Computational Thinking questions

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Computational Thinking question collection

Review Computational Thinking questions for Computer Science, with correct answers shown and coverage across choosing which description defines an algorithm; defining sequencing; defining selection.

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Question 1

Which description defines an algorithm?
  1. Ordered steps that solve a problem
  2. Program code a computer can run
  3. Values used to test a program
  4. A diagram of data movement

Question 2

What is sequencing?
  1. Putting instructions in order
  2. Repeating instructions
  3. Making a decision in an algorithm
  4. Removing unnecessary detail

Question 3

What is selection?
  1. Choosing a path from a condition
  2. Repeating a set of steps
  3. Ordering a set of steps
  4. Dividing a task into parts

Question 4

What is iteration?
  1. Repeating a series of instructions
  2. Choosing a path based on a condition
  3. Putting instructions into a fixed order
  4. Removing unnecessary detail from a problem

Question 5

What is a variable?
  1. A named value that can change
  2. A fixed value that cannot change
  3. A symbol that shows a decision
  4. A command that displays a value

Question 6

What is a subroutine?
  1. A reusable section of an algorithm
  2. A decision point within an algorithm
  3. A value that changes during an algorithm
  4. A diagram that represents an algorithm

Question 7

In a flowchart, what does a diamond mean?
  1. Decision
  2. Process
  3. Input/output
  4. Start/end

Question 8

In a flowchart, what does a rectangle mean?
  1. Process
  2. Decision
  3. Input/output
  4. Start/end

Question 9

In a flowchart, what does a parallelogram mean?
  1. Input/output
  2. Decision
  3. Process
  4. Start/end

Question 10

In a flowchart, what does an oval mean?
  1. Start/end
  2. Decision
  3. Input/output
  4. Process

Question 11

What is pseudocode?
  1. Language-independent algorithm notation
  2. A program's machine-code translation
  3. A flowchart's standard symbols
  4. A table of traced variable values

Question 12

Which loop repeats a set number of times?
  1. For loop
  2. While loop
  3. If statement
  4. Subroutine call

Question 13

Which loop runs while a condition remains true?
  1. While loop
  2. For loop
  3. If statement
  4. Return statement

Question 14

Which keyword starts a decision in code?
  1. if
  2. for
  3. while
  4. print

Question 15

When does A AND B return True?
  1. Both are True
  2. Exactly one is True
  3. Either one is True
  4. Both are False

Question 16

What is decomposition?
  1. Breaking a problem into smaller parts
  2. Removing unnecessary detail from a problem
  3. Making a decision in an algorithm
  4. Repeating instructions while a condition is true

Question 17

What is abstraction?
  1. Removing unnecessary detail
  2. Breaking into parts
  3. Repeating steps
  4. Listing all cases

Question 18

What is a trace table for?
  1. Tracking values at each step
  2. Showing algorithm steps using flowchart symbols
  3. Writing algorithm steps as pseudocode
  4. Recording expected and actual test results

Question 19

How does linear search work?
  1. Checks each item in order
  2. Starts in the middle
  3. Sorts first
  4. Checks first and last

Question 20

Which benefit comes from using subroutines?
  1. Reusing code for a repeated task
  2. Tracing variable values during execution
  3. Testing boundary inputs automatically
  4. Translating code into machine instructions

Question 21

What does a condition return?
  1. True or False
  2. A number
  3. A text string
  4. A loop count

Question 22

Which error lets a program run but gives the wrong result?
  1. Logic error
  2. Syntax error
  3. Runtime error
  4. Transmission error

Question 23

What is pattern recognition in problem solving?
  1. Finding similarities between problems
  2. Removing unneeded details
  3. Splitting a problem into parts
  4. Writing steps in order

Question 24

What do arrows show in a flowchart?
  1. Direction of execution
  2. Stored data type
  3. Decision result
  4. Start and end points

Question 25

Which operation makes one bubble-sort pass?
  1. Compare adjacent items and swap wrong pairs
  2. Compare the middle item and discard half
  3. Check each item against a target
  4. Split the list, sort halves, then merge

Question 26

Which algorithm is best suited to finding a value in an unsorted short list?
  1. Linear search
  2. Binary search
  3. Bubble sort
  4. Merge sort

Question 27

What must be true before using a binary search?
  1. The data is sorted
  2. Every item is a number
  3. The list has an even length
  4. The list has no duplicates

Question 28

What does a sorting algorithm do?
  1. Orders data
  2. Finds a target
  3. Traces variable values
  4. Removes irrelevant details

Question 29

What does algorithm efficiency compare?
  1. Time or memory use
  2. Variable names
  3. Input data types
  4. Output format

Question 30

An algorithm stops after a limited number of steps. Which property does this show?
  1. Finiteness
  2. Abstraction
  3. Decomposition
  4. Selection

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Review Computational Thinking questions for Computer Science, with correct answers shown and coverage across choosing which description defines an algorithm; defining sequencing; defining selection.

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