NextGen Placement Pro Program

Interview Preparation Module

Programming for problem

solving
B.Tech-1st Semester
Contents
1. Interview Questions with Answers(UNIT 1) 2

2. Interview Questions and Answers (UNIT 2) 3

3. Interview Questions and Answers(UNIT 3) 5

4. Interview Questions and Answers (UNIT 4) 7

5. Interview Questions and Answers (UNIT 5) 8

1
1. Interview Questions with Answers(UNIT 1)
1. What are the main components of a computer system?
Answer:
The main components of a computer system include:

• Hardware: Physical parts like CPU, keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc.

• Software: Programs and operating systems that run on hardware.
• Firmware: Pre-installed software in ROM.
• Users: People who interact with the computer.

2. What is the difference between hardware and software?

Answer:

• Hardware is the physical, tangible part of a computer (e.g., CPU, RAM, monitor).
• Software is a set of instructions that tell the hardware what to do (e.g., Windows OS, MS
Word, C++ compiler).

3. Define algorithm. What are the key characteristics of a good algorithm?

Answer:
An algorithm is a finite sequence of well-defined steps for solving a problem.
Characteristics:

(a) Finiteness – Must terminate after a finite number of steps

(b) Definiteness – Each step is precisely defined
(c) Input – Accepts zero or more inputs
(d) Output – Produces at least one output
(e) Effectiveness – Basic and feasible steps

4. Differentiate between compiler and interpreter.

Answer:

• Compiler: Converts the entire high-level program into machine code before execution.
• Interpreter: Translates and executes the program line-by-line.

Example:

• C uses a compiler.
• Python uses an interpreter.

5. What is the function of an assembler?

Answer:
An assembler converts assembly language code (mnemonics) into machine language (binary
code) that the CPU can execute.

6. Explain the purpose of linker and loader in program execution.

Answer:

• Linker: Combines multiple object files and libraries into a single executable file.
• Loader: Loads the executable file into memory and prepares it for execution.
 7. What is a flowchart? Name some commonly used symbols.
Answer:
A flowchart is a graphical representation of an algorithm.
Common symbols used:

• Terminator (Oval): Start/End

• Process (Rectangle): Operation
• Decision (Diamond): Yes/No
• Input/Output (Parallelogram): Data entry or display
• Arrow: Flow of control

8. What are complexity notations in algorithms?

Answer:
Complexity notations describe the performance of an algorithm:

• Big O (O): Worst-case performance

• Omega (Ω): Best-case performance
• Theta (Θ): Average-case or tight bound

9. Write a simple algorithm to check whether a number is even or odd.

Answer:
Algorithm:

(a) Start
(b) Read number
(c) If number % 2 == 0, then
• Print “Even”
(d) Else
• Print “Odd”
(e) End

10. List and explain the types of programming languages.

Answer:

• Machine Language: Binary code directly understood by the CPU.

• Assembly Language: Uses mnemonics; needs an assembler to convert into machine code.
• High-Level Language: Human-readable programming languages like C, Java, Python;
require compiler/interpreter.

2. Interview Questions and Answers (UNIT 2)

1. What are the key features of the C programming language?
Answer:

• Simple and efficient syntax

• Structured and procedural programming
• Portable and machine-independent
• Allows direct memory access using pointers
• Rich set of operators and library functions
2. Explain the basic structure of a C program.
Answer: A C program typically contains the following parts:

• Preprocessor directives (e.g., #include<stdio.h>)

• main() function as the entry point
• Variable declarations
• Executable statements (logic, loops, I/O)
• Return statement (e.g., return 0;)

Example:
# include < stdio .h >

int main () {
printf ( " Hello , World ! " ) ;
return 0;
}

3. What are tokens in C? List the types.

Answer: Tokens are the smallest elements of a C program. Types of tokens include:

• Keywords
• Identifiers
• Constants
• Operators
• Strings
• Special symbols

4. Differentiate between while and do-while loops in C.

Answer:

• while loop: Condition is checked before executing the loop body.

