MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (MCQs)

1. Which of the following sorting techniques is based on repeatedly comparing adjacent

elements and swapping them if they are in the wrong order?

A) Selection Sort B) Bubble Sort C) Insertion Sort D) Merge Sort

Answer: B) Bubble Sort

2. What is the time complexity of Bubble Sort in the worst-case scenario?

A) O(n) B) O(log n) C) O(n2) D) O(n log n)

Answer: C) O(n2)

3. Which of the following best describes the logic of the Bubble Sort algorithm?

A) Select the smallest element and place it in the beginning.

B) Insert the current element into its correct position in a sorted list.

C) Swap adjacent elements until the largest reaches the end.

D) Divide the list and merge sorted parts.

Answer: C) Swap adjacent elements until the largest reaches the end.

4. How many passes are required to sort a list of 6 elements using Bubble Sort?

A) 5 B) 6 C) 4 D) 3

Answer: A) 5

5. Which sorting technique finds the smallest element in the list and places it in its correct
position?

A) Insertion Sort B) Bubble Sort C) Selection Sort D) Quick Sort

Answer: C) Selection Sort

6. In Selection Sort, after the first pass, the first element of the list is:

A) The largest element B) The average of the list C) The smallest element
D) Unchanged

Answer: C) The smallest element

7. What is the time complexity of Selection Sort in the best case?

A) O(n log n) B) O(n2) C) O(n) D) O(log n)

Answer: B) O(n2)

8. Which sorting technique is best described as “a sorted list is built one element at a
time”?

A) Merge Sort B) Insertion Sort C) Bubble Sort

D) Selection Sort

Answer: B) Insertion Sort

9. In Insertion Sort, which of the following is TRUE about the sorted portion of the list?

A) It decreases in size B) It is built from left to right

C) It always remains constant D) It is sorted in reverse order

Answer: B) It is built from left to right

10. What is the best-case time complexity of Insertion Sort?

A) O(n log n) B) O(n) C) O(n2) D) O(1)

Answer: B) O(n)

11. Which sorting algorithm is generally better for nearly sorted data?

A) Selection Sort B) Bubble Sort C) Insertion Sort D) Heap Sort

Answer: C) Insertion Sort

12. In Bubble Sort, which element reaches its correct position after the first pass?

A) The smallest element B) The middle element C) The largest element

D) The second largest element Answer: C) The largest element

13. Which sorting algorithm swaps elements only when necessary and avoids
unnecessary movements?

A) Bubble Sort B) Insertion Sort C) Selection Sort D) None of the

above
Answer: C) Selection Sort

14. Which of the following algorithms uses a temporary variable during swapping?

A) Bubble Sort B) Selection Sort C) Insertion Sort D) All of the above

Answer: D) All of the above

15. Which sort algorithm is not** efficient for large datasets?**

A) Quick Sort B) Insertion Sort C) Merge Sort D) Heap Sort

Answer: B) Insertion Sort

16. In the Insertion Sort algorithm, when is shifting required?

A) When the current element is greater than the previous one

B) When the current element is smaller than elements in the sorted list

C) When elements are equal D) Always

Answer: B) When the current element is smaller than elements in the sorted list

17. The number of comparisons in the worst case for Bubble Sort is:

A) n B) n-1 C) n(n-1)/2 D) log n

Answer: C) n(n-1)/2

18. Which sorting algorithm is described using the following pseudocode?

for i = 0 to n-2:

for j = 0 to n-2-i:

if arr[j] > arr[j+1]:

Swap arr[j] and arr[j+1]

A) Insertion Sort B) Bubble Sort C) Selection Sort D) Quick Sort

Answer: B) Bubble Sort

19. Which sorting method has the same time complexity in best, average, and worst
cases?
A) Selection Sort B) Insertion Sort C) Merge Sort D) Bubble Sort

Answer: A) Selection Sort

20. In Selection Sort, if the minimum element is already at its correct position, what
happens?

A) The list is reversed B) The algorithm stops C) No swap is made

D) Swap still happens Answer: C) No swap is made

21. Assertion (A): Bubble Sort repeatedly swaps adjacent elements if they are in the
wrong order.

Reason (R): Bubble Sort pushes the smallest element to the end in each pass.

