Programming Techniques

Question 1

Define Sequence

Answer 1

Code that is executed line-by-line, from top to bottom

Question 2

Define Branching

Answer 2

A certain block of code that is run if a specific condition is met, using IF
statements

Question 3

What is branching similar to?

Answer 3

Selection

Question 4

Define Iteration

Answer 4

A block of code that is executed a certain number of times or while a condition is
met. Iteration uses FOR, WHILE or REPEAT UNTIL loops

Question 5

Define count controlled iteration

Answer 5

Iteration is repeated a given number of times

Question 6

Define condition controlled iteration

Answer 6

Iteration continues until a given condition is met

Question 7

Define recursion

Answer 7

Recursion is a programming construct in which a subroutine
calls itself during its execution

Question 8

When does the recursion end?

Answer 8

When the stopping condition is met

Question 9

What also produces the same result as recursion?

Answer 9

Iteration

Question 10

Give an advantage of recursion

Answer 10

The advantage of using recursion for certain problems is that
they can be represented in fewer lines of code, which makes them less prone to errors

Question 11

Give a disadvantage of recursion

Answer 11

Inefficient use of
memory. If the subroutine calls itself too many times, there is a danger of a stack overflow,
which is when the call stack runs out of memory. This would cause the program to crash. Another problem with recursion is that it is difficult to trace,
especially with more and more function calls

Question 12

What type of recursion uses less stack space?

Answer 12

Tail recursion

Question 13

Define scope

Answer 13

Refers to the section of
code in which the variable is available

Question 14

Define local variable

Answer 14

A variable with limited scope which means that they
can only be accessed within the block of code in which they
were defined

Question 15

Give an advantage of using local variables

Answer 15

Multiple local variables with the same name can
exist in different subroutines and will remain unaffected by
each other. Therefore variables cannot be accidentally overwritten

Question 16

Define global variable

Answer 16

A variable that can be accessed across the whole program

Question 17

Give an advantage of using global variables

Answer 17

Variables can be used in multiple parts of the program

Question 18

Define modular programming

Answer 18

Modular programming is a programming technique used to split large, complex programs
into smaller, self-contained modules

Question 19

Give a disadvantage of using global variables

Answer 19

They can be
unintentionally overwritten and edited. As global variables are not deleted until the
program terminates, they require more memory than local variables which are deleted
once the subroutine has been completed

Question 20

Why is modular programming essential?

Answer 20

Modularity is essential to making a problem easier to
understand and approach

Question 21

Give an advantage of modular programming

Answer 21

Each
component can be dealt with individually. This improves the reusability of components, as
once a module has been tested, it can be reused with confidence.

Question 22

Define the top-down approach

Answer 22

The problem is continually
broken down into sub-problems, until each can be
represented as an individual, self-contained black-box which
performs a certain task.

Question 23

Define a procedure

Answer 23

Procedures can return multiple values and are typically
given data as parameters for manipulation

Question 24

Define a function

Answer 24

A function
must return one, single value and
commonly make use of local variables

Question 25

What does IDE stand for?

Answer 25

Integrated Development Environment

Question 26

What does stepping do?

Answer 26

This allows you to monitor the effect of each individual line of code by
executing a single line at a time.

Question 27

What does variable watch do?

Answer 27

Sometimes used to pinpoint errors, this is a useful feature to observe how
the contents of a variable change in real-time through the execution of a
program

Question 28

What does breakpoint do?

Answer 28

IDEs allow users to set a point in the program at which the program will stop.
This can either be based on a condition or set to occur at a specific line. This
can help to pinpoint where an error is occurring

Question 29

What is the source code editor?

Answer 29

The editor aims to make the coding process easier by providing features
such as autocompletion of words, indentation, syntax highlighting and
automatic bracket completion.

Question 30

What debugging tools are there?

Answer 30

Some IDEs also provide run-time detection of errors with a guide as to where in the code they are likely to have occurred through line numbers and
highlighting