2.2.2b Backtracking, data mining, heuristics, performance modelling, pipelining, visualisation Quiz: OCR Computer Science, Unit 7

The 20 questions

1. Which algorithmic method systematically builds candidates and abandons a path when it fails?

   • Backtracking
   • Visualisation
   • Heuristics
   • Data mining

2. What is the process of analysing large datasets to discover hidden patterns and relationships?

   • Performance modelling
   • Backtracking
   • Pipelining
   • Data mining

3. What term describes an algorithmic strategy that finds a good-enough solution quickly rather than an optimal one?

   • Heuristic
   • Backtracking
   • Pipelining
   • Deterministic

4. What technique simulates a system mathematically to evaluate its behaviour under load before physical construction?

   • Pipelining
   • Performance modelling
   • Visualisation
   • Data mining

5. What technique feeds the output of one processing stage directly into the input of the next?

   • Heuristics
   • Data mining
   • Pipelining
   • Backtracking

6. What computational method transforms abstract data into graphical formats to make complex patterns easier to understand?

   • Backtracking
   • Performance modelling
   • Visualisation
   • Data mining

7. Which classic puzzle strategy involves placing queens on a chessboard and removing one if a conflict occurs?

   • Greedy algorithm
   • Pipelining
   • Backtracking
   • Data mining

8. Which pathfinding algorithm uses a heuristic function to estimate the remaining distance to the target node?

   • Binary search
   • Breadth-first search
   • A* search
   • Dijkstra's algorithm

9. A supermarket analyses loyalty card transactions to identify items frequently bought together. Which method is used?

   • Visualisation
   • Backtracking
   • Performance modelling
   • Data mining

10. In CPU instruction processing, overlapping the fetch, decode, and execute stages of multiple instructions uses which concept?

    • Performance modelling
    • Instruction pipelining
    • Visualisation
    • Backtracking

11. An engineer simulates traffic flow through a proposed roundabout to test queue lengths. Which method is this?

    • Data mining
    • Performance modelling
    • Heuristic searching
    • Backtracking

12. A developer maps complex network connections as node-edge diagrams to identify bottlenecks. What method are they applying?

    • Pipelining
    • Visualisation
    • Backtracking
    • Data mining

13. Which tree traversal strategy is fundamentally used during backtracking to explore solutions to maximum depth?

    • Linear search
    • Breadth-first search
    • Depth-first search
    • Binary search

14. Why might a programmer choose a heuristic solution over an exact algorithm for the Travelling Salesperson Problem?

    • To guarantee optimality
    • To save memory
    • To save time
    • To remove bugs

15. What occurs in instruction pipelining when one stage cannot complete because it requires data from an earlier stage?

    • Overflow error
    • Stack overflow
    • Data hazard
    • Memory leak

16. What is a key safety advantage of using performance modelling before deploying software in safety-critical systems?

    • Identifies failure points
    • Guarantees zero bugs
    • Prevents physical theft
    • Increases processor speed

17. Which sub-field of computer science heavily powers modern data mining algorithms to make future predictions?

    • Machine learning
    • Quantum computing
    • Computer graphics
    • Compiler design

18. An admissible heuristic in the A* algorithm must never do what regarding the actual cost to the goal?

    • Multiply
    • Overestimate
    • Underestimate
    • Equal

19. What abstract data structure is typically used to keep track of state history during depth-first backtracking?

    • Priority queue
    • Hash table
    • Call stack
    • Queue

20. If a four-stage processor pipeline is full, how many instructions are completed per clock cycle ideally?

    • One
    • Stage-dependent
    • Zero
    • Four

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