A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Answer: C. A is true, but R is false.

Explanation: Bubble Sort pushes the largest element to the end of the list in each pass,
not the smallest.

22. Assertion (A): In Selection Sort, the smallest element is selected in each pass and
placed in its correct position.
Reason (R): Selection Sort uses repeated shifting of elements to sort the list.

A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Answer: C. A is true, but R is false.

Explanation: Selection Sort works by swapping, not shifting elements.

[Link] (A): Insertion Sort is efficient for nearly sorted lists.

Reason (R): In the best case, the time complexity of Insertion Sort is O(n).

A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Answer: A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

[Link] (A): Selection Sort is a stable sorting algorithm.

Reason (R): Selection Sort preserves the order of identical elements.

A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C. A is false, but R is true. D. Both A and R are false.

Answer: D. Both A and R are false.

Explanation: Selection Sort is not stable by default and may change the relative order of
identical elements.

25. Assertion (A): Insertion Sort builds the final sorted list one item at a time.
Reason (R): It inserts each new element at the beginning of the list.

A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Answer: C. A is true, but R is false.

Explanation: Insertion Sort inserts elements into the correct position within the sorted
portion, not necessarily at the beginning.

26. Assertion (A): Bubble Sort can be optimized to stop early if no swaps are made
during a pass.
Reason (R): This optimization improves its best-case time complexity to O(n).
A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Answer: A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

27. Assertion (A): In Bubble Sort, every pair of adjacent elements is compared in each
pass.
Reason (R): The number of comparisons increases with each pass.
A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Answer: C. A is true, but R is false.

Explanation: The number of comparisons decreases with each pass in Bubble Sort.

28. Assertion (A): In Selection Sort, the number of comparisons is always the same
regardless of the input order.
Reason (R): Selection Sort has a time complexity of O(n2) for all cases.
A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Answer: A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

29. Assertion (A): In Insertion Sort, shifting elements is necessary to maintain the
sorted portion of the list.
Reason (R): Elements are shifted right to make space for the current element.

A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Answer: A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

[Link] (A): All three sorting techniques (Bubble, Selection, Insertion) have a
worst-case time complexity of O(n2).

Reason (R): They all use nested loops with two iterations each.

A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Answer: A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

FILL IN THE BLANKS

1. Sorting is the process of arranging elements in a particular __________.
Answer: order
2. In Bubble Sort, after each pass, the __________ element gets placed at its correct
position.
Answer: largest
3. In Bubble Sort, the process of comparing and swapping adjacent elements is repeated
for __________- 1 passes.
Answer: n
4. If no __________ are made during a pass in Bubble Sort, the list is already sorted.
Answer: swaps
5. In Selection Sort, the list is conceptually divided into a __________ list and an
unsorted list.
Answer: sorted
6. In each pass of Selection Sort, the __________ element from the unsorted portion is
selected and placed in the sorted list.
Answer: smallest
7. Selection Sort requires a total of __________ - 1 passes to sort a list of n elements.
Answer: n
8. In Insertion Sort, each element from the unsorted list is __________ into its correct
position in the sorted part.
Answer: inserted
9. In Insertion Sort, shifting of elements occurs from __________ to find the correct
position of insertion.
Answer: right to left
10. In the best-case scenario, Insertion Sort has a time complexity of __________.
Answer: O(n)
11. The time complexity of Bubble, Selection, and Insertion Sort in the worst case is
__________.
Answer: O(n2)
12. A __________ loop is responsible for increasing the time complexity of sorting
algorithms to quadratic.
Answer: nested
13. Sorting helps to improve the efficiency of __________ operations on large datasets.
Answer: searching
14. In Python, a pair of adjacent elements in Bubble Sort can be swapped using the
syntax:
list[j], list[j+1] = __________
Answer: list[j+1], list[j]
15. The algorithm that builds the sorted list one element at a time by comparing and
shifting is __________ Sort.
Answer: Insertion

2 MARKS QUESTIONS
1. What is sorting? Give one real-life example.
Answer:
Sorting is the process of arranging or ordering a given collection of elements in a
particular order, such as ascending or descending.
Example: Words in a dictionary are sorted in alphabetical order to make searching easier.

