: Selection Sort repeatedly finds the minimum element and places it at the
beginning of the unsorted part of the array.
3. Q: How does Bubble Sort work?
A: Bubble Sort compares adjacent elements and swaps them if they are in the
wrong order, repeatedly iterating through the array until it's sorted.
4. Q: Describe the Two-way Merge Sort algorithm.
A: Two-way Merge Sort divides the array into two halves, sorts them
separately, and then merges them back together to create a sorted array.
5. Q: What is the Quick Sort algorithm, and how does it work?
A: Quick Sort selects a pivot element, partitions the array around the pivot,
and recursively sorts the left and right subarrays.
6. Q: Explain how Heap Sort operates.
A: Heap Sort converts the array into a max-heap, then repeatedly extracts the
maximum element and adjusts the heap to create a sorted array.

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 7. Q: How will you store the sorted array in a text file after applying each
sorting algorithm?
A: After sorting the array using each algorithm, the sorted elements can be
written to a text file one by one, separated by spaces or newlines.
8. Q: What is the purpose of the second structure with integer array and size?
A: The second structure is used to store an integer array and its size, and it
will be used to demonstrate linear (sequential) and binary search algorithms on
the array.
9. Q: How does Linear (Sequential) Search work for unordered arrays?
A: Linear Search iterates through the array one by one until it finds the target
element or reaches the end of the array.

10. Q: Describe Binary Search and its requirement for ordered arrays.
A: Binary Search divides the sorted array in half at each step and narrows
down the search space, making it efficient for large datasets. It requires the
array to be sorted.
11. Q: Explain the data members and operations of the "Stack" data
structure.
A: The "Stack" data structure consists of an integer array and a stack pointer
(top of stack). The operations are Push, Pop, IsEmpty, IsFull, and Peep.
12. Q: How does the Push operation work in the stack?
A: The Push operation adds an element to the top of the stack, incrementing
the stack pointer.
13. Q: What happens during the Pop operation in the stack?
A: The Pop operation removes the element from the top of the stack,
decrementing the stack pointer.
14. Q: How do you check if the stack is empty using the IsEmpty function?
A: The IsEmpty function checks if the stack pointer is pointing to an empty
location in the stack (i.e., the stack is empty).
15. Q: Describe the Peep operation in the stack and its purpose.

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 A: The Peep operation allows us to view the value at the top of the stack
without removing it.
16. Q: How can the stack be used to reverse the order of elements in the
array?
A: To reverse the order of elements in the array, you can push all the
elements of the array onto the stack and then pop them back into the array.
17. Q: Explain the data members and operations of the "Linked List"
structure.
A: The "Linked List" structure consists of a data element and a link to the
next node. The operations are Insert at the first place, Insert at the end, Insert
in increasing order, Delete a given element, and Copy the list.
18. Q: How does the Insert operation at the first place in the linked list work?
A: The Insert operation at the first place adds a new node at the beginning of
the linked list, making it the new head.
19. Q: Describe the Insert operation at the end of the linked list and its
significance.
A: The Insert operation at the end appends a new node at the end of the
linked list, which is essential to maintain the linked list's integrity.
20. Q: How does the Insert operation in increasing order work to preserve the
ordering of terms?
A: The Insert operation in increasing order inserts a new node in such a way
that the linked list remains sorted in ascending order.
21. Q: Explain the Delete operation in the linked list using the address of the
element to be deleted.
A: The Delete operation in the linked list finds the node to be deleted using
its address and adjusts the links of the adjacent nodes to remove it from the
list.
22. Q: What does it mean to copy a linked linear list, and how can you
achieve it?
A: Copying a linked linear list involves creating a new linked list with the
same elements and order as the original list.

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 23. Q: Describe the algorithm to convert an infix arithmetic expression into
postfix notation.
A: The infix-to-postfix conversion algorithm uses a stack to maintain
operators and parentheses' order while scanning the input expression from left
to right.
24. Q: How can you evaluate a postfix expression using a stack?
A: To evaluate a postfix expression, you use a stack to hold operands and
apply operators whenever they are encountered while scanning the expression
from left to right.
25. Q: Explain the purpose of the third structure with an integer array and
size for binary search using recursion.
A: The third structure is used to store an integer array and its size, which will
be used to demonstrate binary search using recursion on the array.
26. Q: Describe the process of binary search using recursion.
A: Binary search using recursion involves dividing the array in half at each
step and recursively calling the search function on the appropriate subarray
until the target element is found.
27. Q: How will you store the search result in a file after performing binary
search using recursion?
A: After performing the binary search using recursion, the search result
(whether the element is found or not) can be written to a text file along with
any other relevant information.

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