Oral Viva Questions on Computer Programming (CP) - First Year Engineerin

1. Introduction to Programming
Q: What is a computer program?

A: A computer program is a set of instructions written in a programming language to perform a

specific task or solve a problem.

Q: What is the role of a programming language?

A: A programming language provides a formal way for humans to write instructions that a computer

can understand and execute.

Q: What is the difference between compiled and interpreted languages?

A: In compiled languages, the source code is translated into machine code all at once by a compiler

before execution. In interpreted languages, the source code is translated and executed line by line

by an interpreter.

Q: What is the structure of a basic C program?

A: A basic C program structure includes: Preprocessor directives (#include), Global variable

declarations (optional), main() function: where the program starts execution, Code for operations

and return statements.

2. Data Types and Variables

Q: What are data types?

A: Data types define the type of data a variable can store, such as integers, floating-point numbers,

characters, and booleans.

Q: What is the difference between `int` and `float` in C?

A: `int` is used to store integer values (whole numbers), while `float` is used to store decimal

numbers (real numbers).

Q: What are variables?

A: A variable is a name given to a memory location where data can be stored and manipulated
during the execution of a program.

Q: What is the purpose of the `const` keyword?

A: The `const` keyword is used to define constants, which are variables whose values cannot be

changed during the execution of the program.

3. Operators
Q: What is an operator in programming?

A: An operator is a symbol that tells the compiler to perform specific mathematical or logical

operations on variables or values.

Q: What is the difference between `=` and `==` in C?

A: `=` is the assignment operator, used to assign a value to a variable, while `==` is the equality

operator, used to compare two values for equality.

Q: What are arithmetic operators?

A: Arithmetic operators are used to perform mathematical operations, such as: `+` (addition), `-`

(subtraction), `*` (multiplication), `/` (division), `%` (modulus).

Q: What are relational operators?

A: Relational operators are used to compare two values, such as: `==` (equal to), `!=` (not equal to),

`>` (greater than), `<` (less than), `>=` (greater than or equal to), `<=` (less than or equal to).

4. Control Flow Statements

Q: What are control flow statements?

A: Control flow statements allow the program to decide which path to take based on conditions.

These include conditional statements (`if`, `else`) and loop statements (`for`, `while`, `do-while`).

Q: Explain the `if-else` statement.

A: The `if-else` statement allows the program to execute one block of code if a condition is true and

another block if the condition is false.

Q: What is a `for` loop?

A: A `for` loop is used to execute a block of code repeatedly for a specific number of iterations. The

syntax is: `for (initialization; condition; increment/decrement)`.

Q: What is the `break` statement used for?

A: The `break` statement is used to exit from a loop or a switch statement prematurely.

Q: What is a `switch` statement?

A: The `switch` statement is a control flow statement that allows multi-way branching. It evaluates an

expression and matches it with case values to execute the corresponding code block.

5. Functions
Q: What is a function in C programming?

A: A function is a block of code that performs a specific task. It can take input values (parameters),

perform operations, and return a result.

Q: What is the purpose of the `return` statement?

A: The `return` statement is used to exit from a function and return a value to the calling function. It

also terminates the execution of the function.

Q: What is the difference between a function declaration and a function definition?

A: A function declaration declares the function's signature, telling the compiler the function's name,

return type, and parameters. A function definition includes the actual implementation of the function.

Q: What is a recursive function?

A: A recursive function is a function that calls itself in order to solve a smaller version of the same

problem. The base case is crucial to stop the recursion.

6. Arrays
Q: What is an array in C?

A: An array is a collection of elements of the same data type, stored in contiguous memory

locations. The elements are accessed using an index.

Q: How do you declare an array in C?

A: An array is declared by specifying the data type, followed by the array name, and the size of the

array, like so: `int arr[5];`

Q: How do you access elements of an array?

A: Elements of an array are accessed using an index. For example, to access the first element:

`arr[0]`.

Q: What is the difference between a one-dimensional array and a two-dimensional array?

A: A one-dimensional array stores elements in a single line, while a two-dimensional array stores

elements in a matrix format (rows and columns).

7. Strings
Q: What is a string in C?

A: A string in C is a sequence of characters terminated by a null character `\0`. It is an array of

characters.

Q: How do you declare and initialize a string in C?

A: A string is declared like an array of characters. For example: `char str[] = "Hello";`

Q: What is the `strlen()` function?

A: The `strlen()` function is used to find the length of a string, excluding the null character.

Q: What is the `strcpy()` function?

A: The `strcpy()` function is used to copy one string into another. It takes two arguments: the

destination string and the source string.

8. Pointers
Q: What is a pointer in C?

A: A pointer is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable. It allows indirect

access to the variable's value.

Q: How do you declare a pointer?

A: A pointer is declared by placing an asterisk (`*`) before the pointer variable, like so: `int *ptr;`
Q: What is the purpose of the `&` operator?

A: The `&` operator is used to get the memory address of a variable. For example, `&var` gives the

address of `var`.

Q: What is the difference between a pointer and an array in C?

A: An array is a collection of elements stored in contiguous memory locations, while a pointer stores

the memory address of a variable or an element in an array.

9. File Handling
Q: What is file handling in C?

A: File handling in C allows programs to read from and write to files on disk. It uses file pointers to

interact with files.

Q: What are the common file operations in C?

A: Common file operations include opening files (`fopen()`), reading files (`fscanf()`, `fgetc()`), writing

to files (`fprintf()`, `fputc()`), and closing files (`fclose()`).

Q: What is the `fopen()` function?

A: The `fopen()` function is used to open a file in a specified mode (read, write, append). It returns a

file pointer.

Q: How do you close a file in C?

A: The `fclose()` function is used to close a file that was opened using `fopen()`.