Programming Key Terms

Question 1

Define the term algorithm.

Answer 1

An algorithm is a set of instructions that performs a task.

Question 2

What are the different types of data types?

Answer 2

Char
Boolean
Integer
Float
String

Question 3

What is a constant?

Answer 3

A constant is a variable that can never be altered.

Question 4

Give the pseudocode for printing “Hello World”

Answer 4

OUTPUT “Hello World”

Question 5

Give the pseudocode for asking the user to input a string, and store it in the variable ‘string’.

Answer 5

string <– USERINPUT

Question 6

What does the DIV operator do?

Answer 6

Gives an integer for every division, or the quotient.

10 DIV 4 = 2

Question 7

What does the MOD operator do?

Answer 7

Returns the remainder of the operation.

3 MOD 2 = 1

Question 8

What is the key term for converting a variable from one data type to another?

Answer 8

Casting

Question 9

How can we convert a string to an integer in pseudocode?

Answer 9

STRING_TO_INT(variablename)

Question 10

What are comments for in a program?

Answer 10

Describes the purpose of the program and helps other programmers understand the program

Question 11

What is sequence?

Answer 11

Lines of code that are executed in order

OUTPUT “Hello”
OUTPUT “World”

Question 12

What is selection?

Answer 12

A statement where a certain condition must be met

IF var = TRUE THEN
OUTPUT “TRUE”
ENDIF

Question 13

What is iteration?

Answer 13

Repetition of a section of code.
For loop
While loop
REPEAT UNTIL loop (pseudocode)

Question 14

Write the pseudocode for finding a random integer between 1 and 6, and store it in a variable.

Answer 14

var = RANDOM_INT(0, 6)

Question 15

What is an array?

Answer 15

A data structure that can store multiple items of data of the same data type.

An array has a fixed length.

Question 16

How do indexes work?

Answer 16

Indexes start from 0, for example array[0] would be the first item in the array

Question 17

How can an array be declared in pseudocode?

Answer 17

array nameofarray[20]

An array has been created of length 20

Question 18

Print “Hello World” 10 times using a for loop in pseudocode.

Answer 18

FOR i <– 0 TO 10:
OUTPUT “Hello World”
ENDFOR

Question 19

What are functions and procedures an example of ?

Answer 19

Subroutines

Question 20

What is a function?

Answer 20

A function will always return a value after processing takes place

Question 21

What is a procedure?

Answer 21

A procedure executes code in a subroutine but does not execute anything

Question 22

What is a subroutine?

Answer 22

A named, self-contained section of code that performs a specific task

Question 23

What are parameters?

Answer 23

Parameters are values that can be entered into a subroutine that are processed.

e.g. SUBROUTINE add(a, b)
total <– a + b
return total
ENDSUBROUTINE

a and b are parameters in this subroutine

Question 24

What are the advantages of subroutines in a program?

Answer 24

Break down a large section of code into smaller, more manageable sections (decomposition)

Can be used multiple times easily

Each one can be tested separately, making it easier to debug

Splits the workload

Easier to change is requirements become different

Question 25

What is data validation?

Answer 25

Data validation ensures that data is of the right type, e.g. data must be between 3 and 7 characters long, or data must be an integer

Question 26

What are the different types of validation?

Answer 26

Presence check - if data has been entered
Type check - if data is a integer, or string
Format check - if an email address is
formatted correctly
Length check - if data is of the right length
Range check - if data is between the right length

Question 27

What is authentication?

Answer 27

Authentication routines are used to check that someone is who they claim to be.

Question 28

What is a local variable?

Answer 28

A local variable is a variable declared within a subroutine that is not recognised anywhere else in the program

Question 29

What is a global variable?

Answer 29

A variable that is declared in the main program and is recognised in a subroutine.

Question 30

What are trace tables used for?

Answer 30

Trace tables are used to determine the output of a program, or the purpose of a program, or try and find errors in a program

Question 31

What is a syntax error?

Answer 31

An error where the code written does not conform to the rules of the language

Question 32

What is a logical error?

Answer 32

The program runs but does not work as the programmer intended.

Question 33

What are the three different types of data tests?

Answer 33

Normal data - typical data that will work
Erroneous data - data that will cause an err
Boundary data - data that test the boundary e.g. between 1, and 10, testing with 1.

Question 34

What is abstraction?

Answer 34

The removing of unnecessary details in order to solve a problem.

Question 35

What is abstraction?

Answer 35

The removing of unnecessary details in order to solve a problem.