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GATE CS Topic wise Questions

Algorithms

YEAR 2001
Question. 1

Randomized quicksort is an extension of quicksort where the pivot

is chosen randomly. What is the worst case complexity of sorting n
numbers using randomized quicksort ?
(A) 0 (n)
2

(C) 0 (n )

(B) 0 (n log n)
(D) 0 (n!)

SOLUTION

In randomized quicksort pivot is chosen randomly, the case complexity

of sorting n . In that case the worst case 0 (n2) of quicksort become
0 (n log n) of randomize quicksort.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 2

Consider any array representation of an n element binary heap where

the elements are stored from index 1 to index n of the array. For the
element stored at index i of the array (i # n), the index of the parent
is
(B) : i D
(A) i 1
2
(C) b i l
2

(D)

(i + 1)
2

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SOLUTION

For an element at index j its children are at 2j & 2j + 1 index

let

2j = i
j =i
2

So

2j + 1 = i
j = i1
2

j = bi l
2

Hence (B) is correct option.

Question. 3

Let f (n) = n2 log n and g (n) = n (log n) 10 be two positive functions of

n . Which of the following statements is correct ?
(A) f (n) = 0 (g (n)) and g (n) =
Y 0 (f (n))
(B) g (n) = 0 (f (n)) and f (n) =
Y 0 (g (n))
(C) f (n) =
Y 0 (g (n)) and g (n) =
Y 0 (f (n))
(D) f (n) = 0 (g (n)) and g (n) = 0 (f (n))
SOLUTION

f (n) = n2 log n & g (n) = n (log n) 10

Since f (n) is polynomially greater than g (n)
So
f (n) = 0 (g (n))

But g (n) =
Y 0 (f (n))
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 4

Consider the undirected unweighted graph G. Let a breadth-first

traversal of G be done starting from a node r . Let d (r, u) and d (r, v)
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be the lengths of the shortest paths form r to u and v respectively in

G. If u is visited before v during the breadth-first traversal, which of
the following statements is correct ?
(A) d (r, u) < d (r, v)
(B) d (r, u) > d (r, v)
(C) d (r, u) # d (r, v)

(D) None of the above

SOLUTION

In BFS if u is visited before v then either u is some levels before v

or u & v are at the same level but u is leftmost in v .
d (r, u) # d (r, v)
Hence (C) is correct option
Question. 5

How many undirected graphs (not necessarily connected) can be

constructed out of a given set V = {V1, V2, .......Vn} of n vertices ?
n (n 1)
(B) 2n
(A)
2
n (n 1)
2

(C) n!

(D) 2

SOLUTION

Given n vertices the various cases which are possible, no. connection,
1 connection it can be selected nc2 ways, 2 connections & then (n 1)
connections to make complete graph.
(2)

c2

n (n 1)
2

=2

Hence (D) is correct option.

Question. 6

What is the minimum number of stacks of size n required to implement

a queue to size n ?
(A) One
(B) Two
(C) Three

(D) Four

SOLUTION

To implement a queue of size n using stacks each of size n require

minimum 2 stacks.
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Two stacks to implement queue.

Hence (B) is correct option.

YEAR 2002

Question. 7

The solution to the recurrence equation T (2k ) = 3T (2k 1) + 1, T (1) = 1

is
(A) 2k

(B)
k

(C) 3 log 2

(2k + 1 1)
2
k

(D) 2 log 3

SOLUTION

Given recursion
T (2k ) = 3T (2k 1) + 1 given T (1) = 1
Putting k = 1
T (2) = 3T (2c) + 1 = 3 # 1 + 1 = 4
k = 2 T (4) = 3T (2) + 1 = 3 # 4 + 1 = 13
k = 3 T (8) = 3T (4) + 1 = 39 + 1 = 40
This sequence of values can be obtained putting k = 1, 2 & 3 . in
(3k + 1 1)
T (k) =
2
Hence (B) is correct option.
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Question. 8

The minimum number of colours required to colour the vertices of a

cycle with n nodes in such a way that no two adjacent nodes have
same colour is.
(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 4

(D) n 2 9n C + 2
2

SOLUTION

Consider a cycle.

So total no. of colours required to color all vertices of cycle = 3

Hence (B) is correct option.

Question. 9

In the worst case, the number of comparisons needed to search a

single linked list of length n for a given element is
(A) log n
(C) log n2 1

(B) n
2
(D) n

SOLUTION

Worst case of searching occurs when the element to be searched is at

the end of the list so no. of comparisons required to search complete
list would be n .
Hence (D) is correct option
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Question. 10

Maximum number of edges in a n -node undirected graph without self

loops is
n (n 1)
(A) n2
(B)
2
(C) (n 1)

(D)

(n + 1) (n)
2

SOLUTION

Total no. of nodes = n

For an edge of n nodes we select any 2 which make a graph.
n (n 1)
edges
So
nc2 =
2

n =4
4#3 = 6
2
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 11

The number of leaf nodes in a rooted tree of n nodes, with each node
having 0 or 3 children is :
(n 1)
(A) n
(B)
3
2
(C)

(n 1)
2

SOLUTION

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(D)

(2n + 1)
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Algorithms

Consider following rooted trees.

n =4
2n + 1 = 3
3
No. of leaf = 3
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 12

Consider the following algorithm for searching for a given number x

in an unsorted array A [1.....n] having n distinct values :
(1) Choose an i uniformly at random from [1....n]
(2) If A [i] = x then stop else Goto 1;
Assuming that x is present A, What is the expected number of
comparisons made by the algorithm before it terminates ?
(A) n
(B) n 1
(B) 2n

(D) n
2

SOLUTION

Given array A [1.....n], an element A [i] is chosen randomly from 1 to

n.
This would require n selections & comparisons to find x in array.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 13

The running time of the following algorithm

Procedure A (n)
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If n <= 2 return (1) else return (A (^ n h));
Is best described by
(A) 0 (n)

(B) 0 (log n)

(C) 0 (loglog n)

(D) 0 (1)

SOLUTION

This is a recursive procedure. Which always calls itself by value

.So the recursion gas till n > 2 .
Let
n = 256
Rec
1 n = 256
2 n = 16
3 n = 4 recursion = 4
4n =2
log 2 256 = 8
Hence (B) is correct option.

Question. 14

A weight-balanced tree is a binary tree in which for each node, the

number of nodes in the let sub tree is at least half and at most twice
the number of nodes in the right sub tree. The maximum possible
height (number of nodes on the path from the root to the furthest
leaf) of such a tree on n nodes is best described by which of the
following ?
(A) log 2 n

(B) log 43 n

(C) log 3 n

(D) log 23 n

SOLUTION

log 3 12 , 4
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Height = 4
So
log 2 n
In this tree at every node no. of children nodes in left & right subtree
follows all properties required & height given by log 2 n .
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 15

To evaluate an expression without any embedded function calls

(A) One stack is enough
(B) Two stack are needed
(C) As many stacks as the height of the expression tree are needed
(D) A Turning machine is needed in the general case
SOLUTION

To evaluate an expression we need only 1 stack in which the operands

& operators are pushed into, & then evaluated using pop operations.
Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2003
Question. 16

Consider the following three claims

1. (n + k) m = (nm), where k and m are constants
2. 2n + 1 = O (2n)
3. 22 + 1 = O (2n)
n

Which of these claims are correct?

(A) 1 and 2
(B) 1 and 3
(C) 2 and 3

(D) 1, 2 and 3

SOLUTION

(1) (n + k) m if we expand it.

It is (nm + .....)
During tight bound (nm)
(2)
2n + 1 = 2.2n & (2.2n)
& (2n)

correct
correct
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(3)

22n + 1 & 2.22 & (2.22 )

n

(22 ) =
Y (2n)

incorrect

Hence option (A) is correct

Question. 17

Consider the following graph

Among the following sequences

1. abeghf
2. abfehg
3. abfhge
4. agfhbe
Which are depth first traversals of the above graph?
(A) 1, 2 and 4 only

(B) 1 and 4 only

(C) 2, 3 and 4 only

(D) 1, 3 and 4 only

SOLUTION

DFS traversal takes the path to the end & then move to other branch.

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Algorithms

Hence option (D) is correct.

Question. 18

The usual (n2) implementation of Insertion Sort to sort ab array

uses linear search to identify the position where an element is to be
inserted into the already sorted part of the array. If, instead, we use
binary search to identify the position, the worst case running time
will
(A) remain (n2)

(B) become (n (log n) 2)

(C) become (n log n)

(D) become (n)

SOLUTION

Binary search is efficient when the sorted sequence is there, but the
worst case scenario for insertion sort would not be sorted sequence
so even using binary search instead of linear search the complexity of
comparisons will remain (n2).
Question. 19

In a heap with n elements with the smallest element at the root, the
7th smallest element ban be found in time
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(A) (n log n)

(B) (n)

(C) (log n)

(D) H (1)

SOLUTION

Here we can follow simple procedure, we can rum heap sort for 7
iterations. In each iteration the top most element is smallest, we note
& then replace it with the last element, then we run min heapify
algorithm, which brings next smallest element on top. This procedure
take 0 (log n) time.
We need to run it for 7 times. So tight bound (7 log n) = (log n)
Hence option (C) is correct.

Data for Q. 20 & 21 are given below.

Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
In a permutation a1 ....an of n distinct integers, an inversion is a pair
(a1, aj ) such that i < j and ai > aj .
Question. 20

If all permutation are equally likely, what is the expected number of

inversions in a randomly chosen permutation of 1.....n ?
(A) n (n 1)/ 2
(B) n (n 1)/ 4
(C) n (n + 1)/ 4

(D) 2n [log2 n]

SOLUTION

Let a1 ....an be 1.......3 here n = 3 consider all permutation 123, 132,

231, 213, 312, 321.
Let us consider 312 here the inversions are {(3, 1), (3,2)}
So in a randomly chosen permutation we need to select two no.
following inversion property on an average.
1 n
no. of inversions 2 C2
n (n 1)
n!
=1
&1
2 2! (n 2) !
2
2
=
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If n = 3 &

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Algorithms

3 (3 1)
= [ 1. 5] , 2
4

Solving this question taking a random example would be much easier.

Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 21

What would be the worst case time complexity of the insertion Sort
algorithm, if the inputs are restricted to permutations of 1....n with
at most n inversions?
(B) (n log n)
(A) (n2)
(C) (n1.5)

(D) (n)

SOLUTION

Here at most n inversions are allowed, it means ai > a j only for n

times.
52134 " {(5, 2), (2, 1), (5, 1), (5, 4), (5, 3)}
Best case of insertion sort when all are sorted takes 0(n) time.
Worst case when reverse sorted take 0 (n2).
So here the solution in between 0 (n) & 0 (n2).
Only n inversions means only n comparison required, each comparison
take log n time.
So time complexity is 0 (n log n).
Question. 22

The cube root of a natural number n is defined as the largest natural

number m such that m3 # n . The complexity of computing the cube
root of n (n is represented in binary notation) is
(A) O (n) but not O (n0.5)
(B) O (n0.5) but not O (log n ) k ) for any constant k > 0
(C) O (log n) k ) for some constant k > 0 , but not O (loglog n) m) for any
constant m > 0
(D) O (loglog n) k ) for some constant k > 0.5 , but not O (loglog n) 0.5)
SOLUTION

n is represented in binary let W suppose using K bit.

To calculate its cube root the time taken is 0 (log n) k but it cant be
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0 (log n) m since K < m, K > 0, m > 0.
m is the cube root, since we are doing in binary so we take K .
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 23

Let G = (V, E) be an undirected graph with a sub-graph G1 = (V1, E1),

Weight are assigned to edges of G as follows
0 if e ! E,
w (e) = )
1 otherwise
A single-source shortest path algorithm is executed on the weighted
graph (V, E, w) with an arbitrary vertex v1 of V1 as the source. Which
of the following can always be inferred from the path costs computed?
(A) The number of edges in the shortest paths from v1 to all vertices
of G
(B) G1 is connected
(C) V1 forms a clique in G
(D) G1 is a tree
SOLUTION

Cligue :- In an undirected graph, a subset of vertices in which every

vertex is connected to another vertex by an edge, this subset is called
clique.
Consider this graph

Let b be v1 , Now if we calculate path const.

v1 " a = 1 v1 " C = 1 v1 " d = 0 v1 " e = 0
(A) So from v1 " C we have (b, d) & (c, d) edges i.e. two edges, but
the path cost is 1 so (A) false.
(B) Yes G1 is connected.
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(C) If (b, d) not present then G1 is not a clique.
(D) G1 cant be a tree since multiple connections between vertices.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 24

What is the weight of a minimum spanning tree of the following

graph?

(A) 29

(B) 31

(C) 38

(D) 41

SOLUTION

Starting from vertex a

{(a, b), (a, c), (a, d), (a, c)}

min = (a, c) = 1

{(a, b), (a, d), (a, e), (c, d)}

min = (a, d) = 2

{(a, b), (a, e), (c, d), (b, d), (d, h)}

min = (b, d) = 3

(c, d) not selected since it make cycle

{(a, b), (a, e), (d, h), (b, g)}

min = (b, g) = 2

{(a, b), (a, e), (d, h), (g, h), (g, j), (g, i)}

(g, h) = 8

{(a, e), (d, h), (g, j), (g, i), (h, i), (h, f), (e, h)}

(h, i) = 4

{(a, e), (d, h), (g, j), (g, i), (h, f), (e, h) (e, i), (f, i), (j, i)}
{(a, e), (d, h), (g, j), (g, i), (h, f), (e, h), (f, i), (j, i), (e, f)}
{(a, e), (d, h), (g, j), (g, i), (e, h), (f, i), (j, i), (e, f)}
8
15 19 14
8
9
5 11

min = (e, i) = 2
=4
(j, i) = 5
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Sum 1 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 5
= 31
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 25

The following are the starting and ending times of cetivities

A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H respectively in chronological order;
"as bs aa ae ds ae es fs be de gs ee fe hs ge hel Here, xs denotes the starting time and
xe denotes the ending time of activity X . W need to schedule the
activities in a set of rooms available to us. An activity can be scheduled
in a room only if the room is reserved for the activity for its entire
duration. What is the minimum number of rooms required?
(A) 3

(B) 4

(C) 5

(D) 6

SOLUTION

Sequence
as bs cs ae ds ce es fs be de gs ee fe hs ge he
No. of rooms 0 1 2 3 2 3 2 3 4 3 2 3 2 1 2 1 0
Maximum no. of rooms required at a time = 4 option (B).
Here the logic is very simple increase the no. of room if some activity
start & decrease by 1 if activity ends.
Question. 26

Let G = (V, E) be a direction graph with n vertices. A path from vi

to vj in G is sequence of vertices (vi, vi 1,....., vj ) such that (vk , vk + 1)! E
for all k in i through j 1. A simple path is a path in which no
vertex appears more than once.
Let A be an n # n array initialized as follow
1 if (j, k) ! E
A [j, k] = )
0 otherwise
Consider the following algorithm
for
o
for i = 1 to n
for k = 1 to n
k =max
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CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Algorithms

Which of the following statements is necessarily true for all j and k

after terminal of the above algorithm?
(A) A [j, k] # n
(B) If A [j, j] # n 1, then G has a Haniltonian cycle
(C) If there exists a path from j to k, A [j, k] contains the longest path
lens from j to k
(D) If there exists a path from j to k , every simple path from j to k
contain most A [j, k] edges
SOLUTION

Here A during initialization gives the

graph G (V, E). And for very (j, k) we
maximum of the sum of edges making
So if there exists a simple path from
edges in that path.

adjacency matrix for directed

calculate A [j, k.] which stores
a simple path.
j to K . A [j, k] contain no of

R0 1 1V
W
S
S0 0 1W
SS0 0 0WW
X
T
We can see in this example
Hence (D) is correct option.
YEAR 2004
Question. 27

Level order traversal of a rooted tree can be done by stating from the
root and performing
(A) preorder traversal

(B) inorder traversal

(C) depth first search

(D) breadth first search

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SOLUTION

Level order traversal is done by traversing all the vertices in a

particular level & them moving to next level.
This is some as breadth first search where level by level search is
done.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 28

Given the following input(4322,1334,1471,9679,1989,6171,6173,4199)

and the hash function x mod 10, which of the following statements
are true?
1. 9679,1989,4199 hash to the same value
2. 1471,6171 hash to the same value
3. All element hashes to a different value
(A) 1 only

(B) 2 only

(C) 1 and 2 only

(D) 3 and 4 only

SOLUTION

Hash function X mod 10

4322 " 2
1334 " 4
1471 " 1
9679 " 9
1989 " 9
6171 " 1
6173 " 3
4199 " 9
Statement 1 & 2 are correct since. 9679, 1989, 4199, hash to same
value.
Question. 29

The tightest lower bound on the number of comparisons, in the worst

case, for comparision-based sorting is of the order of
(A) n
(B) n2
(C) n log n

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SOLUTION

Sorting worst case occurs when arrays are reverse sorted, we need to
select every element once & for every element min no. of comparison
might be log 2 n .
So overall min. complexity 0 (n log n)
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 30

Consider the label sequences obtained by the following pairs of

traversals on a labeled binary tree. Which of these pairs identify a
tree uniquely?
1. preorder and postorderr
2. inorderr and postorder
3. preorder and inorder
4. level order and postorder
(A) 1 only

(B) 2 and 3

(C) 3 only

(D) 4 only

SOLUTION

For a tree we not only require in order & preorder but also post order
traversal.
Preorder & post order help to determine the roots of binary subtrees,
inorder arranges those roots in order.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 31

Two matrices M1 and M2 are to be stored in arrays A and B

respectively. Each array can be stored either in row-major or columnmajor order in contiguous memory locations. The time complexity of
an algorithm to compute M1 # M2 # will be
(A) best if A is in row-major, and B is in column-major order
(B) best if both are in row-major order
(C) best if both are in column-major order
(D) independent of the storage scheme

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SOLUTION

Since the matrices are stored in array, there is no dependence of time

complexity on row major or column major. Here only the starting
address is known & on the basis of indexes the next memory locations
are calculated.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 32

Suppose each set is represented as a linked list with elements in

arbitrary order. Which of the operations among union, intersection,
membership, cardinality will be the slowest?
(A) union only
(B) intersection, membership
(C) membership, cardinality

(D) union, intersection

SOLUTION

Membership & cardinality functions takes constt. time i.e. 0(1), but
union & intersection require emparison of 1 element with all the
other elements so these two would be slowest.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 33

Suppose we run Dijkstras single source shortest-path algorithm on

the following edge-weighted directed graph with vertex P as as the
source.

In what order do the nodes get included into the set of vertices ofr
which the shortest path distances are finalized?
(B) P, Q, R, U, S, T
(A) P, Q, R, S, T, U
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(C) P, Q, R, U, T, S

(D) P, Q, T, R, U, S

SOLUTION

Vertex

I(P)

II(P) III(Q) IV(R) V(V) VI(S)

II

III

IV

VI

P is source so dist 0, underlined are the adjacent nodes of the current

vertex +i gives the visited vertex at sequence i .I(P) means P is
current vertex.
So order is P Q R U S T
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 34

Let A [1,.... n] be an array storing a bit (1 or 0) at each location, and

f (m) is a function whose time complexity is (m). Consider the
following program fragment written in a C like language:
counter

;
for

n;
{if
counter++
i
else{f(counter); counter ;}
}
The complexity of this program fragment is
(A) (n2)

(B) (n log n) and O (n2)

(C) (n)

(D) o (n)
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SOLUTION

Here the fragment of code contains for loop which goes from 1 to n .
Since due to given conditions m < n .
So complexity of code is 6 (n)
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 35

The time complexity of the following C function is (assume n > 0)

int recursive(int n)
{
if (n
)
return(1);
else
return(recursive(n 1)+recursive(n
}
(A) O (n)
(B) O (n log n)

1));

(D) O (2n)

(C) O (n2)
SOLUTION

Given recursion function can be changed into recursive equations i.e.

T (1) = 1
= 2T (n 1) for n > 1
Let
=3
= T (2) + T (2)
= T (1) + T (1)
= 1+1 = 2
T (3) = 2 + 2 = 4
T (1) = 20
T (2) = 21
T (3) = 22
T (n) = 2n 1
T (n) 0 (2n)
Hence (D) is correct option.
T (n)
n
T (3)
T (2)

Question. 36

The recurrence equation

T (1) = 1
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T (n) = 2T (n 1) + n, n # 2
evaluates to
(A) 2n + 1 n 2

(B) 2n n

(C) 2n + 1 2n 2

(D) 2n + n

SOLUTION

Given recurrence.
T (n) = 2T (n 1) + n for n $ 2
Initially T (1) = 1
T (2) = 2T (1) + 2
= 2:1+2 = 4
T (3) = 2T (2) + 3
= 2 : 22 + 3
= 2 : 4 + 3 = 11
T (n 1) = 2T (n 2) + n
= 2n (n 1) 2
So
T (n) = 2n + 1 n 2
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 37

A program takes as input a balanced binary search tree with n leaf

modes and computes the value of a function g (x) for each node x . If
the cost of computing g (x) is min (number of leaf-nodes in learsubtree of x , number of leaf-nodes in right-subtree of x) then the
worst case time complexity of the program is
(A) (n)

(B) O (n log n)

(C) O (n) 2

(D) O (2n)

SOLUTION

The function g (x) calculates for a node x min no. of leaf noes whether
in left subtree or right subtree. The for balanced BST. The no. of
inner nodes = leaf nodes 1
So this loop will sun for max n-times so complexity is 6 (n)
Hence ( ) is correct option.

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YEAR 2005
Question. 38

A undirected graph G has n nodes. Its adjacency matrix is given by

by an n # n square matrix whose
1. diagonal elements are O's, and
2. non-diagonal elements are 1s. Which one of the following is
TRUE?
(A) Graph G has no minimum spanning tree (MST)
(B) Graph G has a unique MST of cost in-1
(C) Graph G has multiple distinct MSTs, each of cost n -1
(D) Graph G has multiple spanning trees of different costs
SOLUTION

Given adjacency matrix of order 4 is 4 # 4

0

There can be many min spaning but all of n 1 cost

So on.
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Algorithms

Question. 39

The time complexity of computing the transitive closure of a binary

relation on a set of n elements is known to be
(A) O (n)

(B) O (n log n)

(C) O (n3/2)

(D) O (n3)

SOLUTION

Wordshalls algorithm might be used for calculation transitive closure

of a set with a elements. This algorithm has complexity 0 (n3)
In transitive closure two binary relations are there 4 both ranges are
the same set.
The require three for loops so 0 (n3).
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 40

A priority-Queue is implemented as a Max-Heap, Initially, it has 5

elements. The level-order traversal of the heap is given below:
10, 8, 5, 3, 2
Two new elements 1 and 7 are inserted in the heap in that order.
The level-order traversal of the heap after the insertion of the elements
is
(A) 10, 8, 7, 5, 3, 2, 1

(B) 10, 8, 7, 2, 3, 1, 5

(C) 10, 8, 7, 1, 2, 3, 5

(D) 10, 8, 7, 3, 2, 1, 5

SOLUTION

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7 is not in its place/

Level order traversal

10 8 7 3 2 5
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 41

How many distinct binary search trees can be created out of 4 distinct
keys?
(A) 5

(B) 14

(C) 24

(D) 35

SOLUTION

The formulae for getting no. of different BST for n distinct keys is
given by.
1 2nC
n+1 n
Here

n =4
8
= 1 C4
5
= 1#8#7#6#5
5
4#3#2

= 14
So 14 distinct BST are possible
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 42

In a complete k-ary, every internal node has exactly k children. The

number of leaves in such a tree with n internal nodes is

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(A) n k

(B) (n 1) k + 1

(C) n (k 1) + 1

(D) n (k 1)

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Algorithms

SOLUTION

No. of internal nodes = n

Each node has K children
So total nK
Leaf nodes = nK n
= n (K 1)
So considering not node also.
No. of leaf nodes = n (K 1) + 1
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 43

Suppose T (n) = 2T (n/2) + n, T (0) = T (1) = 1

Which one of the following is FALSE?
(A) T (n) = O (n2)

(B) T (n) = (n log n)

(C) T (n) = (n2)

(D) T (n) = O (n log n)

SOLUTION

Given recurrence.
T (n) 2T (n/2) + n
Initially T (0) = T (1) = 1
Comparing with masters theorem
T (n) = aT (n/b) + f (n)
a = 2 b = 2 logb a = 1 f (n) = n
a
n logb = n
a
n logb = f (n)
So case II of Master theorem is applied which says.
T (n) = 6 (f (n) log n logba)
= 6 (n log n)
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 44

Let G (V, E) an undirected graph with positive edge weights. Dijkstras

single source-shortes path algorithm can be implemented using the
binary heap data structure with time complexity?
(A) O (| V | 2)

(B) O (| E |) +| V | log | V |)

(C) O (| V | log | V |)

(D) O ((| E |+| V |) log | V |)

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SOLUTION

Diykstra Algorithm for every vertex we consider the binary heap to

find shortest path. This take V logV time.
And we need to transverse each edge 1 time atleast.
So overall complexity 0 (E + V log V)
Which is option (B)
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 45

Suppose there are log n sorted lists of n/ log n elements each. The
time complexity of producing a sorted list of all these elements is:
(Hint: Use a heap data structure)
(B) (n log n)
(A) O (n loglogn)
(C) (n log n)

(D) (n3/2)

SOLUTION

There are log n sorted lists, with n elements each, total elements
log n
n . We need to merge these heap & procedure sorted. Merging take.
log n time & soting takes 0 (n log n).
Overall to produce sorted result take 0 (n loglog n)
Hence (A) is correct option.

Data for Q. 46 & 47 are given below.

Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
Consider the following C-function:
double foo(int n){
int i;
double sum;
if
(n
) return 1.0;
else {
sum 0 0;
for (i 0; n; i )
sum += goo (i);
return sum;
}}

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Question. 46

The space complexity of the above function is

(A) O (1)

(B) O (n)

(C) O (n!)

(D) O (nn)

SOLUTION

We need to store largest variables double sum. The function foo() has
recursive calls n times.
For every recursion we need 1 sum variable, size of largest double
would be 1 : 2 : 3 : ........n = n!
So complexity 0 (n!)
This factorial is the no. of sub recursions in every recursion
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 47

The space complexity of the above function is foo O and store the
values of foo (i), 0 <= i < n, as and when they are computed. With
this modification, the time complexity for function fooO is significantly
reduced. The space complexity of the modified function would be:
(A) O (1)
2

(C) O (n )

(B) O (n)
(D) O (n!)

SOLUTION

Here we store values in foo(i ) only when they are completed then in
every recursion we require space to store 1 double.
So overall n calls we require 0 (n)
Hence (B) is correct option.

Data for Q. 48 & 49 are given below,

Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
We are given 9 tasks T1, T2,........ T9 . The execution of each task requires
one unit of time. We can execute one task at a time. Ti has a profit
Pi and a deadline di profit Pi is earned if the task is completed before
the end of the d1th unit of time.
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Task

T1

T2

Profit

15

20

Deadline

T3

T4

T5

T6

T7

T8

T9

18

18

10

23

16

25

30
5

Question. 48

Are all tasks completed in the schedule that gives maximum profit?
(A) All tasks are completed

(B) T1 and T6 are left out

(C) T1 and T8 are left out

(D) T4 and T6 are left out

SOLUTION

Arranging the data in increasing order of deadlines & then profit.

Task

Profi15t

23

Deadtime

Time

20 25 18 18

30

10

16

15

4
3

5
4

Task selected Profit

23

20

25

18

30

16

15

SUM
147
So here T4 & T6 not selected.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 49

What is the maximum profit earned?

(A) 147

(B) 165

(C) 167

(D) 175

SOLUTION

Solving from the some algorithm solved in previous question the sum
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Algorithms

is 147 for the profit.

Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2006
Question. 50

Consider the polynomial p (x) = a0 + a1 x + a2 x2 + a2 x3, where ai ! 0, 6i.

The minimum number of multiplications needed to evaluate p on an
input x is
(A) 3

(B) 4

(C) 6

(D) 9

SOLUTION

P (x) a 0 + a1 x + a2 x2 + a 3 x3
We can reduce the no. of multiplications using Horners rule.
= a 0 + (a1 + (a 3 x + a2) x) x
P (x)
.
. .
(1) (2) (3)
So min = 3
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 51

In a binary max heap containing n numbers, the smallest element

can be found in time
(A) (n)

(B) (log n)

(C) (log log n)

(D) (1)

SOLUTION

Heap is implemented using array & to find maximum or minimum

element in array we take only n maximum comparison.
So complexity is 6 (n)
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 52

Consider a weighted complete graph G on the vertex set {v1, v2,....... vn}
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such that the weight of the edge (vi, vj ) is 2 | i j |. The weight of a
minimum spanning tree of G is
(B) 2n 2
(A) n 1
(C) b n l
(D)
2
SOLUTION

Given are n vertices {0 1 ......0 n}

A simple min. spanning tree would be like joining edges between only
vi & vi 1 .
The weight of every such edge would be
2 vi v j = 2 (i j)
= 2 ( i + 1 + i)
=2
In complete graph the no. of edges in MST = n 1
So total weight of MST = 2 # (n 1)
= 2n 2
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 53

To implement Dijkstras shortest path algorithm on unweighted

graphs so that it runs in linear time, then data structure to be used is
(A) Queue
(B) Stack
(C) Heap

(D) B-Tree

SOLUTION

The Best data structure would be heap or priority queue implemented

as heap. Here we require the shortest path and in priority queue
implementation the priorities may be assigned on the basis of shortest
distance, so selection of max priority or min distance takes 0 (n) time.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 54

A scheme for storing binary trees in an array X is as follows. Indexing

of X starts at 1 instead of 0. The roots is stored at X [1]. For a node
stored at X [1], the left child, if any, is stored in X [2i] and the right
child, if any, in X [2i + 1]. To be able to store any binary tree on n
vertices, the minimum size of X should be
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(A) log2 n

(B) n

(C) 2n + 1

(D) 2n

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Algorithms

SOLUTION

Right child & left child of element X [i] are shared in array at X [2i + 1]
& X [2i] respectively & index is at X [1] & X [2] & X [3] are its child.
So till index 3 we stored 3 elements & so on.
So we require the array of size n to store n elements.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 55

Which one the following in place sorting algorithms needs the

minimum number of swaps?
(A) Quick-sort
(B) Insertion sort
(C) Selection sort

(D) Heap sort

SOLUTION

Quicksort, selection sort require, at most n swaps per iterations,

the same case may occur making heap & keeping max-min property.
But in insertion sort, one element is compared to all its pre index
elements, but it is swapped only with 1 element but then all the
elements need to move 1 index further so no. of swaps increases.
So overall seeing Xeap sort would have min no. of swaps.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 56

Consider the following C-program fragment in which i, j, and n are

integer variables.
for (i = n, j = 0; i > 0; i/2, j += i);
Let Val (j) =denote the value stored in the variable j after termination
of the for loop. Which one of the following is true?
(A) val(j) = (log n)
(B) val (j) = ( n )
(C) val(j) = (n)

(D) val(j) = (n log n)

SOLUTION

Here after every iteration the value of i = i/2 , & j is the summation
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of these i till i reaches to 1.
n

j = n + n/2 + n/22 .......n/2 log 2

Sum of this series.
Would give 6 (n) order.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 57

An element in an array X is called a leader if it is grater than all

elements to the right of it in X . The best algorithm to find all leaders
in an array.
(A) Solves it in linear time using a left to right pass of the array
(B) Solves in linear time using a right to left pass
(C) Solves it is using divide and conquer in time (n log n)
(D) Solves it in time (n2)
SOLUTION

In quick sort (divide & conquer) algorithm after every run we being
1 element at its right place i.e. all the elements in the left are smaller
& in the right are greater than it.
So we can apply quick sorts divide & conquer method of complexity
0 (n log n) to do this, to check whether all elements in right are smaller
than it or not.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 58

Consider the following graph:

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Algorithms

Which one of the following cannot be the sequence of edges added, in

that order, to a minimum spanning tree using Kruskals algorithm?
(A) (a b),( d f),( b f).( d c),( d e)
(B) (a b),( d f),( b c),( b f),( d e)
(C) (d f),( a b),( d c),( d e),( d e)
(D) (d f),( a b),( b f),( d e),( d e)
SOLUTION

Let us check each option

(A) (a-b), (b-f), (b-f), (d-c), (d-e)

(B) (a-b), (d-f), (d-c), (d-f), (d-e), (d,c) & (b,f) has same weight so
correct.
(C) (d-f), (a-b), (d-c), (d-f), (d-e) possible
(D) (d-f), (a-b), (b-f), (d-e) (d-c).
(b-f) has weight = 2
(d-e) has weight = 3
(d-c) has weight = 2
So (d-e) cant be taken before (d-c)
So (d) is incorrect.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 59

Let T be a depth first search tree in a undirected graph G Vertices u

and v are leaves of this tree T . The degrees of both u and v in G are
at least 2. Which one of the following statements is true?
(A) There must exist a vertex w adjacent to both u and v in G
(B) There must exist a vertex w whose removal disconnects u and v
in G
(C) There must be exist a cycle in G containing u and v
(D) There must exist a cycle in G containing u and all its neighbours
in G
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SOLUTION

Let the graph G be.

(A) is correct since W is the common vertex.

(B) W is removed but u & v are not dis-connected.
(C) No cycle containing u & v exist.
(D) Not necessary the graph can be also.

Hence (A) is correct option.

Question. 60

A set X can be represented by an array x [n] as follows

1 if i ! X
x [ i] = )
0 otherwise
Consider the following algorithm in which x, y and z are boolean
arrays of size n ;
algorithm zzz (x [], y [], z []){
int i ;
for (i = 0; i < n; ++ i)
z [i] = (x [i] / ~y [i]) 0 (~x [i] / y [i])
}
The set Z computed by the algorithm is
(B) (X + Y)
(A) (X , Y)
(C) (X Y) + (Y X)

(D) (X Y) , (Y X)

SOLUTION

Here z = (x / y') 0 (x' / y)

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(x + y') , (x' + y)
This can be written as.
(x y) , (y x)
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 61

Consider the following is true?

T (n) = 2T ([ n ])+ 1, T (1) = 1
Which one of the following is true?
(A) T (n) = (loglog n)

(B) T (n) = (log n)

(C) T (n) = ( n )

(D) T (n) = (n)

SOLUTION

Given recurrence
T (n) = 2T ([ n ]) + 1
Initially
T (1) = 1
Solving it by method of change of variables
Let m = log n2
So
n = 2m
Putting in equation (1)
T (2m) = 2T (2m/2) + 1
This can be re-written as.
S(m) = 2T (m/2) + 1
Solving this by Masters method
Comparing T (n) = aT (n/b) + f (n)
a
2
So n logb = n log 2 = nc = 1 = f (n)
So case (2) applies.
5 (m) = log m
Putting m from equation (2)
T (n) = loglog n
T (n) = 0 (loglog n)
Hence (A) is correct option.

(1)

(2)

Question. 62

The median of n elements can be found in O (n) time. Which one of

the following is correct about the complexity of quick sort, in which
remains is selected as pivot?
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(A) (n)

(B) (n log n)

(C) (n )

(D) (n3)

SOLUTION

In quick sort the piuot is found in log n time & this runs for n times.
So complexity of Quick sort is 0 (n log n) but since given the median
as piuot found in 0 (n)
So for n elements to sort this algorithm will take 0 (n2)
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 63

Given two arrays of numbers a1 .......an and b1,..... bn where each number
is 0 or 1, the fastest algorithm to find the largest span (i, j) such that
ai + + ai + 1 + ...... + aj = bi + bi + 1 + ...... + bj , or report that there is no
such span,
(A) Takes O (3n) and (2n) time if hashing is permitted
(B) Takes O (n3) and W (n2.5) time in the key comparison model
(C) Takes (n) time and space
(D) Takes O ( n ) time only if the sum of the 2n elements is an even
number
SOLUTION

Here we require to store two arrays each having n elements.

i.e.
space
complexity.
The
calculation
0 (2n)
(n)
ai + ....... + a j = bi + ...... + b j is to be done n time each such
calculation take constant time.
So 0 (n)
Hence (C) is correct.
Question. 64

Consider the following code written in a pass-by reference language

like FORTAN and these statements about the code.
Subroutine swap i i
it i
L1 :
i
i
L2 :
i
it
end
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Algorithms

call swap
a
print*,ia, i
end
S1: The complier will generate code to allocate a temporary nameless
cell, initialize it to 13, and pass the address of the cell to swap
S2: On execution the code will generate a runtime error on line 1.1
S3: On execution the code will generate a runtime error on line 1.2
S4: The program will print 13 and 8
S5: The program will print 13 and-2
Exactly the following set of statement (s) is correct:
(A) S1 andS2

(B) S1 and S4

(C) S3

(D) S1 amd S5

SOLUTION

S1 : Yes the compiler will generate a temporary nameless cell &

initialize it to 13 and pass to swap.
S2 : No error
S3 : No error
S4 : Program will print 13 and 8
S5 : False.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2007

Question. 65

The height of a binary tree is the maximum number of edges in any

root to leaf path. The maximum number of nodes is a binary tree of
height h is
(A) 2h

(B) 2h 1 1

(C)2h + 1 1

(D) 2h + 1

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SOLUTION

Tree of height

0
1
1
3
3
15
Hence (C) is correct option.

22 1
23 1
2h + 1 1

Question. 66

The maximum number of binary trees that can be formed with three
unlabeled nodes is
(A) 1

(B) 5

(C) 4

(D) 3

SOLUTION

Mathematically
No of binary trees =

1 2nC
n+1 n

Here n = 3
6
= 1 # C3
4

= 1 # 6 # 5 # 4 = 5 trees
3#2
4
Hence (B) is correct option.
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Algorithms

Question. 67

Which of the following sorting algorithms has the lowest worst-case

complexity?
(A) Merge sort

(B) Bubble sort

(C) Quick sort

(D) Selection sort

SOLUTION

The complexities of worst case when all the elements are reverse
sorted for all algorithms are.
Norge
0 (n log 2 n)
Quick
0 (n2)
Selection
0 (n2)
Bubble
0 (n2)
Merge no has no effect of input nature since it keeps on dividing into
2 problems of size 4/2 so complexity is lower then other three.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 68

The inorder and preorder traversal of a binary tree are

dbeafcg andabdecfg respectively
The postorder traversal of the binary tree is
(A) debfgca

(B) edbgfca

(C) edbfgca

(D) defgbca

SOLUTION

In order d b e a f c g
preorder a b d e c f g
1st element of pre order is root

from inorder
in preorder b is before d e . & c is before f g .
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deb f gca
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 69

Consider the hash table of size seven, with starting index zero, and a
has function (3x + 4) and 7. Assuming the has table is initially empty,
which of the following is the contents of the table when the sequence
1,3,8,10 is inserted into the table using closed hashing?
Note that-denotes an empty location in the table
(A) 8,-,-,-,-,-,-,10

(B) 1,8,10,-,-,-,-,3

(C)1,-,-,-,-,-,-,,3

(D) 1,10,8,-,-,-,3

SOLUTION

Hash table

Inputs.

3X+4 mod 7

mod 7

10

13

mod 7

28

mod 7

10

34

mod 7

Hence (B) is correct option.

Question. 70

In an unweighted, undirected connected graph, the shortest path

from a node S to every other node is computed most efficiently, in
terms of time complexity, by
(A) Dijkstras algorithm starting from S.
(B) Warshalls algorithm
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Algorithms

(C) performing a DFS starting from S

(D) preforming a BFS starting from S
SOLUTION

Since the graph is unweighted and undirected so no sense in using

Diykstra or Warshall also their complexities are 0 (n2) & 0 (n3)
respectively.
BFS starting from S, traverses all the adjacent nodes, & then their
adjacent nodes, this calculates shortest path with min complexity.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 71

A complete n-ary tree is a tree in which each node has n children or

no children. Let I be the number of internal nodes and L be the
number of leaves in a complete n-ary tree. If L= 41, and I =10, what
is the value of n
(A) 3
(B) 4
(C) 5

(D) 6

SOLUTION

Each internal node has n children & so total nodes I # n

No. of leaf in them
I#n1
I (n 1)
But root cant produce leaf
I (n 1) + 1 = L
n = L1+1
I
n 41 1 + 1
10
n =5
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 72

In the following C function, let n # m.

int gcd n
{
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return m;

if
n

n m;

return gcd m n ;
}
How many recursive calls are made by this function?
(A) (log2 n)

(B) (n)

(C) (log2 log2 n)

(D) ( n )

SOLUTION

In gcd n is replaced by n/m in every iteration so running time has to

be less than 0 (n) or (n) even less then ( n ).
It has to be (log 2 n) since recursion cause the problem size reduced
by n/2 every iteration.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 73

What is the time complexity of the following recursive function :

intDoSomething(int n)
if

n
return 1;

else
return(DoSomething(floor(sqrt(n))
)+

n);
}

(A) (n )

(B) (n log2 n)

(C) (log2 n)

(D) (log2 log2 n)

SOLUTION

T (n) = T ( n ) + n

Here
eg n = 16

n = 4 n = 2 so

Recursion tree
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At any level K the problem size is n2

value reach 1.
So
2 k log 2n = 1
2k = log 2 n
K log 2 2 = log 2 log 2 n
K = log 2 log 2 n
T (n) = (log 2 log 2 n)
Hence (D) is correct option.

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Algorithms

eve keep recursion till this

Question. 74

Consider the process of inserting an element into a Max Heap, where

the Max Heap is represented by an array. Suppose we perform a
binary search on the path from the new leaf to the root to find the
position for the newly inserted element, the number of comparisons
performed is
(B) (log2 log2 n)
(A) (log2 n)
(C) n

(D) (n log2 n)

SOLUTION

In a Max heap we insert 1 element this takes 0 (1) time since it is an

array. Now to find correct position we perform Binary search, & we
know BS an array takes 0 (log 2 n) time
So (A) is correct option.
Question. 75

Let w be the minimum weight among all edge weights in an undirected

connected graph, Let e be a specific edge of weight w. Which of the
following is FALSE ?
(A) There is a minimum spanning tree containing e.
(B) If e is not in a minimum spanning tree T ,then in the cycle formed
by
adding e to T , all edges have the same weight.
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(C) Every minimum spanning tree has an edge of weight w
(D) e is present in every minimum spanning tree
SOLUTION

Consider every optim separately

(A) since e has min weight w so there would be at test in spanning
tree with e
(B) e might not present in MST, but only possible if the other edge
taken has also same weight

(C) Every MST must have an edge with w

(D) e might not present in all MST as shown in above example.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 76

An array of n numbers is given, where n is an even number. The

maximum as well as the minimum of these n numbers needs to be
determined. Which of the following is TRUE about the number of
comparisons needed?
(A) At least 2n -c comparisons, for some constant c, are needed,
(B) At most 1.5n -2 comparisons are needed.
(C) At least n ,log2 n comparisons are needed.
(D) None of the above
SOLUTION

One possible way to do this is we select first element as max & also
min. Then we compare it with all others. At most this would take 2n
comparisons during linear search.
But if we use divide & conquer as for merge sort we have.
T (n) 2T (n/2) + 2 for n > 2
Its solution
n logb a = nc = 1 f (n) > n logb a so case 3.
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T (n) = 3n 2
2
= 1.5n 2
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 77

Consider the following C code segment:

int
IsPrime(n)
{
int i,n;
for (i
sqrt(n); i
;i
if (n i
)
print(Not Prime\n ;
return0;)
return 1;
}

Let T (n) denote the number of times the for loop is executed by the
program on input n . Which of the following is TRUE?
(A) T (n) = O ( n ) and T (n) + ( n )
(B) T (n) = O ( n ) and T (n) + (1)
(C) T (n) = O (n) and T (n) = ( n )
(D) None of these
SOLUTION

The loop runs from 2 to n . So maximum iterations can be n .

When n = 2 loop has only 1 iteration so. 1 & n are lower & upper
bounds respectively.
(1) # T (n) # 0 (n)
Hence (B) is correct option.

Data for Q. 78 & 79 are given below.

Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
Suppose the letters a, b, c, d, e, f have probabilities 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1
2 4 8 16 32
respectively.
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Question. 78

Which of the following is the Hoffman code for the letters a, b, c, d, e, f

?
(A) 0, 10, 110, 1110, 11110, 11111
(B) 11, 10, 011, 010, 001, 000
(C) 11, 10, 01, 001, 0001, 0000
(D) 110, 100, 010, 000, 111
SOLUTION

.25

.25

.125

.0625

.01325

Arranging in ascending order.

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a
b
c
d
e

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Algorithms

=0
= 10
= 110
= 1110
= 1111

Hence (A) is correct option.

Question. 79

What is the average length of the correct answer to Q. ?

(A) 3

(B) 2.1875

(C) 2.25

(D) 1.781

SOLUTION

Length of Huffman code

Length Prob. Product
a"1

1/2

1/2

b"2

1/4

1/2

c"3

1/8

3/8

d"4

1/16

1/4

e"4

1/32

1/8

Average length = 1/2 + 1/2 + 3/8 + 1/4 + 1/8

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= 4+4+3+2+1
8
= 14
8
= 1.781
Hence (D) is correct option.
YEAR 2008
Question. 80

The most efficient algorithm for finding the number of connected

components in an undirected graph on n vertices and m edges has
time complexity.
(A) (n)

(B) (m)

(C) (m + n)

(D) (mn)

SOLUTION

The algorithm we use for finding the number of connected components

in an undirected graph on n vertices is to calculate articulation point
detection algorithm.
This articulation point divides the graph into 2 connected components.
Complexity of this algorithm is same as 1 DFS run 0 (m + n) since
DFS is the basis of articulation point.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 81

The Breadth First Search algorithm has been implemented using the
queue data structure. One possible order of visiting the nodes of the
following graph is

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(A) MNOPQR

(B) NQMPOR

(C) QMNPRO

(D) QMNPOR

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Algorithms

SOLUTION

BFS : Here for every node we visit all its neighbours & then the
neighbours of its neighbours.
We use queue to find this.
Start from M" M " N " O " P " Q " R

Hence (C) is correct option.

Question. 82

Consider the following function;

f (n) = 2n
g (n) = n!
h (n) = n logn
Which of the following statements about the asymptotic behavior of
f (n). g (n) and h (n) is true?
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(A) f (n) = O (g (n)); g (n) = O (h (n))
(B) f (n) = (g (n)); g (n) = O (h (n))
(C) g (n) = O (f (n)); h (n) = O (f (n))
(D)h (n) = O (f (n)); g (n) = (f (n))
SOLUTION

The asymptotic order. 1 < loglog n < log n < ne < nc < n log n < cn < nn
n
< cc < n!
f (n) = 2n g (n) = nn h (n) = n logn from order h (n) < f (n) < g (n)

g (n) is the upper bound of f (n)

g (n) = 0 (f (n))
h (n) is the lower bound of f (n).
h (n) = (f (n))
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 83

The minimum number of comparison required to determine if an

integer appears more than n/2 times in a sorted array of n integers
is
(A) (n)

(B) (log n)

(C) (log * n)

(D) (1)

SOLUTION

Since all the elements are sorted so we can apply binary search here
efficiently. In BS the size of array required to compare reduces by n/2
in every iteration.
Here since the sequence is sorted so the same element would come
consecutively
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Algorithms

eg n = 10
=122222468
= 2 correct
= 2 correct
= 2 correct
6log 2 10@ = 3
(log n)
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 84

AB -tree of order 4 is built from scratch by 10 successive insertions.

