Question bank

Module 1

SL. No Question Importance
Explain various types of computer languages with examples. Compare machine language, assembly language, and high-level languages ☆★
Describe the steps involved in creating and running a program using a high-level language. ☆★
What is System Development? Explain in detail the phases of the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) with a suitable diagram. ☆★
Explain the history of the C programming language. Who developed it? ☆★
Why is C considered a middle-level language? Give examples to justify your answer. ☆★
What is meant by C being a structured language? Explain ☆★
Explain why C is called a programmer's language. Discuss its main features that support system-level programming. ☆★
Differentiate between a compiler and an interpreter. Give examples and explain when each is used. ☆★
Describe the typical form of a C program. Explain the role of header files, main function, and statements in a program. ☆★
Explain the concept of library and linking in C. ☆★
What is separate compilation in C? Explain ☆★
Describe C's memory map in detail. ☆★
List the basic data types in C and their typical sizes. ☆★
What are type modifiers in C? Explain with examples. ☆★
Define an identifier in C and mention the rules for naming identifiers. ☆★
Explain variables in C. Differentiate between initialized and uninitialized variables with examples. ☆★
Discuss the four scopes of variables in C (local, global, block, and function parameters) with examples. ☆★
Explain type qualifiers in C. ☆★
What are storage class specifiers in C? ☆★
Explain constants in C. List different types of constants and their usage in programs. ☆★
Discuss operators in C. Explain types of operators ☆★

Module 2

SL. No Question Importance
What is Console I/O in C? Explain the role of the header in Input/Output operations. ☆★
Describe the functions used for reading and writing single characters in C. Provide examples using getchar() and putchar(), and explain the significance of EOF. ☆★
Explain the gets() and puts() functions. Why is gets() considered unsafe? Suggest a safer alternative. ☆★
What is Formatted Console I/O? Compare and contrast the printf() and scanf() functions. ☆★
Explain the printf() function in detail. Describe its prototype, return value, and list at least five common format specifiers with examples. ☆★
What are format modifiers in printf()? Explain the use of minimum field width, precision specifiers, and alignment with examples. ☆★
Write the rules or guidelines for using the printf() function effectively. ☆★
Explain the scanf() function in detail. Why is the address-of operator (&) necessary for most arguments, and what is the exception? ☆★
How can you read a string from the user in C? Compare and contrast the methods using scanf(), gets(), and repeated getchar() calls. ☆★
How can you display a string in C? Compare the use of printf(), puts(), and repeated putchar() calls with examples. ☆★
Create a summary table of the standard C library functions for Console I/O (getchar, putchar, gets, puts, printf, scanf), stating their purpose and required header file. ☆★
How are True and False represented in C? Explain with an example. How does this concept apply to conditional expressions? ☆★
What are Selection (Branching) Statements? Differentiate between Conditional and Unconditional Branch statements and list the types under each category. ☆★
Explain the if statement with its syntax, flowchart, and a suitable example. ☆★
Explain the if-else statement. How does its "two-way decision" logic work? Provide an example program to check if a number is even or odd. ☆★
What is a Cascaded if-else or if-else-if ladder? When is it used? Explain with an example such as a grading system. ☆★
Describe the switch statement. Explain its syntax, the role of the case and default keywords, and the importance of the break statement. ☆★
Compare and contrast the if-else-if ladder and the switch statement. When would you choose one over the other? ☆★
What are Iterative Statements (Loops)? Name the three types of loops in C and describe a scenario where each would be appropriate. ☆★
Explain the for loop in detail. Describe its syntax (initialization, test expression, increment/decrement) and working principle with a flowchart and example. ☆★
Explain the while loop. How does it differ from a for loop? Provide an example to calculate the factorial of a number using a while loop. ☆★
Explain the do-while loop. Why is it called an exit-controlled loop? Provide an example and illustrate its difference from a while loop using a flowchart. ☆★
Create a detailed comparison table between the while loop and the do-while loop based on type of control, test type, syntax, working principle, and semicolon usage. ☆★
What are Nested Loops? Provide a C program using nested for loops to print a right-angled triangle pattern of stars (*). ☆★
Explain the Unconditional Branch Statements: break, continue, and goto. For each, describe its purpose, syntax, and a simple example. ☆★
What are Block Statements (Compound Statements)? How are they defined, and where are they commonly used? Provide an example of a free-standing block. ☆★

Module 3

SL. No Question Importance
What is an Array in C? Explain with a diagram how elements are stored in consecutive memory locations and accessed using indices. ☆★
How do you declare a single-dimensional array in C? Explain the syntax type name[size]; with an example. What is the significance of the index starting from 0? ☆★
Explain Array Initialization in C. What happens during partial initialization? Provide examples of declaring arrays with and without specifying the size. ☆★
How are elements accessed in an array? Write a C program to read 10 integers into an array and display them using a loop. ☆★
Explain the concept of "Generating a Pointer to an Array." How does the array name relate to the address of its first element? ☆★
How are Single-Dimension Arrays passed to functions in C? Explain with a function prototype and a call example. ☆★
Describe the three different ways a function can receive a single-dimension array as a parameter
(int *x, int x[10], int x[]).
☆★
What is a String in C? How is it different from a character array? Explain the role of the null character (\0). ☆★
List and explain at least five string handling functions from the <string.h> library (strlen, strcpy, strcat, strcmp, strchr), including their syntax and purpose. ☆★
Write a C program to demonstrate the use of strcpy(), strcat(), and strcmp() with user-input strings. ☆★
What are Two-Dimensional Arrays? How are they declared and visualized (rows and columns)? Provide the syntax and an example declaration. ☆★
How do you access elements in a two-dimensional array? Write a program to read a 3x3 matrix from the user and print its transpose. ☆★
Explain how two-dimensional arrays are stored in memory (Row-Major Order). How does this affect pointer arithmetic when accessing elements? ☆★
How do you pass a Two-Dimensional Array to a function? Why must the column size be specified in the function parameter? Show the correct syntax. ☆★
What are Multidimensional Arrays? Give an example declaration of a three-dimensional array and explain how it can be conceptualized. ☆★
What is a Variable-Length Array (VLA)? How is it declared, and what are its potential advantages and limitations compared to fixed-size arrays? ☆★
What are Pointers? Explain the fundamental concept of a pointer variable storing a memory address. Use a simple analogy. ☆★
How do you declare Pointer Variables? Explain the syntax type *ptr; and the importance of the base type (int, char, etc.). ☆★
Explain the two Pointer Operators: Address-of (&) and Dereference (*). Provide a code example that demonstrates both operators. ☆★
What are Pointer Expressions? Describe how assignments (p1 = p2), arithmetic (p++, p + i), and comparisons (p1 == p2) work with pointers. ☆★
Explain the close relationship between Pointers and Arrays. Show with an example how array indexing arr[i] is equivalent to pointer arithmetic *(arr + i). ☆★
Write a C program to traverse a character array (string) using a pointer, printing each character until the null terminator is found. ☆★
What is Multiple Indirection (Pointer to a Pointer)? Explain the concept with a diagram and a code example (int x, *p, **q;). ☆★
How do you Initialize Pointers? Why is it dangerous to use an uninitialized pointer? Explain the use of NULL or 0 for null pointers. ☆★