AP® Computer Science A

Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE EXAMINATION.

Copyright © 2001 by College Entrance Examination Board. All rights reserved. College Board,
Advanced Placement Program, AP, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College
Entrance Examination Board.
Computer Science A: Sample Multiple-Choice Questions
Following is a representative set of questions. Questions marked with an
asterisk are also representative of AB examination questions.

Directions: Determine the answer to each of the following questions

or incomplete statements, using the available space for any necessary
scratchwork. Then decide which is the best of the choices given and fill in
the corresponding oval on the answer sheet. No credit will be given for
anything written in the examination booklet. Do not spend too much time
on any one problem.

Note: Assume that the standard libraries (e.g., iostream.h,

fstream.h, math.h, etc.) and the AP C++ classes are included in any
programs that use the code segments provided in individual questions. A
Quick Reference to the AP C++ classes is provided as part of the exam.

1. Consider the following functions.

void Myst(int a, int & b)

{
a *= b;
b = 2 + a;
}

void Test()
{
int u = 2;
int v = 3;
Myst(u, v);
cout << u << " " << v << endl;
}

1 AP Computer Science A
 What is printed as a result of the call Test() ?

(A) 2 3
(B) 2 8
(C) 6 3
(D) 6 8
(E) 8 3

2. Assume that the following definitions have been made.

int num = 10;
int sum;

Which of the following code segments correctly computes the sum

of the first 10 multiples of 5 (i.e., 5, 10, . . ., 50)?
(D) sum = 0;
(A) sum = 5;
while (num >= 0)
while (num > 1)
{
{
num--;
sum += sum;
sum += 5 * num;
num--;
}
}
(E) sum = 0;
(B) sum = 5;
while (num > 0)
while (num > 0)
{
{
sum += 5 * num;
sum += sum;
num--;
num--;
}
}
(C) sum = 0;
while (num > 0)
{
num--;
sum += 5 * num;
}

AP Computer Science A 2
3. Consider the following functions.

int F1(int len) int F2(int len)

{ {
int tot = 0; int tot = 0;
int k = 0; int k;

while (k < len) for (k = 0; k < len; k++)

{ {
tot += k; tot += k;
k++; }
}
return tot; return tot;
} }

For which values of len do F1(len) and F2(len) return the

same result?

I. Any value less than zero

II. The value zero
III. Any value greater than zero

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II only
(E) I, II, and III

3 AP Computer Science A
4. Consider the following function.

void Mystery(int n)
{
if (n >= 2)
{
Mystery(n / 3);
}
cout << n << " ";
}

Which of the following is output as a result of the call Mystery(27) ?

(A) 0 27
(B) 1 3 9 27
(C) 3 9 27
(D) 27 0
(E) 27 9 3

AP Computer Science A 4
5. Consider the following function.

int Fun(const apstring & str)

{
int n;
int k;
n = str.length();
for (k = 0; k < str.length(); k++)
{
if (str[k] == 'x')
{
n--;
}
}
return n;
}

Assume that s is an initialized apstring. Which of the following best

characterizes the value returned by the call Fun(s) ?

(A) The number of occurrences of the character 'x' in the string

(B) The number of occurrences of characters other than 'x' in
the string
(C) The position of the first occurrence of the character 'x' in
the string
(D) The position of the last occurrence of the character 'x' in
the string
(E) The position of the first occurrence of a character other than 'x'
in the string

5 AP Computer Science A
 6. Consider the following functions.

apstring Laugh(const apstring & word, int num)

{
int k;
apstring result = "";
for (k = 0; k < num; k++)
{
result += word;
result += " ";
}
return result;
}

void Test()
{
apstring str("ha");
cout << Laugh(Laugh(str, 2), 3) << endl;
}

Which of the following is output as a result of the call Test() ?

(A) ha
(B) ha ha
(C) ha ha ha
(D) ha ha ha ha ha ha
(E) Nothing will be output because a runtime error will occur.

AP Computer Science A 6
*7. Consider the following class declaration.

class TheaterTicket
{
public:
TheaterTicket();
void SetInfo(const apstring & date,
const apstring & location,
int seat);
// other public member functions not shown

private:
// not shown
};

Consider modifying the TheaterTicket class so that it is possible to

initialize variables of type TheaterTicket with ticket information
when they are declared, as well as to set their values later using
member function SetInfo. For example, the following code should
define and initialize two TheaterTicket variables.