What is the maximum number of node splitting operations that may
take place?
(A) 3
(B) 4
(C) 5

(D) 6

SOLUTION

In B tree the data is stored at leaves only a particular node can have
maximum. 3 keys, so when 4th insertion comes first split is required,
during 7th second split & so on, so for 10 insertions max. 3 splits are
required.
We can prove it mathematically.
No. of split # 1 + log m/2 an k
b
Here m order = 4 n = 10 b = 3
K # 1 + log 2 b10 l & 1 + log 24
3
K #B
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 85

G is a graph on n vertices and 2n 2 edges. The edges of G can be

partitioned into two edge-disjiont spanning trees. Which of the
following is NOT true for G ?
(A) For every subset of k vertices, the induced sub graph has a most
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2k 2 edges.
(B) The minimum cut in G has a least two edges
(C) There are two edges-disjoint paths between every pair of vertices
(D) There are two vertex-disjoint paths between every pair of vertices.
SOLUTION

Consider this graph with n = 4

Two spanning trees

Statement (B), (C) & (D) are correct.

min cent

has 3 edges.

Two edge & vertex disjoint paths are present can be seen in two
spanning trees but option (A) is false for K = 2 2K 2 = i.e 2 edges
should be there but it is not true.
Question. 86

Consider the Quicksort algorithm. Suppose there is a procedure for

finding a pivot element which splits the list into sub-lists each of
which contains at least one-fifth of the elements. Let T (n) be the
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number of comparisons required to sort n elements. Then

(A) T (n) # 2T (n/5) + n
(B) T (n) # T (n/5) + T (4n/5) + n
(C) T (n) # 2T (4n/5) + n
(D) T (n) # 2T (n/2) + n
SOLUTION

Pivot element is found in Quick sort in every iteration all the elements
to its left are smaller than & all in the right are greater than it.
So if 1/5th of sorted sequence is the pivot. So sequence is divided into
1/5th & 4/5th of the sequence.
So recursion will be
T (n) = T (n/5) + T b 4n l + n
5
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 87

The subset-sum problem is defined as follows: Given a set S of n

positive integers and a positive integer W ; determine whether there
is aa subset of S whose elements sum to W .
An algorithm Q Solves this problem in O (nW) time. Which of the
following statements is false?
(A) Q sloves the subset-sum problem unpolynomial time when the
input is encoded in unary
(B) Q solves the subset-sum problem is polynominal time when the
input is encoded in binary
(C) The subset sum problem belongs to the class NP
(D) The subset sum problem in NP-hard
SOLUTION

W is an integer so the time taken by the algorithm is (n) only.

Since subset problem is NP complete, it should be in class NP & NP
hard, so option (C) & (D) are true.
Using unary integer the algorithm will be solved in (n) time but
using binary it would take more time depending upon no. of bits.
So option (B) is false
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Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 88

Dijkstras single source shortest path algorithm when run from vertex
a in the above graph, computes the corrects shortest path distance to

(A) only vertex a

(B) only vertices a, e, f, g, h

(C) only vertices,a, b, c, d

(D) all the vertices

SOLUTION

We apply Dijkstra Algorithm.

Vertex I(a) II(a) III(b) IV(e) V(f) VI(c) VII(h) VIII(g)
I

III

III

IV

VII

VI

Order a b e f c h g d
a"b=1

a"c=3

a"b=6

a " e = 2 a " f = 0

a"g=3

a " h = 2
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Since there is no ve cycle so Dijkstra gives correct result for all

vertices.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 89

You are given the postorder traversal, P of a binary search tree on the
n elements 1,2,.....,n . You have to determine the unique binary search
tree that has P as its postorder traversal. What is the time complexity
of the most efficient algorithm for doing this?
(A) (log n)
(B) (n)
(C) (n log n)
(D) none of the above, as the tree cannot be uniquely determined.
SOLUTION

To construct a BST from post order we also require in-order traversal

since given the elements are 1 2.......n So their sorted order would be
in order.
Using both BST can be constructed in a linear scan. So it will take
only n time.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 90

We have a binary heap on n elements and wish to insert n more

elements (not necessarily one after another) into this heap. The total
time required for this is
(A) (log n)

(B) (n)

(C) (n log n)

(D) (n2)
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SOLUTION

Heaps are implemented as simple arrays, to insert n more elements

each element take (1) time.
So total time would be (n).
Hence (D) is correct option.

Common data for Questions 91 & 92:

Consider the following C functions:
int f1 (int n)
{
If(n==0||n==1)
return n;
else
return(2)f1(n-1)+3)f1(n-2));
}
int f2(int n)
{
int i;
int X[N], Y[N], Z[N];
X[1]=1;Y[1]=2;Z[1]=3;
for (i=2;i<=n;i++){
X[i]=Y[i-1]+Z[i-2];
Y[i]=2)X[i];
z[i]=3)X[i];
}
return X[n];
}
Question. 91

The running time of f1 (n) and f2 (n) are

(A) (n) and (n)
(B) (2") and O (n)
(C) (n) and (2")

(D) (2") and (2")

SOLUTION

Procedure f1 has the nature

T (0) = 0 , T (1) = 1 = 2c
T (n) = 2T (n 1) + 3T (n 2)
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Solution to this recursion is 2n

So (2n)
Procedure f2 has a single for loop from 2 to n so the complexity will
be (n).
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 92

f1 (8) f2 (8) return the values

(A) 1661 and 1640

(B) 59 and 59

(C) 1640 and 1640

(D) 1640 and 1661

SOLUTION

f1 (8)
n

Value

Return

8 2f1 (7) + 3f1 (6)

1094 + 546 = 1640

7 2f1 (6) + 3f1 (5)

364 + 183 = 547

6 2f1 (5) + 3f1 (4)

122 + 60 = 182

5 2f1 (4) + 3f1 (3)

40 + 21 = 61

4 2f1 (3) + 3f1 (2)

14 + 6 = 20

3 2f1 (2) + 3f1 (1)

4+3 = 7

2 2f1 (1) + 3f1 (0)

1 1

0 0

0
f (1) (8) = 1640

Now
X [ 1] = 1
Y [ 1] = 2
Z [ 1] = 3
Iteration X[i]

Y[i]

Z[i]

2+0 = 2

4+3 = 7

14

21

14 + 6 = 20

40

60

40 + 21 = 61

122

183

122 + 60 = 182

364

546
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7

364 + 183 = 547

1094 + 546 = 1640

1094

1641

Return X [8] = 1640 finally

Hence (C) is correct option.

Statement for Linked Answers Questions 93 & 94:

The subset-sum problem is defined as follows. Given set of n positive
integers, S = {a1, a2, a3,....... an} and a positive integer W is there a
subset S whose elements sum of W ? A dynamic program for solving
this problem uses a 2-dimensiond Boolean array, X with n rows and
W-1 columns X [i, j], 1 # i # W, is TRUE if and only if there is a
subset of {a1, a2,...... ai} whose elements sum to j .
Question. 93

Which of the following is valid for 2 # i # n and a1 # j # W?

(A) X [i, j] = X [i 1, j] 0 X [i, j ai]
(B) X [i, j] = X [i 1, j] 0 X [i 1, j ai]
(C) X [i, j] = X [i 1, j] / X [i, j ai]
(D) X [i, j] = X [i 1, j] / X [i 1, j ai]
SOLUTION

Dynamic programming can be successfully used, i.e n rows for n

elements & w + 1 columns.
Each row is filled on the basis of its previous rows & the (j ai) th
column.
If any of them is 0 then X [i, j] should be zero.
This require X [i, j] = X [i 1, j] V # [i 1, j ai]
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 94

Which entry of the array X , if TRUE, implies that there is a subset

whose elements sum to W?

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(A) X [1, W]

(B) X [n, 0]

(C) X [n, W]

(D) X [n 1, n]

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Algorithms

SOLUTION

The algorithm of dynamic programming has n rows & w columns.

These would be filled dynamically depending upon previous rows &
columns. So X [n, w] will be filled in the last & this would give the
result.
If X [n, w] = 1 i.e. TRUE, then we know that there is subset present
whose sum = integer w .
Otherwise subset not present.
Hence (C) is correct option.

Statement for Linked Answers Questions 95 & 96:

Consider the following C program that attempts to locate an element
x in an array Y [ ] using binary search. The program is erroneous.
1.
1
2.
3.
4.
do {
5.
2
6.
if
i
7.
} while
i
print f
is in the array);
8.
if
9.
else printf
is not in the array);
10. }
Question. 95

On which of the following contents of Y and x does the program fail?

(A) Y is [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10] and x < 10
(B) Y is [1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19] and x < 1
(C) Y is [2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2] and x > 2
(D) Y is [2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20] and 2 < x < 20 and x is even
SOLUTION

Running on option (C)

i = 0 to 9 X let 3 2222222222
i

9"5 5

y [K] y [K] ! = X i < j

2

True

True
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0

5"3 3

True

True

3"2 2

True

True

2"1 1

True

True

True

True

0 1
1
2
True
True
It would never stop & we are looking for no. X >2 but we are moving
in wrong dir.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 96

The correction needed in the program to make it work properly is

(A) change line 6 to : if (Y [k]) < x) i = k + 1; else j = k - 1;
(B) change line 6 to: if (Y [k] < x) i = k 1; else j = k + 1;
(C) change line 6 to: if (Y [k] < x) i = k; else j = k;
(D) change line 7 to : } while ((Y [k] == x)&&( i < j));
SOLUTION

A slight change can be made which will prevent this loop to go

infinite in
line 6 : if Y (K) < x
i = K + 1;
else
j = K 1;
Should be there.
Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2009
Question. 97

What is the number of swaps required to sort n elements using

selection sort, in the worst case ?
(A) (n)

(B) (n log n)

(C) (n )

(D) (n2 log n)

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SOLUTION

In selection sort the worst case would be when the elements are
reverse sorted, here the algorithm selects the min element the first
element, and during linear scan if element found min then a swap
takes place.
So during n iterations maximum.
n swap can occur in each iteration.
No. of swaps = n [n + (n 1) + (n 2) ............1]
= (n2)
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 98

Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct regarding BellmanFord shortest path algorithm ?
P.
Q.

Always finds a negative weighted cycle, if one exists.

Finds whether any negative weighted cycle is reachable from
the source
(A) P only
(B) Q only
(C) Both P and Q

(D) Neither P nor Q

SOLUTION

Bellman ford Algorithm is used when there are negative weights

assigned to the edges, this can cause generation of ve cycles, reached
from the source vertex. So both statements are correct.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 99

Let A be a problem that belongs to the class NP. Then which one of
the following is TRUE ?
(A) There is no polynomial time algorithm for A
(B) If A can be solved deterministically in polynomial time, then
P = NP
(C) If A is NP-hard, then it is NP-complete
(D) A may be undecidable
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SOLUTION

Problems which are both NP & NP hard are called NP complete

problems. So option (C) is correct option.
(A) Cant be correct since P ! NP , so there can be any Algorithm
with P time.
(B) Is not true, if some solved deterministically but if not NP
complete then cant be P = NP .
(D) Is not correct because some problems which are NP decidable
under certain conditions.
Question. 100

The running time of an algorithm is represented by the following

recurrence relation:
n

n#3

T (n) = * n
T a k + cn otherwise
3
Which one of the following represents the time complexity of the
algorithm ?
(A) (n)
(B) (n log n)
(C) (n2)

(D) (n2 log n)

SOLUTION

For n # 3

T (n) = n
i.e (n)

For n > 3
T (n) = T (n/3) + Cn
This can be solved by Masters Theorem
a = 1 b = 2 logb a = log 3 1 = 0
f (n) = Cn
n logb a < f (n)
nc < f (n)
So,
case III
T (n) = (f (n))
= (Cn)
= (n)
Whole complexity 6n
T (n) = (n) + (n)
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= (n)
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 101

The keys 12, 18, 13, 2, 3, 23, 5 and 15 are inserted into an initially
empty hash table of length 10 using open addressing with hash
function h (k) = k mod 10 and linear probing. What is the resultant
hash table ?
(A)

(B)
0

12

23

13

4
5

4
15

18

18

(C)

(D)
0

12

12, 2

13

13, 3, 23

23

18

15

9
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SOLUTION

K = 12, 18, 13, 2, 3, 23, 5, 15

h K mod 10
Step 1

1
2

12

13

23

18

15

Step 2
8

Hence (C) is correct option.

Question. 102

Consider the following graph:

Which one of the following is NOT the sequence of edges added to

the minimum spanning tree using Kruskals algorithm ?
(A) (b, e) (e, f) (a, c) (b, c) (f, g) (c, d)
(B) (b, e) (e, f) (a, c) (f, g) (b, c) (c, d)
(C) (b, e) (a, c) (e, f) (b, c) (f, g) (c, d)
(D) (b, e) (e, f) (b, c) (a, c) (f, g) (c, d)
SOLUTION

Krushals algorithm, arranging edges in ascending order.

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{2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6}

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)
(A, C) cant be taken after (B, C).
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 103

In quick sort, for sorting n elements, the (n/4th) smallest element is

selected as pivot using an O (n) time algorithm. What is the worst
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case time complexity of the quick sort ?
(A) (n)

(B) (n log n)

(C) (n )

(D) (n2 log n)

SOLUTION

Pivot in guide sort is the index which is sorted in that run, all the
elements in its left are smaller than it & elements greater than it are
on its right side.
So the recursion becomes.
T (n) = T (n/4) + T (3n/4) + n
Solution to this recursion is (n log n)
Hence (B) is correct option.

Common Data for Question 104 & 105 :

A sub-sequence of a given sequence is just the given sequence with
some elements (possibly none of all) left out. We are given two
sequence X [m] and Y [n] of length m and n , respectively, with indexes
of X and Y starting from 0.
Question. 104

We wish to find the length of the longest common sub-sequence (LCS)

of x [m] and Y [n] of lengths m and n , where an incomplete recursive
definition for the function l (i, j) to compute the length of the LCS of
X [m] and Y [n] is given below :
l (i, j) =0, if either i = 0 or j = 0
=expr1, if i , j > 0 and x [i 1] = Y [j 1]
=expr2, if i , j > 0 and x [i 1] =
Y Y [ j 1]
Which one of the following options is correct ?
(A) expr 1/ l (i 1, j) + 1
(B) expr 1/ l (i, j 1)
(C) expr 2/ max (l (i 1, j), l (i, j 1))
(D) expr 2/ max (l (i 1, j 1), l (i, j))
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SOLUTION

LCS problem is solved using dynamic programming in which every

row is dependent upon previous rows & columns. If two literals at ith
row & jth column doesnt match then.
Eve fill l [i, j] with max [L [i 1, j], [i, j 1]] i.e max of previous cell in
row & column.
So
expr 1 = L [i 1, j 1] + 1
expr 2 = max ([l [i 1, j], L [i, j 1]])
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 105

The values of l (i, j) could be obtained by dynamic programming

based on the correct recursive definition of l (i, j) of the form given
above, using an array L [M, N], where M = m + 1and N = n + 1, such
that L [i, j] = l (i, j).
Which one of the following statements would be true regarding the
dynamic programming solution for the recursive definition of l (i, j) ?
(A) All elements of L should be initialized to 0 for the values of l (i, j)
to be properly computed.
(B) The values of l (i, j) may be computed in a row major order or
column major order of L [M, N]
(C) The values of l (i, j) cannot be computed in either row major
order or column major order of L [M, N]
(D) L [p, q] needs to be computed before L [r, s] if eitherp < r or q < s
SOLUTION

During solution through dynamic programming option (B) & (C) are
incorrect since the solution is done in row major order. But not in
column major order.
(A) is true but not necessary.
(D) is correct eg.
L [4, 5] require
L [3, 4] L [3, 5] here (3, 4), (3, 5) & (4, 4)
L [4, 4] L [4, 5] need to be calculated before [4,5]
So L [p, q] required to be calculated before L [r, s] if p < r or q < s .
Hence (D) is correct option.
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Algorithms

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YEAR 2010
Question. 106

Two alternative package Aand B are available for processing a

database having 10k records. Package A requires 0.0001 n2 time units
and package B requires 10n log 10 n time units to process n records.
What is the smallest value of k for which package B will be preferred
over A ?
(A) 12

(B) 10

(C) 6

(D) 5

SOLUTION

No. of record = 10K

K = ? A = .0001n2
2
A = n5
10

n
B = 10n log 10

Required time A >time B.

n2 > 10 n log n
10
105
So here the co.eff. is 106
So smallest value of K = 6
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 107

The weight of a sequence a 0, a1 ......, an 1 of real numbers is defined as

a 0 + a1 /2 + ......an 1 /2n 1 . A subsequence of a sequence is obtained by
deleting some elements form the sequence, keeping the order of the
remaining elements the same. Let X denote the maximum possible
weight of a subsequence of a 0, a1, .......an 1 and Y the maximum possible
weight of a subsequence of a1, a2, ......., an 1 . Then X is equal to
(A) max (Y, a 0 + Y)

(B) max (Y, a 0 + Y/2)

(C) max (Y, a 0 + 2Y)

(D) a 0 + Y/2

SOLUTION

Given X a 0 + a1 + a22 + ....... ann 11

2 2
2
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Y = a1 + a2 + a 32 + ............ ann 12
2 2
2
Dividing eq. (2) by 2
Y a1 + a2 + a 3 ............. an 1
2 2 22 2 3
2n 1

(2)

(3)

Putting eq. (3) in eq. (1)

X = a0 + Y
2
Hence (D) is correct option.

Common Data for Questions 108 & 109

Consider a complete undirected graph with vertex set {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}.
Entry Wij in the matrix W below is the weight of the edge {i, j} .
J0
K
K1
W = K8
K
K1
K4
L

1
0
12
4
9

8
12
0
7
3

1
4
7
0
2

4N
O
9O
3O
O
2O
0O
P

Question. 108

What is the minimum possible weight of a spanning tree T in this

graph such that vertex 0 is a leaf node in the tree T ?
(A) 7

(B) 8

(C) 9

(D) 10

SOLUTION

let {0, 1, 2, 3, 4} be {a, b, c, d, e}

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Drawing spanning true using Prims Algorithms start
(A) & (a, b), (a, c), (a, d), (a, e)
(B) & (a, c), (a, d), (a, e), (b, c), (b, d), (b, e)
(D) & (a, c), (a, e), (b, c), (b, d), (b, e), (c, d)
(E)
& (a, c), (a, e), (b, c), (b, d), (b, e), (c, d), (c, e)

with a
(a, b) = 1
(a, d) = 1
(d, e) = 2
(c, e) = 3

Weight = 1 + 1 + 2 + 3
=7
Question. 109

What is the minimum possible weight of a path P from vertex 1 to

vertex 2 in this graph such that P contains at most 3 edges ?
(A) 7
(B) 8
(C) 9

(D) 10

SOLUTION

Min possible path from B to C so we draw all paths from B to C

B " C = 12
B " A " C = 1+8 = 9
B " E " C = 9 + 3 = 12
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Algorithms

B "3" E " C = 4 + 2 + 3 = 9
B " A " E " C = 1+4+3 = 8
This is min path.
Hence (B) is correct option.

**********

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Available in Two Volumes

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GATE CS Topic wise Questions

Compiler Design

YEAR 2001
Question. 1

Which of the following statements is false ?

(A) An unambiguous grammar has same left most and right most
derivation
(B) An LL (1) parser is a top-down parser
(C) LALR is more powerful than SLR
(D) An ambiguous grammar can never be LR (K) for any k
SOLUTION

Yes, the LL (1) parser is top down parser.

Order of strength LR < SLR < LALR .
So (A) & (C) are, true.
An ambiguous grammar cant be LR (K)
So option (A) is false since an unambiguous grammar has unique
right most derivation & left most derivations but both are not same.
Hence (A) is correct option
YEAR 2002
Question. 2

Dynamic linking can cause security concerns because

(A) Security is dynamic
(B) The path for searching dynamic libraries is not known till run

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Compiler Design

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time.
(C) Linking is insecure
(D) Cryptographic procedures are not available for dynamic linking
SOLUTION

Dynamic linking is type of linking in which libraries required by the

program are linked during run time. But at this time cryptographic
procedures are not available, so make this process insecure.
Hence (D) is correct option.
YEAR 2003

Question. 3

Which of the following suffices to convert an arbitrary CFG to an

LL(1) grammar?
(A) Removing left recursion alone
(B) Factoring the grammar alone
(C) Removing left recursion and factoring the grammar
(D) None of this
SOLUTION

If a grammar has left recursion & left factoring then it is ambiguous.

So to convert a CFG to LL (1) grammar both removal of left recursion
& left factoring need to be done.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 4

Assume that the SLR parser for a grammar G has n1 states and the
LALR parser for G has n2 states. The relationship between n1 and n2
is
(A) n1 is necessarily less than n2
(B) n1 is necessarily equal to n2
(C) n1 is necessarily greater than n2
(D) None of the above
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Compiler Design

SOLUTION

SLR parsue is less range of context free languages than LALR but
still both n1 & n2 are same for SLR & LALR respectively.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 5

In a bottom-up evaluation of a syntax directed definition, inherited

attributes can
(A) always be evaluated
(B) be evaluated if the definition is L-attributed
(C) be evaluated only if the definition has synthesized attributes
(D) never be evaluated
SOLUTION

Every S (synthesized) -attributed definitions is L- attributed. So in

a bottom-up evaluation of SDD inherited attributes can be evaluated
only if the definition has synthesized attributes.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 6

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

(A) In statically typed language, each variable in a program has a
fixed type
(B) In up-typed languages, values do not have any types
(C) In dynamically typed languages, variables have no types
(D) In all statically typed languages, each variable in a program is
associated with values of only a single type during the execution
of the program
SOLUTION

(1) True for statically typed languages where each variable has fixed
type. Similarly (4) is also correct.
(2) True, in un-typed languages types of values are not defined.
But option (C) is false, since in dynamically typed language variables
have dynamically changing types but not that they have no type.
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Question. 7

Consider the grammar shown below

S " | EtSS' |
S' " eS | !
E "b
In the predictive parse table. M , of this grammar, the entries M [Sl, ]
and M [S',$] respectively are
(A) {s' " eS} and {S' " }
(B) {s' " eS}and{}
(D) {s' " eS, S' " }and{ S' " }

(C) {s' " } and {S' " }

SOLUTION

Given grammar
S " EtSSl
Sl " eS
E "b
Terminals

N.T
S

S " iEtSSl

S"

Sl

Sl " eS

Sl "

Sl "
E
E"b
Predictive Parsing table.
So this table presents predictive parsing for dangling if else & shows
ambiguity
M [Sl, e] = {Sl " eS, Sl " }
M [Sl, $] = {Sl " }
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 8

Consider the grammar shown below.

S "C C
C " eC | d
The grammar is
(A) LL (1)
(B) SLR (1) but not LL (1)
(C) LALR (1) but not SLR (1)
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Compiler Design

(D) LR (1) but not LALR (1)

SOLUTION

Given grammar
S " CC
C " cC d
it cant be LL since C " cC is recursive. LR (1) also known as CLR
parser, and every CF grammar is CLR grammar.
So (A) is false but (C) & (D) can be correct.
This grammar is CLR and also reducible to LALR without any
conflicts. So (D) is false.
Only need to check for SLR (1) or LR (0)
This grammar is not SLR.
Hence (C) is correct option
Question. 9

Consider the translation scheme shown below

S " TR
R " + T {print (+);} R |
T " num {print (num.val);}
Here num is a token that represents an integer and num. val represents
the corresponding integer value. For an input string 9 + 5+ 2, this
translation scheme will print
(A) 9 + 5 + 2

(B) 9 5 + 2 +

(C) 9 5 2 ++

(D) ++ 9 5 2

SOLUTION

S " TR
R " + T {pr int (' + ');} R
T " num {print (num.val);}
Given string 9 + 5 + 2
S " TR
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T + TR
T+T+T
9+T+T
9+5+T
9+5+2

{print (+);}
{print (+);}
{print (9);}
{print (5);}
{print (2);}

So ++ 952 is printed
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 10

Consider the syntax directed definition shown below

S " id: = E
"

"

newtemp ();
gen(t
. place
. place;);
.place
t}
.place
.place;}

Here, gen is a function that generates the output code, and newtemp
is a function that returns the name of a new temporary variable on
every call. Assume that t1 s are the temporary variable names
generated by newtemp.
For the statement X: = Y + Z , the 3-address code sequence generated
by this definition is
(A) X = Y + Z
(B) t1 = Y + Z; X t1
(C) t1 = Y; t2 = t1 + Z; X = t2
(D) t1 = Y; t2 = Z; t3 + t2; X = t3
SOLUTION

In 3-address code we use temporary variables to reduce complex

instructions so here
t1 = Y
t2 = Z
t 3 = t1 + t 2
x = t3
Hence (D) is correct option.
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Compiler Design

Data for Q. 11 & 12 are given below.

Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
The following program fragment is written in a programming
language that allows variables and does not allow nested declarations
of functions.
global inti
void
int i
print
i
print
}
main () { (i

) }

Question. 11

If the programming language uses static scoping and call by need

parameter passing mechanism, the values printed by the above
program are
(A) 115, 220
(B) 25, 220
(C) 25, 15

(D) 115, 105

SOLUTION

In static scoping the variables are initialized at compile time only

So i = 100 & j = 5
P (i + j) = P (100 + 5) = P (105)
So
x = 105
x + 10 = 105 + 10 = 115
So 115 & 105 will be printed.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 12

If the programming language uses dynamic scoping and call by

name parameter passing mechanism, the values printed by the above
program are
(A) 115, 220
(B) 25, 220
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(C) 25, 15

(D) 115, 105

SOLUTION

In dynamic scoping, the local values are considered & variables are
initialized at run time.
Since
x = i + j & in P (x)
i = 200 & j = 20
x = 200 + 20 = 220
& printing
(x + 10 )
x = i + j + 10
= 10 + 5 + 10 = 25
Hence (B) is correct option
Question. 13

Consider the following class definitions in a hypothetical object

oriented language that supports inheritance and uses dynamic
binding. The language should not be assumed to be either Java or
C++, thought the syntax is similar
Class
P {
Class Q subclass of P {
void f(int i) {
void f (int i) {
print (i);
print (
i);
}
}
}
}
Now consider the following program fragment:
P x =new Q ();
Q y =new Q ();
P z =new Q ();
x.f (1);(( P) y). f (1); z.f (1);
Here ((P) y) denotes a typecast of y to P . The output produced by
executing the above program fragment will be
(A) 1 2 1
(B) 2 1 1
(C) 2 1 2

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(D) 2 2 2

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CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Compiler Design

SOLUTION

1.

Px = newQ ();

2.

Qy = newQ ();

3.

Pz = newQ ();

4.

x : f (1); print 2 # i = 2

5.

((P) y) : f (1);

6.

z : f (1) print 2 # i = 2

but line 5. will print 2 because typecast to parent class cant prevent
over ridding. So function f (1) of class Q will be called not f (1) of
class P .
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 14

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of using shared,

dynamically linked libraries as opposed to using statically linked
libraries?
(A) Smaller sizes of executable
(B) Lesser overall page fault rate in the system
(C) Faster program startup
(D) Existing programs need not be re-linked to take advantage of
newer versions of libraries
SOLUTION

The advantages of shared dynamically linked libraries include.

(A) smaller size of executable since less data
(B) lesser overall page fault rate.
(C) No need for re-linking if newer versions of libraries are there.
But since compilation time doesnt include linking so a long linking
time required during runtime in DLL's so slow startup.
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2004
Question. 15

Which of the following grammar rules violate the requirements of an

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operator grammar? P, Q, R are non-terminals, and r, s, t are terminals
.
(i) P " QR

(ii) P " Q s R

(iii) P "

(iv) P " Q t R r

(A) (i) only

(B) (i) and (iii) only

(C) (ii) and (iii) only

(D) (iii) and (iv) only

SOLUTION

(I)

P " QR is not possible since two NT should include one

operator as Terminal.
(II) Correct
(III) Again incorrect.
(IV) Correct.
Hence (B) is correct option.

Question. 16

Consider a program P that consists of two source modules M1 and M2

contained in two different files. If M1 contains a reference to a function
defined in M2 , the reference will be resolved at
(A) Edit-time

(B) Compile-time

(C) Link-time

(D) Load-time

SOLUTION

The two modules needed to be linked since definition exist & M2 &
M1 refers it. So during linking phase M1 links to M2.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 17

Consider the grammar rule E " E1 E2 for arithmetic expressions.

The code generated is targeted to a CPU having a single user register.
The subtraction operation requires the first operand to be in the
register. If E1 and E2 do not have any common sub expression, in
order to get the shortest possible code
(A) E1 should be evaluated first
(B) E2 should be evaluated first
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Compiler Design

(C) Evaluation of E1 and E2 should necessarily be interleaved

(D) Order of evaluation of E1 and E2 is of no consequence
SOLUTION

E1 is to be kept in accumulator & accumulator is required for

operations to evaluate E2 also. So E2 should be evaluated first &
then E1, so finally E1 will be in accumulator, otherwise need to use
move & load instructions.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 18

Consider the grammar with the following translation rules and E as

the start symbol.
value = .value * .value}
E " E 1 #T
.value = .value}
.value = .value + .value}
"
.value = .value}
.value =num.value}
"num
Compute E . value for the root of the parse tree for the expression: 2
# 3 # & 5 # 6 & 4.
(A) 200
(B) 180
(C) 160

(D) 40

SOLUTION

The parse tree would be.

Now we evaluate bottom up.

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LL " left to right left most derivation no ambignity should be there

SLR or LR (0) L to R reverse right sentential form create LR (0)
items.
CLR or LR (1) create LR (1) items no bound
LALR reduced CLR if while reducing any conflict found then not
LALR

Hence (C) is correct option.

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Compiler Design

YEAR 2005
Question. 19

The grammar A " AA |( A)| is not suitable for predictive-parsing

because the grammar is
(A) ambiguous

(B) Left-recursive

(C) right-recurisve

(D) an operator-grammar

SOLUTION

The grammar is definitely left & right recursive but it is not suitable
for predictive parsing because it is ambiguous.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 20

Consider the grammar E " E + n | E # n | n

For a sentence n + n , the handles in the right-sentential form of the
reduction are
(A) n, E + n and E + n # n

(B) n, E + n and E + E # n

(C) n, n + n and n + n # n

(D) n, E + n and E # n

SOLUTION

Given grammar
E " E+n
E " E#n
E "n
String = n + n # n
Right sentential so right most non terminal will be used.
E " E#n
{E " E # n}
E+n#n
{E " E + n}
n+n#n
{E " n}
So during reduction the order is reverse.
So
{E " n, E " E + n, E " E # n}
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 21

Consider the grammar

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S " (S)| a
Let the number of states in SLR(1), LR(1) and LALR(1) parsers for
the grammar n1 n2 and n3 respectively. The following relationship
holds good
(B) n1 = n3 < n2
(A) n1 < n2 < n3
(C) n1 = n2 = n3

(D) n1 $ n3 $ n2

SOLUTION

The no. of states for SLR (1) & LALR (1) are equal so n1 = n 3 , but
CLR (1) or LR (1) will have no. of states greater than LALR & LR (0)
both.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 22

Consider line number 3 of the following C-program.

int main (){
| * Line 1 * |
int 1, N;
| * line 2 * |
fro (i
| * Line 3 * |
, 1 N, 1 );
}
Identify the compilers response about this line while creating the
object-module
(A) No compilation error
(B) Only a lexical error
(C) Only syntactic errors
(D) Both lexical and syntactic errors
SOLUTION

There are no lexical errors for C because all the wrong spelled keywords
would be considered as identifiers until the syntax is checked.
So the compiler would give syntax errors.
Hence (C) is correct option.

Data for Q. 23 & 24 are given below.

Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
Consider the following expression grammar. The semantic rules for
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Compiler Design

expression calculation are stared next to each grammar production.

E"

number
E
E # E
;

Eval
E .val
E .val

number val
E .VAL E .val
E .VAL E .val

Question. 23

The above grammar and the semantic rules are fed to a yacc tool
(which is an LALR(1) parser generator) for parsing and evaluating
arithmetic expressions. Which one of the following is true about the
action of yacc for the given grammar?
(A) It detects recursion and eliminates recursion
(B) It detects reduce-reduce conflict, and resolves
(C) It detects shift-reduce conflict, and resolves the conflict in favor
of a shift over a reduce action
(D) It detects shift-reduce conflict, and resolves the conflict in favor
of a reduce over a shift action
SOLUTION

Yace tool is used to create a LALR (1) parser. This parser can detect
the conflicts but to resolve the conflicts it actually prefers shift over
reduce action.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 24

Assume the conflicts part (a) of this question are resolved and an
LALR(1) parser is generated for parsing arithmetic expressions as
per the given grammar. Consider an expression 3 # 2 + 1. What
precedence and associativity properties does the generated parser
realize?
(A) Equal precedence and left associativity; expression is evaluated
to 7
(B) Equal precedence and right associativity, expression is evaluated
to 9
(C) Precedence of 'x' is higher than that of +, and both operators
are left associative; expression is evaluated to 7
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(D) Precedence of ' # ' is higher than that of # , and both operators
are left associative; expression is evaluated to 9
SOLUTION

The grammar has equal precedence and it is also ambiguous. Since

LALR (1) parser prefer shift over reduce so + operation will be
executed here before ). 2 + 1 = 3 & 3 # 3 = 9 also the operators are
right associative.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2006
Question. 25

Consider the following grammar.

S
S
E
E
F

" S*E
"E
" F+E
"F
" id

Consider the following LR (0) items corresponding to the grammar

above.
(i)

S " S * .E

(ii)

E " F. + E

(iii)

E " F + .E

Given the items above, which two of them will appear in the same set
in the canonical sets-of-items for the grammar?
(A) (i) and (ii)

(B) (ii) and (iii)

(C) (i) and (iii)

(D) None of these

SOLUTION

If S " S ): E is in LR (0) then E " F + : E will also be there

because both of them has ' : ' before E .
Hence (C) is correct option.

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Question. 26

Consider the following grammar

S " FR
R "*S|
F " id
In the predictive parser table, M , of the grammar the entries M [S, id]
and M [R,$] respectively
(A) {S " FR} and {R " }

(B) {S " FR} and {}

(C) {S " FR} and {R " * S}

(D) {F " id} and {R " }

SOLUTION

The predictive parser table is given as.

)

Non Terminal

id

S " FR

F " id

R ") S R "!

R "!

M [S, id] = {S " FR}

M [R, $] = {R "!}
Hence (A) is correct option.
So at

Question. 27

Consider the following translation scheme.

S " ER
R " * E {print { * ); R | f
E " F + E {print ( + ); | F
F " (S) | id {print (id.value);}
Here id is a taken that represents an integer and id . value represents
the corresponding integer value. For an input 2 * 3 + 4, this
translation scheme prints
(A) 2 * 3 + 4
(B) 2 * + 3 4
(C) 2 3 * 4 +

(D) 2 3 4 + *

SOLUTION

Input string 2 ) 3 + 4
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S " ER
FR
idR
{print (2)}
id ) ER
{print ())}
id ) F + ER {print (+)}
id ) id + ER {print (3)}
id ) id + FR
id ) id + idR {print (4)}
id ) id + id
So 2 )+ 3 4 are printed
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 28

Consider the following C code segment.

for
for
if i
#i
}
}
}
Which one to the following false?
(A) The code contains loop-in variant computation
(B) There is scope of common sub-expression elimination in this code
(C) There is scope strength reduction in this code
(D) There is scope of dead code elimination in this code
SOLUTION

All the statements are true except option (D) since there is no dead
code to get eliminated.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 29

Which one of the following grammars generates the language

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Compiler Design

L = (ai bi | i ! j}?
(A) S " AC | CB
C " aCb | a | b
A " aA |
B " Bb |

(B) S " aS | Sb | a | b

(C) S " ACCB

C " aCb | !
A " aA | !
B " Bb | !

(D) S " AC | CB
C " aCb | !
A " aA | a
B " bB | b

SOLUTION

The grammar
S " AC CB
C " aCb !
A " aA a
B " bB b
Consider string aaabb
S " AC
AaCb
AaaCbb
Aaabb
aaabb
But string aabb
S " AC
And this string is not derivable.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 30

In the correct grammar above, what is the length of the derivation

(number of steps starting from S to generate the string al bm with
l ! m?
(A) max (l, m) + 2
(B) l+m+2
(C) l + m + 3

(D) max (l, m) + 3

SOLUTION

It is very clear from the previous solution that the no. of steps required
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depend upon the no. of a's & b's which ever is higher & exceeds by 2
due to S " AC CB & C "!
So max (l, m) + 2
Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2007
Question. 31

Which one of the following is a top-down parser?

(A) Recursive descent parser
(B) Operator precedence parser
(C) An LR(k) parser

(D) An LALR(k) parser

SOLUTION

Clearly LR & LALR are not top down they are bottom up passers.
Also not operator precedence parser.
But yes recursive descent parser is top down parser. Starts from start
symbol & derives the terminal string.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 32

Consider the grammar with non-terminals N = {S, C, S}, terminals

T = {a, b, i, t, e}, with S as the start symbol, and the following of rules
S " iCtSS1 | a
S1 " eS |
C"b
The grammar is NOTLL(1) because:
(A) It is left recursive
(B) It is right recursive
(C) It is ambiguous

(D) It is not context-free

SOLUTION

The grammar has production

S " iCtSS1 here the right hand side of grammar has the same symbol
as left side. So the grammar is left recursive.
The grammar is not ambiguous.
Hence (A) is correct option.
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Compiler Design

Question. 33

Consider the following two statements:

P: Every regular grammar is LL(1)
Q: Every regular set has LR(1) grammar
Which of the following is TRUE?
(A) Both P and Q are true

(B) P is true and Q is false

(C) P is false and Q is true

(D) Both P and Q are false

SOLUTION

LL (1) parsers can recognize the regular grammars also LL (1) is

subset of LR (1) or CLR grammar so it also recognizes regular sets.
So both accept regular grammar.
Question. 34

In a simplified computer the instructions are:

OP Rj , Ri Performs R j OP Ri and stores the result in register Ri
OP m, Ri Performs val OP Ri abd stores the result in Ri. value
denotes the content of memory location m .
MCVm, Ri Moves the content off memory loction m to register Ri .
MCVm, Ri, m Moves the content of register Ri to memory location
m.
The computer has only two registers, and OP is either ADD or SUB.
Consider the following basic block:
t1
t2
t3
t4

= a+b
= c+d
= e t2
= t1 t 2

Assume that all operands are initially in memory. The final value of
the computation should be in memory. What is the minimum number
of MOV instructions in the code generated for this basic block?
(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 5

(D) 6

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SOLUTION

The operation sequence would be

MOV a, R1
ADD b, R1 {R1 = t1
MOV c, R2
ADD d, R2 {R2 = t2
SUB e, R2 {t 3 = e R2 = R2
SUB R1, R2 {R2 = t 4
MOV R2, t 4 {finally in memory
Totally no. of move operation are 3
Hence (B) is correct option

Data for Q. 35 & 36 are given below.

Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
Consider the CFG with {S, A, B} as the non-terminal alphabet, {a, b}
as the terminal alphabet, S as the start symbol and the following set
of production rules
s " bA
S " aB
A"a
B"b
A " aS
B " bS
A " bAA
B " aBB

Question. 35

Which of the following strings is generated by the grammar?

(A) aaaabb

(B) aabbbb

(C) aabbab

(D) abbbba

SOLUTION

aabbab
S " aB
" aaBB
" aabSB
" aabbAB
" aabbab
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Compiler Design

Question. 36

For the correct answer string to Q. 9 how many derivation trees are
there?
(A) 1

(B) 2

(C) 3

(D) 4

SOLUTION

For the derivation two trees are possible

So due to ambiguity 2 trees are possible

Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2008

Question. 37

Which of the following describes a handle (as applicable to LRparsing) appropriately?

(A) It is the position in a sentential form where the next shift or
reduce operation will occur
(B) It is a non-terminal whose production will be used for reduction
in the next step
(C) It is a production that may be used for reduction in a future step
along with a position in the sentential form where the next shift
or reduce operation will occur.
(D) It is the production p that will be used for reduction in the next
step along with a position in the sentential form where the right
hand side of the production may be found
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SOLUTION

Handles are the part of sentential form, & they are identified as the
right side of any given production which will be used for reduction in
the net step.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 38

Some code optimizations are carried out on the intermediate code

because
(A) They enhance the portability of the complier to other target
processors
(B) Program analysis is name accurate on intermediate code than on
machine code
(C) The information from data flow analysis cannot otherwise be
used for optimization
(D) The information from the front end cannot otherwise be used for
optimization
SOLUTION

Code optimizations are carried out on the intermediate code because

program analysis is more accurate on intermediate code than on
machine code.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 39

Which of the following are true?

(i) A programming language option does not permit global variables of
any king and has no nesting of procedures/functions, but permits
recursion can be implemented with static storage allocation
(ii) Multi-level access link (or display) arrangement is needed to
arrange activation records-only if the programming language
being implemented has nesting of procedures/function
(iii) Recursion in programming languages cannot be implemented
with dynamic storage allocation
(iv) Nesting of procedures/functions and recursion require a dynamic
heap allocation scheme and cannot be implemented with a stackbased allocation scheme for activation records
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Compiler Design

(v) Programming languages which permit a function to return a

function as its result cannot be implemented with a stack-based
storage allocation scheme for activation records
(A) (ii) and (v) only

(B) (i), (iii) and (iv) only

(C) (i), (ii) and (v)

(D) (ii), (iii) and (v) only

SOLUTION

I.

Statement is false since global variables are required for

recursions with static storage. This is due to unavailability of
stack in static storage.
II. This is true
III. In dynamic allocation heap structure is used, so it is false.
IV. False since recursion can be implemented.
V. Statement is completely true.
So only II & V are true.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 40

An LALR(1) parser for a grammar G can have shift-reduce (S-R)

conflicts if and only if
(A) The SLR(1) parser for G has S-R conflicts
(B) The LR(1) parser for G has S-R conflicts
(C) The LR(0) parser for G has S-R conflicts
(D) The LALR(1) parser for G has reduce-reduce conflicts
SOLUTION

LALR parser is reduced form of CLR or LR (1) parser, LALR parser

uses the LR (1) items of CLR parser & of any shift reduce conflicts
are there then it is due to LR (1) parser.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2009
Question. 41

Which of the following statements are TRUE ?

I.

There exist parsing algorithms for some programming languages

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whose complex are less than (n3)
II

A programming language which allows recursion can be

implemented with static storage allocation

III No L-attributed definition can be evaluated in the framework of

bottom-up parsing
IV Code improving transformations can be performed at both source
language and intermediate code level
(A) I and II

(B) I and IV

(C) III and IV

(D) I, III and IV

SOLUTION

I.

Statement is true since there are some parsers which take

0 (n log 2 n) time for parsing.
II. Completely false, since there is no use of stack which is required
for recursion.
III. False
IV. True since both types of optimizations are applied
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2010
Question. 42

What data structure in a complier is used for managing information

about variables and their attributes?
(A) Abstract syntax tree
(B) Symbol table
(C) Semantic stack

(D) Parse table

SOLUTION

Symbol table is used for storing the information about variables and
their attributes by compiler.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 43

Which languages necessarily need heap allocation in the runtime

environment ?
(A) Those that support recursion
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Compiler Design

(B) Those that use dynamic scoping

(C) Those that allow dynamic data structure
(D) Those that use global variables
SOLUTION

Dynamic memory allocation is maintained by heap data structure. So

to allow dynamic data structure heap is required.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 44

The grammar S "aSA|bS|c is

(A) LL (1) but not LR (1)

(B) LR (1) but not LL(1)

(C) Both LL (1) and LR (1)

(D) Neither LL (1) nor LR (1)

SOLUTION

Given grammar
S " aSA
S " bS
S "c
This grammar is not ambiguous so it is LL (1) also LR (1) grammar
since all grammars are LR (1).
Hence (C) is correct option.

**********

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GATE CS Topic wise Questions

Computer Network

YEAR 2003
Question. 1

Which of the following assertions is false about the internet Protocol

(IP) ?
(A) It is possible for a computer to have multiple IP addresses
(B) IP packets from the same source to the same destination can take
different routes in the network
(C) IP ensures that a packet is farwarded if it is unable to reach its
destination within a given number of hopes
(D) The packet source cannot set the route of an outgoing packets;
the route is determined only by the routing tables in the routers
on the way.
SOLUTION

Internet protocol ensures that a packet is forwarded if it is unable

to reach its destination within a given no. of hops. One computer
can have multiple IP addresses also packets having same source &
destination can take different routes.
Source doesnt decide where to route the packet, but it is decided by
the routing tables at intermediate routers.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 2

Which of the following functionalities must be implemented by a

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Computer Network

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transport protocol over and above the network protocol ?
(A) Recovery from packet losses
(B) Detection of duplicate packets
(C) Packet delivery in the correct order
(D) End to end connectivity
SOLUTION

Transport protocols are mainly for providing end to end connections

by making sockets.
Recovery from packet loss & delivery in correct order, duplication is
checked by Data link layer.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 3

The subnet mask for a particular network is 255.255.31.0 Which of

the following pairs of IP addresses could belong to this network ?
(A) 172.57.88.62 and 172.56.87.23.2
(B) 10.35.28.2 and 10.35.29.4
(C) 191.203.31.87 and 191.234.31.88
(D) 128.8.129.43 and 128.8.161.55
SOLUTION

(A) Given subnet mask 255.255.31.0

11111111 .11111111 .00011111 .00000000
Option (A) & (C) has 16 MSBs different so IP address cant
belong to same network.
In option (B) & (C) let us see LSBs.
28.2
00011100.00000010
(B) 29.4
00011101.00000101
Anding with 00011111. 0000000
Both give different results. So not possible.
10000001.00101011
129.43
(D)
00011111.00000000
Anding
00000001.00000000
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Computer Network

10100001.00110111
161.55 00011111.00000000
00000001.00000000
Both belong to same network.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 4

A 2 km long brodcast LAN has 107 bps bandwidth and uses CSMA/
CD. The signal travels along the wire at 2 # 108 m/s. What is the
minimum packet size that can be used on this network ?
(A) 50 bytes

(B) 100 bytes

(C) 200 bytes

(D) None of the above

SOLUTION

Total distance for RTT = 4 Km

Transfer rate = 2 # 108 ms 1
3
Time to transfer = 4 # 108
2 # 10
= 2 # 10 5 sec
Data rate = 107 bps
Packet size = 2 # 10 5 # 107 bytes
= 200 bytes
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 5

Host A is sending data to host B over a full duplex link. A and B

are using the sliding window protocol for flow control. The send and
receive window sizes are 5 packets each. Data packets (sent only
from A to B) are all 1000 bytes long and the transmission time for
such a packet is 50 s . Acknowledgment packets (sent only from B
to A), are very small and require negligible transmission time. The
propagation delay over the link is 200 s . What is the maximum
achievable throughput in this communication ?
(A) 7.69 # 106 bps

(B) 11.11 # 106 bps

(C) 12.33 # 106 bps

(D) 15.00 # 106 bps

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SOLUTION

= 1000 bytes
=5
= 5000 bytes.
= 200 s
= 50 s /Packet.
= 50 # 5 = 250s
= 250 + 200 = 450s
5000
Rate = Data =
Time
450 # 10 6

Data packet size

No. of packets
Total data
Propagation delay
Transmission time
So far 5 packets
Total time for 5 packets

= 11.11 # 106 bps

Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2004
Question. 6

Choose the best matching Group 1 and Group 2.