• do-while loop: Loop body is executed first, then the condition is checked.

Example of while loop:

int i = 0;
while ( i < 5) {
printf ( " % d \ n " , i ) ;
i ++;
}

Example of do-while loop:

int i = 0;
do {
printf ( " % d \ n " , i ) ;
i ++;
} while ( i < 5) ;

5. What is type conversion in C? Explain the types.

Answer: Type conversion refers to converting one data type to another. It is of two types:

• Implicit conversion: Done automatically by the compiler (e.g., int to float).

• Explicit conversion (type casting): Done manually by the programmer using cast
operators.
 Example:
float x ;
int a = 5 , b = 2;
x = ( float ) a / b ; // Explicit conversion

6. Explain the use of break and continue statements.

Answer:

• break: Terminates the nearest enclosing loop or switch statement.

• continue: Skips the current iteration and proceeds to the next iteration of the loop.

Example using break:

for ( int i =0; i <10; i ++) {
if ( i == 5) break ;
printf ( " % d " , i ) ;
}

Example using continue:

for ( int i =0; i <10; i ++) {
if ( i == 5) continue ;
printf ( " % d " , i ) ;
}

3. Interview Questions and Answers(UNIT 3)

1. What is the difference between 1-D and 2-D arrays? Give examples.
Answer:

• A 1-D array is a list of elements stored in a single row. Example:

int numbers [5] = {1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5};

• A 2-D array is a matrix (table) of elements stored in rows and columns. Example:
int matrix [2][3] = {{1 , 2 , 3} , {4 , 5 , 6}};

2. Differentiate between character arrays and strings in C.

Answer:

• A character array is a sequence of characters without necessarily ending in ‘\0‘. Example:

‘char ch[5] = ’H’, ’e’, ’l’, ’l’, ’o’;‘
• A string is a character array terminated by a null character ‘\0‘. Example: ‘char str[] =
”Hello”;‘

3. What are the different types of functions in C?

Answer:

• Library Functions: Predefined functions provided by C (e.g., ‘printf()‘, ‘strlen()‘).

• User-defined Functions: Functions created by the programmer for specific tasks.
4. Explain formal and actual arguments in function calls.
Answer:

• Actual arguments are the values passed to a function during a call.

• Formal arguments are the variables declared in the function definition that receive those
values.

Example:
void add ( int x , int y ) ; // x , y are formal arguments
add (5 , 10) ; // 5 , 10 are actual arguments

5. Differentiate between call by value and call by reference.

Answer:

• Call by Value: Copies the actual value into the function’s formal parameter. Changes do
not affect the original variable.
• Call by Reference: Passes the address of the variable. Changes inside the function affect
the original variable.

6. How are arrays passed to functions in C?

Answer:
Arrays are passed to functions by reference (i.e., the base address is passed). For 1-D arrays:
void display ( int arr [] , int size ) {
for ( int i = 0; i < size ; i ++)
printf ( " % d " , arr [ i ]) ;
}

For 2-D arrays, you must specify column size:

void printMatrix ( int mat [][3] , int rows ) {
// code to print matrix
}

7. What is a nested function? Does C support it?

Answer:
A nested function is a function defined inside another function. C does **not** support nested
functions in standard C. However, GNU C allows them as an extension.

8. What is recursion? Write a simple example.

Answer:
Recursion is a technique where a function calls itself to solve a smaller sub-problem.
Example: Factorial function
int factorial ( int n ) {
if ( n == 0) return 1;
else return n * factorial ( n - 1) ;
}
4. Interview Questions and Answers (UNIT 4)
1. What are storage classes in C? Explain their types.
Answer:
Storage classes define the scope, lifetime, and visibility of variables. Types include:

• auto: Default for local variables inside functions.

• register: Suggests storing variable in CPU register.
• static: Retains value across function calls.
• extern: Declares a global variable defined elsewhere.

2. What is a structure in C? What are its advantages?

Answer:
A structure is a user-defined data type that groups related variables of different data types.
Advantages:

• Organizes complex data logically.