TheaterTicket t1;
t1.SetInfo("May 5, 1999", "AA", 22);

TheaterTicket t2("April 29, 1999", "B", 10);

Which of the following best describes the additional member function

that should be provided?

(A) An overloaded version of SetInfo with no arguments

(B) An overloaded version of SetInfo with three arguments
(C) A default constructor
(D) A constructor with three arguments
(E) A constructor with five arguments

7 AP Computer Science A
Questions 8-9 refer to the following class declaration.
class SalesPerson
{
public:
SalesPerson(); // constructor

void SetSales(int month, double sales);

// sets values for one month’s sales figures

void PrintAnnualSales() const;

// prints values for the annual sales
// other public member functions not shown

private:
apvector<double> mySales;
double ComputeAnnualSales();
// Totals the sales for the last 12 months
};

8. The function ComputeAnnualSales is NOT a public member

function because
(A) functions that return a double value cannot be public
member functions
(B) ComputeAnnualSales is not intended to be used by clients
of the class
(C) ComputeAnnualSales is intended to be used by clients of
the class
(D) public member functions are used for input and output only
(E) ComputeAnnualSales uses the private data member
mySales, therefore, it must be a private member function

9. Consider the following definition.

SalesPerson clerk;
Of the following statements, which sets the fifth month’s sales for
salesperson clerk to 3705.87 ?

(A) SalesPerson clerk(5, 3705.87);

(B) clerk = SetSales(5, 3705.87);
(C) SetSales(5, 3705.87);
(D) clerk.SetSales(3705.87, 5);
(E) clerk.SetSales(5, 3705.87);

AP Computer Science A 8
*10. A sequential search algorithm is used to determine whether a given
integer is stored in an array of 1,000 integers. In each of the following
cases, what is the maximum number of array items that might be
examined during a sequential search?

Case 1 — The elements are unordered.

Case 2 — The elements are sorted in ascending order.
Case 3 — The elements are sorted in descending order.

Case 1 Case 2 Case 3

(A) 1,000 1,000 1,000
(B) 1,000 11 11
(C) 1,000 11 1,000
(D) 1,000 500 500
(E) 500 500 500

*11. The expression !((x > y) && (y <= 3)) is equivalent to which
of the following?

(A) (x > y) && (y <= 3)

(B) (x > y) || (y <= 3)
(C) (x < y) || (y >= 3)
(D) (x <= y) || (y > 3)
(E) (x <= y) && (y > 3)

9 AP Computer Science A
*12. Consider designing a data structure to record information about post
office boxes using the following structure.

struct BoxInfo
{
int BoxNum;
int NumLetters; // number of letters currently
// in this box
};

Information about post office boxes that currently contain at least

one letter will be stored in an array. Each element is of type
BoxInfo. Two possible implementations are being considered.

Method A: Store the array entries in arbitrary order.

Method B: Store the array entries in sorted order by box number.

Consider the following operations.

Operation 1: Increment the number of letters in a specified box

in the array.
Operation 2: Add a new box to the list of boxes, with a given
number of letters.

Which of the following is true?

(A) Both Operation 1 and Operation 2 can be implemented more

efficiently using Method A than using Method B.
(B) Both Operation 1 and Operation 2 can be implemented more
efficiently using Method B than using Method A.
(C) Operation 1 can be implemented more efficiently using Method A;
Operation 2 can be implemented more efficiently using Method B.
(D) Operation 1 can be implemented more efficiently using Method B;
Operation 2 can be implemented more efficiently using Method A.
(E) Operations 1 and 2 can be implemented equally efficiently using
either method.

AP Computer Science A 10
13. The following incomplete function is intended to return the index of
the first occurrence of the minimum value in the array A.

int MinLoc(const apvector<int> & A)

// precondition: A.length() ≥ 1
{
int k;
int minIndex = 0;

for (k = 1; k < A.length(); k++)

{
if ( <condition> )
{
<statement>
}
}
return minIndex;
}

Which of the following could be used to replace <condition> and

<statement> so that function MinLoc works as intended?