Group-1

Group-2

P. Data link layer

1. Ensures reliable transport of data over

a physical point-to-point link

Q. Network layer

2. Encodes/ decodes data for physical

transmission

R. Transport layer

3. Allowed-to-end communication between

two processes

(A) P-1, Q-4, R-3

(B) P-2, Q-4, R-1

(C) P-2, Q-3, R-1

(D) P-1, Q-3, R-2

SOLUTION

Transport layer is responsible for end to end communication, creation

of sockets.
Network layer routes the data from one node to other, till it reach
to destination. Datalink layer ensures reliable data transfer by error
correction, duplication check ordered delivery etc.
P 1, Q 4, R 3
Hence (A) is correct option.
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Computer Network

Question. 7

Which of the following is NOT true with respective to a transparent

bridge and a router ?
(A) Both bridge and router selectively farward data packets
(B) A bridge uses IP addresses while a router uses MAC addresses
(C) A bridge builds up its routing table by inspecting incoming
packets
(D) A router can connect between a LAN and a WAN.
SOLUTION

Bridge is the device which work at data link layer whereas router
works at network layer. Both selectively forward packets, build routing
table & connect between LAN & WAN but since bridge works at data
link it uses MAC addresses to route whereas router uses IP addresses.
Option (B) is false.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 8

How many 8-bit characters can be transmitted per second over a

9600 baud serial communication link using asynchronous mode of
transmission with one start bit, eight data bits, and one parity bit ?
(A) 600

(B) 800

(C) 876

(D) 1200

SOLUTION

Baud is the symbol which is sent over the link, baud = 9600 bits 18
bit character has baud size of 12 bits.
So no. of characters = 9600
12
= 800
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 9

A and B are the only two stations on an Ethernet. Each has a steady
queue of frames to send. Both A and B attempt to transmit a frame,
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collide, and A wins the first backoff race, At the end of this successful
transmission by A, both A and B attempt to transmit and collide.
The probability that A wins the second backoff race is
(A) 0.5
(B) 0.625
(C) 0.75

(D) 1.0

SOLUTION

A wins the first back off race the conditions are (0, 1)
After that during second back off four conditions (0, 1, 2, 3)
Probably = 1 # 3 # 1 # 1
2
2
2
4
=3+1
8 4
= 5 = 0.625
8
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 10

The routing table of a router is shown below :

Destination

Subnet Mask

Interface

128.75.43.0

255.255.255.0

Eth 0

128.75.43.0

255.255.255.128

Eth 1

192.12.17.5

255.255.255.255

Eth 3

deraulf

Eth 2

On which interface will the router farward packets addressed to

destinations 128.75.43.16 and 192.12.17.10 respectively ?
(A) Eth 1 and Eth 2
(B) Eth 0 and Eth 2
(C) Eth 0 and Eth 3

(D) Eth 1 and Eth 3

SOLUTION

Given IP Address
128.75.43.16.
Eth 0 128.75.43.0.
Mask 255.255.255.0.
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Computer Network

Equation (1) & (2) both are of same network.

(1)
192.12.17.10.
Eth 3 192.12.17.5.
(2)
Mask 255.255.255.255.
Equation (1) & (2) both are of same network
Hence (C) is correct option.

Data for Q. 11 & 12 are given below.

Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
Consider three IP networks A, B and C. Host HA in network A
send messages each containing 180 bytes of application data to a
host HC in network C. The TCP layer prefixes a 20 byte header to
the message. This passes through an intermediate network B. The
maximum packet size, including 20 byte IP header, in each network is
A : 1000 bytes
B : 100 bytes
C : 1000 bytes
The network A and B are connected through a 1 Mbps link, while B
and C are connected by a 512 Kbps link (bps=bits per second).

Question. 11

Assuming that the packets are correctly delivered, how many bytes,
including headers, are delivered to the IP layer at the destination
for one application message, in the best case ? Consider only data
packets.
(A) 200
(B) 220
(C) 240

(D) 260

SOLUTION

At A Data + Header = 200 bytes

This would require only 1 packet of N/W A
At B 200 bytes of payload from network A is packed in 80 payload +
20 header packet.
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This would require
20+80
20+80
Packets total 260 bytes.
These are transferred to C.
Hence (D) is correct option.

20+40

Question. 12

What is the rate at which application data is transferred to host Hc

? Ignore errors, acknowledgements, and other overheads.
(A) 325.5 Kbps

(B) 354.5 Kbps

(C) 409.6 Kbps

(D) 512.0 Kpps

SOLUTION

200 byte at 1 Mbps

8 sec
Time = 200 #
106
260 byte at 512 kbps or .5 Mbps
Time = 260 # 86 # 2
10
So rate of data transfer = Total data
total time
= 354.5 Kbps
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2005
Question. 13

Packets of the same session may be routed through different paths in

(A) TCP, but not UDP

(B) TCP and UDP

(C) UDP but not TCP

(D) Neither TCP, nor UDP

SOLUTION

Selection of any path during routing of a packet is done at Network

layer not at transport layer, So TCP & UDP both have nothing to
do with this.
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Computer Network

Hence (D) is correct option.

Question. 14

The address resolution protoc0l (ARP) is used for

(A) Finding the IP address from the DNS
(B) Finding the IP address of the default gateway
(C) Finding the IP address that corresponds to a MAC address
(D) Finding the MAC address that corresponds to an IP address
SOLUTION

Address resolution protocol is applied to determine MAC address

corresponding to an IP address.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 15

The maximum window size for data transmission using the selective
reject protocol with n -bit frame sequence numbers is
(A) 2n

(B) 2n 1

(C) 2n 1

(D) 2n 2

SOLUTION

n bit frame sequence nos are used so possible are 2n nos.

n
But sending & receiving window together so 2 = 2n 1
2
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 16

In a network of LANs connected by bridges, packets are set from one

LAN to another through intermediate bridges. Since more than one
path may exist between two LANs, packets may have to be routed
through multiple bridges. Why is the spanning tree algorithm used
for bridge-routing ?
(A) For shortest path routing between LANs
(B) For avoiding loops in the routing paths
(C) For fault tolerance
(D) For minimizing collisions
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SOLUTION

Spanning tree algorithm for a graph is applied to find a tree free of

cycles, so in this network we apply spanning tree algorithm to remove
loops in routing paths.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 17

An organization has a class B network and wishes to form subnets for

64 departments. The subnet mask would be
(A) 255.255.0.0

(B) 255.255.64.0

(C) 255.255.128.0

(D) 255.255.255.0

SOLUTION

Class B has subnet mask = 255.255.0.0

We require 64 more subnets so 26 .
6 bits are required.
255.255.11111100.00000000
255.255.
252.0
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 18

In a packet switching network, packets are routed from source to

destination along a single path having two intermediate node. If the
message size is 24 bytes and each packet contains a header of 3 bytes,
then the optimum packet size is
(A) 4

(B) 6

(C) 7

(D) 9

SOLUTION

Packet switched network message

Header size
Case 1
If packet size
Then data
So require 24 packets
Case 2
Page 10

Packet size 6

= 24 byte
=3
=4
= 4 3 = 1 byte only

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Computer Network

Data = 6 3 = 3
Require 8 pakets.
Case 3

Packet size = 7
Data = 7 3 = 4
Require 24 = 4 packets.
4

Case 4

Packet size = 9
Data = 9 3 = 6
Require = 24 = 4 packets.
6

So min requirement is in case 4.

Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 19

Suppose the round trip propagation delay for a 10 Mbps Ethernet

having 48-bit jamming signal is 46.4 s . The minimum frame size is :
(A) 94
(B) 416
(C) 464

(D) 512

SOLUTION

Link speed = 10 Mbps

Delay = 46.4 s
Total bits transferred = 10 # 46.4 # 106 # 10 6
= 464 bits.
But 48 bit jamming signal also required.
So frame size = 464 + 48
= 512 bits
Hence (D) is correct option.
YEAR 2006
Question. 20

For which one of the following reason: does Internet Protocol (IP) use
the time-to-live (TTL) field in the IP datagram header?
(A) Ensure packets reach destination within that time
(B) Discard packets that reach later than that time
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(C) Prevent packets from looping indefinitely
(D) Limit the time for which a packet gets queued in intermediate
routers
SOLUTION

IP use TTL (Time to Live) field in IP datagram header to check

whether the datagram is later than its correct reach time.
So if current time is greater than TTL then discard the packet.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 21

Station A uses 32 byte packets to transmit messages to Station B

using a sliding window protocol. The round trip delay between A and
B is 80 milliseconds and the bottleneck bankwidth on the path
between aA and B is 128 kbps. What is the optimal window size that
A should use ?
(A) 20
(B) 40
(C) 160

(D) 320

SOLUTION

Path bandwidth = 128 kbps

Time delay = 80 ms
Total data = 80 # 128 # 103 # 10 3 bits
= 80 # 128 bytes
8
= 1280 bytes.
1 packet size = 32 byte
No. of packets = 1280
32
= 40
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 22

Two computers C1 and C2 are configured as follows. C1 has IP

address 203. 197.2.53 and netmask 255.255. 128.0. C2 has IP address
203.197.75.201 and netmask 255.255.192.0. Which one of the following
statements is true?
(A) C1 and C2 both assume they are on the same network
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Computer Network

(B) C2 assumes C1 is on same network, but C1 assumes C2 is on a

different network
(C) C1 assumes C2 is on same network, but C2 assumes C1 is on a
different network
(D) C1 and C2 both assume they are on different networks
SOLUTION

C1
IP Addr 203.197. 2.53
Mask
255.255.128.0
N/W ID 203.197. 0.0

C2
203.197. 75.201
255.255.192.0
203.197. 64.0

Both are at different networks but.

C1
203.197. 2.53
255.255.192.0
N/W 203.197. 0.0

C2
203.197. 75.201
255.255.128.0
203.197. 0.0

Interchanging of mask by C1 gives the same N/W ID as C 1 originally

has for C 2 so C 1 assumes that C 2 is one same network, but C 2' s
subnet doesnt given same N/W ID so.
C2 assumes C 1 is not in same network.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 23

Station A needs to send a message consisting of 9 packets to Station

B using a siding window (window size 3) and go-back-n error
control strategy. All packets are ready and immediately available for
transmission. If every 5th packet that A transmits gets lost (but no
acks from B ever get lost), then what is the number of packets that
A will transmit for sending the message to B ?
(A) 12
(B) 14
(C) 16

(D) 18

SOLUTION

Sender
Time
1

Packet no.
1

Receiver
Time Packet status
1
ACK
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2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
7
5 resend
8
6
9
7
10
8
11
9
12
9 resend
Total time = 12
Hence (A) is correct option.

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

ACK
ACK
ACK
Lost
Discard
ACK
ACK
ACK
ACK
Lost

Question. 24

For the given connection of LANs by bridges, which one of the

following choices represents the depth first traversal of the a panning
tree of bridges?
(A) B1,B5,B3,B4,B2

(B) B1,B3,B5,B2,B4

(C) B1,B5,B2,B3,B4

(D) B1.B3.B4.B5.B2

SOLUTION

Graph of bridge

Hence (C) is correct option.

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Spinning tree

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Question. 25

Consider the correct spanning tree for the previous question. Let host
H1 send out a broadcast ping packet. Which of the following options
represents the correct for forwarding table on B3?
(A)

(B)
Hosts

Ports

Hosts

Port

H1,H2,H3,H4

H1, H2

H5,H6,H9,H10

H3, H4

H7,H8,H11,H12

H5, H6

H7, H8, H9, H10 2

H11, H12
(C)

(D)

Hosts

Port

Hosts

Port

H1, H2, H3, H4

H1, H2, H3, H4

H5, H6, H9, H10

H5, H7, H9, H10

H7,H8, H11, H12

H7, H8, H11, H12

SOLUTION

From the given graphs spanning tree port 1, 2, 3 of bridge 3 are used
to access.
Port

H5

H6

H9

H10

H7

H8

H11

H12

H1

H2

H3

H4

Hence (A) is correct option.

YEAR 2007

Question. 26

In Ehernet when manchester encoding is used, the bit rate is

(A) Half the baud rate

(B) Twice the baud rate

(C) Same as the baud rate

(D) None of these

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SOLUTION

In Manchester encoding each bit is described by 2 voltage levels. So

bit rate becomes twice the band rate.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 27

Which one of the following uses UDP as the transport protocol?

(A) HTTP
(B) Telnet
(C) DNS

(D) SMTP

SOLUTION

HTTP & SMTP uses TCP to make calls. DNS which is used for
mapping names to IP addresses uses UDP to make function calls.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 28

There are n stations in a slotted LAN. Each station attempts to

transmit with a probability p in each time slot. What is the probability
that ONLY one station transmits in a given time slot?
(A) np (1 p) n 1
(B) (1 p) n 1
(C) p (1 p) n 1

(D) 1 (1 p) n 1

SOLUTION

Using binomial theorem.

Prob. that only 1 station = nc (p) 1 (1 p) n 1 transmits.
n! p (1 p) n 1
=
(n 1) !
1

= np (1 p) n 1
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 29

In a token ring network the transmission speed is 10 bps and the

propagation speed is 200 metres/ s . The 1-bit delay in this network
is equivalent to;
(A) 500 metres of cable
(B) 200 metres of cable
(C) 20 metres of cable
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(D) 50 metres of cable

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Computer Network

SOLUTION

Transmission speed = 107 bps

Propagation speed = 200 m/s
or 2 # 108 m/s
107 bps = 2 # 108 mps
8
m
1 bit = 2 # 10
7
10
= 20 m of cable
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 30

The address of a class B host is to be split into subnets with a 6-bit

subnet number. What is the maximum number of subnets and the
maximum number of hosts in each subnet?
(A) 62 subnets and 262142 hosts
(B) 64 subnets and 262142 hosts
(C) 62 subnets and 1022 hosts
(D) 64 subnets and 1024 hosts
SOLUTION

Class B subnet mask.

255.255.0.0
6 bits are used for subnetting
255.255.11111100.00000000
255.255.252.0
Using 6 bits 26 = 64 combination
Can be made but000 000 & 111 111 are used for default & broadcasting.
So 62 subnets possible.
Similarly for addressing host we have 10 bits 210 = 1024 addresses.
But all Os & all 1s are not used so 1022 addresses for hosts.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 31

The message 11001001 is to be transmitted using the CRC polynomial

x3 + 1 to protect it from errors. The message that should be transmitted
is:
(A) 11001001000
(B) 11001001011
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(C) 11001010

(D) 110010010011

SOLUTION

Message = 11001001
Polynomial = x7 + x6 + x3 + 1
CRC polynomial = x3 + 1

x 4 + x3 x
x 3 + 1 x7 + x 6 + x 3 + 1
x7

! x4
x6 x 4 + x3 + 1

x6

! x3

x4 + 1
! x4

"x

x+1
x + 1 is remained three bit binary CRC is 011
So CRC checked 11001001011
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 32

The distance between two stations M and N is L kilo metres. All

frames are K bits long. The propagation delay per kilo metre is t
seconds Let R bits/second be the channel capacity. Assuming that
processing delay is negligible, the minimum number of bits for the
sequence number field in a frame for maximum utilization, when the
sliding window protocol is used, is;
(A) :log2 2LtR + 2K D
(B) :log2 2LtR D
K
K
(C) :log2 2LtR + K D
K

(D) :log2 2LtR + K D

2K

SOLUTION

Dist between
Propagation delay
Total delay
Frame size
Capacity of channel
RTT
Page 18

source & lest L Km

= sec/km
= Lt
= K bits
= R bit/sec
= 2L sec

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Computer Network

To get no. of bits we require no. of frames, required

Total data = 2Lt # R & rate # time
= 2LtR bits
No. of frames = 2LtR
K
Let n bits required for sequence no.
2n = 2LtR
K
n = log 2 :2LtR D
K
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 33

Match the following:

P. SMTP

1. Application layer

Q. BGP

2. Transport layer

R. TCP

3. Data link layer

S.

4. Network layer

PPP

5. Physical layer
(A) P-2,Q-1,R-3,S-5
(B) P-1,Q-4,R-2,S-3
(C) P-1,Q-4,R-2,S-5
(D) P-2,Q-4,R-1,S-3
SOLUTION

SMTP (Simple mail transfer Protocol) is application layer based.

BGP is network layer based.
TCP (Transport Control Protocol) is transport layer based.
PPP (Point to Point protocol) is data link layer based protocol.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2008
Question. 34

What is the maximum size of data that the application layer can pass
on to the TCP layer below?
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(A) Any size

(B) 216 bytes-size of TCP header

(C) 216 bytes

(D) 1500 bytes

SOLUTION

Application layer pass data to TCP layer. The length is of 16 bits. So

total length 216 bytes. But this is not complete payload, it has header
also. So actual data.
216 bytes Size of TCP header
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 35

In the slow start phase of TCP congesting control algorithm, the size
of the congestion window
(A) Does not increase
(B) Increases linearly
(C) Increases quadratically
(D) Increases exponentially
SOLUTION

Slow start is one of the algorithm that TCP uses to control congestion
inside the network, also known as exponential growth phase, here the
TCP congestion window size is increased.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 36

If a class B network on the Internet has a subnet mask of 255.255.248.0,

what is the maximum number of hosts per subnet?
(A) 1022
(B) 1023
(C) 2046

(D) 2047

SOLUTION

Class B subnet mask

255.255.0.0
Given subnet mask including subnetting
255.255.248.0
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i.e 255.255.11111000.00000000
Since 5 bits used for subnetting so.
25 = 32 subnets possible
& 11 bits are used for host address.
211 hosts allowed = 2048 hosts.
But00000000 000 & 11111111 111
Address for host not allowed, 2046 hosts possible.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 37

A computer on a 10Mbps network is regulated by atoken bucket.

The token bucket is filled at a rate of 2Mbps. It is initially filled to
capacity with 16Megabits. What is the maximum duration for which
the computer can transmit at the full 10Mbps?
(A) 1.6 seconds

(B) 2 seconds

(C) 5 seconds

(D) 8 seconds

SOLUTION

Initially filled = 16 Mb
Bucket fill rate = 2 Mbps
Time (sec)
0
1
1.8
2

Bucket (Mbps)
16
16 10 + 2 = 8
8 8 + 1.6
1.6 2 + .4 = 0

At t = 0 16 Mb are there.
t = 1 10 Mb are transmitted but 2 Mb are filled in taken bucket
t = 1.8 8 Mb are transmitted but 2 # .8 = 1.6 Mb are filled.
t = 2 1.6 Mb are transmitted with 2 # .2 = .4 Mb.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 38

A client process P needs to make a TCP connection to a server

Process S . Consider the following situation; the server process S
executes a socket (), a bind() and a listen () system call in that order,
following which it is preempted. Subsequently, the client Process P
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executes a socket () system call followed by connect () system call to
connect to the server process S . The server process has not executed
any accept() system call. Which one of the following events could
take place?
(A) connect ( ) system call returns successfully
(B) connect ( ) system call blocks
(C) connect ( ) system call returns an error
(D) connect ( ) system call results in a core dump
SOLUTION

Since accept ( ) call is not executed then connect ( ) gets no response

for a time stamp to wait & then return no response server error.
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2009
Question. 39

In the RSA public key cryptosystem, the private and the public keys
are (e, n) and (d, n) respectively, where n = p) and p and q are large
primes. Besides, n is public and p and q are private. Let M be an
integer such that 0 < M < n and (n) = (p 1) (q 1). Now consider
the following equations.
I.

M' = Me mod n
M = (M') d mod n

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II

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Computer Network

ed / 1 mod n

III ed / 1 mod (n)

IV M' = Me mod (n)
M = (M') d mod (n)
Which of the above equations correctly represent RSA cryptosystem
?
(A) I and II

(B) I and III

(C) II and IV

(D) III and IV

SOLUTION

RSA is an algorithm for public key cryptography

Involves a public & one private key.
We choose 2 different prime nos P & Q.
Compute n = pq
Calculate (pq) = (p 1) (q 1) (Eulers tolient function)
Select e and exponent where 1 < e < (pq)
Select d where ed 1 is divisible by (pq)
So condition are
M' = Me mod n eneryption
M = (M') mod n decryption
&
ed = 1 mod (n)
I & III
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 40

While opening a TCP connection, the initial sequence number is

to be derived using a time-of-day (ToD) clock that keeps running
even when the host is down. he low order 32 bits of the counter
of TOD clock is to be used for the initial sequence numbers. The
clock counter increments once per millisecond. The maximum packet
lifetime is given to be 64s.
Which one of the choices given below is closet to the minimum
permissible rate at which sequence numbers used for packets of a
connection can increase ?
(A) 0.015/s

(B) 0.064/s

(C) 0.135/s

(D) 0.327/s
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SOLUTION

Packet life time = 64 sec

Increment time = 1 ms
So rate of generation of packets = 64 ms
1
= .064 /sec
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 41

LetG (x) be the generator polynomial used for CRC checking. What is
the condition that should be satisfied by G (x) to detect odd number
of bits in error ?
(A) G (x) contains more than two terms
(B) G (x) does not divide 1 + xk , for any K not exceeding the frame
length
(C) 1 + x is a factor of G (x)
(D) G (x) has an odd number of terms
SOLUTION

In this case polynomial generator should satisfy

(A) Polynomial generated shouldnt be divisible by x
(B) It should be divisible by 1 + x i.e (1 + x) is a factor of polynomial
Hence (C) is correct option.

Statement for Linked Answer Question 42 & 43

Frames of 1000 bits are sent over a 106 bps duplex link between two
hosts. The propagation time is 25 ms. Frames are to be transmitted
into to maximally pack them in transit (within the link).
Question. 42

What is the minimum number of bits (l) that will be required to

represent the sequence numbers distinctly ? Assume that no time gap
needs to be given between transmission of two frames.

Page 24

(A) l = 2

(B) l = 3

(C) l = 4

(D) l = 5

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SOLUTION

Link capacity = 106 bps

Propagation time = 25 cms
Total data = 106 # 25 # 10 3
= 25 kb
Frame size = 1000 bits
No. of frames = 25 # 1000
1000
= 25
25 = 32 2 4 = 16
So sequence nos required for 25 frames should have l = 5 bits.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 43

Suppose that the sliding window protocol is used with the sender
window size of 2l , where l is the number of bits identified in the
earlier part and acknowledgements are always piggy backed. After
sending 2l frames, what is the minimum time the sender will have to
wait before starting transmission of the next frame ? (Identify the
closest choice ignoring the frame processing time)
(A) 16 ms

(B) 18 ms

(C) 20 ms

(D) 22 ms

SOLUTION

l = 5 here
2l = 32
Total 32 frames of 1000 bits each need to be sent.
Time = 32 # 1000
= 32 m sec
106
Time taken by first acknowledgement
= 2 # RTT
= 2 # 25 = 50 ms
Time to wait = 50 32
= 18 m sec
Hence (B) is correct option.
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YEAR 2010
Question. 44

One of the header fields in an IP datagram is the Time-to-Live (TTL)

field. Which of the following statements best explains the need for
this field ?
(A) It can be used to prioritize packets
(B) It can be used to reduce delays
(C) It can be used to optimize throughput
(D) It can be used to prevent packet looping
SOLUTION

Time to live field in IP datagram signifies the time stamp for which
that packet is valid, if it reaches to a particular hop late than this time
stamp it needed to be discorded. This prevents looping of packets.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 45

Which one of the following is not a client-server application ?

(A) Internet chat
(B) Web browsing
(C) E-mail

(D) Ping

SOLUTION

Internet- Chat is maintained by chat servers, web browsing is

sustained by web servers, E-mails are stored at mail servers, but ping
is an utility which is used to identify connection between any two
computer. One can be client, other can be client or server anything
but aim is to identify whether connection exists or not between the
two.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 46

Suppose computers A and B have IP addresses 10.105.1.113 and

10.105.1.91 respectively and they both use the same netmask N.
Which of the values of N given below should not be used if A and B
should belong to the same network ?
(A) 225.255.255.0
(B) 255.255.255.128
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(C) 255.255.255.192

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Computer Network

(D) 255.255.255.224

SOLUTION

(A)
IP Addr
N/W Addr

A
10.105. 1.113
255.255.255.0
10.105. 1.0

B
10.105. 1.91
255.255.255.0
10.105. 1.0

So addresses belong to same N/W.

(B)
N/W Addr

255.255.128
01110001
10000000
10.105.1.0

255.255.255.128
01011011
10000000
10.105. 1. 0

Same network
(C)

10.105. 1.01110001
255.255.255.11000000
10.105. 1.01000000

10.105. 1.01011011
255.255.255.11000000
10.105. 1.01000000

Same network
(D)

10.105. 1.01110001
255.255.255.11100000
10.105. 1.01100000

10.105. 1.01011011
255.255.255.11100000
10.105. 1.01000000

N/W ids differ so different network

Hence (D) is correct option.

Statement for Linked Answer Questions 47 & 48

Consider a network with 6 routers R1 and R6 connected with links
having weights as shown in the following diagram.
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Question. 47

All the routers use the distance vector based routing algorithm
to update their routing tables. Each starts with its routing table
initialized to contain an entry for each neighbour with the weight of
the respective connecting link. After all the routing tables stabilize,
how many links in the network will never be used for carrying any
data ?
(A) 4

(B) 3

(C) 2

(D) 1

SOLUTION

Tables for routing information

R1

R2

R3

R2 3 + 2 = 5

R1 2 + 3 = 5

R1 4 + 9 + 3 = 16

R3 3

R3 2

R2 4 + 1 + 7 = 12

R 4 3 + 2 + 7 = 12

R4 7

R 3 4 + 9 = 13

R5 3 + 9 = 12

R5 7 + 1 = 8

R4 4 + 1 = 5

R6 3 + 9 + 4 = 16

R6 7 + 1 + 4 = 12 R5 4

R4

R5

R6

R1 7 + 2 + 3 = 12 R1 9 + 3 = 12 R1 4 + 9 + 3 = 16
R2 7

R2 1 + 7 = 8

R2 4 + 1 + 7 = 12

R3 7 + 2 = 9

R3 9

R 3 4 + 9 = 13

R5 1

R4 1

R4 4 + 1 = 5

R6 4
R6 1 + 4 = 5
Edge R1 " R2 = 6
& R 4 " R6 = 8
Are never used
Page 28

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Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 48

Suppose the weights of all unused links in the previous question are
changed to 2 and the distance vector algorithm is used again until all
routing tables stabilize. How many links will now remain unused ?
(A) 0
(B) 1
(C) 2

(D) 3

SOLUTION

Now the network becomes

Using same method.

R1
R2 2
R3 3
R4 2 + 7 = 9
R5 3 + 9 = 12
R6 2 + 7 + 2 = 11

R2
R1 2
R3 2
R4 7
R5 7 + 1 = 8
R6 7 + 2 = 9

R3
R1
R2
R4
R5
R6

3
2
2+7 = 9
9
9 + 1 + 2 = 12

R 4 R5
R5 1 R6 1 + 2 = 3
R6 2
So
R5 " R6 = 4 is never used.
Hence (B) is correct option.

**********

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GATE CS Topic wise Questions

Computer Organization and Architecture

YEAR 2001
Question. 1

More than one word are put in one cache block to

(A) Exploit the temporal locality of reference in a program
(B) Exploit the spatial locality of reference in a program
(C) Reduce the miss penalty
(D) None of the above
SOLUTION

Cache is the small memory which has a very less access time. So it is
used for temporal locality of reference whereas virtual memory is for
spatial locality of reference.
Hence (A) is correct option.

Question. 2

A low memory can be connected to 8085 by using

(A) INTER

(B) RESET IN

(C) HOLD

(D) READY

SOLUTION

A low memory can be connected to 8085 by using READY signal. If

READY is set then communication is possible.

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Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 3

Suppose a processor does not have any stack pointer register. Which
of the following statements is true ?
(A) It cannot have subroutine call instruction
(B) It can have subroutine call instruction, but no nested subroutine
calls.
(C) Nested subroutine calls are possible, but interrupts are not.
(D) All sequences of subroutine calls and also interrupts are possible
SOLUTION

Stack pointer register holds the address of top of stack, which is the
location of memory at which the CPU should resume its execution
after servicing some interrupt or subroutine call.
So if SP register not available then no subroutine call instructions
are possible.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 4

A processor needs software interrupt to

(A) Test the interrupt system of the processor.
(B) Implement co-routines.
(C) Obtain system services which need execution of privileged
instructions.
(D) Return from subroutine.
SOLUTION

A CPU needs software interrupt to obtain system services which need

execution of privileged instructions.
Hence (C) is correct opton.
Question. 5

A CPU has two modes-privileged and non-privileged. In order to

change the mode from privileged to non-privileged.
(A) A hardware interrupt is needed.
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Computer Organization &
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(B) A software interrupt is needed.

(C) A privileged instruction (which does not generate an interrupt)
is needed.
(D) A non-privileged instruction (Which does not generate an
interrupt) is needed.
SOLUTION

A software interrupt is initiated by some program module which need

some CPU services, at that time the two modes can be interchanged.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 6

The process of assigning load addresses to the various parts of the

program and adjusting the code and date in the program to reflect
the assigned addresses is called
(A) Assembly

(B) Parsing

(C) Relocation

(D) Symbol resolution

SOLUTION

Load addresses are assigned to various parts of the program, the

program can be loaded at any location in memory. This location is
added to all addresses in the code, to get correct references.
This makes a code re-locatable.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 7

Which of the following requires a device driver ?

(A) Register

(B) Cache

(C) Main memory

(D) Disk

SOLUTION

Device driver is the program which co-ordinates with CPU to regulate

the devices. Register, cache & main memory are directly connected
to CPU.
So only Disk from given options require device drivers.
Hence (D) is correct option.
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Question. 8

Which is the most appropriate match for the items in the first column
with the items in the second column
(X.) Indirect Addressing

(I.) Array implementation

(Y.) Indexed Addressing

(II.) Writing re-locatable code

(Z.) Base Register Addressing

(III.) Passing array as parameter

(A) (X, III) (Y, I) (Z, II)

(B) (X, II) (Y, III) (Z, I)

(C) (X, III) (Y, II) (Z, I)

(D) (X, I) (Y, III) (Z, II)

SOLUTION

Indexed addressing is used for array implementation where each

element has indexes. Base register is used to re-locatable code, where
starts from base address & then all local addresses as added to base
address.
Indirect addressing is done when array is passed as parameter only
name is passed.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 9

Consider the following data path of a simple non-pilelined CPU. The

registers A, B, A1 , A2 , MDR the bus and the ALU are 8-bit wide. SP
and MAR are 16-bit registers. The MUX is of size 8 # (2: 1) and the
DEMUX is of size 8 # (1: 2). Each memory operation takes 2 CPU
clock cycles and uses MAR (Memory Address Register) and MDR
(Memory Date Register). SP can be decremented locally.

The CPU instruction push r, where = A or B, has the specification

M [SP] !r
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SP ! SP 1
How many CPU clock cycles are needed to execute the push r
instruction ?
(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 4

(D) 5

SOLUTION

Push r
Consist of following operations
M [SP] !r
SP ! SP 1
r is stored at memory at address stack pointer currently is, this take
2 clock cycles.
SP is then decremented to point to next top of stack.
So total cycles = 3
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 10

Which of the following does not interrupt a running process ?

(A) A device

(B) Timer

(C) Scheduler process

(D) Power failure

SOLUTION

A device can request interrupt service. A timer when finishes or power

failure causes a running process to stop. But a scheduler process
doesnt do this.
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2002
Question. 11

A device employing INTR line for device interrupt puts the CALL
instruction on the data bus while
(A) INTA is active

(B) HOLD is active

(C) READY is active

(D) None of the above

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SOLUTION

INTR is a signal which if enabled then microprocessor has interrupt

enabled it receives high INR signal & activates INTA signal, so
another request cant be accepted till CPU is busy in servicing
interrupt.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 12

In 8085 which of the following modifies the program counter ?

(A) Only PCHL instruction
(B) Only ADD instructions
(C) Only JMP and CALL instructions
(D) All instructions
SOLUTION

Program counter is the register which has the next location of the
program to be executed next. JMP & CALL changes the value of PC.
PCHL instruction copies content of registers H & L to PC.
ADD instruction after completion increments program counter. So
program counter is modified in all cases.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 13

In serial data transmission, every byte of data is padded with a 0 in

the beginning and one or two 1s at the end of byte because
(A) Receiver is to be synchronized for byte reception
(B) Receiver recovers lost 0s and 1 from these padded bits
(C) Padded bits are useful in parity computation.
(D) None of the above
SOLUTION

In serial data transmission the sender & receiver needs to be

synchronized with each other. Receiver should know when 1 byte
of data has been sent. 0 & 1s which are padded tell the receiver to
synchronize.
Hence (A) is correct option.
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Question. 14

Which of the following is not a form of memory ?

(A) Instruction cache

(B) Instruction register

(C) Instruction opcode

(D) Translation-a-side buffer

SOLUTION

Instruction register stores instruction, look-a-side buffer & instruction

cache are also memory.
But instruction opcodes are the opcodes related to an instruction
which are not part of memory hierarchy.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 15

In the C language
(A) At most one activation record exists between the current
activation record and the activation record for the main.
(B) The number of activation records between the current activation
record and the activation record for the main depends on the
actual function calling sequence.
(C) The visibility of global variables depends on the actual function
calling sequence.
(D) Recursion requires the activation record for the recursive function
to be saved on a different stack before the recursive fraction can
be called.
SOLUTION

Activation record is the contiguous memory locations where the data

needed by the program is kept so at most one activation record exist
between current activation record & the record for the main.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 16

In the absolute the addressing mode

(A) The operand is inside the instruction
(B) The address of the operand is inside the instruction
(C) The register containing the address of the operand is specified
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inside the instruction
(D) The location of the operand is implicit
SOLUTION

In absolute addressing mode, no need of giving operand, the operand

are implicit, instruction itself has knowledge of operands.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 17

The performance of a pipelined processor suffers if

(A) The pipelined stages have different delays
(B) Consecutive instructions are dependent on each other
(C) The pipeline stages share hardware resources
(D) All the above
SOLUTION

Pipelining is a method to execute a program breaking it in several

independent sequence of stages.
In that case pipeline stages cant have different delays, no dependency
among consecutive instructions & sharing of hardware resources
shouldnt be there. So option (D) is true
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 18

Horizontal microprogramming
(A) Does not require use of signal decoders
(B) Results in larger
microprogramming

sized

microinstructions

than

vertical

(C) Uses one bit for each control signal

(D) All of the above
SOLUTION

In horizontal microprogramming the instruction size is not large, &

no decoding is required. But 1 bit is used for all control signals.
Hence (C) is correct option.
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YEAR 2003
Question. 19

For a pipelined CPU with a single ALU, consider the following

situations
1. The j + 1 st instruction uses the result of j th instruction as
an operand
2. The execution of a conditional jump instruction
3. The j th and j + 1 st instructions require the ALU at the same
time
Which of the above can cause a hazard?
(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 2 and 3 only
(C) 3 only

(D) All the three

SOLUTION

Case 1

is here of data dependency, this cant be safe with single

ALU so read after write.
Case 2
Conditional jumps are always hazardous they create
conditional dependency in pipeline
Case 3
This is write after read problem or concurrency dependency
so hazardous
All the three are hazardous.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 20

Consider an array multiplier for multiplying two n bit numbers. If

each gate in the circuit has a unit delay, the total delay of the
multiplier is
(A) (1)
(B) (log n)
(C) (n)

(D) (n2)

SOLUTION

The no. of gates used in n bit array multiplier (n # n) is 2n 1. So.

if every single gate takes unit delay, then total delay 0 (2n 1) = 0 (n)
It is of linear order
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Question. 21

Consider the ALU shown below

If the operands are in 2s complement representation, which of the

following operations can be performed by suitably setting the control
lines K and C0 only (+ and - denote addition and subtraction
respectively)?
(A) A + B, and A B, but not A + 1
(B) A + B, and A + 1, but notA B
(C) A + B, but not A B, or A + 1
(D) A + B, and A B, and A + 1
SOLUTION

This is the ckt to add two numbers in 2s complement form. K & C 0

are set to 1. So A + B & A B using bit adders can be done. Also
since C 0 = 1 & in case B 0, B1 ........ all are 0 then it gives A + 1.
Hence (D) is correct option.

Data for Q. 22 & 23 are given below.

Consider the following assembly language program for a hypothetical
processor. A,B and C are 8 bit registers. The meanings of various
instructions are shown as comments.

Z:

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MOV
MOV
CMP
JZX
SUB

B, # 0
C, # 8
C, # 0
C, # 1

;
;
;
;
;

B!0
C!8
compare C with 0
jump to X if zero flag is set
C!C1

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RRC A, # 1

Y:

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; right rotate A through carry

; by one bit. Thus: if the
; initial values of A and the
; carry flag are a7 .......a0 and c0
; respectively, their values
; after the execution of this
; instruction will be c0 a7 .....a1
; and a0 respectively.
;jump to Y if carry flag is set
; jump to Z
; B!B+1
; jump to Z

JCY
JMP Z
ADD B, # 1
JMP Z

X:
Question. 22

If the initial value of register A is A0 , the value of register B after the

program execution will be
(A) the number of 0 bits in A0
(B) the number of 1 bits in A0
(C) A0
(D) 8
SOLUTION

Here value of B incremented by 1 only if carry flag is 1, carry is filled

using right rotation, so B will store the no. of is in A 0 .
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 23

Which of the following instructions when inserted at location X will

ensure that the value of register A after program execution is the
same as its initial value?
(A) RRC A,# 1
(B) NOP

no operation

(C) LRC A, # 1

left rotate A through carry flag by one bit

(D) ADD A, # 1
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SOLUTION

In the end of program execution to check whether both initial and

final value of register A is A 0 , we need to right rotate register A
through carry by one bit.
Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2004

Question. 24

Which of the following addressing modes are suitable for program

relocation at run time?
1. Absolute addressing
2. Based addressing
3. Relative addressing
4. Indirect addressing
(A) 1 and 4

(B) 1 and 2

(C) 2 and 3

(D) 1,2 and 4

SOLUTION

Program relocation at run time transfers complete block to some

memory locations. This require as base address and block should be
relatively addressed through this base address.
This require both based addressing and relative addressing mode.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 25

Consider a multiplexer with X and Y as data inputs and Z as control

input.Z = 0 selects input X , and Z =1 selects input Y . What are the
connection required to realize the 2-variable Boolean function
f = T + R , without using any additional hardware?

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(A) R to X, 1 to Y, T to Z

(B) T to X, R to Y, T to Z

(C) T to X, R to Y, 0 to Z

(D) R to X, 0 to Y, T to Z

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SOLUTION

We require f = T + R
We have MUX equation
f = Z'x + zy
Now if we make following ckt

Truth table
R T F Z
0 0

0 1

1 0

1 1

So X = R Y = 1 Z = T
f

= T'R + T
= (T + T') (T + R)

= T+R

Hence (A) is correct option.

Data for Q. 26 & 27 are given below.

Consider the following program segment for a hypothetical CPU
having three user registers R1,R2 and R3.
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Instruction

Operation

Instruction Size
(in words)
2

MOV R1,5000

;R1!Memory[5000]

MOV R2,R3

;R2!R2+R3

ADD R2,R3

;R2!R2+R3

MOV 6000,R2

;Memory[6000]!R2

HALT

;Machine halts

Question. 26

Consider that the memory is byte addressable with size 32 bits, and
the program has been loaded starting from memory location 1000
(decimal). If an interrupt occurs while the CPU has been halted after
executing the HALT instruction, the return address (in decimal)
saved in the stack will be
(A) 1007

(B) 1020

(C) 1024

(D) 1028

SOLUTION

Byte addressable so 1 word require 4 bytes.

Instruction no. Size

Address range

1000-1007

1008-1011

1012-1015

1016-1023

1024-1027

Next location 1028.

CPU has executed the HALT instruction so next time the CPU will
resume at next location i.e. 1028 which would be at the top of stack.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 27

Let the clock cycles required for various operations be as follows:

Register to/from memory transfer:
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ADD with both operands in register:

1 clock cycle

Instruction fetch and decode:

2 clock cycles per word

The total number of clock cycles required to execute the program is

(A) 29

(B) 24

(C) 23

(D) 20

SOLUTION

The clock cycles are per block so if an instruction size is 2 then it

requires twice no. of clock cycles.
Instruction No. Size

No. of clock cycles

3#2+2

1#3+2

1 (add only)

3#2+2

2 (fetch & decode) 2

Total

24

Hence (B) is correct option.

Question. 28

Consider a small two-way set-associative cache memory, consisting

of four blocks. For choosing the block to be replaced, use the least
recently used (LRU) scheme. The number of cache misses for the
following sequence of block addresses is 8, 12,0, 12,8
(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 4

(D) 5

SOLUTION

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After than 12 & 8 are referred but this does not cause any miss
So no. of miss = 3
This stars ()) shows the misses.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 29

The microinstructions stored in the control memory of a processor

have a width of 26 bits. Each microinstruction is divided into three
fields: a micro-operation field of 13 bits, a next address field (X), and
a MUX select field (Y). There are 8 status bits in the inputs of the
MUX.

How many bits are there in the X and Y fields, and what is the size
of the control memory in number of words?
(A) 10, 3, 1024

(B) 8, 5, 256

(C) 5, 8, 2048

(D) 10, 3, 512

SOLUTION

MUX has 8 states bits as input lines so we require 3 select inputs to

select & input lines.
No. of bits in control memory next address field
= 26 13 3
= 10
10 bit addressing, we have 210 memory size.
So X, Y size = 10, 3, 1024
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 30

A hard disk with a transfer rate of 10 M bytes/second is constantly

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transferring data to memory using DMA. The processor runs at 600

MHz. and takes 300 and 900 clock cycles to initiate and complete
DMA transfer respectively. If the size of the transfer is 20 Kbytes,
what is the percentage of processor time consumed for the transfer
operation?
(A) 5.0%
(B) 1.0%
(C) 0.5%

(D) 0.1%

SOLUTION

Transfer rate = 10 MB ps
Data = 20 KB
10
Time = 20 # 220 = 2 # 10 3
10 # 2
= 2 ms
Processor speed = 600 MHz
= 600 cycles/sec.
Cycles required by CPU = 300 + 900
For DMA = 1200
So time = 1200 6 = .002 ms
600 # 10
% = .002 # 100
2
= 0.1%
Hence (D) is correct.
Question. 31

A 4-stage pipeline has the stage delays as 150, 120, 160 and 140
nanoseconds respectively. Registers that are used between the stages
have a delay of 5 nanoseconds each. Assuming constant clocking rate,
the total time taken to process 1000 data items on this pipeline will
be
(A) 120.4 microseconds
(B) 160.5 microseconds
(C) 165.5 microseconds

(D) 590.0 microseconds

SOLUTION

Delay = 5 ns/stage
Total delay in pipline.
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= 150 + 120 + 160 + 140 = 570
Delay due to 4 stages.
Stage 1 delay 1 stage 2 delay 2 stage 3 stage 4
5 # 3 = 15
Total = 570 + 15 = 585
Total time = 1000 data items
585 ns
= 165.5 microseconds.
Hence (C) is correct option
YEAR 2005

Question. 32

Which one of the following is true for a CPU having a single interrupt
request line and a single interrupt grant line?
(A) Neither vectored interrupt nor multiple interrupting devices are
possible
(B) Vectored interrupts are not possible but multiple interrupting
devices are possible
(C) vectored interrupts and multiple interrupting devices are both
possible
(D) vectored interrupt is possible but multiple interrupting devices
are not possible
SOLUTION

CPU has single interrupt request and grant line

Here multiple request can be given to CPU but CPU interrupts only
for highest priority interrupt so option (A) & (D) are wrong.
But here in case of single interrupt lines definitely vectored interrupts
are not possible.
Hence (B) is correct option.
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Question. 33

Normally user programs are prevented from handing I/O directly by I/O
instructions in them. For CPUs having explicit I/O instructions, such
I/O protection is ensured by having the I/O instructions privileged. In
a CPU with memory mapped I/O, there is no explicit I/O instruction.
Which one of the following is true for a CPU with memory mapped
I/O?
(A) I/O protection is ensured by operating system routine(s)
(B) I/O protection is ensured by a hardware trap
(C) I/O protection is ensured during system configuration
(D) I/O protection is not possible
SOLUTION

In memory mapped I/0 the complete system (memory + I/0 ports)

hold the same set of addresses. They are considered to be the part of
that memory only. This management is done by OS only.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 34

What is the swap apace in the disk used for?

(A) Saving temporary html pages
(B) Saving process data
(C) Storing the super-block
(D) Storing device drivers
SOLUTION

Swap space is the memory pre allowed to store processs data. This
can be compared with virtual memory. The data required to complete
process is kept here.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 35

Increasing the RAM of a computer typically improves performance

because
(A) Virtual memory increases
(B) Larger RAMs are faster
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(C) Fewer page faults occur
(D) Fewer segmentation faults occur
SOLUTION

Due to increase in RAM size all the pages required by CPU are
available in RAM so page fault chance are less, so virtual memory
access chances are less and latency is reduced for secondary memory.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 36

Consider a three word machine instruction

ADD A [R0],@ B
The first operand (destination) A [R0] uses indexed addressing
mode with R0 as the index register. The second operand (source)
"@B" uses indirect addressing mode. A and B are memory addresses
residing at the second and the third words, respectively. The first
word of the instruction specifies the opcode, the index register
designation and the source and destination addressing modes. During
execution of ADD instruction, the two operands are added and stored
in the destination (first operand).
The number of memory cycles needed during the execution cycle of
the instruction is
(A) 3

(B) 4

(C) 5

(D) 6

SOLUTION

ADD A [R 0], @B
This is instruction has 3 computational parts. ADD instruction
requires 1 machine cycle, A [R 0] here R 0 is index register which has
starting address of index then this index has the block address.
This whole operation require 3 machine cycles. Now @ B is indirect
addressing. This takes 2 machine cycles. So overall 1 + 3 + 2 = 6
machine cycles.
Hence (D) is correct option.

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Question. 37

Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the
codes given below the lists:
List-I

List-II

A. A [1] = B [j];

1. Indirect addressing

B. while [* A ++];

2. Indexed addressing

C. int temp=*x ;

3. Auto increment

Codes:
A

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

SOLUTION

LIST-I
A. A [1] = B [J];

B. While [) A ++]

3.

Auto
increment
the
memory locations is A are
automatically incriminated.

1.

Indirect addressing here

temp is assigned the value of
int type stored at the address
contained in X

C. int temp = ) X

LIST-II
Indexed addressing here the
indexing is used

A2
B3
C1
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 38

Consider a direct mapped cache of size 32 KB with block size 32 bytes.

The CPU generates 32 bit addresses. The number of bits needed for
cache indexing and the number of tag bits are respectively
(A) 10,17
(B) 10,22
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(C) 15,17

(D) 5,17

SOLUTION

Cache is direct mapped.

Size of Cache = 32 KB
= 25 # 210 B
= 215 Bytes.
Require 15 bits for cache addressing so CPU address has tag and
index
No. of tag bits = 32 15
= 17
From 15 Cache addressing bits consist of blocks & words. Each block
has 32 words (bytes) So require 5 bit.
Index = block + word
Block = 15 5
= 10
So, 10, 17
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 39

A 5 stage pipelined CPU has the following sequence of stages

IF-Instruction fetch from instruction memory.
RD-Instruction decode and register read,
EX- Execute:ALU operation for data and address computation,
MA-Data memory access-for write access the register read at
RD stage it used,
WB-register write back.
Consider the following sequence of instruction:
I1 : LR0, Locl; R0 <= M [Locl]
I2 AR0, R0; R0 <= R0 + R0
I 3 AR2, R0; R2 <= R2 R0
Let each stage take one clock cycle.
What is the number of clock cycles taken to complete the above
sequence of instruction starting from the fetch of I1 ?
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(A) 8

(B) 10

(C) 12

(D) 15

SOLUTION

Order of phase in instruction cycle.