2. Define pass and swap in the context of Bubble Sort.

Answer:
A pass refers to one complete iteration through the list during sorting.
A swap is the process of exchanging the positions of two adjacent elements if they are not
in the desired order.

3. Write the syntax of swapping two elements in Python with an example.

Answer:
Syntax:
a, b = b, a
Example:
list[j], list[j+1] = list[j+1], list[j] This swaps the elements at index j and j+1 in a list.

4. Differentiate between Bubble Sort and Selection Sort (any two points).
Answer:
Bubble Sort
• Repeatedly compares and swaps adjacent elements.
• Pushes the largest element to the end in each pass.
Selection Sort
• Selects the smallest element and swaps it with the leftmost unsorted element.
• Places the smallest element at the beginning in each pass.

5. What is the purpose of using a flag in Selection Sort algorithm?

Answer:
The flag is used to check whether a smaller element than the current minimum was found
in the current pass. If flag = 1, a swap is needed; otherwise, no swap is performed.

6. Give one example where Insertion Sort is more efficient than other sorts. Explain why.
Answer:
Insertion Sort is more efficient for nearly sorted lists because it requires fewer
comparisons and shifts, giving it a best-case time complexity of O(n).
7. Write the initial list and final sorted list after applying Insertion Sort on:
[8, 7, 13, 1, -9, 4].
Answer:
Initial List: [8, 7, 13, 1, -9, 4]
Final Sorted List: [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8, 13]

8. Distinguish between shifting and swapping in the context of sorting.

Answer:
Shifting means moving elements one position to the right to make space (used in
Insertion Sort).
Swapping means exchanging two elements’ positions directly (used in Bubble and
Selection Sort).

9. Explain time complexity with an example from the chapter.

Answer:
Time complexity is the amount of time an algorithm takes to run, depending on input
size.
Example: Bubble Sort has O(n2) time complexity because it uses a nested loop to
perform n × (n – 1)/2
comparisons.

10. Write the output of the following Bubble Sort implementation on the list [8, 7, 13, 1, -
9, 4]. Also, mention how many passes are needed.
Answer:
Output: [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8, 13]
Passes Needed: 5 (as the list contains 6 elements)

3 MARKS QUESTIONS
1. Explain the concept of Bubble Sort with an example.
Answer:
Bubble Sort compares adjacent elements and swaps them if they are in the wrong order.
After each pass, the largest element is moved to its correct position at the end. This
process is repeated for n−1 passes for a list of n elements.
Example:
For numList = [8, 7, 13, 1, -9, 4], after Bubble Sort, the list becomes [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8,13].

2. Differentiate between Bubble Sort and Insertion Sort (any three points).
Answer:
Bubble Sort
• Compares and swaps adjacent elements.
• Time complexity: O(n2) in all cases.
• Poor for nearly sorted data.
Insertion Sort
• Inserts each element at the correct position in sorted part.
• Time complexity. Best case time complexity: O(n).
• Efficient for nearly sorted data.
3. Write the Python implementation of Selection Sort and explain it briefly.
Answer:
def selection_Sort(list2):
n = len(list2)
for i in range(n):
min = i
for j in range(i + 1, n):
if list2[j] < list2[min]:
min = j
list2[i], list2[min] = list2[min], list2[i]
Explanation:
The algorithm selects the smallest element from the unsorted list and swaps it with the
element at the current position. This process continues until the list is sorted.

4. Define the term ‘pass’ in sorting. How many passes are required to sort a list of 6
elements using Selection Sort?
Answer:
A pass is one complete traversal over the list during the sorting process. In Selection Sort,
for a list of n = 6 elements, the total number of passes required is n – 1 = 5 passes.

5. How does Insertion Sort work? Explain with an example.

Answer:
Insertion Sort builds a sorted list one element at a time. Each new element is compared
with elements in the sorted list and inserted into its correct position by shifting larger
elements to the right.
Example:
[8, 7, 13, 1, -9, 4] becomes [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8, 13] after applying Insertion Sort.