• Easier data handling and manipulation.
• Useful for real-world modeling (e.g., student, book, employee).

3. How can you access elements of a structure?

Answer:
Use the dot (.) operator for direct access and arrow (-¿) operator for pointer access.
Example:
struct Student {
int roll ;
char name [20];
};

struct Student s1 ;
s1 . roll = 101; // Dot operator

struct Student * ptr = & s1 ;

ptr - > roll = 102; // Arrow operator

4. What is a nested structure in C?

Answer:
A nested structure means defining one structure inside another.
Example:
struct Date {
int day , month , year ;
};

struct Student {
char name [20];
struct Date dob ; // Nested structure
};

5. What is an array of structures? How is it useful?

Answer:
An array of structures stores multiple records of the same structure type.
Example:
 struct Book {
int id ;
char title [30];
};

struct Book library [5]; // Array of 5 Book structures

6. How are functions used with structures?

Answer:
Structures can be:

• Passed to functions by value or reference.

• Returned from functions.

Example:
void display ( struct Student s ) {
printf ( " % d " , s . roll ) ;
}

7. Differentiate between structure and union. What is a bit-field?

Answer:

• Structure: All members have separate memory locations.

• Union: All members share the same memory location.

Bit-fields: Special structure members that occupy a specific number of bits.

Example:
struct Flags {
unsigned int a :1;
unsigned int b :1;
};

8. What is an enumerated data type in C?

Answer:
An enum defines a set of named integer constants.
Example:
enum Days { SUN , MON , TUE , WED };
enum Days d = MON ;

5. Interview Questions and Answers (UNIT 5)

1. What is a pointer in C and why is it used?
Answer:
A pointer is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable. Pointers are used
for:

• Efficient array and string handling

• Dynamic memory allocation
• Passing large structures to functions without copying
• Building complex data structures (linked lists, trees, etc.)
2. How do you declare and initialize a pointer in C?
Answer:
Syntax for declaring a pointer:
int * ptr ; // declares a pointer to an integer

Initialization example:
int a = 10;
int * ptr = & a ; // ptr stores the address of a

3. Explain the use of the * and & operators with pointers.

Answer:

• & (Address-of operator): Used to get the address of a variable.

• * (Dereference operator): Used to access the value at the address stored in a pointer.

Example:
int x = 20;
int * p = & x ;
printf ( " % d " , * p ) ; // prints 20

4. What are the different modes to open a file in C?

Answer:
File modes in C using fopen():

• "r" – Read (file must exist)

• "w" – Write (creates a new file or overwrites existing)
• "a" – Append (adds data to the end; creates file if not present)
• "r+" – Read and write (file must exist)
• "w+" – Read and write (creates or overwrites file)
• "a+" – Read and append (creates file if not present)

5. How do you read from and write to a file in C?

Answer:
To write to a file:
FILE * fp = fopen ( " output . txt " , " w " ) ;
fprintf ( fp , " Hello File ! " ) ;
fclose ( fp ) ;

To read from a file:

FILE * fp = fopen ( " output . txt " , " r " ) ;
char ch ;
while (( ch = fgetc ( fp ) ) != EOF )
printf ( " % c " , ch ) ;
fclose ( fp ) ;

6. What is the purpose of fscanf() and fprintf() in C?

Answer:
fprintf() is used to write formatted data to a file, and fscanf() is used to read formatted
input from a file.
Example:
 FILE * fp = fopen ( " data . txt " , " w " ) ;
fprintf ( fp , " % d % s " , 101 , " Alice " ) ;
fclose ( fp ) ;

fp = fopen ( " data . txt " , " r " ) ;

int id ;
char name [20];
fscanf ( fp , " % d % s " , & id , name ) ;
fclose ( fp ) ;

7. Why should we always close a file after using it in C?

Answer:
Closing a file using fclose():

• Frees up system resources

• Ensures that all data is written properly to the file
• Prevents file corruption or data loss