IF " A 3 " E # MA " WB
1

10

R 0 ! M [LOC] IF RD EX MA WB
R0 ! R0 + R0

IF

RD EX

R2 ! R2 R0

MA WB
IF

RD

EX MA WB

R 0 ! R 0 + R 0 cant start before 3 since R 0 has not been read by I1 .

R2 ! R2 R 0 cant start before 6th since I2 has not executed
R 0 ! R 0 + R 0 till 5th cycle
Total cycles = 10
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 40

A device with data transfer rate 10 KB/sec is connected to a CPU.

Data is transferred byte-wise. Let the interrupt overhead be 4 sec .
The byte transfer time between the device interface register and CPU
or memory is negligible. What is the minimum performance gain of
operating the device under interrupt mode over operating it under
program controlled mode?
(A) 15
(B) 25
(C) 35

(D) 45

SOLUTION

Data transfer rate = 10000 B/sec

Total data = 25 # 103
Rate = 10 4
Performance gain = 254 # 100
10
= 25%
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Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 41

Consider a disk drive with the following specification

16 surfaces, 512 tracks/surface, 512 sectors/track, 1 KB/sector,
rotation speed 3000 rpm. The disk is operated in cycle stealing mode
whereby whenever one byte word is ready it is sent to memory;
similarly, for writing, the disk interface reads a 4 byte word from the
memory in each DMA cycle. Memory cycle time is 40 n sec . The
maximum percentage of time that the CPU gets blocked during DMA
operation is
(A) 10

(B) 25

(C) 40

(D) 50

SOLUTION

Disk revolutions = 3000 PM or 50 RPS

At a time can read in
One revolution = 512 KB
19
Tracks read/sec = 2 2 ) 50
2

= 50 # 217 per sec.

Interrupt = .2621 sec
Percentage gain = .2621 # 100
1
, 26%
Hence (B) is correct option.

Data for Q. 42 & 43 are given below

Consider the following data path of a CPU
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The, ALU, the bus and all the registers in the data path are of
identical size. All operations including incrementation of the PC and
the GPRs are to be carried out in the ALU. Two clock cycle are
needed for memory read operation-the first one for loading data from
the memory but into the MDR.
Question. 42

The instruction add R0, R1 has the register transfer in terpretation

R0 <= R0 + R1. The minimum number of clock cycles needed for
execution cycle of this instruction is
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4

(D) 5

SOLUTION

R 0 ! R 0 + R1
First cycle require to fetch operands two cycles required for this.
The next cycle required to use ALU to perform ADD operation.
So total cycles required = 3
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 43

The instruction call Rn , sub is a two word instruction. Assuming

that PC is incremented during the fetch cycle of the first word of the
instruction, its register transfer interpretation is
Rn <= PC = 1;
PC <= M [PC];
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The minimum number of CPU clock cycles needed during the
execution cycle of this instruction is
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4

(D) 5

SOLUTION

Rn ! PC + 1
PC = M [PC]
Program outer is itself a register so incremented in 1 cycle.
Now fetching the memory at PC & the value of at address stored in
PC takes 2 cycles.
So total 1 + 2 = 3 cycles.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 44

A CPU has 24-bit instructions. A program starts at address 300(in

decimal). Which one of the following is a legal program counter (all
values in decimal)?
(A) 400
(B) 500
(C) 600

(D) 700

SOLUTION

Size of instruction = 24 bits.

Since each instruction require 24 = 3 bytes & start address is 300 so
3
the address for this range can be multiple of 3 only so 600.
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2006
Question. 45

A CPU has a cache with block size 64 bytes. The main memory has
k banks, each bank being c bytes wide. Consecutive c-bute chunks
are mapped on consecutive banks with warp-around. All the k banks
can be accessed in parallel, but two accesses to the same bank must
be serialized. A cache block access may involve multiple iterations of
parallel bank accesses depending on the amount of data obtained by
accessing all the k banks in parallel. Each iteration requires decoding
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the bank numbers to be accessed in parallel and this takes k/2 ns .

The latency of one bank access is 80 ns . If c = 2 and k =24, then
latency of retrieving a cache block starting at address zero from main
memory is
(B) 104 ns
(A) 92 ns
(C) 172 ns

(D) 184 ns

SOLUTION

Size of Cache block = 64 B

No. of main memory banks K = 24
Size of each bank C = 2 bytes.
So time taken for < access.
T = decoding time + latency time
T = K/2 + latency
= 12 + 80
= 92 ns.
But since C = 2 for accesses.
2 # 92 = 189 ns.
Hence (D) is correct option
Question. 46

A CPU has five-stages pipeline and runs at 1GHz frequency.

Instruction fetch happens in the first stage of the pipeline. A
conditional branch instruction computes the target address and
evaluates the condition in the third stage of the pipeline. The processor
stops fetching new instructions following a conditional branch until
the branch outcome is known. A program executes 109 instructions
out of which 20% are conditional branches. If each instruction takes
one cycle to complete on average, then total execution time of the
program is
(A) 1.0 second
(B) 1.2 seconds
(C) 1.4 seconds

(D) 11.6 seconds

SOLUTION

Given that 80% of 109 instruction require single cycle i.e. no conditional
branching & for 20% an extra cycle required.
Time taken by 1 cycle = 10 9 sec.
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Total time = 10 9 b 80 # 109 + 20 # 2 # 109 l
100
100
= 10 9 # 109 b 4 + 2 l
5 5

Hence (B) is correct option.

= 6 = 1.2 seconds.
5

Question. 47

Consider a new instruction named branch-on-bit-set (mnemonic bbs).

The instruction bbs reg, pos, labbel jumps to label if bit in position
pos of register operand reg is one. a register is 32 bits wide and the
bits are numbered 0 to 31, bit in position 0 being the least significant.
Consider the following emulation of this instruction on a processor
that does not have bbs implemented.
temp!reg and mask
Branch to label if temp is non-zero
The variable temp is a temporary register. For correct emulation the
variable mask must be generated by
(B) musk ! 0x ffffffff >> pos
(A) mask ! 0x1 << pos
(C) mask ! pos

(D) msdk ! 0xf

SOLUTION

Given instruction
bbs reg, pos, Label
Here pos bit decided whether to jump to label. So all other bits in
temp set to 0.
Temp ! reg and mask.
So of temp is not zero branch to label.
So shifting left over.
Mask ! 0 # 1 << pos
Hence (D) is correct option.

Data for Q. 48 & Q. 49 are given below. Solve the problem and
choose the correct answers.
Consider two cache organizations: The first one is 32 KB 2-way set
associative with 32-bytes block size. The second one is of the same
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size but direct mapped. The size of an address is 32 bits in both cases
A2-to-1 multiplexes has latency of 0.6 ns where a k -bit comparator
has a latency of k/10ns . The hit latency of the set associative
organization is h1 while that of the direct mapped one is h2 .
Question. 48

The value of h1 is
(A) 2.4ns

(B) 2.3ns

(C) 1.8ns

(D) 1.7ns

SOLUTION

2 way set-associative Cache.

Size 32 KB
2 way so 16 KB sets.
Require 14 bits for 214 B
Block size = 32 Byte.
= 5 bits.
No. of blocks14 5 = 9
Tag index

h1 = 18 + 0.6 ns
10
= 2.4 ns.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 49

The value of h2 is
(A) 2.4ns

(B) 2.3ns
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(C) 1.8ns

(D) 1.7ns

SOLUTION

Similarly to previous question. The CPU address is same but Direct

coaching require for 32 KB 15 bits.
Which would be 10 + 5 = 17
17 10 5
h2 = 17 + 0.6
10
= 2.3 ns
Hence (B) is correct option.

Data for Q. 50 & Q. 51 are given below.

A CPU has a 32 KB direct mapped cache with 128-byte block size.
Suppose A is a two dimensional array of size 512 # 512 with elements
that occupy 8-bytes each. Consider the following two C code segments,
P1 and P2 ,
P1 : for (i=0;i<512;i++)
{
for (j=0;j<512;j++)
{
x+=A[i][j];
}
}
P2 : for (i=0;i<512;i++) {
for (j=0;j<512;j++) {
{x+=A[j][i];}
}
}
P1 and P2 are executed independently with the same initial state,
namely, the array A is not in the cache and i, j, x are in registers. Let
the number of cache misses experienced by P1 be M1 and that for P2
be M2 .
Question. 50

The value of M1 is
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(A) 0

(B) 2048

(C) 16384

(D) 262144

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
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SOLUTION

Given loop P1 accesses array A row wise & P2 access column wise.
M1 = ?
Cache Capacity = 215 B.
1 element = 23 B
Total elements 512 # 512
Total data = 512 # 512 # 8 B
= 221 B
Block size = 128 B
1 block can have = 128 = 16 elements
8
So total blocks require = 512 # 512
16
= 1638 blocks
Since the memory is initially empty so all blocks are required at least
once.
So,
M1 = 16384
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 51

The value of the ratio M1 /M2 is

(A) 0

(B) 1/16

(C) 1/8

(D) 16

SOLUTION

Now

M2 = ?

In the case (P2 loop) the array is accessed column wise, so even the
block brought for A [0] [0] A [0] [15] would not be used for second
column wise access i.e. A [1] [0] So new block need to swap, similarly
for A [3] [0] & So on. This would continue for every element, since
memory is contiguous.
So
M2 = 512 # 512 = 262144
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&

M1 = 16384 = 1
262144 16
M2

Hence (B) is correct option.

YEAR 2007

Question. 52

Consider a 4-way set associative cache consisting of 120 lines with a

line size of 64 words. The CPU generates a 20-bit address of a word
in main memory. The number of bits in the TAG, LINE and WORD
fields are respectively
(A) 9,6,5

(B) 7,7,6

(C) 7,5,8

(D) 9,5,6

SOLUTION

4 way set associative cache

Size = 128 # 64 words
128
# 64 = 32 # 64
But for 4 sets
4
For 32 lines we require 5 bits.
For 64 words we require 6 bits.
Indexing = 6 + 5 = 11 bits.
Tag = 20 11
= 9 bits
9

Hence (D ) is correct option.

Question. 53

Consider a disk pack with 16 surfaces, 128 tracks per surface and 256
sectors per track. 512 bytes of data are stored in a bit serial manner
in a sector. The capacity of the disk pack and the number of bits
required to specify a particular sector in the disk are respectively

Page 32

(A) 256 Mbytes, 19 bits

(B) 256 Mbyte, 28 bits

(C) 512 Mbytes, 20 bits

(D) 64 Gbyte, 28 bits

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SOLUTION

Surface = 6
Tracks = 16 # 128
Sectors = 16 # 128 # 256
= 2 4 # 27 # 28 = 219
So 19 lines are required to address all sectors.
Bytes = 219 # 512 B
= 219 # 29
B = 228
= 256 MB
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 54

Consider a pipelined processor with the following four stages

IF:
ID:
EX:
WB:

Instruction Fetch
Instruction Decode and Operand Fetch
Execute
Write Bank

The IF, ID and WB stages take one clock cycle each to complete
the operation. The number of clock cycles for the EX stage depends
on the instruction. The ADD and SUB instructions need 1 clock
cycle and the MUL instruction need 3 clock cycles in the EX stage.
Operand forwarding is used in the pipelined processor. What is the
number of clock cycles taken to complete the following sequence of
instructions?
ADD

R2,

R1,

R0

R2 ! R1+R0

MUL

R4,

R3,

R2

R4 ! R3*R2

SUB

R6,

R5,

R4

R6 ! R5R4

(A) 7

(B) 8

(C) 10

(D) 14

SOLUTION

Order of instruction cycle-phases.

IF " ID " EX " WB
We have 3 instructions.
1

8
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R2 ! R1 ! R 0 IF ID EX WB
R 4 ! R3 ! R2

IF ID

R6 ! R5 ! R 4

IF

EX EX EX WB
ID

EX WB

Represent wait in pipeline due to result dependently.

Clock cycles require = 8
Hence (B) is correct option.

Data for Q. 55, 56 & 57 are given below.

Consider the following program segment. Here R1, R2 and R3 are the
general purpose registers.
Instruction
MOV R1,(3000)
LOOP:
MOV R2,R1
ADD R2,R1
MOV (R3),R2
INC R3
DEC R1
BNZ LOOP
HALT

Operation
R1!M[3000]

Instruction size
(no. of words)
2

R2!M[R3]
R2!R1+R2
M(R3]!R2
R3!R3+1
R1!R1-1
Branch on not zero
Stop

1
1
1
1
1
2

Assume that the content of memory location 3000 is 10 and the

content of the register R3 is 2000. The content of each of the memory
locations from 2000 to 2010 is 100. The program is loaded from the
memory location 100. All the numbers are in decided.
Question. 55

Assume that the memory is word addressable. The number of memory

references for accessing the data in executing the program completely
is

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(A) 10

(B) 11

(C) 20

(D) 21

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SOLUTION

1st memory reference R1 ! M ^3000h and then in the loop which

runs for 10 times there are 2 memory reference every iteration.
10 # 2 = 20
Total
20 + 1 = 21
R2 ! M [R 3]
M [R 3] ! R2
Hence (D) is correct option
Question. 56

Assume that the memory is word addressable. After the execution of

this program, the content of memory location 2010 is
(A) 100

(B) 101

(C) 102

(D) 110

SOLUTION

Program stores results from 2000 to 2010. It stores 110, 109, 108......100
at 2010 location.
DEC R1
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 57

Assume that the memory is byte addressable and the word size is 32
bits. If an interrupt occurs during the execution of the instruction
INC R3, what return address will be pushed on to the stack?
(A) 1005

(B) 1020

(C) 1024

(D) 1040

SOLUTION

Now byte addressable memory so 1 word i.e. 4 bytes require 4

addresses.
Instruction

Words Location

MOV R1, (3000)

1000-1007

MOV R2, R1

1008-1011

ADD R2, R1

1012-1015
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MOV (R3), R2

1016-1019

INC R3

1020-1023

DEC R1
1
1024-1027
Interrupt occurs during execution of INC R3, So CPU will complete
the execution of this instruction and then Push the next address 1024
to the stack, so after interrupt service the program can be resumed
from next instruction.
Hence (C) is correct option.

Data for Q. 58 & Q. 59 are given below.

Consider a machine with a byte addressable main memory of 216
bytes. Assume that a direct mapped data cache consisting of 32 lines
of 64 bytes each is used in the system. A 50 # 50 two-dimensional
array of bytes is stored in the main memory stating from memory
location 1100H.Assume that the data cache is initially empty. The
complete array is accessed twice. Assume that the contents of the
data cache do not change in between the two accesses.
Question. 58

How many data cache misses will occur in total?

(A) 48
(B) 50
(C) 56

(D) 59

SOLUTION

Size of main memory 216 bytes.

Size of Cache = 32 # 64 B
= 211 B
Size of array = 2500 B
Array is stored in main memory but cache is empty.
Size of Cache = 2048 B
So no. of page faults = 2500 2048
= 452
For second access = 452 # 2 = 904
Total = 1356
Hence (C) is correct option.

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Question. 59

Which of the following lines of the data cache will be replaced by new
blocks in accessing the array
(A) line 4 to line 11
(B) line 4 to line 12
(C) line 0 to line 7

(D) line 0 to line 8

SOLUTION

No of page faults = 452

One line has 64 B
So the line at which these page faults will finish.
= 452 , 7
64
So 0 to 7 line
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2008
Question. 60

For a magnetic disk with concentric circular track, the latency is not
linearly proportional to the seek distance due to
(A) non-uniform distribution of requests
(B) arm starting and stopping inertia
(C) higher capacity of tracks on the periphery of the platter
(D) use of unfair arm scheduling policies.
SOLUTION

Tracks on magnetic disks are concentric a seek is from me sector to

other may or maynt be in different tracks.
This seek distance is not proportional to latency since the tracks at
periphery has higher diameter so high in capacity to store data.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 61

Which of the following is/are true of the auto increment addressing

mode?
1.
It is useful in creating self relocating code
2.
If it is included in an Instruction Set Architecture, then an
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additional ALU is required for effective address calculation
3.
The amount of increment depends on the size of the data item
accessed.
(A) 1 only
(B) 2 only
(C) 3 only

(D) 2 and 3 only

SOLUTION

In auto increment addressing mode the address where next data block
to be stored is generated automatically depending upon the size of
single data item required to store. So statement 3 is correct.
Statement says that this mode is used for self relocating code, but
this is false since self relocating code, takes always some address in
memory.
Statement 2 is also incorrect since no additional ALV is required.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 62

Which of the following must be true for the RFE (Return from
Expectation) instruction on a general purpose processor.
1.
It must be a trap instruction
2.
It must be a privileged instruction
3.
An exception can not be allowed to occur during execution of
an RFE instruction.
(A) 1 only
(B) 2 only
(C) 1 and 2 only

(D) 1, 2 and 3 only

SOLUTION

RFE (Return From Exception) is a privileged trap trap instruction

which is executed when exception occurs, so an exception is not
allowed to execute.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 63

For inclusion to hold between two cache level L1 and L2 in a multilevel

cache hierarchy, which of the following are necessary?
1.
L1 must be a write-through cache
2.
L2 must be write-through cache
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3.
The associativity of L2 must be greater that of L1
4.
The L2 cache must be at least as large as the L1 cache
(A) 4 only
(B) 1 and 2 only
(C) 1, 2 and 4 only

(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4

SOLUTION

Level 1 (L1) & Level 2 (L2) cache are placed between CPV & they
can be both write through cache but this is not necessary.
Associativity has no dependence but L2 cache must be at least as
large as L1 cache, since all the words in L1 are also is L2.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 64

Which of the following are NOT true in a pipe lined processor?

1.
2.

Bypassing can handle alll Raw hazards.

Register renaming can eliminate all register carried WAR
hazards.
3.
Control hazard penalties can be eliminated by dynamic branch
prediction.
(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 1 and 3 only
(C) 2 and 3 only

(D) 1,2 and 3

SOLUTION

In a pipelined processor by passing cant handle all the row hazards.

Registers carried WAR doesnt have register naming as proper
solution.
And control hazard penalties are eliminated by delayed branching
not by dynamic branch prediction.
So all are false.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 65

The use of multiple register windows with overlap causes a reduction

in the number of memory accesses for
1. Function locals and parameters
2. Register saves and restores
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3. Instruction fetches
(A) 1 only

(B) 2 only

(C) 3 only

(D) 1,2 and 3

SOLUTION

Multiple register windows with overlap causes a reduction in the

number of memory accesses for instruction fetching.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 66

In an instruction execution pipeline, the earliest that the data TLB

(Translation Look aside Buffer) can be accessed is
(A) before effective address calculation has started
(B) during effective address calculation
(C) after effective address calculation has completed
(D) after data cache lookup has completed
SOLUTION

TLB is used during effective address calculation in an instruction

execution pipeline.
Hence (B) is correct option.

Data for Q. 67, 68 & 69 are given below.

Consider a machine a 2-way set associative data cache of size 64
kbytes and block size 16 bytes. The cache is managed using 32 bit
virtual addressed and the page size is 4 kbytes. A program to be run
on this machine begins as follows:
Double APR[1024]]1024]
int i , j ;
/*Initalize array APR to 0.0*/
for (i = 0; i < 1024; i ++)
for (j = 0; k < 1024; j ++)
APR[i] [j] = 0.0;
The size of double 8 bytes. Array APR is in memory stating at the
beginning of virtual page 0 # FF000 and stored in row major order.
The cache is initially empty and no pre-fetching is done. The only
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data memory references made by the program are those to array

APR.
Question. 67

The total size of the tags in the cache directory is

(A) 32 kbits
(B) 34 kbits
(C) 64 kbits

(D) 68 kbits

SOLUTION

Virtual (CPU) address has

2 way set associative cache size
Size of 1 set
Require 15 bits for indexing.
So Tag
Size of block

= 32 bits
= 64 KB
= 32 KB

= 32 15 = 17
= 16 bytes
= 4 bits are required
Index = block + word
Block = 15 4 = 11

17

11

CPV address
Size of tags = There are 217 bytes of tags in every set of cache.
So total = 17 # 2 # 1024
= 34 KB.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 68

Which of the following array elements has the same cache index as
APR [0][0]?
(A) APR[0][4]
(B) APR[4][0]
(C) APR[0][5]

(D) APR[5][0]

SOLUTION

Elements stored in row major order. Two elements should have same
cache index (15 bits) & their tags may be different (17 bits).
So APR [%] [%] the MSB 17 bits will be changed.
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APR[%] [%] APR[%] [1]...............

APR[2] [%]................................
APR[4] [%]................................
So on.
This is virtual memory storage.
So 15 LSB of APR [%] [%] & APR [%] [%] are same so same index APR
[%] & APR [4] 17 MSB are different so tags differ.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 69

The cache hit ratio for this initialization loop is

(A) 0%

(B) 25%

(C) 50%

(D) 75%

SOLUTION

Cache hit ratio =

=

No. of hits
Total accesses
1024
= 1 = 0.5
1024 + 1024 2

or
= 50%
Hence (C) is correct option.

Data for Q. 70 & 71 are given below.

Delayed branching can help in the handling of control hazardous
Question. 70

For all delayed conditional branch instruction, irrespective of weather

the condition evato true or false, A
(A) the instruction following the conditional branch instruction in
memory is executed
(B) the first instruction in the fall through path is executed
(C) the first instruction in the taken path is executed
(D) the branch takes longer to execute that any other instruction
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SOLUTION

Delayed branching for conditional instructions, irrespective of whether

the condition evaluates to true or false, the first instruction in the fall
through path would be executed this prevent from hazardous control
transfer.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 71

The following code is to run on a pipe lined processor with one

branch delay slot
11: ADD R2 ! R7+R8
12: SUB R4 ! R5 R6
13: ADD R1 ! R2+ R3
14: STORE Memory [R4] ! R1
BRANCH to Label if R1==0
Which of the instruction 11,12,13 or 14 can legitimately occupy the
delay slot without any other program modification?
(A) 11

(B) 12

(C) 13

(D) 14

SOLUTION

In pipelining result of 1 instruction is used for the next in pipeline.

Delay slot will be occupied by the next instruction in the fall through
path. The branching instruction R1 == 0 goto Label X.
So in delay slot I2 will be there.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2009
Question. 72

How many 32K#1 RAM chips are needed to provide a memory

capacity of 356-bytes ?
(A) 8

(B) 32

(C) 64

(D) 128
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SOLUTION

Memory capacity of 1 RAM = 32 K bits

Total Memory required = 256 K bytes
3
No. of RAM = 256 # K # 2 # bits
32 # K # bits
8
3
Chips required = 2 #5 2
2

= 26
= 64
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 73

A CPU generally handles are interrupt by executing an interrupt

service routine
(A) As soon as an interrupt is raised
(B) By checking the interrupt register at the end of fetch cycle
(C) By checking the interrupt register after finishing the execution of
the current instruction
(D) By checking the interrupt register at fixed time intervals
SOLUTION

An interrupt is a signal delivered to CPU, which tells to stop its

normal service routine & execute interrupt service routine.
This interrupt service routine is checked as soon as CPU receives the
interrupt but since CPU working unit is an instruction so CPU can
switch to ISR only after execution of current instruction.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 74

Consider a 4 stage pipeline processor. The number of cycles needed

by the four instructions 11, 12, 13, 14 in stages S1, S2, S3, S4 is
shown below:

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S1

S2

S3

S4

I1

I2

I3

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I4

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
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What is the number of cycles needed to execute the following loop?

for (i = 1 to 2){I1; I2; I3; I4;}
(A) 16

(B) 23

(C) 28

(D) 30

SOLUTION

We can see a single iteration of given for loop according to the cycles
required.
Cycle S1

S2

I1

I1

I2

I1

I3

I2

I3

I2

I4

I2

S3

S4

Completion

I1

I1

I1

I3

I2

I4

I2

I4

I3

I2

10

I4

I2

11

I4

I3

12

I3

13

I3

14

I4

15

I4

I2

I3
I4

No. of cycle of 2 iteration = 2 # 15

= 30
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 75

Consider a 4 way set associative cache (initially empty) with total

16 cache blocks. The main memory consists of 256 blocks and the
request for memory blocks is in the following order :
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0, 255, 1, 4, 3, 8, 133, 159, 216, 129, 63, 8, 48, 32, 73, 92, 155
Which one of the following memory block will NOT be in the cache
if LRU replacement policy is used ?
(A) 3

(B) 8

(C) 129

(D) 216

SOLUTION

4 way set associative so 16 block will be divided in 4 sets of 4 blocks

each.
We apply (Address mod 4) function to decide set.

Set 0

Set 1

48

mod 4 = 0 )

32

255

mod 4 = 3 )

mod 4 = 1 )

216

92

mod 4 = 0 )

mod 4 = 3 )

133

133

mod 4 = 0 )

129

129

133

mod 4 = 1 )

73

73

159

mod 4 = 3 )

216

mod 4 = 0 )

129

mod 4 = 1 )

63

mod 4 = 3 )

mod 4 = 0 )

Set 2

Set 3

255

155

98

mod 4 = 0 )

32

mod 4 = 0 )

159

159

73

mod 4 = 1 )

63

63

92

mod 4 = 0 )

155

mod 4 = 3 )

All ) are misses S1 is the first stage & S2 is second.

In the second stage 216 is not present in Cache
Hence (D) is correct option.

Common Data for Question 76 & 77

A hard disk has 63 sectors per track, 10 platters each with 2 recording
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surfaces and 1000 cylinders. The address of a sector is given as a triple

c, h, s , where c is the cylinder number, h is the surface number and
s is the sector number. Thus, the 0th sector is addressed as 0, 0, 0 ,
the 1st sector as 0, 0, 1 , and so on.
Question. 76

The address 400, 16, 29 , corresponds to sector number:

(A) 505035

(B) 505036

(C) 505037

(D) 505038

SOLUTION

Each cylinder has 10 platters or 20 recording surfaces

or 63 # 20 sector = 1260 sectors.
Each recording surface has 63 sectors.
So
< 400, 16, 297 =< c, h, s >
400 # 1260 + 16 # 63 + 29
505037
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 77

The address of 1039th sector is

(A) 0, 15, 31

(B) 0, 16, 30

(C) 0, 16, 31

(D) 0, 17, 31

SOLUTION

1 cylinder has 1260 sectors

So address for 1039th sector.
C =0
Each surface has 63 sectors.
Total surface here = 1039 = 16 surfaces
63
Remainder here 31 sectors
So < 0, 16, 31 >.
Hence (C) is correct option.
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YEAR 2010
Question. 78

A main memory unit with a capacity of 4 megabytes is build using

1M # 1 bit DRAM chips. Each DRAM chip has 1K rows of cells with
1 K cells in each row. The time taken for a single refresh operation is
100 nanoseconds. The time required to perform one refresh operation
on all the cells in the memory unit is
(A) 100 nanoseconds
(B) 100)210 nanoseconds
(C) 100)220 nanoseconds

(D) 3200)220 nanoseconds

SOLUTION

Size of main memory = 4 MB

1 DRAM size = 1 Mb
No. of chips required = 4 # M # 8 # b
1#M#b
= 32
1 DRAM has 1 K rows
1 ROW has 1 K cells
Total cells in 1 DRAM = K2 = 220
In 32 DRAM = 32 # 220 Cells
1 cell refresh take 100 ns.
So total refresh time
= 32 # 100 # 220 ns
= 3200 # 220 ns.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 79

A-5 stage pipelined processor has Instruction Fetch. (IF), Instruction

Decode (ID), Operand Fetch (OF), Perform Operation (PO) and
Write Operand (WO) stages. The IF, ID, OF and WO stages take 1
clock cycle each for any instruction. The PO stage takes 1 clock cycle
for ADD and SUB instruction. The PO stage takes 1 stake clock cycle
for ADD and SUB instructions 3 clock cycles for MUL instruction, and
6 clock cycles for DIV instruction respectively. Operand forwarding
is used in the pipeline. What is the number of clock cycles needed to
execute the following sequence of instructions ?
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Instruction Meaning of instruction

I 0 : MUL R2, R 0, R1

R2 ! R 0)R1

I1 : DIV R5, R 3, R 4

R5 ! R 3 /R 4

I2 : ADD R2, R5, R2

R2 ! R5 + R2

I 3 : SUB R5, R2, R6

R5 ! R2 R6

(A) 13

(B) 15

(C) 17

(D) 19

SOLUTION

The order of operations IF " ID " OF " PO " WO

Figure
Here

A = (R 3 /R 4) + R2, R6

So we can see that all the instruction can be executed in 17 clock

cycles using piplining.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 80

The program below uses six temporary variables a, b, c, d, e, f

a=1
b = 10
c = 20
d = a+b
e = c+d
f = c+e
b = c+e
e = b+f
d = 5+e
Assuming that all operations take their operands from register, what
is the minimum number of registers needed to execute this program
without spilling ?
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4

(D) 6
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SOLUTION

Replacement
R1

R2 R3

f
e
d
So all the operations done using 3 registers only.
Hence (B) is correct option.

Common Data for Questions 81 & 82

A computer system has an L1 and L2 cache, an L2 cache, and a main
memory unit connected as shown below. The block size in L1 cache is
4 words. The block size is L2 cache is 16 words. The memory access
times are 2 nanoseconds, 20 nanoseconds and 200 nanoseconds for L1
cache, L2 cache and main memory unity respectively.

Question. 81

When there is a miss in L1 cache and a hit in L2 cache, a block is

transferred form L2 cache to L1 cache. What is the time taken for
this transfer ?
(A) 2 nanoseconds

(B) 20 nanoseconds

(C) 22 nanoseconds

(D) 88 nanoseconds

SOLUTION

Each block is L2 Cache is 4 times L1 Cache. So far 1 block miss in

L1 Cache the block from L2 to L1 will be transferred, but L2 block
has size 16 words & L1 data bus of 4 words, so 4L2 & 4L1 access are
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Computer Organization &
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required.
4 # 2 + 4 # 20
8 + 80
88 ns
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 82

When there is a miss in both L1 cache and L2 cache, first a block is

transferred from memory to L2 cache, and then a block is transferred
from L2 cache to L1 cache. What is the total time taken for these
transfers ?
(A) 222 nanoseconds

(B) 888 nanoseconds

(C) 902 nanoseconds

(D) 968 nanoseconds

SOLUTION

Miss in both L1 & L2. Cause main memory to transfer that block in
both cache.
1 block of Main memory has 16 words but data bus of L2 has only 4
words. So 4 access of Main memory & 4 access of L2 Cache required
to update L2
4 # 20 + 4 # 200
80 + 800 = 880 ns
Now L2 updates L1, this takes 4 access to L1 & 4 access to L2
4 # 2 + 4 # 20
8 + 80 = 88 ns
Total time = 880 + 88
= 968 ns
Hence (D) is correct option.

**********

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GATE CS Topic wise Questions

Database

YEAR 2000
Question. 1

Given the relations

employee (name, salary, deptno), and
department (deptno, deptname, address)
Which of the following queries cannot be expressed using the basic
relational algebra operations (, , A , , + ) ?
(A) Department address of every employee
(B) Employee whose name is the same as their department name
(C) The sum of all employee salaries
(D) All employees of a given department
SOLUTION

Question. 2

Given the following relation instance.

X

Y Z

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Which of the following functional dependencies are satisfied by the
instance ?
(A) XY " Z and Z " Y
(B) YZ " X and Y " Z
(C) YZ " X and X " Z

(D) XZ " Y and Y " X

SOLUTION

Question. 3

Given relations r (w, x) and s (y, z), the result of select distinct w, x
from r, s :
is guaranteed to be same as r, provided :
(A) r has no duplicates and s is non empty
(B) r and s have no duplicates
(C) s has no duplicates and r is non empty
(D) r and s have the same number of tuples

YEAR 2001
Question. 4

Consider a schema R(A,B,C,D) and functional dependencies A " B

and C " D. Then the decomposition of R intoR1 (AB) and R2 ]CD g is
:
(A) Dependency preserving and lossless join
(B) Lossless join but not dependency preserving
(C) Dependency preserving but not lossless join
(D) Not dependency preserving and not lossless join
SOLUTION

R (A, B, C, D)
R1 (AB) & A " B , C " D
R1 (AB) & R2 (CD).
So dependencies are preserved during decomposition.
But for lossless join.
R1 (AB) + R2 (CD) " R1 (AB)
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R1 (AB) + R2 (CD) " R2 (CD)

Since
A " B &C " D
So lossless join not possible.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 5

Suppose the adjacency relation of vertices in a graph is represented

in a table Adj (X, Y). Which of the following queries cannot be
expressed by a relational algebra expression of constant length ?
(A) List all vertices adjacent to a given vertex.
(B) List all vertices which have self loops
(C) List all vertices which belong to cycles of less than three vertices
(D) List all vertices reachable from a given vertex
SOLUTION

The database contains the adjacency list of the graph. So relation

algebra with face problems when while calculating the length of cycle
self loops come, then the query would execute in one tuple only.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 6

Let r and s be two relations over the relation schemes R and S

respectively, and let A be an attribute in R. Then the relational
algebra expression A = a ]r A s g is always equal to :
(B) r
(A) A = a ]r g
(C) A = a ]r A s g
(D) None of the above
SOLUTION

Given query performs natural join between r & s , & then project
attribute A where A = a .
This same result is produced by the query A = a (r) A s .
This query selects attribute A = a from r & then performs join
operation results are same.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 7

R,(A,B,C,D) is a relation. Which of the following does not have a

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lossless join, dependency preserving BCNF decomposition ?
(A) A " B, B " CD
(B) A " B, B " C, C " D
(C) AB " C, C " AD

(D) A " BCD

SOLUTION

R (A, B, C, D)
In option (A) & (B) there exists transitive functional dependency, so
incorrect for BCNF .
In option (C)
AB " C C " AD
So
AB " AD
B "D
In option (D) all attributes depend upon same key so in BCNF .
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 8

Which of the following relational calculus expressions is not safe ?

(A) {r | 7u ! R1 (t [A]) = u [A]^ J7s ! R2 (t [A] = s [A])}
(B) {r | 6u ! R1 (u [A]) = "x" & 7s ! R2 (t [A] = s [A]^ s [A] = u [A]))}
(C) {t | J (t ! R1)}
(D) {t | 7u ! R1 (t [A] = u [A])^ 7s ! R2 9t [A] = s [A])}
SOLUTION

In option (C) {t (t ! R1)} is not safe since no criteria for selection

of tuple has been given.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 9

Consider a relation geq which represents greater than or equal to,

that is, (x, y) ! geq only if y # x:
Create table gaq
(

Ib integer not null

ub integer not null

primary key Ib
foreign key (ub) references geq on delete cascade):
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Database

Which of the following is possible if a tuple (x, y) is deleted ?

(A) A tuple (z, w) with z > y is deleted
(B) A tuple (z, w) with z > x is deleted
(C) A tuple (z, w) with w < x is deleted
(D) The deletion of (x, y) is prohibited
SOLUTION

Tuple (x, y) is deleted.

Here y $ x
lb is primary key
ub is foreign key

Since y refer to same key z . & in table A x a primary key is deleted

so all enteries from table B will also be deleted.
And also all enteries referencing it in y will also be deleted.
So a tuple (z, w) with w < x will also be deleted.
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2002
Question. 10

Relation R with an associated set of functional dependencies, F , is

decomposed into BCNF . The redundancy (arising out of functional
dependencies) in the resulting set of relations is.
(A) Zero
(B) More than zero but less than that of an equivalent 3NF
decomposition
(C) Proportional to the size of F+
(D) Indetermine.

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SOLUTION

BCNF (Boyce Cold Normal Form) Since R is decomposed in BCNF

then no redundancy in the resulting set may occur and all transitive
dependencies are removed.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 11

With regard to the expressive power of the formal relational query

languages, which of the following statements is true ?
(A) Relational algebra is more powerful than relational calculus.
(B) Relational algebra has the same power as relational calculus.
(C) Relational algebra has the same power as safe relational calculus.
(D) None of the above.
SOLUTION

Expressive power is the capacity of formal query languages to express

various query statements, so relational algebra is as powerful as
relational calculus only if calculus is safe relational calculus.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 12

AB+ -tree index is to be built on the Name attribute of the relation

STUDENT . Assume that all student names are of length 8 bytes,
disk blocks are of size 512 bytes, and index pointers are of size 4
bytes. Given this scenario, what would be the best choice of the
degree (i.e. the number of pointers per node) of the B+ -tree ?
(A) 16

(B) 42

(C) 43

(D) 44

SOLUTION

So

Page 6

Size of 1 record of index = 8 + 4 = 12 bytes.

Let no. of pointers required = P
No. of index values per block = P 1
(P 1) 8 + 4P = 512
12P = 520
P , 44

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Database

Hence (D) is correct option.

Question. 13

Relation R is decomposed using a set of functional dependencies,

F ,and relation S is decomposed using another set of functional
dependencies, G . One decomposition is definitely BCNF , the other
is definitely. 3NF , but it is not known which is which. To make a
guaranteed identification, which one of the following tests should be
used on the decompositions ? (Assume that the closures of F and G
are available).
(A) Dependency-preservation

(B) Lossless-join

(C) BCNF definition

(D) 3NF definition

SOLUTION

BCNF is more stricter than 3NF . So if we check database for BCNF

then it will definitely be in 3NF .
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 14

From the following instance of relation schema R (A, B, C), we can

conclude that :
A

(A) A functionally determines B and B functionally determines C

(B) A functionally determines B and B does not functionally
determines C .
(C) B does not functionally determines C
(D) A does not functionally B and B does not functionally determines.
SOLUTION

A is said to Be functionally determined by B only is A has same

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value for same values of B for every corresponding tuple.
In given database.
A

here if A is 1 then B is necessarily 1 & if A is 2 then

B is 3.
So B is functionally determined by A.
But this relationship is not true for any other pair.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2003

Question. 15

Which of the following scenarios may lead to an irrecoverable error

in a database system?
(A) A transaction writes a data item after it is read by an uncommitted
transaction
(B) A transaction read a data item after it is read by an uncommitted
transaction
(C) A transaction read a data item after it is written by an committed
transaction
(D) A transaction read a data item after it is written by an
uncommitted transaction
SOLUTION

(A) read & then write.

(B) read after read
(C) read after committed write
(D) read after uncommitted write
Option (D) is a condition for inconsisting
Option (D) is correct option
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Database

Question. 16

Consider the following SQL query

select distinct a1, a2,....... an
from r1, r2,..... rm
where P
For an arbitrary predicate P ,this query is equivalent to which of the
following relational algebra expressions?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

(r1 # r2 # ......rm)

a1, a2,... an

(r1 21 r2 21 ...... 21 rm)

a1, a2,... an

(r1 , r2 , ...... , rm)

a1, a2,... an

(r1 + r2 , ...... + rm)

a1, a2,... an

SOLUTION

Here the SQL query selects distinct attributes, in relation algebra it

doesnt require any symbol but only projection. P is the predicate in
relation algebra, from has multiple relations, this is join in relation
algebra (RA).
(r1 # r2 # ..... # rm)
a1, a2 .......an

Hence (A) is correct option.

Question. 17

Consider the following functional dependencise in a database:

Data_of_Birth"Age

Age"Eligibility

Name"Roll_number

Roll_number"Name

Course_number"Course_name Course_number"Instructor
(Roll_number,Course_number)"Grade
The relation(Roll)number,Name,Date_of_brith,Age)is
(A) in second normal normal form but not in third normal form
(B) in third normal form but not in BCNF
(C) in BCNF
(D) in none of the above
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SOLUTION

Date of Birth " Age

Age " Eligibility so transitively
Date of Birth " Eligibility
Name ? Roll no.
Given relation C (Roll no. Name, Date of Birth, Age) Roll no.
& Name are keys.
1. Age is functionally dependent upon date of birth which is non key,
so 2NF is not applicable.
2. In 3NF , every non key should be non transitively or fully dependent
upon all the keys, but here this is not the case, so not in 3NF .
3. In BCNF every non trivial functional dependency in the relation
is a dependency on a super key. So also not in BCNF .
So it is in INF only, since no repeating tuples.
Hence (D) is correct option
Question. 4

Consider the set of relations shown below and the SQL query that
follow:
Students:(Roll_number,Name,Date_of_birth)
Courses:(Course_number,Course_name,Instructor)
Grades:(Roll_number,Course_number,Grade)
select distrinct Name
from Students, Courses, Grades
Where Students,Roll_number=Grades. Toll_number
and Courses. Instructor=Korth
and Courses. Course_number=Grades. Course_number
and Grades.grade=A
Which of the following sets is computed by the above query?
(A) Names of students who have got an A grade in all courses taught
by Korth
(B) Names of students who have got an A grade in all courses
(C) Name of students who have got an A grade in at least one of the
courses taught by Korth
(D) None of the above
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Database

SOLUTION

Names are unique since selected distinct, so one person will be selected
only once, inspite of the has grade A in any no. of courses taught by
korth.
So if a name appearing, it is not necessary that he had grade A in all
the courses, but it has A in at least 1 course.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 5

Consider three data items D1,D2 and D3 and the following execution
schedule of transactions T1, T2 and T3. In the diagram, R (D) and
W (D) denote the actions reading and writing the data item D
respectively.
T1

T2

T3

R(D3);
R(D2);
R(D2);
R(D2);
R(D3);
R(D1);
R(D1);
W(D2);
W(D3);
R(D1);
R(D2);
W(D2);
W(D1);
(A) The schedule is serializable as T2; T3;T1;
(B) The schedule is serializable as T2; T1;T3;
(C) The schedule is serializable as T3; T2; T1;
(D) The schedule is not serializable
SOLUTION

Let us draw a flow diagram between the three schedules, an edge

between two schedules is there if there exist read-write or write-write
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dependency in between them.
So we draw the graph.

Since there exist a cycle between T1 & T3 so there is no serializability.

Hence (D) is correct option
YEAR 2004
Question. 6

Let R1 (A, B, C) and R2 (D, E) be two relation schema, where the

primary keys are shown underlined, and let C be a foreign key in R1
referring to R2 . Suppose there is no violation of the above referential
integrity constraint in the corresponding relation instances r1 and rl2
. Which one of the following relational algebra expressions would
necessarily produce an empty relation?
(A) D (r1) C (r1)

(B) C (r1) D (r1)

(C) D (r1 D C ! D R2) C (r1)

(D) C (r1 D C = D R2)

SOLUTION

C is an attribute in R1 but D is a key in K2 .

So consider C (r1) D (r2)
So the result of this query would be all those tuples which are in
C (r1) but not in D (r2).
Since D is a key so it has all the possible values of C .
So difference would always be empty.
Hence (B) is correct.
Question. 7

Consider the following relation schema pertaining to a students

database:
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Database

Student(rollno,name,address)
Enroll(rollno,courseno, coursename)
where the primary keys are shown underlined. The number of tuples
in the student and Enroll tables are 120 and 8 respectively. What are
the maximum and minimum number of tuples that can be present in
(Student*Enroll), where * denotes natural join?
(A) 8,8

(B) 120,8

(C) 960,8

(D) 960,120

SOLUTION

The boundary cases are when either all the tuples of Enroll table
belong to one roll no. , so there can be at most 8 roll no & courses
no. combinations or the other case is when all the tuples belong to
different roll no. this also has 8 tuples.
So

(8,8) = (max, min)

Hence (A) is correct option

Question. 8

It is desired to design an object-oriented employee record system for a

company. Each employee has a name, unique id and salary. Employees
belong to different categories and their salary is determined by their
category. The functions get Name., getld and compute Salary are
required. Given the class hierarchy below, possible locations for these
functions are:
(i)

getld is implemented in the superclass

(ii)

getld is implemented in the suclass

(iii)

getName is an abstract function in the superclass

(iv)

getName is implemented in the superclass

(v)

getName is implemented in the subclass

(vi)

getSalary is an abstract function in the superclass

(vii)

getSalary is implemented in the superclass

(viii) getSalary is implemented in the subclass

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Choose the best design

(A) (i),(iv),(vi).(viii)

(B) (i),(iv),(vii)

(C) (i),(iii),(v),(vi),(viii)

(D) (ii),(v),(viii)

SOLUTION

Employee ID & employee name are independent of subclasses;

manager engineer or secretary, so these should be implemented in
super class, but salary is part of employee dependent, so abstract
get salary should be in super class & its actual implementation in
subclass.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 9

The relation scheme student Performance (name, courselNo, rollNo,

grade) has the following functional dependencies:
name, courseNo "grade
RollNo, courseNo "grade
name "rollNo
rollNo "name
The highest normal form of this relation scheme is
(A) 2 NF
(B) 3NF
(C) BCNF

(D) 4 NF

SOLUTION

Name, course no. " grade

Roll no. course no. " grade
Name, Roll no are candidate keys grade depend upon both super
keys.
So it is 2NF , non key attribute grade depend upon super keys fully.
But not in 3NF , since grade is not fully dependent upon all candidate
keys.
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Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 10

Consider the relation Student (name, sex, marks), where the primary
key is shown underlined, pertaining to students in a class that has at
least one boy and one girl. What does the following relational algebra
expression produce?
name (rsex = females (Student)) Pname (Student

(sex = female
/ x = male
/ marks # m)

rn, x, m (student))

(A) names of girl students with the highest marks

(B) names of girl students with more marks than some boy student
(C) names of girl students with marks not less than some boy student
(D) names of girl students with more marks than all the boy students
SOLUTION

This query first computes join where marks are less than or equal to
marks are less than or equal to max marks, & then selects the name
of all the girl students with more marks than all the boys students.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 11

The order of an internal node in a B* tree index is the maximum

number of children it can have. Suppose that a child pointer takes 6
bytes, the search field value takes 14 bytes., and the block size is 512
bytes. What is the order of the internal node?
(A) 24

(B) 25

(C) 26

(D) 27

SOLUTION

The structure of a block (node) of B+ tree

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P 1 search fields.
= 512
= 512
= 526
P 526
20

Total if let P pointers than

(P 1) 14 + P # 6
20P 14
20P

, 26
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 12

The employee information in a company is stored in the relation

Employee (name, sex, salary, deptName)
Consider the following SQL query
select deptname
from Employee
where sex=M
group by deptName
having avg (salary)>
(select avg(salary)from Employee)
It returns the names of the department in which
(A) the average salary is more than the average salary in the company
(B) the average salary of male employees is more than the average
salary of all male employees in the company
(C) the average salary of male employees is more than the average
salary of employees in the same department
(D) the average salary of made employees is more than the average
salary in the company
SOLUTION

Select average (salary) from employee selects average salary of the

company.
So the query returns the names of all the male employees of all the
departments whose average salary is more than the average salary in
the company.
Hence (D) is correct option.
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Database

YEAR 2005
Question. 13

Which one of the following is a key factor for preferring B+ -trees to

binary search trees for indexing database relation?
(A) Database relations have a large number of record
(B) Database relations are sorted on the primary key
(C) B+ -trees require less memory than binary search trees
(D) Data transfer from disks is in blocks
SOLUTION

B+ trees each node size is kept almost same to the block size of the
system this cause on record data transfer from disk to memory one
block at a time.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 14

Which-one of the following statements about normal forms is FALSE?