6. Write the algorithm for Bubble Sort and explain its steps.
Answer:
Algorithm:
1. Set i = 0
2. While i < n, repeat steps 3–8
3. Set j = 0
4. While j < n - i - 1, repeat steps 5–7
5. If list[j] > list[j+1]
6. Swap list[j] and list[j+1]
7. Increment j
8. Increment i
Explanation:
The algorithm performs nested loops to compare and swap adjacent elements so that the
largest unsorted element moves to its correct position after each pass.
7. What is time complexity? Explain with respect to Bubble, Selection, and Insertion
Sort.
Answer:
• Time complexity is the amount of time an algorithm takes to complete based on
input size.
• In Bubble, Selection, and Insertion Sort, all three have nested loops, hence their
worst-case time complexity is O(n2).
• Insertion Sort, however, can have a best-case complexity of O(n) if the list is
already nearly sorted.

8. Differentiate between swapping and shifting with suitable examples from the sorting
algo-
rithms.

Answer:
Swapping
• Used in Bubble and Selection Sort.
• Exchanges the positions of two elements.
• Example: list[j], list[j+1] = list[j+1], list[j]

Shifting
• Used in Insertion Sort.
• Moves elements one position to the right.
• Example: list[j+1] = list[j]

5 MARKS QUESTIONS
1. Explain the working of Bubble Sort with the help of an example. Show all passes and
swaps.
Answer:
• Bubble Sort works by comparing adjacent elements and swapping them if they are
in the wrong order.
• The largest element “bubbles up” to the end after each pass.
Example: numList = [8, 7, 13, 1, -9, 4]
Pass 1:
[8, 7, 13, 1, -9, 4] → [7, 8, 13, 1, -9, 4] → [7, 8, 1, 13, -9, 4] → [7, 8, 1, -9, 13, 4] → [7, 8,
1, -9, 4, 13]
Pass 2:
[7, 8, 1, -9, 4, 13] → [7, 1, 8, -9, 4, 13] → [7, 1, -9, 8, 4, 13] → [7, 1, -9, 4, 8, 13]
Pass 3:
[7, 1, -9, 4, 8, 13] → [1, 7, -9, 4, 8, 13] → [1, -9, 7, 4, 8, 13] → [1, -9, 4, 7, 8, 13]
Pass 4:
[1, -9, 4, 7, 8, 13] → [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8, 13]
Pass 5: No swap → Already sorted
Final list: [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8, 13]

2. Write the algorithm and Python implementation of Bubble Sort.

Answer:
Algorithm 5.1: Bubble Sort
1. Set i = 0
2. WHILE i < n repeat:
- Set j = 0
- WHILE j < n – i – 1:
- IF numList[j] > numList[j+1]:
- Swap numList[j], numList[j+1]
-j=j+1
-i=i+1

Python Program:
def bubble_Sort(list1):
n = len(list1)
for i in range(n):
for j in range(0, n - i - 1):
if list1[j] > list1[j+1]:
list1[j], list1[j+1] = list1[j+1], list1[j]

3. Explain the working of Selection Sort using an example. Show all passes.
Answer:
Selection Sort selects the smallest element from the unsorted portion and swaps it with
the first element in the unsorted list.
Example: numList = [8, 7, 13, 1, -9, 4]
Pass 1:
Minimum is -9 → Swap with 8 → [-9, 7, 13, 1, 8, 4]
Pass 2:
Minimum is 1 → Swap with 7 → [-9, 1, 13, 7, 8, 4]
Pass 3:
Minimum is 4 → Swap with 13 → [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8, 13]
Pass 4:
Already sorted → [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8, 13]
Final List: [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8, 13]
4. Write the algorithm and Python program for Selection Sort.
Answer:
Algorithm 5.2: Selection Sort

1. Set i = 0
 2. WHILE i < n repeat:
- Set min = i, flag = 0
- Set j = i + 1
- WHILE j < n repeat:
- IF numList[j] < numList[min]:
- min = j, flag = 1
-j=j+1
- IF flag = 1 → Swap numList[i], numList[min]
-i=i+1
Python Program:
def selection_Sort(list2):
n = len(list2)
for i in range(n):
min = i
for j in range(i+1, n):
if list2[j] < list2[min]:
min = j
list2[i], list2[min] = list2[min], list2[i]