<condition> <statement>

(A) A[k] < minIndex minIndex = A[k];

(B) A[k] < A[minIndex] minIndex = A[minIndex];
(C) A[k] < A[minIndex] minIndex = k;
(D) A[k] > minIndex minIndex = A[k];
(E) A[k] > A[minIndex] minIndex = k;

11 AP Computer Science A
*Questions 14-15 rely on the following information.

Consider the following class declaration.

class Person
{
public:
Person(); // constructor

int NumChildren() const;

// postcondition: returns this person’s number
// of children

const Person & KthChild(int k) const;

// postcondition: If this person has at least k
// children, then returns this
// person’s kth child.
// If k is 1, returns the person’s
// first child.

// other member functions not shown

private:
// not shown
};

Also assume that the following definitions have been made.

Person P;
int k;
bool oddNum;

AP Computer Science A 12
*14. Which of the following code segments correctly sets oddNum
to true if person P has an odd number of children, and to
false otherwise?

I. oddNum = ((P.NumChildren() % 2) == 1);

II. if ((P.NumChildren() % 2) == 0)
oddNum = false;
else
oddNum = true;
III. oddNum = false;
for (k = 1; k <= P.NumChildren(); k++)
oddNum = !oddNum;

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II only
(E) I, II, and III

*15. Assume total is of type int. Which of the following code

segments correctly sets total to the number of P’s grandchildren?

(A) total = P.NumChildren();

(B) total = P.NumChildren(P.NumChildren());
(C) total = 0;
for (k = 1; k <= P.NumChildren(); k++)
{
total += P.KthChild(k);
}
(D) total = 0;
for (k = 1; k <= P.NumChildren(); k++)
{
total += P.KthChild(k).NumChildren();
}
(E) total = 0;
for (k = 1; k <= P.NumChildren(); k++)
{
total += P.NumChildren().KthChild(k);
}
13 AP Computer Science A
16. Consider the following code segment.

apmatrix<int> M(10, 10, 1);

int k;

for (k = 0; k < 10; k++)

{
M[k][k] = 0;
}

Which of the following best describes what happens when the loop
is executed?

(A) All entries of matrix M are set to zero.

(B) One entry of matrix M is set to zero.
(C) One column of matrix M is set to zero.
(D) One row of matrix M is set to zero.
(E) One diagonal of matrix M is set to zero.

AP Computer Science A 14
*17. Consider the following definitions.

const int MAXITEMS = <some positive integer>;

int NumLessThanValue(const apvector<int> & A,

int value)
// precondition: Array A contains MAXITEMS items.
{
int total = 0;
int index;

for (index = 0; index < MAXITEMS; index++)

{
if (A[index] < value)
{
total++;
}
}
return total;
}

What is the greatest possible value that can be returned by function

NumLessThanValue ?

(A) 0
(B) 1
(C) MAXITEMS - 1
(D) MAXITEMS
(E) MAXITEMS * 2

*18. Consider the following incomplete function.

bool Unique(const apvector<int> & A, int n)

// precondition: A contains n values, n > 1.
// Values are stored in positions
// 0 to n - 1 in unsorted order.
// postcondition: returns true if there are no
// duplicate values in A;
// otherwise, returns false.

{
int j, k;

<body of Unique>
}

15 AP Computer Science A
 Which of the following code segments can be used to replace
<body of Unique> so that function Unique satisfies its
postcondition?

I. for (j = 0; j < n - 1; j++)

{
for (k = j + 1; k < n; k++)
if (A[j] == A[k])
return false;
}
return true;
II. for (j = 1; j < n; j++)
{
for (k = 0; k < j; k++)
if (A[k] == A[j])
return false;
}
return true;
III. for (j = 0; j < n; j++)
{
for (k = 1; k < n; k++)
if (A[k] == A[j])
return false;
}
return true;

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) I and III only
(E) I, II, and III

Answers to Computer Science A Multiple-Choice Questions

1–B 4–B 7–D 10 – A 13 – C 16 – E
2–E 5–B 8–B 11 – D 14 – E 17 – D
3–E 6–D 9–E 12 – D 15 – D 18 – C

AP Computer Science A 16