(A) BCNF is stricter than 3 NF
(B) Loss less, dependency-preserving decomposition into 3 NF is
always possible
(C) Loss less, dependency-preserving decomposition into BCNF is
always possible
(D) Any relation with two attributes is BCNF
SOLUTION

(A) BCNF is stricter than 3NF , is true.

(B) True, dependency preserving lossless decomposition into 3NF is
always possible, by removing transitive functional dependences.
(C) False, lossless dependency preserving decomposition is not possible
in all the cases, when all non trivial functional dependencies are
not dependent upon super keys.
(D) Certainly relation with two attributes is in BCNF , both will
consist of super key.
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Question. 15

Let r be a relation instance with schema R = (A, B, C, D). WE

DEFINE R1 = A, B, C (r) and r2 = AD (r). let S = r1 * r2 where * denotes
natural join. Given that the decomposition of r into r1 and r2 is lossy,
which one of the following is TRUE?
(A) s 1 r

(B) r 1 s = r

(C) r 1 s

(D) r * s = s

SOLUTION

r 2 r1 & r 2 r2
s = r1 ) r2 ) denotes natural join.
So here s would have all the combinations of r1 = A, B, C(r) & r2 = A, D(r)
product & certainly have more tuples than original r .
So
r 1s
Since s would have all the tuples of r but also has some extra.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 16

Let E1 and E2 be two entities in an E/R diagram with simple singlevalued attributes. R1 and R2 are two relationships between E1 and E2
where R1 is one-to-many and R2 is many-to-many. R1 and R2 do not
have any attributes of their own. What is the minimum number of
tables required to represent this situation in the relational model?
(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 4

(D) 5

SOLUTION

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Database

Since R2 is many to many so E1 has some primary key so one tables

for E1 & to represent many to many relationship 1 table for R2 which
will have the common attribute of E2 .
R1 & E2 can be merged.
So total 3 tables are required.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 17

The following table has two attributes A and C where A is the

primary key and C is the foreign key referencing A with on-delete
cascade.
A
2
3
4
5
7
9
6

C
4
4
3
2
2
5
4

The set of all tuples that must be additionally deleted to preserve

referential integrity when the tuple (2,4) is deleted is:
(A) (3,4) and (6,4)
(B) (5,2) and (7,2)
(C) (5,2)(7,2) and (9,5)

(D) 1

SOLUTION

On delete cascade says that deletion of a primary key value should

delete its all foreign key references.
So in (2, 4) 2 is primary key so tuples (5, 2) & (7, 2) should be deleted,
but in (5, 2) 5 is also a key so (9, 5) also deleted cascade.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 18

The relation book (title, price) contains the titles and prices of
different books. Assuming that no two books have the same price,
what does the following SQL
select title
from book as B
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where (select count(*)
from book as T
where T. price>B.Price)<5
(A) Titles of the four most expensive books
(B) Title of the fifth most inexpensive book
(C) Title of the fifth most expensive book
(D) Titles of the five most expensive books
SOLUTION

It selects all those book titles where the price of the book has difference
than most expensive book not more than 5.
So it selects five most expensive books.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 19

Consider a relation scheme R = (A, B, C, D, E, H) on which the

following functional dependencies hold:
{A " B, . BC " D, E " C, D " A}
What are the candidate keys of R?
(B) AE, BE, DE
(A) AE, BE
(C) AEH, BEH, BCH

(D) AEH, BEH, DEH

SOLUTION

A " B , BC " D , E " C , D " A

We start form set of all the attributes and reduce them using given
functional dependences
ABCDEH
ABCDEH
ABCEH
{BC " D}
ABEH
{E " C}
BCDEH
{D " A}
AEH
{A " B}
BEH
{E " C}
ABCDEH
ACDEH {A " B}
ADEH {E " C}
DEH {D " A}
So candidate keys are AEH , BEH & DEH
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Hence (D) is correct option.

YEAR 2006
Question. 20

Consider the following log sequence of two transactions on a bank

account, with initial balance 12000,that transfer 2000 to a mortgage
payment and, then apply a 5% interest.
1. T1 start
2. T1 B old = 12000 new = 10000
3. T1 M old = 0 ne = 2000
4. T1 commit
5. T2 start
6. T2 B old = 10000 new = 10500
7. T2 commit
Suppose the database system crashed just before log record 7 is
written. When the system is restarted, which one statement is true of
the recovery procedure?
(A) We must redo log record 6 to set B to 10500
(B) We must undo log record 6 to set B to 10000 and then redo log
records 2 and 3
(C) We need not redo log records 2 and 3 because transaction T1 has
committed
(D) We can apply redo and undo operations in arbitrary order because
they are idempotent
SOLUTION

Here transaction T1 has been committed at record 4 so no need to

redo them, since balanced commit & start.
This is the step done for recovery.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 21

Consider the relation account (customer, balance) where customer

is a primary key and there are no mall values. We would like to
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rank customers according to decreasing balance. The customer with
the largest balance gets rank 1. Ties are not broken but ranks are
skipped: if exactly two customers have the largest balance they each
get rank 1 and rank 2 is not assigned.
Query 1 : Select A. customer, count (B. customer) from account A,
account B where A. customer
Query 2 : Select A. customer, 1+count(B. customer)from account
A, accountB where A, balance<B, balance 7 group by A.
customer
Consider these statements about Query 1 and Query 2.
1.

Query 1will produce the same row set as Query 2 for some but
not all databases

2.

Both Query 1 Query 2 are correct implementations of the

specification

3.

Query 1 is a correct implementation of the specification but

Query 2 is not

4.

Neither query 1 nor Query 2 is a correct implementation of the

specification

5.

Assigning rank with a pure relational Query takes less time than
scanning in decreasing balance order the assigning ranks using
ODBC

Which two of the above statements are correct?

(A) 2 and 5

(B) 1 and 3

(C) 1 and 4

(D) 3 and 5

SOLUTION

Consider an example
Customer Balance Correct Rank Query 1 (Rank) Query 2 (Rank)
A

40

36

36

44

44

incorrect

correct

Query 1 is incorrect implementation

Query 2 & 1 will give similar result when all balances are distinct, so
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statement 1 is correct.
Statement 4 is also correct.
So option (C) is also correct.
More effective query.
Select A : customer , 1 + count (B : customer) from amount A,
account B where A balance < B : balance group by A : balance
Question. 22

Consider the relation enrolled (student, course) in which student,

course) is the primary key, and the relation paid (student, amount)
where student is the primary key . Assume no null values and no
foreign keys or integrity constraints. Given the following four queries:
Query 1: Select from enrolled where student in (select student form
paid)
Query 2: Select student from paid where student in (select student
from enrolled)
Query 3: Select E. student from enrolled E, paid P where E.
student= P student
Query 4: Se3lect student from paid where exists (select*from
enrolled where enrolled student=paid.student
Which one of the following statements is correct?
(A) All queries return identical row sets for any database
(B) Query 2 and Query 4 return identical row sets for all databases
but there exist database for which Query 1 and Query 2 retrun
different row sets
(C) There exist databases for which Query 3 returns strictly fewer
rows than Query 2
(D) There exist databases for which Query 4 will encounter an
intergrity violation at runtime
SOLUTION

Query 1

Return student names for different courses, so one student

name may occur more than one time.
Query 2 Student listed in paid, one student for one time only.
Query 3 Repeating students.
Query 4 One student selected only once from paid.
So (A) is false.
(B) is correct since (2) & (4) return same rows, but since three is
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repeating, so even when one student enrolled in one course only then
Query 1 and Query 2 results in some rows otherwise their result is
always same.
Query 3 cant return few rows than Query 2 in any case.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 23

Consider the relation enrolled (student, course) in which (student,

course) is the primary key, and the relation paid (student, amount)
where student is the primary key. Assume no null values and no
foreign keys or integrity constraints. Assume that amounts 6000,
7000,8000,9000 and 10000 were each paid by 20% of the students.
Consider these query plans (Plan 1 on left, Plan 2 on right) to list
all courses taken by students who have paid more than x.

A disk seek takes 4 ms . disk data transfer bank width is 300 MB/s
and checking a tuple to see if amount is greater x takes 10 s . Which
of the following statements is correct?
(A) Plan 1 and Plan 2 will not output identical row sets for all
databases
(B) A course may be listed more than once int the output of Plan 1
for some databases
(C) For x = 5000, Plan 1 executes faster than Plan 2 for all databases
(D) For x = 9000, Plan 1 executes slower than Plan 2 for all databases
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SOLUTION

Plan 1 selects some tuples which are greater than x , this is best
strategy for query evaluation to perform selection as early as possible,
to reduce size of the relation.
So plane 1 will execute faster than plan 2 for x = 5000 .
Since all the tuples required gets selected.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 24

The following functional dependencies are given:

AB " CF, AF " D, DE " F, C " G, F " E, G " A.
Which one of the following options is false?
(B) {BG} + = {ABCDG}
(A) {CF} + = {ACFEFG}
(C) {AF} + = {ACDEFG}

(D) {AB} + = {ACDFG}

SOLUTION

AB " CD AF " D DE " F C " G F " E G " A

Let us take {AF} +
AF
AFE
{F " E}
AFDE
{AF " D}
=
Y ACDEFG
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2007
Question. 25

Information about a collection of students is given by the relation

studInfo (studId, name, sex). The relation enroll (studID, CourseId)
gives which student has enrolled for (or taken) what course(s). Assume
that every course is taken by at least one male and at least one
female student. What does the following relational algebra expression
represent?
courseld ((studId (sex = "female" (studInfo)) # courseId (enroII)) enroII)
(A) Courses in which all the female students are enrolled
(B) Courses in which a proper subset of female students are enrolled
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(C) Courses in which only male students are enrolled
(D) None of the above.
SOLUTION

studId (sex = female (studInfo) selects student id of all females.

This is joined with all courses (unique) from enroll table.
This results into all the combinations female students can take all
the courses.
Difference from enrol cause all the female student ids i.e the sub
result eliminated, so virtually whole result is empty.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 26

Consider the relation employee (name, sex, supervisorName (with

name as the key. supervisor Name-gives the name of the supervisor
of the employee under consideration. What does the following Tuple
Relational Calculus query produce?
{e.name|employee(e) 0
(6 #) [Jemployee (x) 0 x.supervisorName
! e.name 0 x.sex = "male"]}
(A) Names of employees with a male supervisor
(B) Names of employees with no immediate male subordinates
(C) Names of employees with no immediate female subordinates
(D) Names of employees with a female supervisor
SOLUTION

The sub-query finds employees who are male & have supervisors.
So sub-query results all male employers with at least 1 supervisor
and whole query results all those employee names with no immediate
female subordinates.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 27

Consider the table employee (empId, name, department, salary) and

the two queries Q1, Q2 below. Assuming that department 5 has more
than one employee, and we want to find the employees who get higher
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salary than anyone in the department 5, which one of the statements

is TRUE for any arbitrary employee table?
Q1 : Select e. empId
From employee e
Where not exists
(Select*From employee s Where s. department=5 and
s.salay>=e.salary)
Q.2 : Select e. empId
From employee e
Where e.salary>Any
(Select distinct salary From employee s Where s. department=5)
(A) Q1 is the correct query.
(B) Q2 is the correct query
(C) Both Q1 and Q2 produce the same answer
(D) Neither Q1 nor Q2 is the correct query
SOLUTION

Query Q2 is correct to calculate all the employee ID's where salary is

greater than any employee of dept no. 5. So correct.
But Q's sub-query is opposite also not correct no comparison after
where clause.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 28

Which one of the following statements is FALSE?

(A) Any relation with two attributes is in BCNF
(B) A relation in which every key has only one attribute is in 2NF
(C) A prime attribute can be transitively dependent on a key in 3NF
relation
(D) A prime attribute can be transitively dependent on a key in a
BNCF relation.

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SOLUTION

(A) True, since any relation with 2 attributes is in BCNF .

(B) True since in 2NF non prime attributes should fully functional
dependent upon keys.
(C) A prime attribute can functionally dependent on a key in 3NF
relation, this statement is tree.
(D) But in BCNF transitivity is eliminated.
So false.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 29

The order of a leaf node in a B+ tree is the maximum number of

(value, data record pointer) pairs it can hold. Given that the block
size is 1K bytes, data record pointer is 7 bytes long, the value field is
9 bytes long and a block pointer is 6 bytes long, what is the order of
the leaf node?
(A) 63

(B) 64

(C) 67

(D) 68

SOLUTION

Construction of B+ tree node here.

6 bytes block 7 byte data 9 byte value 7......... 7
pointer
pointer
So let P be no. of child pointer then data values = P 1

6 + (P 1) # 9 + P # 7 = 1024
16P 3 = 1024
16P = 1027
P = 1027
16
, 64
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 30

Consider the following schedules involving two transactions. Which

one of the following statements is TRUE?
S1:r1 (X); r1 (Y); r2 (X); r2 (Y); w2 (Y); w1 (X)
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S2:r1 (X); r2 (X); r2 (Y); w2 (Y); r1 (Y); w1 (X)

(A) Both S1 and S2 are conflict serializable
(B) S1 is conflict serializable and S2 is not conflict serializable
(C) S1 is not conflict serializable and S2 is conflict serializable
(D) Both S1 and S2 are not conflict serializable
SOLUTION

Consider S1 schedule
S1
r1 (X) " read X process 1
r1 (Y) " read Y process 1
r2 (X) " read X process 2
r2 (Y) " read Y process 2
w2 (Y) " but this write cause r1 (Y)
w1 (X) Value obsolete, so not conflict serializable.
S2
r1 (X) X read by 1
r2 (X) X read by 2
r2 (Y) Y read by 3
w2 (Y) Here also no problem since only
r1 (X) Transaction 2 has read Y &
w1 (X) It is manipulating
r1 (Y) is after that so conflict serializable.
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2008
Question. 31

A clustering index is defined on the fields which are of type

(A) Non-key and ordering
(B) Non-key and non-ordering
(C) key and ordering

(D) Key and non-ordering

SOLUTION

Clustering index is used when we have clusters of similar database

enteries for a particular attribute.
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So indexing is done by ordering all the instances of attribute &
clustering the same values, so index entry for only the first item is
needed only.
This attribute has repeating values.
So cant be primary key, so non key.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 32

Let R and S be two relations with the following schema

R (P, Q, R1, R2, R3)
S (P, Q, S1, S2)
Where {P, Q} is the key for both schemes. Which of the following
queries are equivalent?
I

P (D S)

II

P (R) D P (S)

III

P (P, Q (R) + P, Q (S))

IV

P (P, Q (R) (P, Q (R) P, Q (S)))

(A) Only I and II

(B) Only I and II

(C) Only I, II and III

(D) Only I, II and IV

SOLUTION

Projects P after joining R & S for common attributes P & Q .

II

Selects P from R & P from S & then join so may have same
tuples as I.

III Selects P from common PQ attributes & common tuples in R &

S
So same as equi join between R & S .
IV Selects P from R which are only in S .
So I, II & III are equivalent.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 33

Consider the following relational schemes for a library database:

Book (Title, Author, Catalog_no, Publisher, Year, price)
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Collection (Title, Author, Catalog_no)

Which the following functional dependencies:
I.

Title Author "Catalog_no

II.

Catalog_no "Title Author Publisher Year

III.

Publisher Title Year"price

Assume {Author, Title} is the key for both schemes: which of the
following statements is true?
(A) Both Book and Collection are in BCNF
(B) Both Book and Collection are in 3NF only
(C) Book is in 2NF and Collection is in 3NF
(D) Both Book and Collection are in 2NF only
SOLUTION

In relation collection
Title Author " Catalog_no.
So non key attribute Catalog_no. is fully dependent upon key
attributes.
So it is in 3NF .
Relation Book is in 2NF
Publisher and year attributes are transitively dependent upon title
Author, so 3NF is not there.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 34

Consider a file of 1684 records. Each record is 32 bytes long and its
key field is of size 6 bytes. The file is ordered on a non-key field, and
the file organization is unspanned. The file is stored in a file system
with block size 1024 bytes, and the size of a block pointer is 10
bytes. If the secondary index is built on the key field of the file, and
a multi-level index scheme is used to store the secondary index, the
number of first-level and second-level blocks in the multi-level index
are respectively
(A) 8 and 0
(B) 128 and 6
(C) 256 and 4

(D) 512 and 5

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SOLUTION

The size of a block

So total of bits required for
So option (C) 256
&4

= 1024 bytes = 210 bytes

first level & second level should be 10.
= 28
= 22

Hence (C) is correct option.

Data for Q. 49 & 50 are given below.

Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
Consider the following ER diagram

Question. 35

The minimum number of tables needed to represent M, N, P, R1, R2 is

(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 4

(D) 5

SOLUTION

There are 3 entity set, but 2 relations R1 & R2 only. R1 is one to

many from P to M .
& R2 is one to many from P to N
N is weak entity set here.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 36

Which of the following is a correct attribute set for one of the tables
for the correct answer to the above question?

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(A) {M1,M2,M3,P1}

(B) {M1,P1,N1,N2}

(C) {M1,P1,N1}

(D) {M1,P1}

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Database

SOLUTION

Two tables in the scenario will be M1, M2, M 3, P1 which is for relation
R1 & N1, N2, P1, P2 with P1 as primary key N1 is a weak entity set.
This is for relation R2 .
Hence (A) is correct option.

YEAR 2009

Question. 37

Consider two transactions T1 and T2 and four schedules S1, S2, S3, S4 of
T1 and T2 as given below :
T1: R1 [x] W1 [x] W1 [y]
T2: R2 [x] R2 [y] W2 [y]
S1: R1 [x] R2 [x] R2 [y] W1 [x] W1 [y] W2 [y]
S2: R1 [x] R2 [x] R2 [y] W1 [x] W2 [y] W1 [y]
S3: R1 [x] W1 [x] R2 [x] W1 [y] R2 [y] W2 [y]
S4: R2 [x] R2 [y] R1 [x] W1 [x] W1 [y] W2 [y]
Which of the above schedules are conflict-serializable?
(A) S1 and S2

(B) S2 and S3

(C) S3 only

(D) S4 only

SOLUTION

Conflict serializable schedules

Schedule S1

Schedule S2

T1

T1

R (x)

T2

T2

R (x)
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Cycle exists between

T1 & T2
Schedule S 3
T1
T2

No cycle
Schedule S 4
T1
T2

No cycle
Cycle exists
In S2 & S 3 no cycle exists, so conflict serializable.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 38

The following key values are inserted into a B + tree in which order
of the internal nodes is 3, and that of the leaf nodes is 2, in the
sequence given below. The order of internal nodes is the maximum
number of tree pointers in each node, and the order of leaf nodes is
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the maximum number of data items that can be stored in it. The B +
tree is initially empty.
10,3,6,8,4,2,1
The maximum number of times leaf nodes would get split up as a
result of these insertions is
(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 4

(D) 5

SOLUTION

Order = 3 so any node can have 3 child nodes i.e 3 pointer values.
10, 3, 6, 8, 4, 2, 1

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Total 4 splits
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 39

Let R and S be relation schemes such that R = {a, b, c} and S = {c}

. Now consider the following queries on the database :
I.

R S (r) R S (R S (r) # S R S, S (r))

II.

{t | t ! R S (r) / 6u ! s (7v ! r (u = v [s] / t = v [R S]))}

III.

{t | t ! R S (r) / 6v ! r (7u ! s (u = v [s] / t = v [R S]))}

IV.

Select R.a, R.b

From R, S
Where R.c = S.c
Which of the above queries are equivalent?
(A) I and II
(B) I and III
(C) II and IV

(C) III and IV

SOLUTION

Query IV is a natural join between R & S .

The similar result we obtain from Query II.
Hence (C) is correct option.

Common Data for Q. 54 & 55:

Consider the following relational schema:
Suppliers(sid: integer, sname:string, city:string, street:string)
Parts(pid:integer, pname:string, color:string)
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Catalog(sid:integer, pid:integer, cost:real)

Question. 40

Consider the following relational query on the above database :

SELECT S.sname
FROM Suppliers S
WHERE S.sid NOT IN ( SELECT C.sid
FROM Catalog C
WHERE C.pid NOT IN ( SELECT P.pid
FROM Parts P
WHERE P.color?blue))
Assume that relations corresponding to the above schema are not
empty. Which one of the following is the correct interpretation of the
above query?
(A) Find the names of all suppliers who have supplied a non-blue
part.
(B) Find the names of all suppliers who have not supplied a non-blue
part.
(C) Find the names of all suppliers who have supplied only blue
parts.
(D) Find the names of all suppliers who have not supplied only blue
parts.
SOLUTION

The sub-query results all those parts which are not blue.
The sub-query returns all those suppliers which have the blue parts.
And final return from the query are the supplier ids of all those
suppliers which supplied a non blue part.
Question. 41

Assume that, in the suppliers relation above, each supplier and each
street within a city has a unique name, and (same, city) forms a
candidate key. No other functional dependencies are implied other
than those implied by primary and candidate keys. Which one of the
following is TRUE about the above schema ?
(A) The schema is in BCNF.
(B) The schema is in 3NF but not in BCNF.
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(C) The schema is in 2NF but not in 3NF.
(D) The schema is not in 2NF.
SOLUTION

Sname city forms the candidate key.

Suppliers (sid, sname, city, street)
Sname is primary key.
Sid, sname is also key.
City"street exists.
Street is functionally dependent upon city.
Sname" city.
So transitivity occurs.
So data base is in 3NF but not in BSNF .
YEAR 2010
Question. 42

Consider a B+ -tree in which the maximum number of keys in a node

is 5. What is the minimum number of keys in any non-root node?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3

(D) 4

SOLUTION

Given the no. of keys = 5

So
order of any non root node = 6
This is maximum order
Minimum no. of key = bP l 1
2
= b5l 1 = 3 1 = 2
2
Hence (B) is correct option
Question. 43

A relational schema for a train reservation database is given below.

Passenger (pid, pname, age)
Reservation (pid, class, tid)
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Table : passenger
pid

pname

Age

Sachin 65

Rahul 66

Sourav 67

Anil

69

Table : Reservation
pid class

tid

AC

8200

AC

8201

SC

8201

AC

8203

SC

8204

AC

8202

What pids are returned by the following SQL query for the above
instance of the tables ?
SELECT pid
FROM Reservation
WHERE class= AC AND
EXISTS (SELECT)
FROM Passenger
WHERE age>65 AND
Passenger.pid = Reservation.pid)
(A) 1,0

(B) 1, 2

(C) 1, 3

(D) 1, 5

SOLUTION

The sub-query places a equity-join between 2 tables and select age

>65.
So pid 1, 2 & 3 are selected.
In the main query from 1, 2 & 3 only 1 & 3 have class AC .
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Question. 44

Which of the following concurrency control protocols ensure both

conflict serializability and freedom from deadlock?
I.

2-phase locking

II

Time-stamp ordering

(A) I only

(B) II only

(C) Both I and II

(D) Neither I nor II

SOLUTION

Two phase locking protocol works by running a transaction in two

phases, in first phase locks on various data items is achieved only,
once second phase i.e unlocking phase start, no locks can be granted
then. So due to waiting to have lock, deadlock may occur.
But time stamp protocol due to consideration of time stamp provide
both conflict serializability as well as deadlock avoidance.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 45

Consider the following schedule for transactions T1, T2, and T3 :

T1
Read (X)

T2

T3

Read (Y)
Read (Y)
Write (X)
Write (X)
Read (X)
Write (X)
Which one of the schedules below is the correct serialization of the
above ?
(A) T1 " T3 " T2

(B) T2 " T1 " T3

(C) T2 " T3 " T1

(D) T3 " T1 " T2

SOLUTION

Drawing the dependency graph where an edge between two transactions

exits if there is read write or write-write conflict between them.
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Applying topological sort gives order

T1 " T3 " T2
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 46

The following functional dependencies hold for relations R(A,B,C)

and S(B,D,E):
B"A
A"C
The relation R contains 200 tuples and the relation S contains 100
tuples. What is the maximum number of tuples possible in the natural
join R D S ?
(A) 100

(B) 200

(C) 300

(D) 2000

SOLUTION

R has 200 tuples & has 100 tuples, the common attribute for natural
join is B in both relations consider a condition cohen all tuples in
S has distinct value of B , So a natural join can have maximum 100
tuples.
Hence (A) is correct option.

**********
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GATE CS Topic wise Questions

Digital Logic

YEAR 2001

Question. 1

Given the following Karnaugh map, which one of the following

represents the minimal sum-of-Products of the map ?

(A) xy + y'z

(B) wx'y' + xy + xz

(C) w'x + y'z + xy

(D) xz + y

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Digital Logic

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SOLUTION

There are 2 quads.

y'z + yx
So xy + y'z
Hence (A) is correct option.

Question. 2

Consider the following circuit with initial state Q 0 = Q1 = 0 . The

D flip-flops are positive edged triggered and have set up times 20
nanosecond and hold times 0.

Consider the following timing diagrams of X and C ; the clock of

C $ 40 nanosecond. Which one is the correct plot of Y

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Digital Logic

SOLUTION

Consider the following circuit with initial state Q 0 = Q1 = 0 . The

D flip-flops are positive edged triggered and have set up times 20
nanosecond and hold times 0.
Figure
Consider the following timing diagrams of X and C ; the clock period
of C $ 40 nanosecond. Which one is the correct plot of Y ?
Figure

Question. 3

The 2s complement representation of ( 539) 10 is hexadecimal is

(A) ABE

(B) DBC

(C) DE5

(D) 9E7

SOLUTION

Binary of 539 = 1000011011

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Digital Logic

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Binary
: 0010 0001 1011
2's comp
: 1101 1110 0101
Hexadecimal D
E
5
(DES) 16
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 4

Consider the circuit shown below. The output of a 2:1 Mux is given
by the function (ac' + bc).

Which of the following is true ?

(A) f = x1' + x2

(B) f = x1'x2 + x1x2'

(C) f = x1x2 + x1'x2'

(D) f = x1 + x2

SOLUTION

Output of any 2:1 MUX = ac' + bc

Here output of MUX 1.
g = ax 1' + bx1
Output of MVX 2
f = gx 2' + x1 x2
f = (ax 1' + bx1) x 2' + x1 x2
f = ax 1' x 2' + bx1 x 2' + x1 x2
Given a = 1, b = 0
f = x 1' x 2' + x1 x2
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 5

Consider the circuit given below the initial state Q 0 = 1, Q1 = Q2 = 0 .

The state of the circuit is given by the value 4Q2 + 2Q1 + Q 0
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Which one of the following is the correct state sequence of the circuit
?
(A) 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 5, 2

(B) 1, 2, 5, 3, 7, 6, 4

(C) 1, 2, 7, 3, 5, 6, 4

(D) 1, 6, 5, 7, 2, 3, 5

SOLUTION

Q0

Q1

Q2

Value 4Q2 + 2Q1 + Q 0

Clk

Initially

Hence (B) is correct option.

YEAR 2002

Question. 6

Minimum sum of product expression for f (w, x, y, z) shown in

Karnaugh-map below is
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(A) xz + y'z

(B) xz' + zx'

(C) x'y + zx'

(D) None of the above

SOLUTION

There are 2 quads possible

xz' + x'z
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 7

The decimal value of 0.25

(A) is equivalent to the binary value 0.1
(B) is equivalent to the binary value 0.01
(C) is equivalent to the binary value 0.00111.....
(D) cannot be represented precisely in binary.
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Digital Logic

SOLUTION

Given decimal no. 0.25

Binary = ?
.25 # 2 = .5
.5 # 2 = 1
(.01) 2
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 8

The 2s complement represent representation of the decimal value

15 is
(A) 1111

(B) 11111

(C) 111111

(D) 10001

SOLUTION

Given ( 15) 10
Binary of 15 = (01111) 2
2s complement of 15 would represent ( 15).
0 1111
(10001) 2
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 9

Sign extension is a step in

(A) floating point multiplication
(B) signed 16 bit integer addition
(C) arithmetic left shift
(D) converting a signed integer from one size to another.
SOLUTION

Sign extension is the operation in computer arithmetic of increasing

no. of bits of a binary no., while preserving sign and value done by
appending MSBs. In the floating point multiplication to bring the
no. in desired no. of significant digits sign extension is done.
Hence (A) is correct option.
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Question. 10

In 2s complement addition, overflow

(A) Relational algebra is more powerful than relational calculus
(B) Relational algebra has the same power as relational calculus.
(C) Relational algebra has the same power as safe relational calculus.
(D) None of the above.

SOLUTION

In 2s complement addition, overflow occurs when the carries from

sign bit & previous bit doesnt match. So overflow cant occur when
a positive value is added to some negative value.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 11

Consider the following logic circuit whose inputs are functions f1, f2, f3
and output is f

Given that
f1 (x, y, z) = (0, 1, 3, 5)
f2 (x, y, z) = (6, 7), and
f (x, y, z) = (1, 4, 5)
f3 is
(A) (1, 4, 5)

(B) (6, 7)

(C) (0, 1, 3, 5)

(D) None of the above

SOLUTION

f1 (x, y, z) = (0, 1, 3, 5)
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Digital Logic

= x'y' + y'z + x'z

f2 (x, y, z) = (6, 7)

= xy
f (x, y, z) = (1, 4, 5)

= xy' + y'z
f (x, y, z) = f1 f2 : f3
= f1 : f2 + f3
= xy (x'y' + y'z + x'z) + (xy' + y'z)
f3 = xy'z + xy'z' + xy'z + x'y'z
f3 = (1, 4, 5)
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 12

Consider the following multiplexor where 10, 11, 12, 13 are

four data input lines selected by two address line combinations
A1A0 = 00, 01, 10, 11 respectively and f is the output of the
multiplexor. EN is the Enable input.
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The function f (x, y, z) implemented by the above circuit is

(A) xyz'

(B) xy + z

(C) x + y

(D) None of the above

SOLUTION

A1 A 0 EN (MUX) work
0

do not

(MUX) Work

do not

So MUX is ENABLED only if A 0 = 0

So output should have Z' .
Consider xyz' option (A)
A, A 0 = 1 0 gives correct answer.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 13

Let f (A, B) = A' + B . Simplified expression for function f (f (x + y, y), z)

is
(A) x' + z

(B) xyz

(C) xy' + z

(D) None of the above

SOLUTION

f (x + y, y) = (x + y) ' + y
& x+y+y
f (f (x + y, y), z) = x + y + y + z
& (x + y : y ) + z
[(x + y) : y ] + z
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Digital Logic

[xy + yy ] + z
xy + z
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 14

What are the states of the Auxiliary Carry (AC) and Carry Flag
(CY) after executing the following 8085 program ?
MIV H,

5DH

MIV L,

6BH

MOV A,

ADD L
(A) AC = 0 and CY = 0

(B) AC = 1 and CY = 1

(C) AC = 1 and CY = 0

(D) AC = 0 and CY = 1

SOLUTION

Program is to add 2 nos kept in H & L, result of addition is stored

in A.
(5D) 16 + (6B) 16 &

0 is the carry so CY = 0
(1) is auxillary carry AC = 1
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 15

The finite state machine described by the following state diagram

with A as starting state, where an arc label is x and x stands for
y
1-bit input and y stands for 2-bit output.
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(A) Outputs the sum of the present and the previous bits of the
input.
(B) Outputs 01 whenever the input sequence contains 11
(C) Outputs 00 whenever the input sequence contains 10
(D) None of the above.
SOLUTION

Previous input Present i/p Output

0(A)

0(A)

00

0(A)

1(B)

01

1(B)

0(A)

01

1(B)

1(C)

10

1(C)

1(C)

10

1(C)

0(A)

01

So output is always sum of the present and previous bits of input.

Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2003
Question. 16

Assuming all numbers are in 2s complement representation, which of

the following number is divisible by 11111011?
(A) 11100111

(B) 11100100

(C) 11010111

(D) 11011011

SOLUTION

We cant judge the nos in 2s complement first we need to convert

them in decimal
Given no. 11111011"00000101=5
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Digital Logic

(A)
11100111 " 00011001 = 25
(B)
11100100 " 00011100 = 28
(C)
11010111 " 00101001 = 41
(D)
11011011 " 00100101 = 37
From all only option (A) is divisible by 5.
Shortcut : To convert 2s complement no. directly into original binary,
we should complement all the digits from MSB till the last one (1).
Keep the last 1 from the LSB as it is. Observe in the example.
Question. 17

The following is a scheme for floating point number representation

using 16 bits.

Let s, c and m be the number represented in binary in the sign,

exponent, and mantissa fields respectively. Then the flouting point
number represented id
( 1) 2 (1 + m # 2 9)2 e 31, if the exponent 111111
)
0 otherwise
What is the maximum difference between two successive real numbers
representable in this system?
(A) 2 40
(B) 2 9
(C) 222

(D) 231

SOLUTION

e has 6 bits so max value can be

26 1 = 63 when e = 111111
But given e =
Y 111111
So max e = 62 = 111110
Two consecutive number will have same exponent but difference in
mantissa by 1.
Difference would be
( 1) 2 (1 + (m + 1) 2 9) 262 31 ( 1) 2 (1 + m # 2 9) 262 31 231 # 2 9
= 222
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Question. 18

A 1-input, 2-output synchronous sequential circuit behaves as follows.

Let zk , nk denote the number of 0s and 1s respectively in initial k bits
of the input (zk + nk = k). The circuit outputs 00 until one of the
following conditions holds.
1. nk nk = 2 . In this case, the output at the k -th and all subsequency
clock ticks is 10.
2. nk zk = 2 . In this case, the output at the k -th and all subsequent
clock ticks is 01.
What in the minimum number of states required in the state transition
graph of the above circuit?
(A) 5
(B) 6
(C) 7

(D) 8

SOLUTION

The sequential circuit has 3 variables to decide the state in which

input & 2 inputs are present. Output for particular inputs decide
states.
i/p

op 1 op 2

State

Intial

nK zK = 2

zK nK = 2

Not applicable

Initial

nK zK = 2

zK nK = 2

is correct

Using 3 bits we require

23 1 = 7 states here.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 19

The literal count of a boolean expression is the sum of the number of

times each literal appears in the expression. For example, the literal
count of (xy + xz) is 4. What are the minimum possible literal counts
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Digital Logic

of the product-of-sum and sum-of-product representations respectively

of the function given by the following karnaugh map?
Here,

denotes dont care

(A) (11,9)

(B) (9,13)

(C) (9,10)

(D) (11,11)

SOLUTION

Considering product of sum & sum of product separately.

Sum of product
= wy + w'y' + z'wx' + xyz'
12 34 567 8910
Literal count =10

Product of sum
= (y' + z') (z' + y) (w' + z')
(x + z + w)
Lateral count =9

Hence (C) is correct option.

In SOP the K-map is solved for 1 & POS K-map solved for 0
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Question. 20

Consider the following circuit composed of XOR gates and noninverting buffers.

The non-inverting buffers have delays 1 = 2ns and 2 = 4ns as shown

in the figure. both XOR gates and al wires have zero delay. Assume
that all gate inputs, outputs and wires are stable at logic level 0. If
the following waveform is applied at input. A, how many transition
(s) (change of logic levels) occur (s) at B during the interval from 0
to 10 ns ?

(A) 1

(B) 2

(C) 3

(D) 4

SOLUTION

Due to delays S1 = 2 & S2 = 4 the transitions would occur at time 1,

2 & 4.
Time Input (A) Output (B)
0

Transition

II

Transition

III

Transition

So total 3 transitions
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2004
Question. 21

The Boolean function x'y' + xy + x'y is equivalent to

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(A) x' + y'

(B) x + y

(C) x + y'

(D) x' + y

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Digital Logic

SOLUTION

x'y' + xy + xy'
x' (y + y') + xy
(A + A') = 1
x' + xy
(A + AB) = (A + A) : (A + B)
(x' + x) : (x' + y)
1 : (x' + y)
x' + y
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 22

In an SR latch made by cross-coupling two NAND gates, if both S

and R inputs are set to 0, then it will result in
(A) Q = 0, Q' = 1
(B) Q = 1, Q' = 0
(C) Q = 1, Q' = 1

(D) Indeterminate states

SOLUTION

SR latch both S and R when 0 leads to invalid state.

Transition table for SR flip flop.

S
R
Q(Next state)
0
0
Invalid so Q=Q=1 change
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
previous state
For
S=R=0
Q=Q=1
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Question. 23

If 73x (in base-x number system) is equal to 54, (in base-y number
system), the possible values of x and y are
(A) 8, 16
(B) 10, 12
(C) 9, 13

(D) 8, 11

SOLUTION

(73) x = (54) y
7x + 3 = 5y + 4
(x', y)
7x + 3
8, 16
59
10, 12
73
9, 13
64
8, 11
59
Hence (D) is correct option.

5y + 4
84
64
69
59

Question. 24

What is the result of evaluating the following two expressions using

three-digit floating point arithmetic with rounding?
(113.+111.)+7.51
113.+(111.+7.51)
(A) 9.51 and 10.0 respectively

(B) 10.0 and 9.51 respectively

(C) 9.51 and 9.51 respectively

(D) 10.0 and 10.0 respectively

SOLUTION

Expression 1
(113.0 + ( 111.) + 7.51
(113.0 111.0) + 7.51
2.0 + 7.51
9.51
rounded off
10
Expression 2
113.0 + ( 111.0 + 7.51)
113.0 + ( 103.49)
113.0 103.00
10.0
rounded off
Hence (D) is correct option
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Digital Logic

Question. 25

A circuit outputs a digit in the form of 4 bits. 0 is represented by

0000, 1 by 0001,...9 by 1001. A combinational circuit is to be diesigned
which takes these 4 bits as input and outputs 1 if the digit $ 5, and
0 otherwise. If only AND, OR and NOT gates may be used, what is
the minimum number of gates required?
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4

(D) 5

SOLUTION

CKT takes 4 bits as the input so K-Map will have 4 variable so 16

options are available.

1 digit = 5
0 otherwise
Here for 0 to 4 we have 0 output, from 5 to 9 1 output & for 10 to 15
dont care. 1 octed & 2 pounds.
a + bd + bc
a + b (d + c)
Two OR gates
One AND gate
Total 3
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 26

Which are the essential prime implicates of the following Boolean

function?
f (a, b, c) = a'c + ac' + b'c
(A) a'c and ac'

(B) a'c and b'c

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(C) a'c only

(D) ac' and bc'

SOLUTION

f (a, b, c) = a'c + ac' + b'c

Making min terms a'bc + a'b'c + abc' + ab'c' + a'b'c + ab'c
Since b'c gives no new term.
So a'c & ac' are only essential prime implicants.
Solution detailed method
Tabulation method
Since b'c gives no new term.
So a'c & ac' are only essential prime implicants.
Solution detailed method
Tabulation method
f (a, b, c) = / m (1, 3, 5, 6, 4)
Figure
Figure
3 & 6 have only 1 cross they are in a'c & ac'
Question. 27

Consider the partial implementation fo a 2-bit counter using T flip

flops following the sequence 0-2-3-1-0, as shown below

To complete the circuit, the input X should be

(A) Q2 '

(B) Q2 + Q1

(C) (Q1 5 Q2)'

(D) Q1 5 Q2

SOLUTION

Counter counts the no. of signal inversion change of states.

Sequence input is 0 2 3 1 0
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Digital Logic

Binary 00 10 11 01 00 to generate signals if we XOR gate

then it outputs 1 if both are different.
So output sequence would be. 0 1 0 1 0 & the sequence would
be counted.
So. X = Q1 5 Q2
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 28

A 4-bit carry look ahead adder, which adds two 4-bit numbers, is
designed using AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR gates only. Assuming
that all the inputs are available in both complemented and
uncompensated forms and the delay of each gate is one time unit,
what is the overall propagation delay of the adder? Assume that the
carry network has been implemented using two-level AND-OR logic.
(A) 4 time units

(B) 6 time units

(C) 10 time units

(D) 12 time units

SOLUTION

Carry of any higher order bit is dependent upon previous order bit
addition generated carry.
C out = g 0 + p 0 C in
P3 P2 P1 P0
g 3 g 2 g1 g 0
c 3 c 2 c1 c 0
c 3 g 3 + P3 g2 + P3 P2 g1 +| P3 P2 P1 g 0 + P3 P2 P2 P0 C in
This is 4 bit look ahead adder equation total gate delay
= 1+1+2+2
=6
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 29

Let A = 11111010 and B 0000 1010 be two 8-bit 2s complement

numbers. Their product in 2s complement is
(A) 1100 0100

(B) 1001 1100

(C) 1010 0101

(D) 1101 0101

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SOLUTION

A and B are in 2s complement form.

A = 11111010
Binary = 00000110 = 6
2s complement represent ve number
A = 6

So

B = 00001010
MSB is 0 so + ve no. decimal 10.
B = 10
A # B = 6 # 10
= 60
Binary of 60 = 00111100
2s complement 11000100
Hence (A) is correct option.

YEAR 2005

Question. 30

Consider the following circuit.

Which one of the following is TRUE?

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(A) f is independent of X

(B) f is independent of Y

(C) f is independent of Z

(D) None of X, Y, Z is redundant

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Digital Logic

SOLUTION

f = X:Y:Y:Z
= X:Y+Y:Z
= X:Y+Y:Z
For redundant check we need to draw K map to min terms.
XY (Z + Z ) + (X + X ) : YZ
XY Z + XY Z + XYZ + X YZ

X Y + YZ + XZ
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 31

The range of integers that can be represented by an a bit 2s

complement number system is
(A) 2n 1 to (2n 1 1)
(B) (2n 1 1) to (2n 1 1)
(C) 2n 1 to 2n 1

(D) (2n 1 + 1) to (2n 1 1)

SOLUTION

n bit 2s complement system must have corresponding bit binary

system.
But to implement + ve & ve nos.
Both we require MSB to be sign bit.
So maximum magnitude can be 2n 1 1 suppose we take n = 4.
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Using 4 bits.
1 1 1 1,. . . . . .0 0 0 0, . . . . .01 1 1
7
+7
This would be the range.
So (2n 1 1) to + (2n 1 1)
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 32

The hexadecimal representation of 6578 is

(A) 1AF

(B) D78

(C) D71

(D) 32F

SOLUTION

(657) 8 = (?) 16
Making binary
0 0 01A BB
0 1 01 1 1 1 = (IAF) 16
S BCS
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 33

The switching expression corresponding to

f (A, B, C, D) = / (1, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12) is
(A) BC'D' + A'C'D + AB'D

(B) ABC' + ACF + B'C'D

(C) ACD' + A'BC' + AC'D'

(D) A'BD + ACD' + BCD'

SOLUTION

f (A, B, C, D) = / (1, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12)

Drawing K map for min terms.

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BC D + A C D + A B D
So min terms are
B C D + A C D + AB D
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 34

Consider the following circuit involving a positive edge triggered D

-FF.

Consider the following timing diagram. Let Ai represent the logic

level on the line A in the i th clock period.

Let A represent the complement of A. The correct output sequence

on Y over the clock perids 1 through 5 is
(A) A0 A1 A1 'A3 A4

(B) A0 A1 A2 'A3 A4

(C) A1 A2 A2 'A3 A4

(D) A1 A2 'A3 A4 A5

SOLUTION

We need to calculate equation for D input.

D = (Ai X') ' (X'Q') '
= Ai + X + X + Q
D = Ai ' + X + Q
Drawing truth table for ckt
Clock X

Q 0 = 0 Q1 = 1 A i

Y
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0

A0 '

A0 '

A1 '

A0 '

A2 '

A1 '

A3 '

A1 '

A4 '

A3 '

A5 '

A4 '

Hence (A) is correct option.

Question. 35

The following diagram represents a finite state machine which takes

as input a binary number from the least significant bit

Which one of the following is TRUE?

(A) It computes 1s complement of the input number
(B) It computes 2s complement of the input number
(C) It increments the input number
(D) It decrements the input number
SOLUTION

The transition table for the diagram

Present state Input Next state Output
Q0

Q0

Q0

Q1

Q1

Q1

Q1

Q1

So the FSM takes input from LSB side it doesnt change state till the
first 1 comes from LSB side, after that it complement all the bits.
This is logic for 2s complement.
Hence (B) is correct option.
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Question. 36

Consider the following circuit

The flip-flops are positive edge triggered D FFs . Each state is

designated as a two bit string Q0, Q1 . Let the initial state be 00. The
state transition sequence is
(A) 00 " 11 " 01
(B) 00 " 11
A BBBBBBB C
A BBBB C
(C) 00 " 10 " 01 " 11
(D) 00 " 11 " 01 " 10
A BBBBBBBBBB C
A BBBBBBBBBB C
SOLUTION

Truth table for DFF

CP

Qn + 1

Action

Qn

No change

Reset

Set

D here AX + X'Q'
Truth table for ckt

and so on.
Hence (D) is correct option.

Data for Q. 37 & 38 are given below.

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Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
Consider the following floating point format

Mantissa is a pure fraction is sign-magnitude form.

Question. 37

The decimal number 0.239 # 213 has the following hexadecimal

representation without normalization and rounding off
(A) 0D 24

(B) 0D 4D

(C) 4D 0D

(D) 4D 3D

SOLUTION

Sign bit 0
Exponent = 13
Excess 64 = 13 + 64 = 77 = 1001101
Binary of 239

We have 8 bits for Mantissa 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1

So the floating point format.
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0

1001101

0100

1101

0011

1101

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Digital Logic

00111101

Hence (D) is correct option.

Question. 38

The normalized representation for the above format is specified as

follows. The mantissa has an implicit 1 preceding the binary (radix)
point. Assume that only 0s are padded in while shifting a field. The
normalized representation of the above number (0.239 # 213) is
(A) 0A 20
(B) 11 34
(C) 4D D0

(D) 4A E8

SOLUTION

Given no. .239 # 213

Normalized form of binary.
Binary " .239 = (00111101) 2
Normalized = 1.11101 # 210
Proceeding implicit 1
So 8 bit mantissa
11101000
S
padding
Excess 64 exponent
1 0 0 1 0 1 0 = 74
Sign bit = 0
Floating

Point

Format

1001010

11101000

0100

1010

1110

1000

GAE8
Hence (D) is correct option.

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YEAR 2006

Question. 39

You are given a free running clock with a duty cycle of 50% and a
digital waveform f which changes only at the negative edge of the
clock. Which one of the following circuits (using clocked D flip flops)
will delay the phase of f by 180c ?

SOLUTION

We require phase shift of 180 in f In ckt (B) the negation of signal f

& clock delays signal f by 180.
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So phase shift occurs.

Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 40

Consider the circuit below. Which one of the following options

correctly represents f (x, y, z)?