5. What is Insertion Sort? Explain its working with an example and diagrammatically.
Answer:
Insertion Sort builds a sorted list one element at a time. Each new element is inserted into
its correct position in the sorted list by shifting larger elements to the right.
Example: numList = [8, 7, 13, 1, -9, 4]
Pass 1: [7, 8, 13, 1, -9, 4]
Pass 2: [7, 8, 13, 1, -9, 4]
Pass 3: [1, 7, 8, 13, -9, 4]
Pass 4: [-9, 1, 7, 8, 13, 4]
Pass 5: [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8, 13]
Final List: [-9, 1, 4, 7, 8, 13]

6. Write the algorithm and Python implementation of Insertion Sort.

Answer:
1. Set i = 1
2. WHILE i < n repeat:
- temp = numList[i]
-j=i–1
- WHILE j=0 and numList[j] > temp repeat:
- numList[j+1] = numList[j]
-j=j–1
- numList[j+1] = temp
-i=i+1
Python Program:
def insertion_Sort(list3):
n = len(list3)
for i in range(n):
temp = list3[i]
j=i-1
while j >= 0 and temp < list3[j]:
list3[j+1] = list3[j]
j -= 1
list3[j+1] = temp

7. Compare Bubble Sort, Selection Sort, and Insertion Sort based on working, time
complexity, and best use cases.
Answer:
Bubble Sort
• Basic Operation Swaps adjacent elements
• Time Complexity O(n2)
• Best Use Case Small lists
• Stable Yes
Selection Sort
• Basic Operation Selects minimum and swaps
• Time Complexity O(n2)
• Best Use Case Small or fixed-size lists
• Stable No
Insertion Sort
• Basic Operation Inserts in sorted portion
• Time Complexity O(n2), best case O(n)
• Best Use Nearly sorted lists
• Stable Yes

8. What is time complexity? Describe the complexity of the three sorting algorithms
discussed in the chapter.
Answer:
Time complexity is a measure of the amount of time an algorithm takes based on input
size.
• Bubble Sort: O(n2) – Nested loop for comparisons and swaps
• Selection Sort: O(n2) – Regardless of input, comparisons are same
• Insertion Sort: O(n2) in worst case, O(n) in best case (nearly sorted data)
All three algorithms are quadratic time algorithms due to nested loops.

9. Give the syntax and explanation of swapping and shifting with examples.
Answer:
Swapping Syntax in Python:
list[j], list[j+1] = list[j+1], list[j]
Example: In Bubble/Selection Sort → swaps adjacent or selected elements.
Shifting Syntax:
list[j+1] = list[j]
Example: In Insertion Sort → elements are moved one place right to insert a smaller
element in the correct position.

10. Explain with an example how you can use Bubble Sort to find the median of a list.
Answer:
Step 1: Sort the list using Bubble Sort.
Step 2: If number of terms is odd, median is the middle term.
Step 3: If number is even, median = (term[n//2 – 1] + term[n//2]) / 2
Example:
List = [4, 1, 5, 3] → After Bubble Sort: [1, 3, 4, 5]
Median = (3 + 4)/2 = 3.5

11. What is the significance of pass number in all sorting algorithms? Explain with
examples.
Answer:
A pass is a complete iteration over the list.
- In Bubble Sort, each pass places the largest unsorted element at its correct position.
- In Selection Sort, each pass selects and places the next smallest element.
- In Insertion Sort, each pass inserts the next element into the correct position in the
sorted list.
Example for Bubble Sort (n = 6): 5 passes are needed.

12. Explain how sorting can be useful in real-world applications with examples.
Answer:
Sorting simplifies and speeds up data retrieval and comparison.
Examples:
- Dictionary words sorted alphabetically
- Roll numbers arranged in order in an exam hall
- Student data sorted by height, weight, or scores
- Percentile calculation in aptitude tests using sorting
- Sorting is essential before binary search or when evaluating ranks/statistics.