(A) xz + xy + yz

(C) xz + xy + yz

(B) xz + xy + yz

(D) xz + xy + yz

SOLUTION

MVXI
Selects X when Z = 0
Y' when Z = 0
MVX II
Selects (XZ' + Y'Z) when y = 0
X
when y = 0 so (XZ' + YZ) Y' + XY
Simplifying = xz'y' + zy'y' + xy
= xz'y' + xy (z + z') + zy'
= xz'y' + xyz + xyz' + zy' (x + x')
= xz'y' + xyz + xyz' + xy'z + x'y'z
= y'z + xy'z + xyz' + xyz + xyz' [a + a = a]
= y'z + xz' (y + y') + xy (z + z')
= y'z + xz' + xy
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Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 41

Given two three bit numbers a2 a1 a0 and b2 b1 b0 and c, the carry in, the
function that represents the carry generate function when these two
numbers are added is
(A) a2 b2 + a1 a1 b1 + a2 a1 a0 b0 + a2 a0 b1 b0 + a1 b2 b1 + a1 a0 b2 b0 + a0 b2 b1 b0
(B) a2 b2 + a2 b1 b0 + a2 a1 b1 b0 + a1 a0 b21 b1 + a1 a0 b2 + a1 a0 b2 b0 + a2 a0 b1 b0
(C) a2 + b2 + (a2 5 b2)[ a1 + b1 + (a1 5 b1)( a0 + b0)]
(D) a2 b2 + a2 a1 b1 + a2 a1 a0 b0 + a2 a0 b1 b0 + a1 b2 b1 a1 a0 b2 b0 + a0 b2 b1 b0
SOLUTION

a 2 a1 a 0 b 2 b 1 b 0 C
0

These are the possible value of a2 a1 a 0 & b2 b1 b 0 when a2 = 1

c=1
Case II
b2 = 1 c = 1 so a2 + b2
Case III If any 1 of a2 or b2 is 1 a2 5 b2
then if a1 = 1 c = 1
b1 = 1 c = 1 so a2 5 b2 [a1 + b1]
Case IV If any of a2 or b2 is 1 & any of a2 or b1 is 1
then if a 0 = 1 c = 1 or if b 0 = 1 then c = 1 so overall.
a2 + b2 + [(a2 5 b2) {a1 + b1 + (a1 5 b1) (a 0 + b 0)}]
Hence (C) is correct option.

Case I

Question. 42

Consider a boolean function f (w, x, y, z). Suppose that exactly one of

its inputs is allowed to change at a time. If the function happens to
be true for two input vectors i1 + < w1, x1, y1, x1 > and i2 + < w2, x2, y2, z2 >
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Digital Logic

, we would like the function to remain true as the input changes from
i1 to i2 (i1 and i2 differ in exactly one bit position), without becoming
false momentarily. Let f (w, x, y, z) = / (5,, 711, 12, 13, 15). Which of
the following cube covers of f will ensure that the required property
is satisfied?
(A) wxz, wxy, xyz, xyz, wyz

(B) wxy, wxz, wyz

(C) wxyz, xz, wxyz

(D) wzy, wyz, wxz, wwxz, xyz, xyz

SOLUTION

Given function f (w, x, y, z) = (5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 15) draw K-map of the
above function.

1 quad = xz = xz (y + y') = xzy + xy'z

2 pairs = wxy' + wyz
xyz + xy'z + wxy' + wyz
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 43

We consider addition of two 2s complement numbers bn 1 bn 2 .....b0

and an 1 an 2 ....a0 . A binary adder for adding unsigned binary numbers
is used to add the two numbers. The sum is denoted by cn 1 cn 2 ....c0
and the carryout by cout . Which one of the following options correctly
identifies the overflow condition?
(A) cout (an 1 5 bn 1)

(B) an 1 bn 1 cn 1 + an 1 bn 1 cn 1

(C) cout 5 cn 1

(D) an 1 5 bn 1 5 cn 1

SOLUTION

Binary adder generates C out only if

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1 C in

0 1

0 a

1 1

1 b

1 1

1 C out 1

1 1

C out in this case is Cn 1 generated carry.

C in is Cn 2
So
b' n 1 a' n 1 cn 2 + bn 1 an 1 c' n 2
f = Cout 5 Cn 1
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 44

Consider number represented in 4-bit gray code. Let h3 h2 h1 h0 be the

gray code representation of a number n and let g3 g2 g1 g0 be the gray
code of (n + 1) (modulo 16) value of the number. Which one of the
following functions is correct?
(A) g0 (h1 h2 h1 h0) = / (1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 13, 14, 15)
(B) g1 (h1 h2 h1 h0) = / (4,9,10,11,12,,13,14,15)
(C) g2 (h1 h2 h1 h0) = / (2,4, 5, 6, 7,12,,13,15)
(D) g3 (h1 h2 h1 h0) = / (0, 1,6,7, 10, 11,12,,13,)
SOLUTION

Page 34

Binary h

h 3 h2 h1 h 0 (n + 1)
mod 16

g 3 g 2 g1 g 0

0000

0000

0001

0001

0001

0011

0010

0011

0010

0011

0010

0110

0100

0110

0111

0101

0111

0101

0110

0101

0100

0111

0100

1100

1000

1100

1101

www.gatehelp.com
1001

1101

10

1111

1010

10 1111

11

1110

1011

11 1110

12

1010

1100

12 1010

13

1011

1101

13 1011

14

1001

1110

14 1001

15

1000

1111

15 1000

0000

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Digital Logic

This gives the solution option (B)

g1 (h 3, h2, h1, h 0) = / (4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
YEAR 2007
Question. 45

What is the maximum number of different Boolean functions involving

n Boolean variables?
(B) 2n
(A) n2
(C) 22

(D) 2n

SOLUTION

Each boolean variable can have values

involving n boolean variables will have
need to be arranged in different manner
So this arrangement would take 2M ways
Hence (C) is correct option.

0 or 1, so for expression
terms 2n . These 2n terms
and nos., suppose 2n = M .
n
or 22 ways.

Question. 46

How many 3-to-8 line decoders with an enable input are needed to
construct a 6-to-64 line decoder without using any other logic gates?
(A) 7
(B) 8
(C) 9

(D) 10

SOLUTION

Total output lines required = 64

We need to use 3 to 8 decoders.
So decoders required 64 = 8 decoders for output.
8

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But we need one more decoder i.e for combining result.
8 + 1 = 9 decoders.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 47

Consider the following Boolean function of four variables

f (w, x,, y, z) = / (1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 14)
The function is
(A) independent of one variable
(B) independent of two variables
(C) independent of three variables
(D) dependent on all the variables
SOLUTION

f (w, x, y, z) = / m (1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 14)

2 qlead
xz'
1st qlead
nd
x'z
2 qlead
xz' + x'z xz' + x'z
So independent of 2 variables.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 48

Let f (w, x, y, z) = / (0, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15). Which of the following

expressions are NOT equivalent to f ?
(B) w'y'x' + wx'y' + xz
(A) x'y'z + w'xy' + wy'z + xz
(C) w'y'z' + wx'y' + xyz + xy'z
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CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Digital Logic

SOLUTION

f (w, x, y, z) = / m (0, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15)

Drawing K-map.

xz + w'y'z' + wx'y'
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 49

Define the connective* for the boolean variable X and Y as: X * Y

= XY + X'Y'
Let Z = X * Z
Consider the following expression P, Q and R.
P: X = Y * ZQ: Y = X * Z
R: X * Y * Z = 1
Which of the following is TRUE?
(A) only P and Q are valid
(B) Only Q and Rare valid
(C) Only P and Rare valid

(D) All P, Q ,Rare valid

SOLUTION

Given Z = X ) Z & XZ + X'Z'

P: X = Y ) Z
= YZ + Y'Z'
= Y (XZ + X'Z') + Y'Z'
= XYZ + X'YZ' + Y'Z'
= XYZ + X'YZ' + XY'Z' + X'Y'Z' valid.
Q: Y = X ) Z
= XZ + X'Z'
= X (XZ + X'Z') + X'Z'
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= XZ + X'Z'
= X (Y + Y') Z + X' (Y + Y') Z'
= XYZ + XY'Z + X'YZ' + X'Y'Z' valid
R: X ) Y ) Z = 1
(XY + X'Y') ) Z & (XZ + X'Y') Z + (XY + X'Y') Z'
& XYZ + X'Y'Z + [(XY : X'Y') Z']
& XYZ + X'Y'Z + [(X + Y ) : (X + Y)] Z'
& XYZ + X'Y'Z + X'YZ' + XY'Z' =
Y 1
So invalid
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 50

Suppose only one multiplexer and one inverter are allowed to be used
to implement any Boolean function of n variables. What is the
minimum size of the multiplexer needed?
(B) 2n + 1 line to 1 line
(A) 2n line to 1 line
(C) 2n 1 line to 1 line

(D) 2n 2 line to 1 line

SOLUTION

To select 2n lines we need a select function with n bits.

Here with n variables we have (n 1) select bits thus 2n 1 data lines.
So MUX has 2n 1 lines to 1.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 51

In a look-ahead carry generator, the carry generate function Gi and

the carry propagate function Pi for inputs, Ai and Bi are given by
Pi = Ai 5 Bi and Gi = Ai Bi
The expressions for the sum bit S and carry bit Ci + 1 of the look
ahead carry adder are given by
Si + Pi 5 Ci and Ci + 1 Gi + Pi Ci , Where C0 is the input carry.
Consider a two-level logic implementation of the look-ahead carry
generator.. Assume that all Pi and Gi are available for the carry
generator circuit and that the AND and OR gates can have any
number of inputs. The number of AND gates and OR gates needed
to implement the look-ahead carry generator for a 4-bit adder with
S3, S2, S1, S0 and C4 as its outputs are respectively
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(A) 6,3

(B) 10,4

(C) 6,4

(D) 10,5

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Digital Logic

SOLUTION

The equation for 4 bit carry look ahead adder is

Cout g 3 + p 3 g2 + p 3 p2 g1 + p 3 p2 p1 g 0 + p 3 p2 p1 p 0 Cin
Here
no. of AND gates = 10
OR gates = 4
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 52

The control signal functions of 4-bit binary counter are given below
(where X is dont care)
Clear Clock Load Count Function
1

Clear to 0

No change

Load input

Count next

The counter is connected as follows

Assume that the counter and gate delays are negligible. If the counter
starts at 0, then it cycles through the following sequence
(A) 0,3,4

(B) 0,3,4,5

(C) 0,1,2,3,4

(D) 0,1,2,3,4,5
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SOLUTION

From the truth table for the counter ckt we can see that when counter
= 1. & load = 0 , count next is the function.
So it would count from 0 to 4 & then clear to 0 & again start if clock
input is increasing.
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2008
Question. 53

In the IEEE floating point representation the hexadecimal value

0x00000000 corresponds to
(A) the normalized value 2 127

(B) the normalized value 2 126

(C) the normalized value + 0

(D) the special value + 0

SOLUTION

This 0X00000000 hexadecimal value can be converted into 32 bit

binary.
0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
0 # 2c
This is representation in IEEE floating point format.
Case for special + 0 .
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 54

In the karnaugh map shown below, X denoted a dont care term. What
is the nominal form of the function represented by the karnaugh map

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Digital Logic

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(A) b.d + a.d

(C) b.d + a.b.d

(B) a.b + b.d + a.b.d

(D) a.b + b.d + a.d

SOLUTION

Given K-map is

quad 1 " a b
quad 2 " b d
pair 1 " a c d
So
a b + b d + a d (c + c )
a b+b d+a d
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 55

Let a denote number system radix. The only value(s) of r that satisfy
the equation 121 + 11, is/are
(A) decimal 10
(B) decimal 11
(C) decimal 10 and 11

(D) any value> 2

SOLUTION

(121) r = (11) r
If r = 10 it is true it cant be 2 since bit value cant be 2 then. It is
not true for r = 11
It is true for 3 to 10.
So it is true for
r>2
Hence (D) is correct option.
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Question. 56

Give f1, f3 and f in canonical sum of products form (in decimal) for the
circuit

f1 = /m (4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
f3 = /m (1, 6, 15)
f = /m (1, 6, 8, 15)
Then f2 is
(A) /m (4, 6)

(B) /m (4, 8)

(C) /m (6, 8)

(D) /m (4,6,8)

SOLUTION

Given f = m (1, 6, 8, 15)

f3 = m (1, 6, 15)
So output 1,6,8,15 here 1,6,15 can come form f3 .
Since the final gate is OR gate so from f1 AND f2 no minterm except
1,6,8,15 should come.
f1 = m (4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
So
f2 can be m (6, 8)
Since 4,5, & 7 should no 7 come here.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 57

If P , Q , R are Boolean variables, (P + Q) (P.Q + P.R) (P.R + Q)

simplifies to

(A) P.Q
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(B) P.R

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(C) P.Q + R

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Digital Logic

(D) P.R + Q

SOLUTION

= (P + Q ) : (P Q + PR) : (P R + Q)
= (PPQ + PPR + PQ Q + PQR) (P R + Q )
= (P Q + PR + PQ + PQR) (P R + Q)
= (PQ + PR + PQR) (P R + Q )
= [PQ (1 + R) + PR] (P R + Q)
= P (Q + R) (P R + Q )
= (P P R + PQ ) (Q + R)
= PQ : (Q + R)
= PQ + PQR
= PQ (1 + R)
= PQ
Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2009
Question. 58

(1217) 8 is equivalent to
(A) (1217) 16

(B) (028F) 16

(C) (2297) 10

(D) (0B17) 16

SOLUTION

= (1217) 8
= 001010001111
SSS
= (028F) 16
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 59

What is the minimum number of gates required to implement the

Boolean function (AB + C) if we have to use only 2-input NOR gates
?
(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 4

(D) 5
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Digital Logic

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SOLUTION

AB+C implementation through NOR gate (X + Y )

We require one AND gate & 1 OR gate

AND gate & OR gate can be implemented by NOR gate.

= A+C+B+C
= A+C:B+C
= (A + C) : (B + C)
= C + AB
So we require & NOR gates.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2010
Question. 60

The minterm expansion of f (P, Q, R) = PQ + QR + PR is

(A) m2 + m 4 + m6 + m1
(B) m 0 + m1 + m 3 + m5
(C) m 0 + m1 + m6 + m1

(D) m2 + m 3 + m 4 + m5

SOLUTION

Given expression is
f (P, Q, R) = PQ + QR + PR
For min term expansion we add the remaining variables in the
expression.
= PQ (R + R ) + (P + P ) QR + P (Q + Q ) R
= PQR + PQR + PQR + PQR + PQR + PQR
= PQR + PQR + PQR + PQ R
= m7 + m 6 + m2 + m 4
= 111 + 110 + 010 + 100
So = m2 + m 4 + m6 + m7
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CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Digital Logic

Hence (A) is correct option.

Question. 61

P is a 16-bit signed integer. The 2s complement representation of P

is (F87B) 16 . The 2s complement representation of 8)P is
(A) (C3D8) 16
(B) (187B) 16
(C) (F878) 16

(D) (987B) 16

SOLUTION

Ps 2s complement.
= (F87B) 16
Is complement = F87B 1
= (F87A) 16
In base 16 complement is done by subtracting from 15 i.e F.
P = (0785) 16
= (0000 0111 1000 0101) 2
= 1 # 2c + 1 # 22 + 1 # 27 + 1 # 28 + 1 # 29 + 1 # 210
P = 1925
8 # P = 8 # 1925 = 15400
Its binary
0011110000101000
SSSS
For hexadecimal make pairs of 4 i.e. (3C28) 16
2s complement P = 1100 0011 1101 1000
C
3
D
8
2s complement of P = (C3D8) 16
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 62

The Boolean expression for the output f of the multiplexer shown

below is

(A) P 5 Q 5 R

(B) P 5 Q 5 R
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Digital Logic

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(D) P + Q + R

(C) P + Q + R
SOLUTION

S1 & so are the select bits which are used to select any 1 of the 4
inputs.
Selection table
S1 (P) S 0 (Q) Input
0

0R

1R

2R

3R

The expression has 3 variables

So K-map

This is K-map for P 5 Q 5 R

i.e PQ R + P Q R + PQR + P QR
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 63

What is the boolean expression for the output f of the combinational

logic circuit of NOR gates given below ?

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Digital Logic

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(A) Q + R

(B) P + Q

(C) P + R

(D) P + Q + R

SOLUTION

After 1 stage
P+Q
Q+R
Q+R
P+R
After 2 stage
P+Q+Q+R
P+R+Q+R
After 3 stage
= P+Q+Q+R+P+R+Q+R

"A + B = A : B

= (P + Q + Q + R ) : (P + R + Q + R )

"A = A

= (P + Q + Q + R ) : (P + R + Q + R )
"A + B = A : B
= (P + Q) : (Q + R) : (P + R) : (Q + R)
= Q + PR : R + PQ
= Q + PR + R + PQ
= R (P + 1) + Q (P + 1)
= (Q + R)
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 64

In the sequential circuit shown below, if the initial value of the output
Q1 Q 0 is 00, what are the next four values of Q1 Q 0 ?

(A) 11, 10, 01, 00

(B) 10, 11, 01, 00

(C) 10, 00, 01, 11

(D) 11, 10, 00, 01

SOLUTION

There are 2 T-toggle flip flops in the ckt. Truth table for TFF.
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Digital Logic

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CP

Qn + 1

Qn

Qn previous state

Qn

CP clock pulse

Qn

Qn + 1 next state
T toggle input

Since initially Q, Q 0 = 00, so during 1st clock cycle both T & clock
signals in ckt are 1. After Q 0 = 1 this fed to 2nd TFF which invert
previous state Q1 = 1 so Q1 Q 0 = 11
11 when fed to next cycle clock = 1 so Q 0 = 0 Q1 = 1 since no inversion
Q, Q 0 = 10
In next cycle clock = 1 Q 0 = 1 inverse, Q1 = 0 in the end Q1 Q 0 = 00
So order 11, 10, 01, 00
Hence (A) is correct option.

**********

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GATE CS Topic wise Questions

Operating System

YEAR 2001
Question. 1

Which of the following statements is false ?

(A) Virtual memory implements the translation of a programs
address space into physical memory address space.
(B) Virtual memory allows each program to exceed the size of the
primary memory.
(C) Virtual memory increases the degree of multi-programming
(D) Virtual memory reduces the context switching overhead.
SOLUTION

Virtual memory enables a program to exceed the size of primary

memory so it increases degree of multi-programming.
Since data required by executing program is available here so context
switching is reduced.
But virtual memory doesnt translate programs address space into
physical memory.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 2

Consider a set of n tasks with known runtimes r1, r2, ........rn to be

run on a uniprocessor machine. Which of the following processor
scheduling algorithms will result in the maximum throughput ?
(A) Round-Robin

(B) Shortest-Job-First

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Operating System

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(C) Highest-Response-Ratio-Next (D) First-come-First-Served
SOLUTION

Here the running times r1 ....rn are already known, single processor
system. In this scenario, throughput i.e. CPU is maximum utilized in
shortest job first scheduling.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 3

Where does the swap space reside ?

(A) RAM

(B) Disk

(C) ROM

(D) On-chip cache

SOLUTION

Swap space is the memory space where the part of the program not
currently in main memory for execution is stored, this program part
can be swapped into memory when required.
This space is generally in disk.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 4

Consider a virtual memory system with FIFO page replacement

policy. For an arbitrary page access pattern, increasing the number
of page frames in main memory will.
(A) Always decrease the number of page faults
(B) Always increase the number of page faults
(C) Sometimes increase the number of page faults
(D) Never affect the number of page faults
SOLUTION

During F1F0 page replacement policy, due to increase in the no. of

page frames in memory should decrease the no. of page faults since
more frames can be kept there.
But due to Beladys Anomaly after certain limit or in some page
access instances no. of page faults are high.
Hence (C) is correct option.
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CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Operating System

Question. 5

Consider a machine with 64 MB physical memory and a 32-bit virtual

address space. If the page size is 4 KB, what is the approximate size
of the page table ?
(A) 16 MB
(B) 8 MB
(C) 2 MB

(D) 24 MB

SOLUTION

Size of main memory = 64 MB

Size of virtual memory = 232 B
32
No. of pages = 212
2
= 220 pages
Required 1 M enteries.
But each entry has both a virtual address & corresponding physical
address.
Total bits in each entry = 32 + 26 (Physical)
= 58
= 58 = 8 Bytes.
8
So total memory = 8 # 1 MB
= 8 MB
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 6

Consider Petersons algorithm for mutual exclusion between two

concurrent processes i and j . The program executed by process is
shown below.
repeat
flag[i]=true;
turn=j;
while(p)do no-op;
Enter critical section, perform actions, then
exit critical section
Flag[i]=false;
Perform other non-critical section actions.
Until false;
For the program to guarantee mutual exclusion, the predicate P in
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Operating System

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the while loop should be
(A) flag [j]= true and turn =j

(B) flag [j]=true and turn =j

(C) flag [i]=true and turn=j

(D) flag [i]=true and turn=i

SOLUTION

While loop if true predicate then the program enters into critical
region. This program enters into critical region of flag [i]=true act
as semaphore, & true =j, the requirement of resource is by some
other process.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2002

Question. 7

Which of the following scheduling algorithms is non-preemptive ?

(A) Round Robin
(B) First-In First-Out
(C) Multilevel Queue Scheduling
(D) Multilevel Queue Scheduling with Feedback
SOLUTION

Round robin is preemptive since processes are cycled for CPU time,
& run for a particular time stamp in one cycle. Multilevel queue
scheduling maintains various quenes, each having different priorities.
But in FIFO scheme, only the process which enters once, would be
completed first, so no. preemption.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 8

The optimal page replacement algorithm will select the page that
(A) Has not been used for the longest time in the past.
(B) Will not be used for the longest time in the future.
(C) Has been used least number of times.
(D) Has been used most number of times
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CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Operating System

SOLUTION

Optimal page replacement algorithm assumes that the pages that

will come in future are already known, so replacement of the page
which will not be used in future occurs.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 9

Which combination of the following features will suffice to characterize

an OS as a multi-programmed OS ? More than one program may be
loaded into main memory at the same time for execution. (B) If
a program waits for certain events such as I/O, another program
is immediately scheduled for execution. (C) If the execution of a
program terminates, another program is immediately scheduled for
execution.
(A) A

(B) A and B

(C) A and C

(D) A, B and C

SOLUTION

Multi-programmed:- More than one program can run on single CPU,

when one is blocked.
(A) Is true and a characteristic of multi-programmed
(B) Is true & also characterise a multi-programmed OS
(C) Is true but no necessary for this type this happens in all OS, even
in batch processor.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 10

In the index allocation scheme of blocks to a file, the maximum

possible size of the file depends on
(A) The size of the blocks, and the size of the address of the blocks
(B) The number of blocks used for the index, and the size of the
blocks.
(C) The size of the blocks, the number of blocks used for the index,
and the size of the address of the blocks.
(D) None of the above.
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SOLUTION

When indexes are created, the maximum no. of blocks given to a file
are totally dependent upon size of the index which tells how many
blocks can be there, & size of each block.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2003
Question. 11

Using a larger block size in a fixed block size file system leads to
(A) better disk throughput but poorer disk space utilization
(B) better disk throughput and better disk space utilization
(C) poorer disk throughput but better disk space utilization
(D) poorer disk throughput and poorer disk space utilization
SOLUTION

Using larger block size in a fixed block size system lead to poor disk
space utilization due to data items which are very small comparable
to block size cause fragmentation. But it leads to better disk through
put since no. of blocks needs to fetch & replace become less.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 12

In a system with 32 bit virtual addresses and 1 KB page size, use of

one-level page tables for virtual to physical address translation is not
practical because of
(A) the large amount of internal fragmentation
(B) the large amount of external fragmentation
(C) the large memory overhead in maintaining page tables
(D) the large computation overhead in the translation process
SOLUTION

32 bit virtual address, i.e. 232 kB of virtual memory & 1 kB page size.
So total pages = 232 .
So. we need to maintain a page table of 232 rows, this require 4
GB main memory which is quite impractical due to large memory
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overhead.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 13

A uni-processor computer system only has two processes, both of

which alternate 10 ms CPU bursts with 90 ms I/O bursts. Both the
processes were created at nearly the same time. The I/O of both
processes can proceed in parallel. Which of the following scheduling
strategies will result in the least CPU utilizations (over a long period
of time) for this system ?
(A) First come first served scheduling
(B) Shortest remaining time first scheduling
(C) Static priority scheduling with different priorities for the two
processes
(D) Round robin scheduling with a time quantum of 5 ms .
SOLUTION

There should be no doubt that round robin scheduling would lead to

maximum CPU utilization, but since in FCFS one task would starve
for a long time so min CPU utilization would be in this case.
Hence (A) is correct option.

Data for Q. 14 & 15 are given below.

A processor uses 2-level page table fro virtual to physical address
translation. Page table for both levels are stored in the main memory.
Virtual and physical addresses are both 32 bits wide. The memory is
byte addressable. For virtual to physical address translation, the 10
most significant bits of the virtual address are used as index into the
first level page table while the next 10 bits are used as index into the
second level page table. The 12 least significant bits of the virtual
address are used as offset within the page. Assume that the page
table entries in both levels of page tables are 4 a bytes wide. Further,
the processor has a translation look aside buffer(TLB), with a hit
rate of 96%. The TLB caches recently used virtual page numbers and
the corresponding physical page numbers. The processor also has a
physically addressed cache with a bit ratio of 90%. Main memory
access time is 10 ns , cache access time is 1 ns , and {LB access time
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is also 1ns .
Question. 14

Assuming that no page faults occur, the average time taken to access
a virtual address is approximately (to the nearest 0.5 ns )
(B) 2 ns
(A) 1.5 ns
(C) 3 ns

(D) 4 ns

SOLUTION

TLB is successfully 96% of total request & for remaining 4%. RAM
is accessed twice.
So average time taken.
= .96 (1 + (0.9 # 1) + 0.1 # (1 + 10))
+ .04 (21 + (.9 # .1)) + 0.1 # (1 + 10)
= .96 (1 + .9 + 1.1) + 0.4 (21 + .09 + 1.1)
= .96 # 3 + 0.4 # 23
= 2.88 + .92
= 3.80 , 4 ns (Nearest .5)
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 15

Suppose a process has only the following pages in its virtual address
space; two contiguous code pages starting at virtual address
0 # 0000000, two contiguous data pages starting at virtual address
0 # 00400000,and a stack page starting at virtual address
0 # FFFFF000. The amount of memory required for storing the page
tables of this process is
(A) 8 KB
(B) 12 KB
(C) 16 KB

(D) 20 KB

SOLUTION

Total no. of pages required = 5

But due to 2 level page table = 2 # 4 kB # 2
= 16 kB
Hence (D) is correct option.

Data for Q. 16 & 17 are given below.

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Suppose we want to synchronize two concurrent processes P and Q

using binary semaphores S and T. The code for the processes P and
Q is shown below.
Process P
Process Q:
while(1) {
while(1) {
W:
Y:
print 0;
print 1
print 0;
print 1
X:
Z:
}
}
Synchronization statements can be inserted only at points W,X,Y
and Z.
Question. 16

Which of the following will always lead to an output staring with

001100110011 ?
(A) P(S) at W, V(S) at X, P(T) at Y, V(T) at Z, S and T inutuakkt
1
(B) P(S) at W, V(T) at X, P(T) at Y, V(S) at Z, S initially 1, and
T initially 0
(C) P(S) at W, V(T) at X, P(T) at Y, V(S) at Z, S and T initially 1
(D) P(S) at W, V(T) at X, P(T) at Y, V(S) at Z, S initially 1, and
T initially 0
SOLUTION

For output string 001100110011 alternatingly we require process P &

Q to execute.
For this to happen P (s) with S = 1 should be placed at W.
At the same time P (T) with T = 0 will be at Y.
At X we have V (T) which will have T = 1 so process Q starts.
At the same time at Z we have V(s) which make S = 0 to stop
process P.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 17

Which of the following will ensure that the output string never
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contains a substring of the form 0.1 or 101 where n is odd?
(A) P(S) at W, V(S) at X, P(T) at Y, V(T) at Z, S and T initially 1
(B) P(S) at W, V(T) at X, P(T) at Y, V(S) at Z, S and T initially 1
(C) P(S) at W, V(S) at X, P(T) at Y, V(S) at Z, S initially 1
(D) (S) at W, V(T) at X, P(T) at Y, P(S) at Z, S and T initially 1
SOLUTION

To ensure this condition that substring of form 01n 0 or 10n 1, where n

is odd S should be initially 1, we will case only 1 semaphore S.
So at W P (s), at X V (s)
Whereas at Y P (s), at Z V (s)
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2004
Question. 18

Consider the following statements with respect to user-level threads

and kernel-supported threads
(i) Context which is faster with kernel-supported threads
(ii) For user-level threads. a system call can block the entire process
(iii) Kernel-supported threads can be scheduled independently
(iv) User-level threads are transparent to the kernel
Which of the above statements are true?
(A) (ii),(iii) and (iv) only
(B) (ii) and (iii) only
(C) (i) and (iii) only

(D) (i) and (ii) only

SOLUTION

(I)

It is false, context switch is not faster in support of kernel

threads.
(II) A system call can truly block the user level threads, since they
dont have permission to do that.
(III) True since kernel supported threads have their independent
memory & resources.
(IV) False since user level threads might need support of kernel
threads.
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Hence (B) is correct option.

Question. 19

Consider an operating system capable of loading and executing a

single sequential user process at a time. The disk head scheduling
algorithm used is First Come First Served (FCFS). If FCFS is replaced
by shortest seek Time Fist (SSTF), claimed by the vendor to given
50% better beachmark results, what is the expected improvement in
the I/O performance of user programs?
(A) 50%

(B) 40%

(C) 25%

(D) 0%

SOLUTION

I/O performance is not entirely dependent upon disk access, it has

effect of various other devices, so using SSTF in place of FCFS may
reduce disk access time but no improvement in the I/O is done.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 20

The minimum number of page frames that must be allocated to a

running process in a virtual memory environment is determined by
(A) the instruction set architecture
(B) page size
(C) physical memory size
(D) number of processes in memory
SOLUTION

Page frames are allocated in main memory, for virtual memory pages.
This no. of page frames depends upon the instruction set architecture.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 21

Consider the following set of processes, with the arrival times and the
CPU-burst times given in milliseconds
Process

Arrival time Burst time

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P1
P2
P3
P4

0
1
2
4

5
3
3
1

What is the average turnaround time for these processes with

the preemptive shortest remaining processing time first (SRPT)
algorithm?
(A) 5.50

(B) 5.75

(C) 6.00

(D) 6.25

SOLUTION

Then around time = (Submit time finish time)

Gantt chart for the scheduler.

= 12 0 = 12
= 41 = 3
= 82 = 6
= 54 = 1
= 22
Avg turn around time = 22
4
T.A time for P1
P2
P3
P4
Total

= 5.5
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 22

Consider a system with a two-level paging scheme in which a regular

memory access takes 150 nanoseconds, and servicing a page fault
takes 8 milliseconds. An average instruction takes 100 nanoseconds
of CPU time, and two memory accesses. The TLB hit ratio is 99%,
and the page fault rate is one in every 10,000 instructions. What is
the effective average instruction execution time?

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(A) 645 nanoseconds

(B) 1050 nanoseconds

(C) 1215 nanoseconds

(D) 1230 nanoseconds

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SOLUTION

Memory access time

= .90 # 150 + .10 # (150 + 150)
= 135 + 30
= 165 ns
The error rate = 1 = 10 4
10000
CPU burst time = 100 ns
Total execution time
= [100 + 2 [165] + 10 4 # 8 # 106]
= 100 + 330 + 800
= 100 + 1130
= 1230 ns
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 23

Consider two processes P1 and P2 accessing the shared variables X

and Y protected by two binary semaphores Sx and Sy respectively,
both initialized to 1. P and V denote the usual semaphore operators,
where P decrements the semaphore value, and V increments the
semaphore value. The pseudo-code of P1 and P2 is as follows:
P1:

:
while true do{
:......
:.....

while true do{

:......
:.......

In order to avoid deadlock, the correct operators at L1, L2, L3 and L4

are respectively
(A) P (SY ), P (SX ); P (SX ), P (SY )
(B) P (SX ), P (SY ); P (SY ), P (SX )
(C) P (SX ), P (SX ); P (SY ), P (SY )

(D) P (SX ), P (SY ); P (SX ), P (SY )

SOLUTION

Here semaphores are required to obtain mutual exclusion since both

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access X & Y . So at L1 P (Sx ) which means now Sx = wait at L2 P (Sy)
Sy wait, this prevents process P2 to start access X & Y .
V (Sx ) & V (Sy) in the end of P1 makes Sx & Sy signal so that at L 3 &
L 4 P (Sx ) & P (Sy) can start.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 24

A Unix-style I-node has 10 direct pointers and one single, one double
and one triple indirect pointers. Disk block size is 1 Kbyte, disk block
address is 32 bits, and 48-bit integers are used. What is the maximum
possible file size?
(A) 224 bytes
(B) 232 bytes
(C) 234 bytes

(D) 2 48 bytes

SOLUTION

Size of 1 block = 1 kB
Block addresses size 1 pointer size = 32 bit
= 4 bytes.
10
So no. of pointers in = 2 2 B
2B
1 block
So direct pointer will have
Double will have
Triple will have

= 256
= 10 # 1kB = 10kB
= 256 # 256 # 1 kB
= 256 # 256 # 256 # 1 kB
= 28 # 28 # 28 # 210 B
= 234 B

Hence (C) is correct option.

YEAR 2005
Question. 25

Suppose n processes, P1,..... Pn share m identical resource units, which

can be reserved and released one at a time. The maximum resource
requirement of process Pi is sp where si < 0. Which one of the following
is a sufficient condition for ensuring that deadlock does not occur?
(A) 6i, s < m
(B) 6i, s, < n
n

(C)
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SOLUTION

For every Pi Si is maximum resource requirement where Si > 0 .

To allot resources to all processes without any deadlock situation is
n

/ Si

i=1

< (m + n)

i.e. sum of all maximum resource requirement should be less than

m + n.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 26

Consider the following code fragment:

if (fork()==0
{a = a + 5; print f ("%d,%/ n"a, and a);}
else {a 5; print f ("%d,% d/n", a,& a);}
let u , vbe the values printed by the parent process, and x, y be the
values printed by the child process. Which one of the following is
TRUE?
(B) u = x + 10 and v ! y
(A) u = x + 10 and v = y
(C) u + 10= x and v = y

(D) u + 10 = x and v ! y

SOLUTION

Initial value of a is let 10 and its address & a would be different for
both parent & child process so.
(A) & (B) are incorrect also parent process executes a = a 5 = 5 = u
& child executes a = a + 5 = 15 = x so u + 10 = x
Hence (D) is correct option.
YEAR 2006
Question. 27

Consider three CPU-intensive processes, which require 10,20 and 30

time units and arrive at times 0,2, and 6, respectively. How many
context switches are needed if the operating system implements a
shortes remaining time first scheduling algorithm? Do not count the
context switches at time zero and at the end
(A) 1
(B) 2
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(C) 3

(D) 4

SOLUTION

When CPU burst are given to another process, called context

switching. The Gantt chart for shortest remaining time first is.

So there are two context & witches at T = 10 & T = 30

Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 28

The atomic feth-and-set x, y instruction unconditionally sets the

memory location x to 1 and fetches the old value of x in y without
allowing any intervening access to the memory location x . Consider
the following implementation of P and V functions on a binary
semaphore S.
void p (binary_semaphore*S){
unsigned y;
unsigned*x =& (S->value);}
do {
fetch-and-set x,y;
} while(y);
}
void V (binary_semphore*S){
{S_>value = 0;
}
Which one of the following is true?
(A) The implementation may not work if context switching is disabled
in P
(B) Instead of using fetch-and-set, a pair of normal load/store can
be used
(C) The implementation of V is wrong
(D) The code does not implement a binary semaphore
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SOLUTION

If there are more than two processes and context & switching processes
is disabled in P then this implementation doesnt work properly and
cant synchronize the processes.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 29

A CPU generates 32-bit virtual addresses. The page size is 4 KB. The
processor has a translation look-aside buffer (TLB) which can hold a
total of 128 page table entries and is 4-way set associative.
The minimum size of the TLB tag is
(A) 11 bits

(B) 13 bits

(C) 15 bits

(D) 20 bits

SOLUTION

TLB has 128 page table enteries, each page table would have. 64 bits
i.e. 32 + 32 virtual addresses.
So total memory required.
27 # 2 6
But 4 way set associative.
27 # 26 = 211
22
So 11 bits are required.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 30

A computer system supports 32-bit virtual addresses as well as 32-bit

physical addresses, Since the virtual address space is of the same size
as the physical address space, the operating system designers decide
to get rid of the virtual entirely. Which one of the following is true?
(A) Efficient implementation of multi-user support is no longer
possible
(B) The processor cache organization can be made more efficient now
(C) Hardware support for memory management is no longer needed
(D) CPU scheduling can be made more efficient now
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SOLUTION

Since both virtual and physical memory has 32 bit addresses, so there
is no need for address translation hardware is required.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 31

Consider three processes (process id 0,1,2, respectively) with compute

time bursts 2,4, and 8 time units. All processes arrive at time zero.
Consider the longest remaining time first (LRTF) scheduling
algorithm. In LRTF ties are broken by giving priority to the process
with the lowest process id . The average turn around time is
(A) 13 units
(B) 14 units
(C) 15 units

(D) 16 units

SOLUTION

Process id
0
1
2
CPU burst 2
4
8
So we draw Gantt chart for scheduler

At t = 0 longest remaining time for P2

At t = 4 remaining times for both P1 & P2 is 4 so P1 is given priority.
At t = 8 remaining time for P0 P1 & P2 is 2 P0 is given priority &
cyclically done till t = 14 .
Process
TAT
P0
12 0 = 12
P1
13 0 = 13
P2
14 0 = 14 = 13 units.
39
3
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 32

Consider three processes, all arriving at time zero, with total

execution time of 10, 20 and 30 units, respectively. Each process
spends the first 20% of execution time doing I/O, the next 70% of
time doing computation, and the last 10% of time doing I/O again.
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The operating system uses a shortest remaining compute time first
scheduling algorithm and schedules a new process either when the
running process get blocked on I/O or when the running process
finishes its compute burst. Assume that all I/O operations can be
overlapped as much as possible. For what percentage of time does the
CPU remain idle?
(A) 0%

(B) 10.6%

(C) 30.0%

(D) 89.4%

SOLUTION

Process First I/0

Computation Second I/0

Total

10

14

20

21

30

Since I/0 can be done parallely.

Gantt chart

Total time taken = 51 units

CPU has to wait = 6 units
= 6 # 100
51
= 10.6%
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 33

Consider the following snapshot of a system running n processes.

Process i is holding xi instances of a resource R, for 1 # i # n .
Currently, all instances of R are occupied. Further, for all i , process
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i has placed a request for an additional y , instances while holding the
xi instances it already has, There are exactly two processes p and q
such that yp = yq = 0 : Which one of the following can serve as a
necessary condition to guarantee that the system is not approaching
a deadlock?
(B) xp + xq # maxk ! p'q yk
(A) min(xp, xq) < maxk ! p, q yk
(C) min(xp, xq) < 1

(D) min (xp, xq) > 1

SOLUTION

Here option (B) is that

min (X p, Xq) < max k =Y p, q yk
Means the min no. of resources allocated should be less than the
maximum no. of resources required by any process other than p & q
.It prevent from deadlock.
Hence (B) is correct option.

Data for Q. 34 & 35 are given below.

Barrier is a synchronization construct where a set of processes
synchronizes globally i.e. each process in the set arrives at the barrier
and waits for all others to arrive and then all processes leave the
barrier. Let the number of processes in the set be three and S be a
binary semaphore with the usual P and V functions. Consider the
following C implementation of a barrier with line numbers shown on
the left.
Void
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
}
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barrier(void) {
:
P(S)
:
Process_arrived++;
:
V (S) :
:
while (process_arrived=3);
:
P(S);
:
Precess_left++;
:
if(process_left==3)
:
process_arrived=0;
:
process_left+0;
:
}
:
V(S);

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The variable process_arrived and process_left are shared among

all processes and are initialized to zero. In a concurrent program
all the three processes call the barrier function when they need to
synchronize globally.
Question. 34

The above implementation of barrier is incorrect. Which one of the

following is true?
(A) The barrier implementation is wrong due to the use of binary
semaphore S
(B) The barrier implementation may lead to a deadlock if two barrier
invocations are used in immediate succession
(C) Lines 6 to 10 need not be inside a critical section
(D) The barrier implementation is correct if there are only two
processes instead of three
SOLUTION

This barrier implementation is to keep track of arrival & completion

of processes in system, by incrementing no. of process arrived & left.
This implementation may lead to deadlock if two barrier functions
invocations are used is immediate sessions.
Since V (s) in first invocation at line 3 removes 1-3 from critical section
bring 5-11 in critical section at line 7.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 35

Which one of the following rectifies the problem in the implementation?

(A) lines 6 to 10 are simply replaced by process_arrived
(B) At the beginning of the barrier the first process to enter the barrier
waits until process_arrived becomes zero before proceeding to
execute P(S)
(C) Context switch is disabled at the beginning of the barrier and
re-enabled at the end.
(D) The variable process_left is made private instead of shared
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SOLUTION

To rectify the barrier function at the beginning of the functions the

first process which inters the function waits until process arrived
becomes zero before executing P (s).
This removes any deadlock situation.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2007
Question. 36

Group-1 contains some CPU scheduling algorithms and group-2

contains some applications. Match entries in Group-1 entries in
Group-2
Group-1

Group-2

P. Gang Scheduling

1. Guaranteed Scheduling

Q. Rate Monotonic Scheduling

2. Real-time Scheduling

R. Fair Share scheduling

3. Thread Scheduling

(A) P-3;Q-2;R-1

(B) P-1;Q-2;R-3

(C) P-2;Q-3;R-1

(D) P-1;Q-3;R-2

SOLUTION

Rate monotonic scheduling is for real time processes, Gang scheduling

is used to schedule group of program threads and fair share scheduling
is a scheduling which guarantees a fair share of CPU burst to every
competing process.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 37

Consider the following statements about user level threads and kernel
level threads. Which one of the following statements is FALSE?
(A) Context switch time is longer for kernel level threads than for
user level threads
(B) User level threads do not need any hardware support
(C) Related kernal level thread can be scheduled on different
processors in a multiprocessor system
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(D) Blocking one kernel level thread blocks all related threads
SOLUTION

Threading a method of executing small sub processes instead of

single big process. This prevents thread from blocking. So blocking of
one kernel level thread doesnt block other related threads, they are
unaffected.
So (D) is false.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 38

An operating system uses Shortest Remaining Time first (SRT) process

scheduling algorithm. Consider the arrival times and execution times
for the following processes
Process

Execution time

Arrival time

P1

20

P2

25

15

P3

10

30

P4

15

45

What is the total waiting time for process P2?

(A) 5

(B) 15

(C) 40

(D) 55

SOLUTION

Gantt chart for the processes.

P2 came at t = 15
Scheduled first time at t = 20 wait = 5 .
Wait between t = 30 & t = 40 due to short remaining time of new
process P3 .
Wait now = 5 + 10 = 15
Then complete at t = 55
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Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 39

A virtual memory system uses first In First Out (FIFO) page

replacement policy and allocates a fixed number of frames to a
process. Consider the following statements:
P: Increasing the number of page frames allocated to a process
sometimes increases the page fault rate.
Q: Some program do not exhibit locality of reference.
Which one of the following is TRUE?
(A) Both P and Q are ture, and Q is the reason for P
(B) Both P and Q are true, but Q is not the reason for P
(C) P is false, but Q is true
(D) Both P and Q are false
SOLUTION

Dueto Beladys Anomaly, increasing the number of page frames

allocated to a process sometimes increase the page fault rate so P is
true.
Also some program do not exhibit locality of reference, so both are
true but Q is not reason for P .
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 40

A single processor system has three resource types X, Y, and Z, which

are shared by three processes. There are 5 units of each resource type.
Consider the following scenario, where the column alloc denotes the
number of units of each resource type allocated to each process, and
the column request denotes the number of units of each resource type
requested by a process in order to complete execution. Which of these
processes will finish LAST?

P0
P1
P2
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alloc
XYZ
121
201
221

request
XYZ
103
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120

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Operating System

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(A) P0
(B) P1
(C) P2
(D) None of the above, since the system is in a deadlock
SOLUTION

Initially.
Process
P0
P1
P2

Allow
XYZ
121
121
221

Request/need
XYZ
103
012
120

Available
XYZ
012

Here looking at available resources, only need of P1 can be completed.

So P1 will execute & free 2 0 1 so now available XYZ = 203 .
This is need for P0 so at second no. P0 will execute & free XYZ = 121
so available 3 2 4 & in the end need of P2 is fulfilled.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 41

Two processes, P1 and P2, need to access a critical section of

code. Consider the following synchronization construct used by the
processes:
/*P2*/

/* P1 */
while (true) {

while (true) {

wants1=true;

wants2 = true;

while(wants2==true);

while (wants1 == true);

/*

/*

Critical

Critical

Section*/

Section*/

wants 1 = false;

wants 2 = false;

/* Remainder section*/

/*Remainder section*/

Here, wants 1 and wants 2 are shared variables, Which are initialized
to false. Which one of the following statements is TRUE about the
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above construct?
(A) It does not ensure mutual exclusion.
(B) It does not ensure bounded waiting.
(C) It requires that processes enter the critical section in strict
alternation.
(D) It does not prevent deadlocks, but ensures mutual exclusion
SOLUTION

If P1 make wants 1 = true then P2 goes in critical section & vice

versa so both together are implementing mutual exclusion but. Since
both are accessing wants 1 & wants 2 concurrently 4 wants 1 is first
captured by P1 so P2 will wait & P2 captures want 2 so P1 will have
to wait.
So a definite deadlock.
Hence (D) is correct option.

Data for Q. 42 & 43 are given below.

A process has been allocated 3 page frames. Assume that none of the
pages of the process are available in the memory initially. The process
makes the following sequence of page references (reference string):
1,2,1,3,7,4,5,6,3,1.
Question. 42

If optimal page replacement policy is used, how many page faults

occur for the above reference string?
(A) 7

(B) 8

(C) 9

(D) 10

SOLUTION

Reference string 1, 2, 1, 3, 7, 4, 5, 6, 3, 1
Using optimal replacement policy, we will replace that page in memory
which either will not be used or latest used in future.
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CS Topicwise 2001-2010
Operating System

) denotes page fault

So no. of page faults are 7.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 43

Least Recently Used (LRU) page replacement policy is a practical

approximation to optimal page replacement. For the above reference
string, how many more page faults occur with LRU than with the
optimal page replacement policy?
(A) 0

(B) 1

(C) 2

(D) 3

SOLUTION

Instead of optimal policy if we use LRU then we dont have future

knowledge but we replace that page in memory which has been
recently used in past.
Order " 1, 2, 1, 3, 7, 4, 5, 6, 3, 1

) denotes page faults.

In this case no. of page fault = 9
In optimal strategy = 7
Difference = 9 7 = 2
Hence (C) is correct option.
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YEAR 2008
Question. 44

Which of the following system calls results in the sending of SYN

packets?
(A) socket
(B) bind
(C) listen

(D) connect

SOLUTION

SYN packets are used for synchronization between sender & receiver,
these packets are sent by sender during connect system call for
synchronous connection.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 45

The data block of a very large file in the Unix file system are allocated
using
(A) Contiguous allocation
(B) Linked allocation
(C) indexed allocation
(D) an extension of indexed allocation
SOLUTION

Generally a large file system for UNIX OS use indexed allocation,

but for very large systems an extension of indexed allocation i.e. ext
2, ext 3 are used.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 46

The P and V operations on counting semaphores, where s is a counting

ewmaphore, are defined as follows:
P (s); s = s 1;
ifs < 0 then wait;
V (s): s = s + 1;
ifs <= 0 then wakeup a process waiting on s ;
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Operating System

Assume that Pb and Vb the wait and signal operations on binary

semaphores are provided. Two binary semaphores Xb and Yb are used
to implement the semaphore operations P (s) and V (s) as follows:
P (s): Pb (X b);
if

}
else
s
s s
if s

The initial values of xb and yb are respectively

(A) 0 and 0
(B) 0 and 1
(C) 1 and 0

(D) 1 and 1

SOLUTION

Xb & Yb are binary semaphores used to implement mutual exclusion

here. So when Xb is 1 Yb should be zero so only 1 code between the
two could run.
Since Pb (Xb) module implementing wait process so Xb should be 1.
Pb (Yb) implementing signal S = S + 1
So Yb should be 0 initially.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 47

Which of the following statements about synchronous and

asynchronous I/O is NOT true?
(A) An ISR is invoked on completion of I/O in synchronous I/O but
not in asynchronous I/O
(B) In both synchronous and asynchronous I/O an ISR (Interrupt
Serive Routine) is invoked after completion of the I/O
(C) A process making a synchronous I/O cal waits until I/O is
complete, but a process making an asynchronous I/O call does
not wait for completion of the I/O
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(D) In the case of synchronous I/O, the process waiting for the
completion of I/O is woken up by the ISR that is invoked afterr
the completion of I/O
SOLUTION

For the completion of I/0 an interrupt should be generated for CPU

in case of both synchronous & asynchronous I/0 and this ISR call is
before them.
So CPU can switch to I/0.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 48

Which of the following is NOT true of deadlock prevention and

deadlock avoidance schemes?
(A) In deadlock prevention, the request for resources is always granted
if the resulting state is safe
(B) In deadlock avoidance, the request for resources is always granted
if the resulting state is safe
(C) Deadlock avoidance is less restrictive than deadlock prevention
(D) Deadlock avoidance requires knowledge of resource requirements
a priori
SOLUTION

Both deadlock prevention, & avoidance allocate resources if the

resulting state is safe state so option (A) & (B) are tree. The difference
in both schemes is that in avoidance we know the requirement a prior.
But Deadlock avoidance is less restrictive than prevention is false.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 49

A process executes the following code for(i = 0' i < n; i ++)fork();

The total number of child processes created is
(A) n
(B) 2n 1
(C) 2n

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Operating System

SOLUTION

The loop is called for n times. The first process is parent process so
this should not be counted in child process. But after that every child
process has its own child created so after every loop.
20, 2', ........2n total threads.
But subtracting the parent.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 50

A processor uses 36 bit physical addresses and 32 bit virtual addresses,

with a page frame size of 4 Kbytes. Each page table entry is of size 4
bytes. A three level page table is used for virtual-to-physical address
translation, where the virtual address is used as follows
: bits 30-31 are used to index into the first level page table,
: bits 21-29 are used to index into second level page table
: bits 12-20 are used to index into third level page table
: bits 0-11 are used as offset within the page
The number of bits required for addressing the next level page table
(or page frame) in the page table entry of the first, second and third
level page table are respectively.
(A) 20,20 and 20
(B) 24,24 and 24
(C) 24,24 and 20

(D) 25,25 and 24

SOLUTION

Total address single = 36 bit

First level no. of bits = 2 # 12 = 24 bits
Second level = 4 # 6 = 24 bits
Third level = 8 # 3 = 24 bits
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2009
Question. 51

Consider a system with 4 type of resources R1 (3 units), R2 (2 units),

R3 (3 units), R4 (4units). A non-preemptive resource allocation
policy is used. At any give instance, a request is not entertained if it
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cannot be completely satisfied. Three processes P1, P2, P3 request
the resources as follows if executed independently.
Process P2:
requests 2 units of R2 t=0 : request 2 units of R3
t=2 ; request 1 units of R4
request 1 units of R3
t=4 ; request 1 units of R1
request 2 units of R1
t=6 ; release 1 units of R3
release 1 unit of R2 t=8 ; Finishes
and 1 units of R1

Process P1:
t=0;
t=0;
t=0;
t=5;

Process P3
t=0 ; request 1 units of R4
t=2 ; request 2 units of R1
t=5 ; release 2 units of R1
t=8 ; request 1 units of R3
t=9 ; Finishes

t=7; release 1 units of R3

t=8; request 2 units of R4
t=10; Finishes

Which one of the following statements is TRUE if all three processes

run concurrently starting at time t = 0 ?
(A) All processes will finish without any deadlock
(B) Only P1 and P2 will be in deadlock
(C) Only P1 and P3 will be in deadlock
(D) All three processes will be in deadlock
SOLUTION

Total resources = 3 2 3 2
Process 1 Process 2 Process 3 Available
Time 1 2 3 4

1234

1234

1234

0200

0020

0001

3011

0210

0020

0001

3001

0210

0021

2001

1000

0210

0021

2001

1000

0210

1021

2001

0000

1110

1021

0001

1100

1110

1011

0001

1110

1100

1011

0101

1020

1100

0000

0111

2021

1102

0000

0000

2130

10 0 0 0 0
0000
0000
3232
All process computed without deadlock
Hence (A) is correct option.
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Operating System

Question. 52

In which of the following page replacement policies, Beladys anomaly

may occur ?
(A) FIFO

(B) Optimal

(C) LRU

(D) MRU

SOLUTION

Beladys anomaly is a properly of FIFO page replacement policy in

which the no. of page faults increases even if the no. of page frames
are increased in some cases.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 53

The essential content(S) in each entry of a page table is/are

(A) virtual page number
(B) page frame number
(C) Both virtual page number and page frame number
(D) access right information
SOLUTION

A page table is in main memory which mop a page frame to a virtual

memory page.
So essential content is page frame number
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 54

Consider a disk system with 100 cylinders. The requests to access the
cylinders occur in following sequence :
4, 34, 10, 7, 19, 73, 2, 15, 6, 20
Assuming that the head is currently at cylinder 50, what is the time
taken to satisfy all requests if it takes 1 ms to move from one cylinder
to adjacent one and shortest seek time first policy is used ?
(A) 95 ms

(B) 119 ms

(C) 233 ms

(D) 276 ms
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SOLUTION

Arranging in order.

Total = 16 + 14 + 1 + 4 + 5 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 71
= 119 ms
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 55

In the following process state transition diagram for a uniprocessor

system, assume that there are always some processes in the steady
state :

Now consider the following statements :

I. If a process makes a transition D, it would result in another
process making transition A immediately
II

A process P2 in blocked state can make transition E while another

process P1 is in running state

III The OS uses non-premptive scheduling

IV The OS uses non-premptive scheduling
Which of the above statement are TRUE ?
(A) I and II
(B) I and III
(C) II and III
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Operating System

SOLUTION

Is not necessary that a new process enters immediately.

II

Is true different process can be in different states one is ready

and another in running state.

III Is also correct since if one blocked it stop running so other can
run.
IV Is not correct.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 56

The enter_CS ( ) and leave_CS ( ) functions to implement critical

section of a process are realized using test and set instruction as
follows :
Void enter_cs (X)
{
while (test-and-set)(X)) :
}
Void leave_CS(X)
{
X=0;
}
In the above solution, X is a memory location associated with the CS
and is initialized to 0. Now consider the following statements
I The above solution to CS problem is deadlock-free
II

The solution is starvation free

III The processes enter CS in FIFO order

IV More than one process can enter CS at the same time
Which of the above statements are TRUE
(A) I only
(B) I and II
(C) II and III

(D) IV only

SOLUTION
I

Is true since

X is initialized to zero, this cause only 1 process to enter

into critical so no deadlock.

II & III

Are false, other process which doesnt capture X will wait

so ultimately starve.
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IV
Since I true so it is false.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 57

A multilevel page table is preferred in comparison to a single level

page table for translating virtual address to physical address because
(A) It reduces the memory access time to read or write and memory
location
(B) It helps to reduce the size of page table needed to implement the
virtual address space of a process
(C) If is required by the translation lookaside buffer
(D) If helps to reduce the number of page faults in page replacement
algorithms.
SOLUTION

Single level page table is not preferred since it requires the no. of
page table enteries equal to the no. of virtual memory addresses, but
a multilevel page table has smaller no. of enteries so reduce the size
of page table needed.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2010
Question. 58

Consider the methods used by processes P1 and P2 for accessing

their critical sections whenever needed, as given below. The initial
values of shared boolean variables S1 and S2 are randomly assigned.
Method used by P1

Method used by P2

While (S1==S2);
Critical Section
S1=S2;

While (S1!=S2);
Critical Section
S2=not (S1)

While one of the following statements describes properties achieved ?

(A) Mutual exclusion nut nor progress
(B) Progress but not mutual exclusion
(C) Neither mutual exclusion nor progress
(D) Both mutual exclusion and progress
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Operating System

SOLUTION

Method used by P1 & P2 enters into critical section when S1 = S2 &

S1 ! = S2 respectively, since both are opposite conditions so mutual
exclusion is there, but if P1 's while loop true then it will always be
true & in P2 if while loop true it would run infinitely so no. progress.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 59

A system uses FIFO policy for page replacement. It has 4 page frames
with no pages loaded to begin with . The system first accesses 100
distinct pages in some order and then accesses the same 100 pages
but now in the reverse order .How many page faults will occur ?
(A) 196
(B) 192
(C) 197

(D) 195

SOLUTION

In FIFO page replacement policy, the pages which entered first are
replaced first so for first 100 accesses, 100 page faults will occur. Now
in memory there are last 4 pages 97, 98, 99 & 100th page.
So during reverse access there 4 pages would not create any page
fault & other 97 page faults.
So total 100 + 96 = 196 page faults.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 60

Which of the following statements are true ?

I Shortest remaining time first scheduling may cause starvation
II

Preemptive scheduling may cause starvation

II

Round robin in better than FCFS in terms of response time

(A) I only

(B) I and III only

(C) II and III only

(D) I, II and III

SOLUTION

SRIF scheduling may cause starvation since the processes which

require large CPU burst periods would have to wait.

II

Generally preemptive scheduling doesnt cause starvation but

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in some cases, it may cause starvation when one process doesnt
block due to I/O so others have to wait.
III It is quite obvious that due to preemption involvement round
orbit is better than FCFS, in case of response time.
All are true
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 61

The following program consists of 3 concurrent precesses and 3 binary

semaphores. The semaphores are initialized as S 0 = 1, S1 = 0, S2 = 0
Process P0

Process P1

While (true){ wait (S1 );

wait (S 0 );
release (S 0 );
print 0
release (S1 );
release (S2 );
}

Process P2
wait (S2 )
release (S 0 );

How many times will precess P0 print 0 ?

(A) At least twice
(B) Exactly twice
(C) Exactly thrice

(D) Exactly once

SOLUTION

Let us see what will happen initially S 0 = 1, S1 = 0 S2 = 0 so P1 & P2

will wait & P0 runs & make S 0 = 0 wait decrements semaphore by 1
& release increments if by 1.
So after P0 's 1st run S1 = 1 & S2 = 1 0 is printed
Now P1 & P2 can run & make S1 = 0 , S2 = 0 but both increments
S 0 = 1 again.
So P0 again starts and print '0' so this would continue again & again.
So '0' will be printed at least twice.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 62

A system has n resources R 0 ..R n - 1, and k processes P0 ..Pk - 1.The

implementation of the resource request logic of each process Pi , is as
follows:
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Operating System

if (i%2==0){
if(i<n)request

if(i+2<n)request

i + 2;

}
else {
if (i<n)request
if (i+2<n)request

;
;

n i 2

}
In which one of the following situations is a deadlock possible ?
(A) n = 40, k = 26

(B) n = 21, k = 12

(C) n = 20, k = 10

(D) n = 41, k = 19

SOLUTION

Allotment of resources would be successful to all cases but in option

(B) where n = 21 & k = 12 .
Let use take i = 10
So for P10 only R10 can be allotted whereas for P11 odd case (else).
R21 11 i.e R10 can only be allotted.
This is an conflict.
Hence (B) is correct option.

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GATE CS Topic wise Questions

Programming and Data Structure

YEAR 2001
Question. 1

What is printed by the print statements in the program P1 assuming

call by reference parameter passing ?
Program P1( )
{
1
1(
r
r

)
x;
y;

}
func1(x,y,z)
{
y=y+4
z=x+y+z;
}
(A) 10, 3

(B) 31, 3

(C) 27, 7

(D) None of the above

SOLUTION

Since the function fun 1 doesnt return the values of x & y and x
& y are not passed by reference. So in program P1( ) would print
x = 10 & y = 3 . So 10, 3
Hence (A) is correct option.

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
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Question. 2

Consider the following three functions :

[P1]
int *g(void)
{
intx=10;
return (& x);
}
[P2]
int *g(void)
{
int *px;
*px=10;
return px;
}
[P3]
int *g(void)
{
int *px
px=(int*)malloc (size of (int));
*px=10;
return px;
}
Which of the above three functions are likely to cause problems with
pointers ?
(A) Only P3
(B) Only P1 and P3
(C) Only P1 and P2

(D) P1, P2 and P3

SOLUTION

P1 : Here the function is returning address of the variable x (&

x ) but the return type is pointer to integer not address. So
incorrect.
P2 : *px = 0 directly assigned a value but still px doesnt point to
any memory location, so memory initialization or allocation
should be done before. So incorrect.
P3: Correction made in P2, memory pre allocated, So correct.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 3

Consider the following program

Program P2
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Programming & Data
Structure

Var n:int:
procedure W (var x:int)
begin
X=X+1
Print x;
end
Procedure D
Begin
var n:int;
n=3;
W(n);
End
Begin
\\begin P2
n=10;
D;
end
If the language has dynamic scooping and parameters are passed by
reference, what will be printed by the program ?
(A) 10

(B) 11

(C) 3

(D) None of the above

SOLUTION

n = 10 given but not passed to D. In D, n = 3 & W (n) increments by

1. So n = n + 1 = 4 .
Hence (D) is correct option.
YEAR 2002

Question. 4

The results returned by function under value-result and reference

parameter passing conventions
(A) Do not differ
(B) Differ in the presence of loops
(C) Differ in all cases
(D) May differ in the presence of exception
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SOLUTION

The results returned by function under value & reference parameter

passing may differ in presence of loops.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 5

Consider the following declaration of a two-dimensional array in C :

Char a[100][100]
Assuming that the main memory is byte-addressable and that array
is stored starting form memory address 0, the address of a [40] [50] is
(A) 4040
(B) 4050
(C) 5040

(D) 5050

SOLUTION

Char a [100] [100]

1 char require 1 byte
Total required 10000 bytes.
Memory format is byte addressable
a [ 0] [ 0 ]
a [0] [50]
g
h
g
g
a [50] [0] a [40] [50]
g
h
g
g
a [99] [0]
g
g

g a [0] [99]
g
h
g
h
g
h
g a [99] [99]

100 bytes per row. I.e 40 # 100 = 4000

1 byte per column I. e. 50 # 1 = 50
Total 4050
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2003
Question. 6

Consider the following C function.

float f(float x, int y){
float p, s; int i;
for (s=1, p=1, i=1, i<y; i++)
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Programming & Data
Structure

{
p)=x/i;
s+=p;
}
return s;
}
For large values of y, the return value of the function f best
approximates
(B) ex
(A) xy
(C) In(1 + x)

(D) xx

SOLUTION

The function is rewritten as

s = ;p = ;
for i = ; i y; i ++
{
p = p ) x/i;
s = s + p;
}
Here initial value of s increments every time with a factor of p ) x/i
Initially s =
p=
Loop
P
counter (i)

1+x

x ) x/2 : 1 = x2 /2 : 1

1 + x + x2 /2

x2 /2 ) x/3 = x3 /3 : 2 : 1 1 + x + x2 /2! + x3 /3!

x3 /3! # x/4 = x 4 /4!

1 + x + x2 /2! + x3 /3! + x 4 /4!

Thus it can be checked for every value.

Here the assumption is that the value of y is very large so y " 3
So the series 1 + x + x2 /2! + x3 /3!................3 will have infinite
terms & from our previous knowledge we know that this 3 series is
expansion of ex (exponential series) so.
1 + x + x2 /2! + x3 /3!...........3 = ex
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 7

Assume the following C variable declaration

int)A[10], B[10][10];
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Structure

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Of the following expressions
(1) A[2]
(2) A[2][3]
(3) B[1]
(4) B[2][3]
Which will not give compile-time errors if used as left hand sides of
assignment statements in a C program ?
(A) 1, 2, and 4, only

(B) 2, 3, and 4, only

(C) 2 and 4 only

(D) 4 only

SOLUTION

which is an array of 10 integer value

We have int )
pointer whereas B [10] [10] is an array which stores 10 # 10 = 100
integers
So let us try to solve it eliminating way.
" Option 3 B[1] cant be at the left side since it is 2D array so
cant use single index. We need not necessarily specify the size of
first dimension for B[][3]
" Option 4 B[2][3] is assignment to the array B value so possible.
" Option 1 A [2] is also possible to assign some address os integer
value
" Option 2 this is some what tricky. Here A[2][3] becomes a 2D
array if integer where A [2] means the 2nd integer in this array
and A[2][3]o means 3rd integer in this row. eg. A [2] [3] = 5
means that at second row the third integer value is 5.
Hence (*) Is correct option.
Question. 8

Let T (n) be the number of different binary search trees on n distinct

elements.
Then T [n] =

Page 6

/ T (k 1) T (x), where x

k=1

is

(A) n k + 1

(B) n k

(C) n k 1

(D) n k 2

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Programming & Data
Structure

SOLUTION

Binary search tree has a root node & its 2 subtrees. So for every node
other than the leaves, all the elements smaller than the node are its
left subtree & all the nodes which have value equal to or greater than
that node are at right subtree.

Here the given expression.

T (n) =

/T (k 1) T (X)

K=1

Figure
n (B) = no. of nodes in left subtree
n (C) " no. of nodes in right subtree
T (n) = n (B) + n (C) + 1
T (n) =

/T (X) T (k 1)

K=1

Expanding forT (k 1) we get

T (n) =

/ T (X) : [T (0) + T (1) + T (2) .....T (n 1)]

K=1

1 444444444 2 444444444 3

no. of nodes in left subtree denoted by K

Total nodes = n
So remaining node n (k 1) i.e nodes in the right subtree.
So = n k + 1
So overall we can say that the no. of different BSTs on n different
elements.
T (n) =

/T (n k + 1) T (k 1)

n=1

Hence ( ) is correct option.

Question. 9

Suppose the numbers 7, 5, 1, 8, 3, 6, 0, 9, 4, 2 are inserted in that

order into an initially empty binary search tree. The binary search
tree uses the usual ordering on natural numbers. What is the inorder
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transversal sequence of the resultant tree ?
(A) 7 5 1 0 3 2 4 6 8 9

(B) 0 2 4 3 1 6 5 9 8 7

(C) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

(D) 9 8 6 4 2 3 0 1 5 7

SOLUTION

We can solve it in shortcut that the first given element in 7, so we

need to choose that particular option in which 7 is at the right place
i.e. all the elements on its left should be smaller than it & all the
elements on the right should be equal & greater than it.
So this rule is followed in option C only.
The method to make BST for given inputs is 7, 5, 1, 8, 3, 6, 0, 9, 4, 2.

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To make in order of a binary search tree.

(i) Start with the root node.
(ii) Scan its left subtree,
(iii) If the node in subtree has any left child then store the node in
stack & repeat this step for its left child unit no. left child of any
node.
(iv) If leaf reached then print the node & pop the stack, print the
poped value.
(v) Check its right subtree & repeat step (III) for it.
(vi) When stack empty then stop
So here inorder is 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. Actually a fact can be remembered
that inorder traversal of a BST leads to a sorted sequence of elements.
Hence (C) is correct option
Question. 10

A data structure is required for storing a set of integers such that

each of the following operations can be done is (logn ) time, where n
is the number of elements in the set.
1.
Delection of the smallest element.
2.
Insertion of an element if it is not already present in the set.
Which of the following data structures can be used for this purpose ?
(A) A heap can be used but not a balanced binary search tree
(B) A balanced binary search tree can be used but not a heap
(C) Both balanced binary search tree and heap can be used
(D) Neither balanced binary search tree nor heap can be used
SOLUTION

Both the tasks can be performed by both the data structures but heap
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is a data structure where to perform these function every element has
to be checked so O (n) complexity.
But the balance binary search tree is efficient data structure since
at every decision it selects one of its subtree to no. of elements to be
checked are reduced by a factor of 1/2 every time.
n =x
2!
x = log n
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 11

Let S be a stack of size n $ 1. Starting with the empty stack, suppose

we push the first n natural numbers in sequence, and then perform n
pop operations. Assume that Push and Pop operation take X seconds
each , and Y seconds elapse between the end of the one such stack
operation and the start of the next operation. For m $ 1, define
the stack-life of mcs the time elapsed from the end or Push (m) to
the start of the pop operation that removes m from S . The average
stack-life of an element of this stack is
(A) n (X + Y)
(B) 3Y + 2X
(C) n (X + Y) X

(D) Y + 2X

SOLUTION

Here each of PURSH & POP operation take X seconds & Y seconds
are elapsed between two consecutive stack operations.
m is the life time of element in stack.
So
m X is time for push.
m X is time for pop.
m Y is time for intermediate
So total m (2X + Y)
m (2X + Y)
Average stack life =
m
= 2X + Y
= Y + 2X
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 12

Consider the following 2-3-4 tree (i.e., B-tree with a minimum degree
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of two) in which each data item is a letter. The usual alphabetical

ordering of letters is used in constructing the tree

What is the result of inserting G in the above tree ?

(D) None of the above

SOLUTION

2-3-4 B-tree means the min degree of a node is two & it can be max
4 So maximum of 3 elements can be there in a node.

Here in this node the no. of element >3.

So we need a split or rotation.
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Since the adjacent child has no. of element # n = 4 = 2 so we apply
2
2
a right rotation.
So here.

Hence (C) is correct option.

Question. 13

In the following C program fragment, j, k, n and TwoLog_n

are integer variables, and A is an array of integers. The variable n
is initialized to an integer $ 3 , and TwoLog_n is initialized to the
value of 2)6log 2 (n)@
for (k=3;k<=n;k++)
A[k]=0;
for (k=2;k<=TwoLog_n;k++)
for (j=k+1;j<=n;j++)
A[j]=A[j]<(j%k);
for(j=3;j<=n;j++)
if (!A[j])printf(%d,j);
The set of number printed by this program fragment is
(A) {m | m # n, (7i) [m = i!]}
(B) {m | m # n, (7i) [m = i2]}
(C) {m | m # n, m is prime}

(D) {m | m # n, m is odd}

SOLUTION

Question. 14

Consider the C program shown below.

#include <stdio.h>
#define print(x)printf(%d,x)
int x;
void Q (int z){
z+=x; print(z);
}
void p (int)y){
int x=)y+2;
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Q(x);)y=x-1;
print(x);
}
main (void){
x=5;
p(&x);
print(x);
}
The output of this program is
(A) 12 7 6

(B) 22 12 11

(C) 14 6 6

(D) 7 6 6

SOLUTION

Figure
Here X is the global variable so still 5.
Figure
Here this is global X whose xy has been changed to 6 so 6 is printed
12 66
Hence (A) is correct option.

First x=5
Then by function p(&x)
X =5+2=7
Then by function Q(x)
z =z+x
=7+5=12
Here x is global variable so still it is 5.
Return to function p(&x)
Y =7-1=6
print
x =7
return to main
Print
x =6
Here this is global x whose *y ahs been changed to
6 so 6 is printed.
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Question. 15

Consider the function - defined below.

struct item {
int data;
struct item)next;
};
int f (struct item )p){
return ((p==NULL)||(p >next==NULL)||
((p >data<=p >next >data)&&
f(p >next)));
}
For a given linked list p, the function f return 1 if and only if
(A) the list is empty or has exactly one element
(B) the elements in the list are sorted in non-decreasing order of data
value
(C) the elements in the list are sorted in non-increasing order of data
value
(D) not all elements in the list have the same data value
SOLUTION

Here the return 1 any 1 of the following should be correct.

(A) P == NULL i.e the list is empty (ends)
(B) P " next = NULL i.e have one element.
(C) P " data <= p " next " data i.e the element is smaller than its
next element also. This is true for whole list. Since &&f(p "next)
is also there.
So overall it gives that the elements should be in sorted order.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2004
Question. 16

The goal of structured programming is to

(A) have well indented programs
(B) be able to infer the flow of control from the compiled code
(C) be able to infer the flow of control form the program text
(D) avoid the use of GOTO statements
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SOLUTION

Structured programming :- It is way of programming using the sub

structure method, i.e splitting the programs into sub sections.
Structured programming prevents confusing transfer of control of
avoiding the use of GOTO statements.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 17

Consider the following C function

void swap
{int
temp
a
b
}

(int a, int b)
temp;
=a;
=b;
=temp;

In the order to exchange the values of two variables x and y .

(A) call swap (x, y)
(B) call swap (&x, &y)
(C) swap (x, y) cannot be used as it does not return any value
(D) swap (x, y) cannot be used as the parameters are passed by value
SOLUTION

Here the function takes the arguments by value.

" Option (A) sends parameter by value but only the local variable
a & b will be exchanged but not the actual variables x & y so
incorrect.
" Option (B) is incorrect sending address of x & y .
" Option (C) swap (x, y) is usable there is no need to return.
" Option (D) is the opposite statement of option (A), it says that
the values are passed by value so wont swap so the option is
correct.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 18

A single array A [1........MAXSIZE] is used to implement two stacks.

The two stacks grow from opposite ends of the array. Variables top
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1 and top 2 (top 1<top 2) point to the location of the topmost
element in each of the stacks. If the space is to be used efficiently, the
condition for stack full is
(A) (top 1=MAXSIZE/2) and (top 2=MAXSIZE/.2+1)
(B) top 1+top2=MAXSIZE
(C) (top 1=MAXSIZE/2) or (top2=MAXSIZE)
(D) top 1=top 2 1

SOLUTION

Let take maxsize =10

Here the stack will be fuel if both top 1 & top 2 are at the adjacent
index values i.e. their difference is 1.
So top 1 = top 2 - 1
Here (D) is correct option.

Question. 19

The following numbers are inserted into an empty binary search tree
in the given order: 10, 1, 3, 5, 15, 12, 16. What is the height of the
binary search tree (tree height is the maximum distance of a leaf node
from the root) ?
(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 4

(D) 6

SOLUTION

Given are 10, 1, 3, 5, 15, 12, 16

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The height of the leaf node (5) is high 3.

Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 20

The best data structure to check whether an arithmetic expression

has balanced parenthesis is a
(A) queue

(B) stack

(C) tree

(D) list

SOLUTION

Balanced parenthesis in an equation are such that the no. of opening

and closing parenthesis and in correct order should be there.
We can check balancing using stack. When we get any opening
parenthesis then we push that in the stack & if we get a closing one
then we pop the stack. After the complete scanning of input string if
stack is found empty then the arithmetic expression is balanced.
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Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 21

Consider the following C function

int f(int n)
{static int i=1;
if (n>=5) return n;
n=n+i;
i++;
return f(n);
}
The value returned by f(1) is
(A) 5

(B) 6

(C) 7

(D) 8

SOLUTION

Here i is an static variable, so if it is once initialized it cant be

initialized again during its scope
n is incremented by 1 & f(n) is called then.
The final return is when n>=5 i.e. n returned then
Step Call
n
i
(1)
1
1
1
condition false n < 5
(2)
2
1+1 = 2
(3)
2
2
2
false n < 5
(4)
3
2+2 = 4
(5)
3
4
3
false n < 5
(6)
4
4+3 = 7
(7)
4
7
4
true return n = 7
So return value is 7.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 22

Consider the following program fragment for reversing the digits in a

given integer to obtain a new integer. Let n = d1 d2 .......dm.
int n, rev;
rev=0;
while(n>0){
rev=rev)10+n%10;
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n=n/10;
}
The loop invariant condition at the end of the ith iteration is
(A) n = d1 d2 ......dm i and rev = dm dm 1 ......dm i + 1
(B) n = dm i + 1 .....dm 1 dm or rev = dm i .....d2 d1
(C) n =
Y rev
(D) n = d1 d2 ....dm or rev = dm ......d2 d1
SOLUTION

Here after every iteration one digit is reduced from n since n = n/10
so unit place is removed.
This unit place is then added into the previous reverse sum (rev)
after multiplying rev by 10. So 1 digit is incremented every iteration.
So at the ith iteration n should have m i digits d1 d2 .....dm i & rev
have dm dm 1 ..........dm i + 1
i
n
rev
1
dm
d1 d2 ....dm 1
2
d1 d2 ......dm 2
dm dm 1
So on.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 23

Consider the following C program segment:

char p[20];
char)s= string;
int length=strlen(s);
for (i=0;i<length; i++)
p[i]=s[length i];
printf(% s, p);
The output of the program is
(A) gnirts

(B) string

(C) gnirt

(D) no output is printed

SOLUTION

In line 8
p[i]=S[length-i];
Here p is a character pointer variable so we cant assign the value of
a pointer variable into character variable so no output is printed.
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The block of code shown here is actually outputs the reversal of
string given in S. Which is a char type pointer. But the mistake
during the loop execution is done. The statement is accessing the
s [length - i] & loop starts from 0
When i = 0, s [length - 0] & s [length].
So this value for string is always P will start with null pointer. So
the string p will start with null pointers and nothing will be printed.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 24

A circularly linked list is used to represent a Queue. A single variable

p is used to access the Queue. To which node should p point such
that both the operations enQueue and deQueue can be performed in
constant time ?

(A) rear node

(B) front node
(C) not possible with a single pointer
(D) node next to front
SOLUTION

Here due to circular connection the rear & front are connected. Here
if we point P to rear the P "next point to front node & P " data
will point to rear value while inserting at rear following sequence of
operations done.
P " data = inserted value
)
P " next = P " next " next
These operation done is 0 (1) time
So constant complexity.
Hence (A) is correct option.
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Question. 25

The elements 32, 15, 20, 30, 12, 25, 16 are inserted one by one in the
given order into a maxHeap. The resultant maxHeap is

SOLUTION

Given elements are 32, 15, 20, 30, 12, 25, 16

Here n = 7 .
This is the heap of elements.
Now for max heap property is that every root node should be larger
than its child nodes. The root node on the tope is largest of all.
Step 1 take ^n/2h node for start ^7/2h = 4 if it is at right place i.e it is
smaller than its parent & greater than its children then OK otherwise
swap them.

So option (A) is correct since it satisfy max heap property.

Hence (A) is correct option.
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Question. 26

Assume that the operators + , - , # are left associative and ^ is

right associative .The order of precedence (from highest to lowest)
is ^, # , + , -. The postfix expression corresponding to the infix
expression a + b # c - d ^ e ^ f is
(A) abc #+def ^^
(B) abc #+de^f^
(C) ab+c#de^f^

(D) +a#bc^^def

SOLUTION

Given expression a + b ) c d / e / f
parenthesizing the expression as per given rules.
= ((a + (b ) c)) (d / (e / f)))
= ((a + (bc ))) (d / (ef /)))
= ((abc ) +) (def //))
= (abc ) + def //)
So option (A) is correct
You can also solve using stack.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 27

Consider the following C program

main ()
{
int x, y, m, n;
scanf(%d%d, &x,&y);
/)Assume x>0 and y>0)/
m=x;
n=y;
while
(m!=n)
{
if (m>n)
m=mn;
else
n=nm;
}
printf(%d,n);
}
The program computers
(A) x ' y, using repeated subtraction
(B) x mod y using repeated subtraction
(C) the greatest common divisor of x and y
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(D) the least common multiple of x only

SOLUTION

Here if m > n then m = m n

m < n then n = n m
Let take X = 24 Y = 9
Then m = 24 n = 9
iteration
m
n
1
9
24 9 = 15
2
9
15 9 = 6
3
6
96 = 3
4
3
63 = 3
Here m = n so n returned
Which is GCD (Greatest common divisor) of X & Y
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 28

What does the following algorithm approximate ? (Assume m>1,

!> 0 ).
x=m;
y=1;
while (xy>!)
{
x=(x+y)/2;
y=m/x;
}
print (x);
(A) log m

(B) m2

(C) m1/2

(D) m1/3

SOLUTION

Here we take let x = 16

Loop will stop when x y = 0 or >0
Iteration
1

X
(16 + 1)
=8
2

Y
16 = 2
8
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2

8+2 = 5
2

16 = 3
5

5+3 = 4
2

16 = 4
4

Here X = Y
Then take X . which is 4.
(m) 1/2 = 4 = (16) 1/2
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 29

Consider the following C program segment

struct Cellnode {
)leftChild;
struct CellNode
int element;
)rightChild;
struct CellNode
}
int DoSomething (struct CellNode )ptr)
{
int value=0;
if(ptr!=NULL)
{
if (ptr >leftChild !=NULL)
value=1+DoSomething
(ptr >leftChild);
if (ptr >rightChild!=NULL)
value=max(value,1+DoSomething(ptr >
right child));
return (value);
}
The value returned by the function DoSomething when a pointer to
the proof of a non-empty tree is passed as argument is
(A) The number of leaf nodes in the tree
(B) The number of nodes in the tree
(C) The number of internal nodes in the tree
(D) The height of the tree.
SOLUTION

Value initialized by 0
If any root node has left child then it adds 1 to the value & move to
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left child & if any mode has right child also then also calculated the
value using recursion & take maximum of both left & right value is
taken.
So we know that height is the largest distance between root node &
leaf.
So this program calculates heights.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 30

Choose the best matching between the programming styles in Group

1 and their characteristics in Group 2.
Group-I

Group-2

P. Functional
Q. Logic
R. Object-oriented
S. Imperative

1. Command-based, procedural
2. Imperative, abstract data types
3. Side-effect free, declarative, expression
evaluation
4. Declarative, clausal representation,
theorem proving

(A) P-2, Q-3, R-4, S-1

(B) P-4, Q-3, R-2, S-1

(C) P-3, Q-4, R-1, S-2

(D) P-3, Q-4, R-2, S-1

SOLUTION

p.

Functional Programming is declarative in nature, involves

expression evaluation, & side effect free.

Logic is also declarative but involves theorem proving.

r.

Object oriented is imperative statement based & have abstract

(general) data types.

Imperative :- The programs are made giving commands & follows

definite procedure & sequence.

Hence (D) is correct option.

YEAR 2005
Question. 31

What does the following C-statement declare?

int

int
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(A) A function that takes an integer pointer as argument and returns
an integer
(B) A function that takes an integer pointer as argument and returns
an integer pointer
(C) A pointer to a function that takes an integer pointer as argument
an returns
(D) A function that takes an integer pointer as argument returns a
function pointer
SOLUTION

Given statement int () f) (int ))

This is not the declaration of any function since the f has ) (pointer
symbol) before it. So f is a pointer to a function also the argument
type is
) & the return type is
So overall we can say that f is a pointer to a function that takes an
integer pointer as argument and returns an integer.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 32

An Abstract Data type (ADT) is

(A) same as an abstract class
(B) a data type that cannot be instantiated
(C) a data type for which only the operations defined on it can be
used, but none else
(D) all of the above
SOLUTION

Abstract Data type :- It is defined as a user defined data type,

specified by keyword abstract & defines the variables & functions,
these operations can only use the variables of this data type.
So option (C) which says that Abstract data type for which only
operations defined on it can be used is correct.
Eg. stack data type
Here operations defined are push & pop. So we can apply only these
2 operations on it.
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Question. 33

A common property of logic programming languages and functional

languages is
(A) both are procedural language
(B) both are based on calculus
(C) both are declarative
(D) all of the above
SOLUTION

-calculus" It provides the semantics for computation with

functions so that properties of functional computation can
be studied.
Both the languages require declaration before use of any object.
Both are procedural
So option (D) is correct.
Both the languages are based on calculus, procedural & declarative
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 34

Which of the following are essential features of an object-oriented

programming languages?
1.
2.
3.
4.
(A)

Abstraction and encapsulation

Strictly-typedness
Type-safe property coupled with sub-type rule
Polymorphism in the presence of inheritance
1 and 2 only
(B) 1 and 4 only

(C) 1, 2 and 4 only

(D) 1, 3 and 4 only

SOLUTION

Object oriented programming languages necessarily have features

like. Abstraction Encapsulation, inheritance with polymorphism
but OOPL are also strongly-typed since there are restrictions on
how operations involving values having different data types can be
intermixed.
Eg. two integers can be divided but one integer & one string cant.
Hence (B) is correct option.
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Question. 35

A program P reads in 500 integers in the range (0, 100) representing

the scores of 500 students. It then prints the frequency of each score
above 50. What be the best way for P to store the frequencies?
(A) An array of 50 numbers
(B) An array of 100 numbers
(C) An array of 500 numbers
(D) A dynamically allocated array of 550 numbers
SOLUTION

Here the no. readable are range 0 to 100 but the output of the program
is interested in scores above 50 so there are 50 values (51 to 100) in
this range.
So only an array 50 integers required as we get any no. we increment
the value stored at index.
Array [x 50] by 1.
Hence ( ) is correct option.
Question. 36

Consider the following C-program

void foo(int n, int sum ){
int
,
if (n
) return;
n
;
n
;
sum = sum
;
foo ( , sum);
printf(%d, );
}
int main(){
int a =
, sum = 0;
foo (a, sum);
printf (%d n ,sum);
}
What does the above program print?

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(A) 8, 4,0, 2, 14

(B) 8, 4, 0, 2, 0

(C) 2, 0, 4, 8, 14

(D) 2, 0, 4, 8, 0

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SOLUTION

Here K = n%10 takes unit digit of n j = n/10 reduces 1 digit from n .

Recurssion n

Local Sum Print

2048

-8

204

204

-4

20

20

12

- print 0

12

- print 2

14

" return

Here n = 0 so return
2 0 4 8 are printed then
Print sum. Sum = 14 but in foo function only the sum variable in
main is still 0.
So 2 0 4 8 0 printed.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 37

Consider the following C-program

double foo (double); /* Line 1*/
int main(){
double da db;
// input da
db foo(da);
}
double foo(double a){
return a;
}
The above code complied without any error or warning. If Line 1 is
deleted, the above code will show
(A) no compile warning or error
(B) some complier-warning not leading to unitended results
(C) Some complier-warning due to type-mismatch eventually leading
to unitended results
(D) Complier errors
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SOLUTION

Here if line 1 which is prototype declaration of the function foo, in

C compilation process this would give an compile warning , due to
type-mismatch. Since then compiler wont know what is the return
type of foo.
So unintended results may occur.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 38

Postorder traversal of a given binary search tree, T produces the

following sequence of keys
10, 9, 23, 22, 27, 25, 15, 50, 95, 60, 40, 29
Which one of the following sequences of keys can be the result of an
inorder traversal of the tree T?
(A) 9, 10, 15, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 40, 50, 60, 95
(B) 9, 10, 15, 22, 40, 50, 60, 95, 23, 25, 27, 29
(C) 29, 15, 9, 10, 25, 22, 23, 27, 40, 60, 50, 95
(D) 95, 50, 60, 40, 27, 23, 22, 25, 10, 0, 15, 29
SOLUTION

When we are given any no elements & even any order (preorder or
post order) & we need to calculate inorder, then inorder is simply
sorted sequence of the elements.
Here 9, 10, 15, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 40, 50, 60, 95
Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2006
Question. 39

An implementation of a queue Q, using two stacks S1 and S2 , is

given below
void insert(Q,x){
push (S1,x);
}
void delete(Q, x){
if (stack-empty (S2))then
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if (stack-empty (S1))then{
print(Q is empty);
return;
}
else while (! (stack-empty)(S1)){
x=pop(S1);
push(S2,x);
}
x=pop(S2);
}
Let n insert and m (# n) delete operations be performed in an
arbitrary on an empty queue Q, Let x and y be the number of push
and pop operations performed respectively in the processes. Which
one of the following is true for all m and n ?
(A) n + m # x < 2n and 2m # n + m
(B) n + m # x < 2n and 2m # y # 2n
(C) 2m # x < 2n and 2m # y # n + m
(D) 2m # x < 2n and 2m # y # 2n
SOLUTION

Question. 40

Consider the following C-function in which a[n] and b[n] are two
sorted integer arrays and c[n+m] be another integer array.
void xyz (int a[],int b[],int c[]){
int i, j, k;
i=j=k=0;
while((i<n))&&(j<m)
if (a[i]<b[j]c[k++]=a[i++];
else c[k++]=b[j++];
}
Which of the following condition (s) hold (s) after the termination of
the while loop ?
I
j<m, k=n+j-1, and a [n-1]<b[j] if i=n
II
i<n, k=m+j-1, and b[m-1]#a[i] if j=m
(A) only (I)
(B) only (II)
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(C) either (I) or (II) but not both
(D) neither (I) nor (II)
SOLUTION

While loop will terminate i $ n & j $ m program is to merge a &

b arrays into C .
While loop terminates after merging then either (I) or (II) should
hold but not both at the same time.
(I) says j < m & (II) say j = m vice versa
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 41

Consider these two functions and two statements S1 and S2 about

them.
int work1(int *a,int i,int j) int work2(int *a,int i,int j)
{
{
int t1=i+2;
int
a i
int t2=a[t1];
a j
1
return a i
a[j]=t2+1
return t2-3;
}
}

S1:

The transformation from work 1 to work 2 is valid, i.e., for any

program state and input arguments, work 2 will compute the
same output and have the same effect on program state as work
1
S2: All the transformations applied to work 1 to get work 2 will
always improve the performance (i.e. reduce CPU time) of work
2 compared to work 1
(A) S1 is false and S2 is false
(B) S1 is false and S2 is true
(C) S1 is true and S2 is false
(D) S1 is true and S2 is true
SOLUTION

During the optimizations of code phase variables are reduced

to temporary variables which are used to store results of unitary
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operations so later if this expression again evaluated then in optimized

code it is replaced by temporary variable.
Both work 1 & work 2 produces same state & since operation i + 2
in work 1 is performed only 1 time in work 2 due to use of t so it is
also optimized.
So both are true.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 42

Consider the C code to swap two integers and these five statements:
the code
void swap(int
)

px,int

py){

px= px py;
py=)px+)py;
)px=)py)px;
)

}
S1 :
S2 :
S3 :

S4 :
S5 :
(A)

will generate a compilation error

may generate a segmentation fault at runtime depending on the
arguments passed
correctly implements the swap procedure for all input pointers
referreing to integers stored in memory locations accessible tot
he process
implements the swap procedure correctly for some but not all
valid input pointers
may add or subtract integers and pointers
(B) S2 and S 3
S1

(C) S2 and S 4

(D) S2 and S5

SOLUTION

Here pointers are used without initialization also the address pointed
by then may be out of segment of program, so segmentation.
" Fault may be there so. S2 correct.
" Here no compiler error S1 false.
" Correctly done swap procedure but not all valid import pointers
so S 4 also true.
S2 & S 4 are correct.
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Data for Q. 43 & 44 are given below.
A 3-ary max heap os like a binary max heap, but instead of 2 children,
nodes have 3 children, A 3-ary heap can be represented by an array
as follows: The root is stored in the first location, a [0], nodes in the
next level, from left to right, is stored form a[1] to a[3]. The nodes
from the second level of the tree from left to right are stored from a[4]
location onward.
An item x can be inserted into a 3-ary heap containing n items by
placing x in the location a [n] and pushing it up the tree to satisfy
the heap property.
Question. 43

Which one of the following is a valid sequence of elements in an array

representing 2-ary max heap ?
(A) 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9
(B) 9, 6, 3, 1, 8, 5
(C) 9, 3, 6, 8, 5, 1

(D) 9, 5, 6, 8, 3, 1

SOLUTION

Create max heap for options.

Here in option (A), (B) and (C), value present at node is not greater
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then all its children.

Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 44

Suppose the elements 7, 2, 10, and 4 are inserted, in that order, into
the valid 3-ary max heap found in the above question, Q. 33. Which
on of the following is the sequence of items in the array representing
the resultant heap ?
(A) 10, 7, 9, 8, 3, 1, 5, 2, 6, 4
(B) 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
(C) 10, 9, 4, 5, 7, 6, 8, 2, 1, 3
(D) 10, 8, 6, 9, 7, 2, 3, 4, 1, 5
SOLUTION

Given heap is as follows

To add 7, 2, 10, 4 we add the node at the end of array

We keep if at right place in the heap tree.

Compare elements with its parent node. Since 10 > 6 and 7 >5, we
interchange
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Since 10 >9, we interchange and we get

n = 10 = 5
2
2
3 is at right position
4 is at right position
Figure
Figure
Figure
Order
10 7 9 8 3 1 5 2 6 4
Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2007
Question. 45

Consider the following segment of C-code

int, , n
while
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The number of comparisons made in the execution of the loop for

any n > 0 is
(A) [log2 n] + 1

(B) n

(C) [log2 n]

(D) 6log2 n @ + 1

SOLUTION

Iteration

Initially 0

1=2

2 = 21

4 = 22

8 = 23

Here condition is 2i <

Comparison
0

=n

In i iteration & it requires i + 1 comparisons.

th

i = log 2 n

i + 1 = ^log 2 nh + 1
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 46

The following postfix expression with single digit operands in

evaluated using a stack
/
Note that^is the exponentiation operator. The top two elements of
the stack after the first* is evaluated are
(A) 6, 1

(B) 5, 7

(C) 3, 2

(D) 1, 5

SOLUTION

Given postfix expression is 823 / /23 ) + 51 )

Scanning the string from left to right we push all the digits, & we
get any operator we evaluate the operation between top 2 elements
poped from stack. Then the result is pushed again into stack.
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Stack contain 5, 7
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 47

Consider the following C function:

int f(int n)
static int r=0;
if
(n = 0) return 1;
if
(n
)
{r = n;
return f (n
)
;
}
return f (n 1) r;
}
What is the value of f(5) ?
(A) 5

(B) 7

(C) 9

(D) 18

SOLUTION

Given f (5) = ?

Page 38

Recursion

r
0"5

Return

Final Return

f (3) + 2

16 + 2 = 18

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Here r is a static int, so it will not be initialized again during recursive

calls so the final return would be option (D) i.e. 18
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 48

Consider the following C program segment where Cell Node represents

a node in a binary tree
struct CellNode {
struct CellNode*leftchild;
int element;
struct CellNode*rightchild;
};
int GetValue(struct CellNode * ptr) {
int vlaue = 0;
if (ptr =NULL) {
if ((ptr
leftChild = = NULL)&&
rightChild = = NULL))
(ptr
Value = 1;
else
value = value + GetValue
leftChild)
(ptr
+
Get Value
(ptr
rightChild);
}
return(value);
}
The value returned by Get Value when a pointer to the root of a
binary tree is passed as its argument is
(A) the number of nodes
(B) the number of internal nodes in the tree
(C) the number of leaf nodes in the tree
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(D) the height of the tree
SOLUTION

Here the structure cell Node represents a binary tree. Here the
function Get value return 1 if for any node both left & right children
are NULL or we can say if that node is a leaf node.
A variable value initialized to 0 is there to count these leaf nodes.
Hence (C) is correct option
YEAR 2008
Question. 49

Which combination of the integer variables x, y, and z makes the

variable a get the value 4 in the following expression?
a = (x > y) ? ((x > z) ?x : z): ((y > z) ?y: z)
(A) x = 3, y = 4, z = 2

(B) x = 6, y = 5, z = 3

(C) x = 6, y = 3, z = 5

(D) x = 5, y = 4, z = 5

SOLUTION

a = (x > y) ? ((x > z) ?x : z): ((y > z) ?y: z)

Expr 1? expr 2 : expr 3 ;
Here Expr 1 is a comparison expression whose result may be true or
false. If true returned the expr 2 is selected as choice otherwise expr3.
Here we want 4 to be printed which is only in option (A) & (D) for
y = 4 to be printed.
x > y should be false since y is in true part so this expr should be
true.
So both the conditions are true in option (A) only so correct.
We can check.
x=3y=4 z=2
a = (x > y) ? ((x > z) ?x: z) ((y > z) ?y: z)
First we can check 3 > 2 ? 3 : 2 thus 3 is selected
Then
4 > 2 ? 4 : 2 here 4 is selected
Hence a = 3 > 4?3: 4 = 4
Hence (A) is correct option.
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Question. 50

What is printed by the following C program?

int f(int x, int *py, int **ppz) void main()
{
{
int , * , ** a
int y, z
a
** ppz
z * ppz
printf (" d", f ( , , a))
*py
y * py
x
return x y z
(A) 18
(B) 19
(C) 21

(D) 22

SOLUTION

Here C is an integer variable, b has the address of C and a is double

pointer i.e it contains address of pointer b.

Let

c=4c
b
a
Call f (4, 1000, 2000)
ppz

=4
= & c = 1000
& b = 2000
= 2000 py = 1000 X = 4

)) ppz = )) ppz + 1
)) ppz = 4 + 1 = 5 z = 5
(2)
) py = ) py + 2
= 5+2 = 7 y = 7
(3)
X = X+3 = 4+3 = 7 x = 7
Return (x + y + z) & 7 + 7 + 5 = 19
Since both )) ppz and ) py point to same memory location 1000
where C is stored.
Hence (B) is correct option.
(1)

Question. 51

Choose the correct option to fill ?1 and ?2 so that the program

below prints an input string in reverse order. Assume that the input
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string is terminated by a newline character.
void reverse (void) {
int c;
if(?1) reverse();
?2
}
main () {
printf(Enter Text); printf("\n");
reverse(); printf("\n");
}
(A) ?1 is (getchar () ! = '\n')
?2 is getchar (c);
(B) ?1 is (getchar ()) ! = '\n')
?2 is getchar (c);
(C) ?1 is (c ! = '\n')
?2 is putchar (c);
(D) ?1 is (( c = getchar ()) ! = '\n')
?2 is putchar (c);
SOLUTION

Here if and if the string comes we print the letter & do it recursively.
If C is not end to string then we move to next character in the string.
?1 should be to getchar in C & check if it is end of string.
Hence (C=getchar ()!= \n )
?2 should be when\n reached so print. putchar (C);
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 52

The following C function takes a singly-linked list of integers as a

parameter and rearranges the elements of the list. The function is
called with the list containing the integers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 in the given
order. What will be the contents of the list after the function completes
execution?
struct node {
int value;
struct node *next;
} ;
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void rearrange (struct node *list) {

struct node *
*
int temp;
if (! list || ! list >next) return;
list;
list > next;
p
while ( ) {
temp=p > value;p >value =
> value;
> next;
> value = temp ; p =
= p p > next : 0 ;
}
}
(A) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

(B) 2,1,4,3,6,5,7

(C) 1,3,2,5,4,7,6

(D) 2,3,4,5,6,7,1

SOLUTION

Here the code scans the whole list & exchanges two consecutive
elements which are the nodes p & q. and then move to next two
elements or 2 * 1 4 * 6 * 5 7
Thus 2 1 4 3 6 5 7 is the output.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2009
Question. 53

Consider the program below:

#include<stdio.h>
int fun(int n, int *f_p){
int t,f;
if (n<=1){
*f_p=1
return 1;
}
t=fun(n-1,f_p);
f=t+*f_p;
*f_p=t;
return f;
}
int main () {
int x=15;
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printf(%d\n,fun(5,&x));
return 0;
}
The value printed is:
(A) 6

(B) 8

(C) 14

(D) 15

SOLUTION

Here the table column I, II, & III are during the forward calls of the
recursive function fun &
The part after arrow in column III is updated value during return
calls & column IV & V are the returned values.
In the end 8 is returned so only this will be printed
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 54

What is the maximum height of any AVL-tree with 7 nodes ? Assume

that the height of a tree with a single node is 0.
(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 4

(D) 5

SOLUTION

AVL tree is a partially balanced tree with the weights assigned to the
nodes can be only 1, 0 or 1. This weight is assigned on the basis of
difference of the no. of children in the left subtree & right subtree. If
some other weight is there then we rotate the tree to balance it.
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Here the weight is 2,

so AVL tree require
rotation.

This is balanced.

In this tree the height

is 3 and it is Also AVL
balanced so maximum
height will be 3

Hence (B) is correct option.

Statement for Linked Answer Question 55 & 56

Consider a binary max-heap implemented using an array
Question. 55

Which one of the follow9ng array represents a binary max-heap?

(A) {25, 12, 16, 13, 10, 8, 14}
(B) {25, 14, 13, 16, 10, 8, 12}
(C) {25, 14, 16, 13, 10, 8, 12}
(D) {25, 14, 12, 13, 10, 8, 16}
SOLUTION

If the value presented at any node is greater then all its children then
the tree is called the max heap.
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Here we need to draw heap for all options

Hence (C) is correct option.

Question. 56

What is the content of the array after two delete operations on the
correct answer to the previous question?
(A) {14, 13, 12, 10, 8}

(B) {14, 12, 13, 8, 10}

(C) {14, 13, 8, 12, 10}

(D) {14, 13, 12, 8, 10}

SOLUTION

Given Max heap

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So array contents are

14 13 12 8 10
Hence (D) is correct option.
YEAR 2010
Question. 57

The cyclomatic complexity of each of the modules A and B shown

below is 10. What is the cyclomatic complexity of the sequential
integration shown on the right hand side ?

(A) 19

(B) 21

(C) 20

(D) 10

SOLUTION

Cyclomatic complexity is defined as the no. of independent paths

form begin to exit in a module. If some dependent sub modules are
there in the module then the individual cyclomatic complexities are
added & overall sum is reduced by 1.
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Here

CC (complete) = CC (A) + CC (B) 1

10 + 10 1 = 19

So

Hence (A) is correct option.

Question. 58

What does the following program print ?

#include<stdio.h>
void

f(int *p, int *q){

p=q
)

}
int i=0,j=1;
int main(){
f(&i,&j);
printf(%d%d\n,i,j);
return 0;
}
(A) 22

(B) 21

(C) 01

(D) 02

SOLUTION

Here in the function p & q are integer pointer and p = q statement

means now p contains the same address as contained by p*p=2
means now both locations contain 2. Since p & q both contain
same location so value of *p & *q is 2. But the address i hasnt be
modified so value of i is not changed. It is a & j has been changed
to 2.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 59

What is the appropriate paring of items in the two columns listing

various activities encountered in a software life cycle ?
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P. Requirement Capture

1.

Module Development
Integration

Q. Design

2.

Domain Analysis

R. Implementation

3.

Structural and Behavioral

Modeling

S.

4.

Performance Tuning

Maintenance

(A) P-3 Q-2, R-4 S-1

(B) P-2 Q-3 R-1 S-4

(C) P-3 Q-2 R-1 S-4

(D) P-2 Q-3 R-4 S-1

and

SOLUTION

All of these steps are part of a simple software development life cycle
(SWDLC)
P. Requirement Capture : Considered as first step where we analyze
the problem scenario, domain of input, range of output and
effects.
P

Design : Knowing the problem a systematic structure of the

problem solution is designed and the behavior modelling refers to
the functions of the module, which give certain output providing
definite inputs.

Implementation : After knowing behavior the modules are

developed, converting the logics in the programming logics. The
independent modules are then integrated.

Maintenance : Successful implementation done but even then

the performance might not optimal so some features or methods
need to be change to tune the performance.

Hence (B) is correct option.

Question. 60

What is the value printed by the following C program ?

#include<stdio.h>
int f(int *a, int n)
{
if (n<=0) return 0;
else if (*a%2==0) return *a+f(a+1,n-1);
else return *a-f(a+1,n-1);
}
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int main()
{
int a[]={12, 7, 13, 4, 11, 6};
printf(%d,f(a,6));
return 0;
}
(A) 9
(B) 5
(C) 15

(D) 19

SOLUTION

Hence finally 15 will be returned.

Hence () is correct option.
Question. 61

The following C function takes a singly-linked list as input argument.

It modified the list by moving the last element to the front of the list
and returns the modified list. Some part of the code is left blank.
typedef struct node {
int value;
struct node *next
} Node;
Node )mode_to_front(Node *head){
Node)p,) ;
if((head==NULL)<(head->next==NULL))return head;
q=NULL;p=head;
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while(p->next!=NULL){
q=p;
p=q->next;
}
________________________
return head;
}
Choose the correct alternative to replace the blank line.
(A) q=NULL;p->next=head;head=p;
(B) q->next=NULL;head=p;p->next=head;
(C) head=p;p->next=q;q->next=NULL;
(D) q->next=NULL;p-next=head;head=p;
SOLUTION

Here the program wants to make the last node of the list, the first
node.
Here q is the second last node and p is the last node
The second last nodes next should be now NULL so
"
q->next=NULL.
p->next should below head node.
"
so p->next=head
Now the head node is p.
"
So head = p.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 62

The following program is to be tested for statement coverage :

begin
if(a==b){S1;exit}
else if(c==d){S2;}
else {S3;exit;}
S4;
end
The test cases T1, T2, T3, and T4 given below are expressed in terms
of the properties satisfied by the values of variables a b c and d.
The exact values are not given.
T1 : a b c and d are all equal
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T2 : a, b, c and d are all distinct
T3 : a = b and c! = d
T4 : a! = b and c = d
Which of the test suites given below ensures coverage of statements
S1, S2, S3 and S4 ?
(A) T1, T2, T3

(B) T2, T4

(C) T3, T4

(D) T1, T2, T4

SOLUTION

The following test cases covers statements.

all are equal
T1 :
S1 executed and then so no other execution.
all are distinct
T2 :
Only S 3 executed
T3 :
a=b & c!=d
Only S1 executed
!=b & c=d
T4 :
Only S2, S 4 only
So to have all statements the option should be either T1, T2, T4
or T2, T3, T4
Option (D) is T1, T2, T4
Hence (D) is correct option.

Statement for Linked Answer Questions 63 & 64

A has table of length 10 uses open addressing with hash function
h(k)=k mod 10, and linear probing. After inserting 6 values into an
empty has table, the table is as shown below.
0
1

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23

34

52

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8
9

Question. 63

Which one oft he following choices gives a possible order in which the
key values could have been inserted in the table ?
(A) 46, 42, 34, 52, 23, 33

(B) 34, 42, 23, 52, 33, 46

(C) 46, 34, 42, 23, 52, 33

(D) 42, 46, 33, 23, 34, 52

SOLUTION

Here for hashing Linear probing is used, i.e. it finds the hash key
value through hash function and maps the key on particular position
In Hash table. In case of key has same hash address then it will find
the next address then it will find the next empty position in the Has
Table.
Here we check all options:
(A) Here 42 will be inserted at the 2nd position in the array next 52,
also has same hash address 2. But it already occupied so it will search
for the next free place which is 3rd position. So here 52 is misplaced
and it is not possible key values.
Table 3 table
(B) Here 46 is misplaced so it is not possible value.
(C) This is same as given hash table.
So correct order is 46, 34, 42, 23, 52, 33
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 64

How many different insertion sequences of the key values using hte
same hash function and linear probing will result in the hash table
shown above ?
(A) 10

(B) 20

(C) 30

(D) 40

SOLUTION

Here the given order of insertion is 46, 34, 42, 23, 52, 33
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Structure

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Figure
Here 42, 23, 34, 46 are inserted direct using hash function
"
But to insert 52 we have 6 vacant places.
"
After insertion of 52 at any of the 6 places, we have 5 places
"
remaining for 33.
So total combination.
6 # 5 = 30 possible ways
Hence (C) is correct option.

**********

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GATE CS Topic wise Questions

Theory of Computation

YEAR 2001
Question. 1

Consider the following two statements :

S1 : {02n n $ 1 } is a regular language
S2 : {0m 1n 0m + n m $ 1 and n $ 1 } is a regular language
Which of the following statements is incorrect ?
(A) Only S1 is correct
(B) Only S2 is correct
(C) BothS1 and S2 are correct
(D) None of S1 and S2 is correct.
SOLUTION

S1 can be represented using a DFA so it is regular S1 is correct.

S2 cant be represented by DFA but it requires PDA to accept. So is
S2 is CFG not regular. S2 is false.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 2

Which of the following statements true ?

(A) If a language is context free it can be always be accepted by a
deterministic push-down automaton.
(B) The union of two context free language is context free.
(C) The intersection of two context free language is context free

CS Topicwise 2001-2010
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(D) The complement of a context free language is context free
SOLUTION

(A) It is not necessary at all.

(B) {an bn} , {an bn cn} = {an bn cn} always true so correct.
(C) {an bn} + {an} = {an} not CFG so false.
(D) Not necessary.
Hence (B) is correct option
Question. 3

Given an arbitary non-deterministic finite automaton (NFA) with N

states, the maximum number of states in an equivalent minimized
DFA is at least.
(B) 2N
(A) N2
(C) 2N

(D) N!

SOLUTION

In DFA the no. of states are always more than NFA, so if NFA has
N states DFA will have 2N states.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 4

Consider a DFA over = {a, b} accepting all strings which have

number of a's divisible by 6 and number of b's divisible by 8. What is
the minimum number of states that the DFA will have ?
(A) 8
(B) 14
(C) 15

(D) 48

SOLUTION

The valid strings will be where no. of a's 6, 12, 18, 24

No. of b's = 8, 16, 24

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No. of states = 7 for a

No. of states = 9
9 + 7 1 = 15

Total

1 subtracted due to 2 final states.

Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 5

Consider the following languages :

L1 = {ww w ! {a, b} )}
L2 = {wwR w ! {a, b})wR is the reverse of w}
L3 = {02i i is an integer}
2

L4 = {0i i is an integer}
Which of the languages are regular ?
(B) Only L2, L3 and L4
(A) Only L1 and L2
(C) Only L3 and L4

(D) Only L3

SOLUTION

L1 would be accepted by PDA so cant be regular.

L2 similarly cant be accepted by DFA so not regular.
L 3 & L 4 both require only finite no of zeros.
So both regular.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 6

Consider the following problem x .

Given a Turing machine M over the input alphabet , any state q
of M .
And a word w ! ) does the computation of M on w visit the state
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q ?
Which of the following statements about x is correct ?
(A) x is decidable
(B) x is undecidable but partially decidable
(C) x is undecidable and not even partially decidable
(D) x is not a decision problem
SOLUTION

Since it is possible to create a turing machine for the problem, 20 this

problem is decidable.
Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2002
Question. 7

The smallest finite automaton which accepts the language {x length

of x is divisible by 3} has
(A) 2 states

(B) 3 states

(C) 4 states

(D) 5 states

SOLUTION

Start & end are same (A) so the minimum no. of states required are
3.
Option (B) is correct
If string traversal doesnt stop at (A) then string length is not divisible
by 3.
Question. 8

Which of the following is true ?

(A) The complement of a recursive language is recursive.
(B) The complement of a recursively enumerable language is
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Theory of Computation

recursively enumerable.
(C) The complement of a recursive language is either recursive or
recursively enumerable.
(D) The complement of a context-free language is context-free.
SOLUTION

A recursive language has complement & its complement is also

recursive.
Whereas complement of others is not recursive.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 9

The C language is :
(A) A context free language
(B) A context sensitive language
(C) A regular language
(D) Parsable fully only by a Turing machine
SOLUTION

C language is context free language entirely based upon the

productions.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 10

The language accepted by a Pushdown Automaton in which the stack

is limited to 10 items is best described as
(A) Context free

(B) Regular

(C) Deterministic Context free

(D) Recursive

SOLUTION

Pushdown Automaton uses stock as data structure & languages

accepted by PDA is regular.
Hence (B) is correct option.
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YEAR 2003
Question. 11

Ram and Shyam have been asked to show that a certain problem
is NP-complete. Ram shows a polynomial time reduction from the
3-SAT problem to , and Shyam shows a polynomial time reduction
from to 3-SAT. Which of the following can be inferred from these
reduction?
(A) is NP-hard but not NP-complete
(b) is in NP, but is not NP-complete
(C) is NP-complete
(D) is neither Np-hard, nor in NP
SOLUTION

A problem is said to be NP - complete, if it is both NP & NP hard.

3-SAT problem is NP complete so a reduction of 3-SAT problem to
& to 30-SAT.
So this infers that is NP complete, since it is reducible to a NP
complete problem.
Hence (C) is correct option
Question. 12

Nobody knows yet if P = NP . Consider the language L defined as

follows
(0 + 1)* if P = NP
L=*
othervise
Which of the following statements is true?
(A) L is recursive
(B) L is recursively enumerable but not recu
(C) L is not recursively enumerable
(D) Whether L is recursive or not will be known after we find out if
P = NP
SOLUTION

A language L is said to be recursive if there exists any rule to

determine whether an element belong to language or not, if language
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can be accepted by turning machine.

So there exist the rules so L is recursive.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 13

The regular expression 0 *( 10)* denotes the same set as

(A) (1 * 0) * 1 *
(B) 0 + (0 + 10) *
(C) (0 + 1) * 10 (0 + 1) *

(D) None of the above

SOLUTION

Question. 14

If the strings of a language L can be effectively enumerated in

lexicographic (i.e. alphabetic) order, which of the following statements
is true?
(A) L is necessarily finite
(B) L is regular but not necessarily finite
(C) L is context free but not necessarily regular
(D) L is recursive but not necessarily context free
SOLUTION

Since L can be effectively enumerated so L has to be regular, but is

doesnt mean that the decisions are finite.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 15

Consider the following deterministic finite state automaton M .

Let S denote the set of seven bit binary strings in which the first, the
fourth, and the last bits are 1. The number of strings in S that are
accepted by M is
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(A) 1

(B) 5

(C) 7

(D) 8

SOLUTION

The strings accepted by the given automata are of type.

1234567
Option
1 1 1
These four blank spaces can have 0 or 1, so total 2 4 = 6 strings are
possible, but the given automata does not accept all of those.
1. 1 1 1 1 0 0 1
2. 1 1 0 1 0 0 1
3. 1 0 1 1 0 0 1
4. 1 0 0 1 0 0 1
5. 1 0 0 1 0 0 1
6. 1 0 0 1 1 0 1
7. 1 0 0 1 1 1 1
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 8

Let G = ({S},{ a, b} R, S be a context free grammar where the rule set

R is
S " a S b|S S|
Which of the following statements is true?
(A) G is not ambiguous
(B) There exist x, y, ! L (G) such that xy z L (G)
(C) There is a deterministic pushdown automaton that accepts L (G)
(D) We can find a deterministic finite state automaton that accepts
L (G)
SOLUTION

(A) Incorrect since the production has same non terminal in both
sides, so definitely ambiguous.
(B) Since S " SS this leads to conjunction of every possible string to
make a valid string in L (G).
(C) Context free languages are accepted by push down automata so
true.
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(D) The language is not regular so DFA is not possible.

Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 9

Consider two languages L1 and L2 each on the alphabet /. Let

f: / " / be a polynomial time computable bijection such that
(6x [x ! L1 iff f (x) ! L2]. Further, let f1 be also polynomial time
commutable.
Which of the following CANNOT be true?
(A) L1 ! P and L2 finite
(B) L1 ! NP and L2 ! P
(C) L1 is undecidable and L2 is decidable
(D) L1 is recursively enumerable and L2 is recursive
SOLUTION

f : "
So
f : "
Bijection
(6 : X) : X ! L1 iff f (x) ! L2
So L1 is undecidable & L2 is decidable L1 depends on L2 & L2
dependent upon f 1 .
Hence (C) is correct option.
1

Question. 10

A single tape Turing Machine M has two states q0 and q1 , of which q0

is the starting state. The tape alphabet of M is {0,1,B} and its input
alphabet is {0,1}. The symbol B is the blank symbol used to indicate
end of an input string. The transition function of M is described in
the following table
0

q0

q1, 1,R

Q1, 1,R

Halt

q1

q1, 1,R

q0, 1,L

qH0, B, L

The table is interpreted as illustrated below.

The entry (q1, 1,R ) in row q0 and column 1 signifies that if M is in state
q0 and reads 1 on the current tape square, then it writes 1 on the
same tape square, moves its tape head one position to the right and
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transitions to state q1 .
Which of the following statements is true about M ?
(A) M does not halt on any string in (0 + 1) +
(B) M dies not halt on any string in (00 + 1)*
(C) M halts on all string ending in a 0
(D) M halts on all string ending in a 1
SOLUTION

This turning machine starts at 90 if it doesnt get any input symbol

but B then it halts.
So if (00 + 1)) is chosen then the M/C can halt. Option (B) is wrong.
Option (C) & (D) are possible but not necessary.
Option (A) (0 + 1)), 1 or more occurrence of 0 or 1.
So 0, 1, 00, 01, 10, 11........are valid strings & the machine doesnt
halt for them.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 11

Define languages L0 and L1 as follows

L0 = {< M, w, 0 > | M halts on w}
L0 = {< M, w, 1 > | M does not halts on w}
Here< M, w, i > is a triplet, whose first component. M is an encoding
of a Turing Machine, second component,w , is a string, and third
component, t , is a bit.
Let L = L0 , L1 . Which of the following is true?
(A) L is recursively enumerable, but L is not
(B) L is recursively enumerable, but L is not
(C) Both L and L are recursive
(D) Neither L nor L is recursively enumerable
SOLUTION

L = L 0 VL , =< M, w, {0, 1}
L = (L 0 , L1) c
= L 0 + L1 = so a regular language, so it is recursively
enumerable.
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So a
L = L 0 , L , it is not. RE
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 12

Consider the NFAM shown below.

Let the language accepted by M be L. Let L1 be the language accepted

by the NFAM1 , obtained by changing the accepting state of M to a
non-accepting state and by changing the non-accepting state of M to
accepting states. Which of the following statements is true?
(A) L1 = {0, 1}* L

(B) L1 = {0, 1}*

(C) L1 3 L

(D) L1 = L

SOLUTION

L is accepted by M (NFA) but NFA M 1 has

So this accept L1 .
L1 will accept not only L but also substrings of L.
So
L1 3 L
Hence (A) is correct option.

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YEAR 2004
Question. 13

The problems 3-SAT and 2-SAT are

(A) both in P
(B) both NP-complete
(C) NP-complete and in P respectively
(D) undecidable and NP-complete respectively
SOLUTION

3 SAT problem is both NP & NP hard so it is NP complete, but 2

SAT problem is solvable in Polynomial time so it is in class P .
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 14

The following finite state machine accepts all those binary strings in
which the number of 1s and 0s are respectively

(A) divisible by 3 and 2

(B) odd and even

(C) even and odd

(D) divisible by 2 and 3

SOLUTION

Due to the 3 ones in the upper edges & 3 ones in lower edges to
reach to final state the no of 1s is always divisible by 3 & 0s are
always in pair in forward & back edge so, no of zeros is divisible by 2.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 15

The language {am bm + n | m, n # 1} is

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Theory of Computation

(A) regular
(B) context-free but not regular
(C) context sensitive but not context free
(D) type-0 but not context sensitive
SOLUTION

Language {an bn cm + n /m, n $ 1} is a context free language since it

can be represented by pushdown automata, but it is not regular since
FA cant count the no. of as & bs and then check the sum for
occurrence of c .
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 16

Consider the flowing grammar C

S " bS | aA | b
A " bA | aB
B " bB | aS | a
Let Na (W) and Nb (W) denote the number of as and bs in a string
W respectively. The language L (G) 3 {a, b} + generated by G is
(A) {W | Na (W) > 3Nb (W)}
(B) {W | Nb (W) > 3Na (W)}
(C) {W | Na (W) = 3k, k ! {0,1,2,...}}
(D) {W | Nb (W) = 3k, k ! {0,1,2,...}}
SOLUTION

S " bS aA b
A " bA aB
B " bB aS a
Let Na (w) & Nb (w) denote of a's & b's in strings.
Some valid strings are
1. S " bS " bbS " bbb (any no. of b)
2.

S " bA " abA " abbA " abbaB " abbaa

3.

abbaB " abbaaS " abbaab

From (2) option (D) is false also from (1), (2) & (3) (a), (b) & (d)
are false.
So only (C) satisfy.
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Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 17

L1 is a recursively enumerable language over /. An algorithm A

effectively enumerates its words as w1, w2, w3,.... Define another
language L2 over / j {#} as {wi #wj : wi, wj ! L1, i < j}. Here # is a
new symbol. Consider the following assertion.
S1: L1 is recursive implies L2 is recursive
S2: L2 is recursive implies L1 is recursive
Which of the following statements is true?
(A) Both S1 and S2 are true
(B) S1 is true but S2 is not necessarily true
(C) S2 is true but S1 ins necessarily true
(D) Neither is necessarily true
SOLUTION

Problem can be solved using membership algorithm. If L1 is recursive

& wi ! L1 & w j ! L1 then we can check. Whether i < j , so here
wi Dw j ! L2 but if wi b L1 also w j b L2 or i $ j then wi Dw j b L2
So L2 is also recursive & S1 is true.
L2 is recursive said by S2 but membership algorithm cant be applied
here since L1 doesnt has 'D' symbol.
So S2 is not necessarily true.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2005

Question. 18

Consider three decision problem P1, P2 and P3 . It is known that P1 is

decidable and P2 is undecidable. Which one of the following is TRUE?
(A) P3 is decidable if P1 is reducible to P3
(B) P3 is undecidable if P3 is reducible to P2
(C) PL3 is undecidable if P2 is reducible to P3
(D) P3 is decidable if P3 is reducible to P2 s complement
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SOLUTION

P1 " decidable
P2 " undecidable
If P1 or P2 is reducible to P3 then P3 also has same properties as P1
& P2 .
So if P2 is reducible to P3 then P3 is also undecidable.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 19

Consider the machine M

The language recognized by M is

(A) {W ! {a, b}*/ every a in w is followed by exactly two b's}
(B) {W ! {a, b}*/ every a in w is followed by at least two b's}
(C) {W ! {a, b}*/ w contains the substring abb
(D) {W ! {a, b}*/ w does not contain aa as a substring}
SOLUTION

From the given FSM , it is clear that a not necessity followed by only
2b due to self loop at final state. But at least 2b's are there.
abb substring not always, Similarly aa not always.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 20

Let Nf and Np denote the classes of languages accepted by nondeterministic finite automata and non-deterministic push-down
automata, respectively. let Df and DP denote the classes of languages
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down automata, respectively. Which one of the following is TRUE?
(A) Df 1 Nf and DP 1 NP

(B) Df 1 Nf and DP = NP

(C) Df = Nf and DP = NP

(D) Df = Nf and DP 1 NP

SOLUTION

N f " languages accepted by NDFA

N p " accepted by NDPDA
D f " deterministic FA
D p " deterministic PDA
DFA & NDFA both can accept all the regular languages, the difference
is in no. of states.
So
Df = Nf
But NPDA accepts only a subset of context free languages which are
deterministic, whereas NDPDA accept all the context free languages.
So
Dp 1 Np
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 21

Consider the languages

L1 + {an bn cm | n, m > 0} and L2 = {an bm cm | n, m > 0}
(A) L1 + L2 is a context-free language
(B) L1 , L2 is a context-free language
(C) L1 and L2 are context-free language
(D) L1 + L2 is a context sensitive language
SOLUTION

L1 = {an bn cm n, m > 0}
L2 = {an bm cm n, m > 0}
Here L1 + L2 may not be CFL since CFL is not closed for intersection
operation.
L1 + L2 would be context sensitive (A) is false.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 22

Let L1 be a recursive language, and let L2 be a recursively enumerable

but not a recursive language. Which one of the following is TRUE?
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Theory of Computation

(A) L1 is recursive and L2 is recursively enumerable

(B) L1 is recursive and L2 is not recursively enumerable
(C) L1 and L2 are recursively enumerable
(D) L1 is recursively enumerable and L2 is recursive
SOLUTION

The rules here used will be.

All those languages which are recursive their complements are also
recursive.
So option (A) & (B) can be correct.
Now languages which are recursively enumerable but not recursive,
their complements cant be recursively enumerable.
So only option (B) is correct
Hence (B) is correct option
Question. 23

Consider the languages

L1 = {WWR | W ! {0, 1}*}
L2 = {W#WR | W ! {0, 1}*} , where # is a special symbol
L3 = {WW | W ! {0, 1}*}
Which one of the following is TRUE?
(A) L1 is a deterministic CFL
(B) L2 is a deterministic CFL
(C) L3 is a CFL, but not a deterministic CFL
(D) L3 is a deterministic CFL
SOLUTION

In all the options there is linear relationship among strings so all

CFL's , but L1 & L 3 can be accepted by PDA, L2 can be accepted by
deterministic CFL due to presence of special symbol D which tells the
middle of the string, so deterministic.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 24

Consider the following two problems on undirected graphs

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: Given G (V, E), does G have an independent set of size | V | 4 ?
: Given G (V, E), does G have an independent set of size 5?
Which one of the following is TRUE?
(A) is in the P and is NP-complete
(B) is NP-complete and is P
(C) Both and are NP-complete
(D) Both and are in P
SOLUTION

YEAR 2006
Question. 25

Let S be an NP -complete problem Q and R be two other problems

not known to be in NP . Q is polynomial-time reducible to S and S
is polynomial-time reducible to R. Which one of the following
statements is true?
(A) R is NP -complete

(B) R is NP -hard

(C) Q is NP -complete

(D) Q is NP -hard

SOLUTION

S is NP complete and a NP complete problem is reducible to

some unknown problem then that problem is also NP complete. So
S " p R the R is NP complete.
Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 26

Let L1 = {0n + m 1n 0m | n, m # 0}, L2 = {0n + m 1n + m 0m | n, m # 0}, and

L3 = {0n + m 1n + m 0n + m | n, m # 0}. Which of these languages are NOT
context free?

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SOLUTION

To accept CFL we require PDA & PDA accept CFG using stack
L1 can be accepted using PDA firstly 0n + m are pushed into stack then
1n & 0m times stack is poped. If stack empty then string accepted.
But for L2 & L 3 0m & 0n + m are extra to accept by PDA.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 27

If s is a string over (0+1)*, then let n0 (s) denote the number of 0s in

s and n1 (s) the number of 1s in s . Which one of the following
languages is not regular?
(A) L = {s ! (0 + 1)*| n0 (s) is a 3-digit prime}
(B) L = {s ! (0 + 1)*| for every prefixes of s,| n0 (s') n1 (s')| # 2}
(C) L = {s ! (0 + 1)*|| n0 (s) n1 (s) # 4
(D) L = {s ! (0 + 1)*| n0 (s) mod 7=n1 (s) mod5 = 0 }
SOLUTION

Option (A), (B) & (D) can be accepted by DFA, & there is no linear
relationship between the no. of 0's & 1's in the string but in (C)
n 0 (S) n1 (S) # 4 cant be accepted by DFA, we require a PDA.
So not regular.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 28

For s ! (0 + 1)* let d (s) denote the decimal value of s (e.g.d (101) = 5)
Let L = {s ! (0 + 1)*| d (s) mod 5=2 and d (s) mod 7 ! 4}
Which one of the following statements is true?
(A) L is recursively enumerable, but not recursive
(B) L is recursive, but not context-free
(C) L is context_free, but not regular
(D) Lis regular
SOLUTION

S ! (0 + 1))
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d (S) decimal value of S
d (S) nod 5 = 2
2, 12, 7, 17, 22, 27, 32
d (S) mod 7 =
Y 4
d (S) =
Y 4, 11, 18, 25, 32
So from the rules deterministic.
So it is regular can be accepted by DFA.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 29

Let SHAM, be the problem of finding a Hamiltonian cycle in a graph

G + (V, E) with [V] divisible by 3 and DHAM be the problem of
determining if a Hamltonian cycle exists in such graphs. Which one
of the following is true?
(A) Both DHAM, and SHAM, are NP-hard
(B) SHAM, is NP-hard, but DHAM, is not
(C) DHAM, is NP-hard, but SHAM, is not
(D) Neither DHAM,nor SHAM, is NP-hard
SOLUTION

Question. 30

Consider the following statements about the context-free grammar,

G = {S " SS, S " ab, S " ba, S "!}
1. G is ambiguous.
2.

G produces all strings with equal number of as and bs .

3.

G can be accepted by a deterministic PDA.

Which combination below expresses all the true statements about G

?
(A) 1 only
(B) 1 and 3 only
(C) 2 and 3 only

(D) 1, 2 and 3

SOLUTION

Due to S " SS this Grammar is ambiguous right hand side has two
Non terminals.
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Also the strings like aaabbb have equal no. of a's & b's but cant be
produced by this grammar. So 2 is false.
Statement 3 is true since it is a CFG so accepted by PDA.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 31

Let L1 be regular language, L2 be a deterministic context-free language

and L3 a recursively enumerable, but not recursive, language. Which
one of the following statements is false?
(A) L1 + L2 is a deterministic CFL
(B) L3 + L1 is recursive
(C) L1 , L2 is context free
(D) L1 + L2 + L3 is recursively enumerable
SOLUTION

L1 is regular language
L2 is CFL.
L 3 is recursively enumerable but not REC .
(A) L1 + L2 is CFL is true
(B) L 3 + L1 is recursive, not necessary so false.
(C) & (D) are also true.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 32

Consider the regular language L = (111 + 111111)* . The minimum

number of states in any DFA accepting this languages is
(A) 3

(B) 5

(C) 8

(D) 9

SOLUTION

The valid strings are

!, 111, 11111, 11111111, 11111111111.........
No. of is can be 0, 3, 6, 9, 5, 8, 10, 15, 13, 11, 12
So the DFA accepts no. of 1s 8 to every digit i.e. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.....
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So no. of states required = 9

Hence (D) is correct option.
YEAR 2007

Question. 33

Which of the following problems is undecidable?

(A) Membership problem for CFGs
(B) Ambiguity problem for CFGs
(C) Finiteness problem for FSAs
(D) Equivalence problem for FSAs
SOLUTION

Finite state automata (FSA) has no undecidability CFL membership

problem is also decidable.
So option (B) i.e Ambiguity of CFL cannot be decidable.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 34

Which of the following is TRUE?

(A) Every subset of a regular set is regular
(B) Every finite subset of a non-regular set is regular
(C) The union of two non-regular sets is not regular
(D) Infinite union of finite sets is regular
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SOLUTION

(A) Not necessary eg. L1 = ) & L2 = {an bn, n $ 0} L1 is regular but

L2 not so false.
(B) It is true all finite sets are regular.
(C) Can happen it L1 , L1c = )
(D) also false.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 35

A minimum state deterministic finite automation accepting the

language L = {w | w ! (0, 1}* , number of 0s &1s in w are divisible
by 3 and 5, respectively} has
(A) 15 states
(B) 11 states
(C) 10 states

(D) 9 states

SOLUTION

To accept continuous string of 5 1's & 3 0's we require at least 7

states.
But (0, 1)) is there so any combination of 0 & 1 can be there in the
string. So a grid of states would be there.

Total states = 15
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Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 36

The language L = {0T 21i | i # 0} over the alphabet {0,1,2) is

(A) not recursive
(B) is recursive and is a deterministic CFL
(C) us a regular language
(D) is not a deterministic CFI but a CFL
SOLUTION

L = {0i 21i i $ 0}, this language cant be accepted by

DFA to regular, but it is recursive & can be accepted by PDA to
CFL.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 37

Which of the following languages is regular?

(A) {WWR | W ! {0,1} +}
(B) {WWR X | X, W ! {0,1} +}
(C) {WXWR X | X, W ! {0,1} +}
(D) {XWWR X | X, W ! {0,1} +}
SOLUTION

Option (C) is a regular language since it starts & ends with same
symbol w # wR .
The regular expression (1 (0 + 1) + 1) + (0 (0 + 1) + 0) satisfy this
regular language.
Hence (C) is correct option.

Data for Q. 46 & 47 are given below

Solve the problems and choose the correct answers.
Consider the following Finite State Automation
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Question. 38

The language accepted by this automaton is given by the regular

expression
(A) b * ab * ab * ab *

(B) (a + b)*

(C) b * a (a + b)*

(D) b * ab * ab *

SOLUTION

From the given FSA to reach to find state b)a is necessary in REX
remaining part is option.
REX b)a (a + b)) followed by FSA.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 39

The minimum state automaton equivalent to the above FSA has the
following number of states
(A) 1

(B) 2

(C) 3

(D) 4

SOLUTION

State q 3 has no incoming edge, so automata will never reach in that

state. So q 3 can be removed.
Also q1 & q2 works same so can be merged.

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So only 2 states.
Hence (B) is correct option.
YEAR 2008
Question. 40

Which of the following in true for the language{aP | P is a prime}?

(A) It is not accepted by a Turning Machine
(B) It is regular but not context-free
(C) It is context-free but not regular
(D) It is neither regular nor context-free, but accepted by a Turing
machine
SOLUTION

{a p P is a prime no.}
This prime no. is extra constraint so this language is neither LFG
nor RG but it can be accepted by turing machine.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 41

Which of the following are decidable?

1.

Whether the intersection of two regular languages is infinite

2.

Whether a given context-free language is regular

3.

Whether two push-down automata accept the same language

4.

Whether a given grammar is context-free

(A) 1 and 2

(B) 1 and 4

(C) 2 and 3

(D) 2 and 4

SOLUTION

We cant determine whether a given CFL is regular or not, also

similarity of PDA's on basis of language acceptance is not possible
but intersection of two REL & whether grammar is CFG is decidable.
Hence (B) is correct option.

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Question. 42

If L and L are recursively enumerable then L is

(A) regular

(B) context-free

(C) context-sensitive

(D) recursive

SOLUTION

L & L are recursively enumerable i.e. they can accept any element
through some finite algorithm.
All algorithms are finite step procedures so these both has to be
recursive.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 43

Which of the following statements is false?

(A) Every NFA can be converted to an equivalent DFA
(B) Every non-deterministic Turing machine can be converted to an
equivalent deterministic Turing machine
(C) Every regular language is also a context-free language
(D) Every subset of a recursively enumerable set is recursive
SOLUTION

(A) true since NFA " DFA conversion possible.

(B) N.D turing M/C so true.
(C) every rex is a CFL but reverse is not true.
(D) false, since these may be proper subset of each other so not
necessary.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 44

Given below are two finite state automata("indicates the start and
F indicates a final state)
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Y:

Z:
a

"

2F

(A)

"

2F

(B)
a

-P

-P

R(F)

R(F)

(C)

(D)
a

-P

-P

R(F)

R(F)

SOLUTION

Z & Y each has 2 states so ZXY will have 2 states {(1, 1), (1, 2),
(2, 1), (2, 2)}

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Let the states be P, Q, R & S .

So this transition table would be.
Fig.
Hence (A) is correct option
Question. 45

Which of the following statements are true ?

1.

Every left-recursive grammar can be converted to a right-recursive

grammar and vice-versa

2.

All -productions can be removed from any context-free grammar

by suitable transformations

3.

The language generated by a context-free grammar all of whose

production are of the form X " w or X " wY (where, w is a
staring of terminals and Y is a non-terminal), is always regular

4.

The derivation trees of strings generated by a context-free

grammar in Chomsky Normal Form are always binary trees.

(A) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(B) 2, 3 and 4 only
(C) 1, 3 and 4 only
(D) 1, 2 and 4 only
SOLUTION

Yes, every left recursive grammar can be converted into right recursive
grammar but all ! period cant be removed only CFL that has
-free CFL's can be removed.
So this statement is false.
3 & 4 are also true.
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Question. 46

Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the
codes given below the lists:
List-I
A. Checking that identifiers are declared before their use
B. Number of formal parameters in the declaration to a function
agress with the number of actual parameters in a use of that
function
C. Arithmetic expressions with matched pairs of parentheses
D. Palindromes
List-II
1.

L = {a"b"c"d"| n # 1, m # 1}

2.

X " XbX | XcX | dXf | g

3.

L = {wcw | w ! (a | b)*}

4.

X " bXb | cXc |

Codes:
A

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

SOLUTION

A. To check whether identifiers are declared before their use, are

shown by
L = {wcw w ! (a/b))}
B. No. of formal parameters matching will be done by
{an bm cn dm n $ 1, m $ 1}
C. Arithmetic matching of parentheses. done by
{X " XbX XcX dXf g}
D. X " bXb cXc !, shows set of all even length palindromes.
So A " 3, B " 1, C " 2, D " 4
Hence (C) is correct option.
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Question. 47

Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the
codes given below the lists:

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Code:
a

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

SOLUTION

A. "this DFA is regulated by regular expression !+ 0 (01)100))01)

, since this REX require two 00 in sub-expression & accepted by
DFA.
B. The string 010001100010 is accepted by DFA, & string follows
e + 0 (10)1 + 00))0
So A " 1, B " 2 , C " S , D " 4 .
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 48

Which of the following are regular sets?

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1.

{an b2m | n # 0, m # 0}

2.

{an bm | n = 2m}

3.

{an bm | n ! m}

4.

{xcy | x, y ! {a, b}*}

(A) 1 and 4 only

(B) 1 and 3 only

(C) 1 only

(D) 4 only

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SOLUTION

I.

{an b2m, n $ 0, m $ 0} is a regular language, since we can

represent it by regular expression (a))(bb)) both n & m do not
have any linear relationship.

II. & III. Not regular since there exists linear relationship between
m & n , neither they can be represented by DFA or REX .
IV. Also regular language, (a + b)) c (a + b)) REX is possible & no
linear relationship between m & n that require PDA.
Hence (A) is correct option.
YEAR 2009
Question. 49

S " aSa bSb a b

The language generated by the above grammar over the alphabet
{a, b} is the set of
(A) all palindromes
(B) all odd length palindromes
(C) strings that begin and end with the same symbol
(D) all even length palindromes
SOLUTION

Given grammar S " aSa bSb a b .

The strings generated through this grammar is definitely palindromes,
but not all it can only generate palindromes of odd length only so (A)
& (D) are false, (B) is correct.
Also it can generate palindromes which start and end with same
symbol, but not all strings eg. aabababba .
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 50

Which one of the following languages over the alphabet {0, 1} is

described by the regular expression :
(0 + 1))0 (0 + 1))0 (0 + 1)) ?
(A) The set of all strings containing the substring 00
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(B) The set of all strings containing at most two 0s
(C) The set of all strings containing at least two 0s
(D) The set of all strings that being and end with either 0 or 1

SOLUTION

Given regular expression

(0 + 1))0 (0 + 1))0 (0 + 1)) due to two 0 in between, every string
would contain at least two 0's .
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 51

Which one of the following is FALSE ?

(A) There is a unique minimal DFA for every regular language
(B) Every NFA can be converted to an equivalent PDA
(C) Complement of every context-free language is recursive
(D) Every nondeterministic PDAcan be converted to an equivalent
deterministic PDA

SOLUTION

(A) true, since minimal DFA for every regular language is possible.
(B) true , NFA can be converted into an equivalent PDA.
(C) CG'S are not recursive but their complements are.
(D) false, since non deterministic PDA represents, non deterministic
CFG , since NDCFG and CFG are proper subsets so conversion
required.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 52

Match all items in Group I with correct options from those given in
Group 2
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Group 2

Group 1
P. Regular expression

1.

Syntax analysis

Q. Pushdown automata

2.

Code generation

R. Data flow analysis

3.

Lexical analysis

S.

4.

Code Optimization

Register allocation

(A) P-4, Q-1, R-2, S-3

(B) P-3, Q-1, R-4, S-2

(C) P-3, Q-4, R-1, S-2

(D) P-2, Q-1, R-4, S-3

SOLUTION

Regular expressions are meant for lexical analysis to define tokens.

Pushdown Automata is used to accept context free language which
are used for syntax analysis.
Data flow analysis is a technique for code optimization.
Register allocation is used for code generation.
So P 3, Q 1, R 4, S 2 .
Hence (B) is correct option
Question. 53

Given the following state table of an FSM with two states A and B
, one input and one output :
Present
State A

Present
State B

Input

Next State
A

Next State
B

Output

If the initial state is A = 0, B = 0 , what is the minimum length of an

input string which will take the machine to the state A = 0, B = 1
with Output = 1 ?
(A) 3

(B) 4
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(C) 5

(D) 6

SOLUTION

The path to follow for given state.

So the length of input string is three.

Hence (A) is correct option.
Question. 54

Let L = L1 + L2 where L1 and L2 are language as defined below :

L1 = {am bm can bn m, n $ 0}
L2 = {ai b j ck i, j, k $ 0}
Then L is
(A) Not recursive
(B) Regular
(C) Context-free but not regular
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(D) Recursively enumerable nut not context-free

SOLUTION

L = L1 + L2 , so L would contain am bm c where m = i = j & k = 1 in

L 2 ai b j c k .
So the language L = {am bm c is context free, but since it is recursive
it is not regular, cant be represented using DFA.
Hence (C) is correct option.
Question. 55

The following DFA accept the set of all string over {0, 1} that

(A) Begin either with 0 or 1

(B) End with 0

(C) End with 00

(D) Contain the substring 00

SOLUTION

From the DFA it is clear that to reach to the end state two zeros
would be there.
So all the strings that are accepted will end with 00.
Hence (C) is correct option.
YEAR 2010

Question. 56

Let L1 be a recursive language. Let L2 and L3 be language that

are recursively enumerable but not recursive. What of the following
statements is not necessarily true ?
(A) L1 L1 is recursively enumerable
(B) L1 L3 is recursively enumerable
(C) L2 + L3 is recursively enumerable
(D) L2 + L3 is recursively enumerable
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SOLUTION

L1 " recursive
L2, L 3 " recursively enumerable but not recursive.
So L1 can be recursive enumerable.
RE RE = RE
So L1 L 3 is recursively enumerable.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 57

Let L = { ! (0 + 1)) has even number of 1s}, i.e., L is the set

of all bit strings with even number of 1s. Which one of the regular
expressions below represents L ?
(B) 0)(10)10)))
(A) (0)10)1))
(C) 0)(10)1))0)

(D) 0)1 (10)1))10)

SOLUTION

We require strings to have even no. of 1's , so to prove options false

we need to find those strings which doesnt satisfy languages but have
even no. of 1's
Choice (A) (0)10)1)) is incorrect
1010101 string cant be derived
Choice (B) accepts 1010101
Choice (C) 0)(10)1))0)
Same 1010101 string is not accepted
Choice (D) 0)1 (10)1))10)
010101010 cant be accepted.
Hence (B) is correct option.
Question. 58

Consider the language L1 = {0i 1 j i =

Y j}, L2 = {0i 1 j i = j},
L3 = {0i 1 j i = 2j + 1} L4 = {0i 1 j i =
Y 2j}.Which one of the following
statements is true ?
(A) Only L2 is context free
(B) Only L2 and L3 are context free
(C) Only L1 and L2 are context free
(D) All are context free
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SOLUTION

These sort of languages are accepted by PDA, so all should be context

free languages. L2 & L 3 are definitely CFL since accepted by stock
of PDA.
And also L1 & L 4 are linear comparisons of i & j so can also be
represented using PDA.
So all are context free languages.
Hence (D) is correct option.
Question. 59

Let by any string of length n in{0, 1}). Let L be the set of all
substring so . What is the minimum number of states in a nondeterministic finite automation that accepts L ?
(A) n 1
(B) n
(C) n + 1

(D) 2n + 1

SOLUTION

L is the set of all substrings of w where w ! {0, 1})

Any string in L would have length 0 to n , with any no. of 1's and 0's
The NDFA

Here n = 4
So to accept all the substrings the no. of states required are
n+1 = 4+1 = 5
Hence (C) is correct option.

**********

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