Cryptography
1. Cryptography is the science of:
A) Data compression B) Secret writing C) Networking D) Error detection
Answer: B
2. The original readable message is called:
A) Ciphertext B) Key C) Plaintext D) Code
Answer: C
3. The encrypted message is called:
A) Plaintext B) Ciphertext C) Keytext D) Secrettext
Answer: B
4. Cryptology includes:
A) Coding & Decoding
B) Cryptography & Cryptanalysis
C) Encryption only
D) Decryption only
Answer: B
5. Breaking a cipher is known as:
A) Encoding
B) Cryptography
C) Cryptanalysis
D) Hashing
Answer: C
6. Symmetric key encryption uses:
A) Two different keys
B) Public key only
C) Same key for encryption and decryption
D) No key
Answer: C
7. Asymmetric cryptography uses:
A) One secret key
B) Public and private keys
C) No keys
D) Shift method
Answer: B
8. A cryptosystem is defined as a:
A) Triple
B) Four tuple
C) Five tuple
D) Pair
Answer: C
9. Shift cipher encryption formula is:
A) (x-k) mod 26
B) (x+k) mod 26
C) x*k mod 26
D) x^k
Answer: B
10. Caesar cipher uses key:
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
Answer: C
11. Key space of shift cipher is:
A) 10
B) 25
C) 26
D) Infinite
Answer: C
12. Substitution cipher replaces:
A) Positions
B) Letters
C) Numbers
D) Bits
Answer: B
13. In substitution cipher, key space consists of:
A) 26 keys
B) 52 keys
C) All permutations of 26 letters
D) 100 keys
Answer: C
14. Vigenère cipher is:
A) Monoalphabetic
B) Polyalphabetic
C) Transposition
D) Block cipher
Answer: B
15. Rail fence cipher is:
A) Substitution
B) Transposition
C) Asymmetric
D) Hashing
Answer: B
16. Frequency analysis is used to break:
A) Shift cipher
B) Monoalphabetic substitution
C) RSA
D) DES
Answer: B
17. Most frequent letter in English:
A) T
B) A
C) E
D) S
Answer: C
18. Playfair cipher uses matrix of size:
A) 3x3
B) 4x4
C) 5x5
D) 6x6
Answer: C
19. In transposition cipher, letters are:
A) Replaced
B) Shifted
C) Rearranged
D) Deleted
Answer: C
20. Brute force attack tries:
A) One key
B) All possible keys
C) Random guessing
D) Frequency count only
Answer: B
21. Encryption converts:
A) Ciphertext to plaintext
B) Plaintext to ciphertext
C) Key to text
D) Code to hash
Answer: B
22. Decryption converts:
A) Ciphertext to plaintext
B) Plaintext to ciphertext
C) Hash to key
D) Code to binary
Answer: A
23. Key space means:
A) Set of all ciphertext
B) Set of all keys
C) Set of plaintext
D) Encryption rule
Answer: B
24. Plaintext space is:
A) All possible plaintexts
B) All keys
C) All ciphertexts
D) Algorithms
Answer: A
25. Ciphertext space is:
A) Keys
B) All ciphertexts
C) Plaintexts
D) Hash values
Answer: B
26. Caesar cipher is vulnerable to:
A) Dictionary attack
B) Brute force
C) SQL injection
D) Phishing
Answer: B
27. Polyalphabetic cipher uses:
A) One substitution
B) Multiple substitutions
C) No substitution
D) Binary shifts
Answer: B
28. Transposition cipher changes:
A) Letter meaning
B) Letter position
C) Key
D) Alphabet size
Answer: B
29. In Z26 arithmetic, letters are represented as:
A) 0–9
B) 1–26
C) 0–25
D) 1–25
Answer: C
30. Playfair cipher encrypts letters in:
A) Triplets
B) Pairs
C) Single letters
D) Blocks of 4
Answer: B
31. If two identical letters appear in Playfair pair:
A) Ignore
B) Add X between them
C) Remove both
D) Shift key
Answer: B
32. Cryptanalysis requires:
A) Logical thinking
B) Guesswork only
C) No knowledge
D) Encryption key
Answer: A
33. Example of classical cipher:
A) RSA
B) AES
C) Caesar
D) ECC
Answer: C
34. Symmetric encryption is also called:
A) Public key
B) Secret key
C) Hashing
D) Coding
Answer: B
35. Asymmetric encryption is also called:
A) Public key cryptography
B) Secret key
C) Shift cipher
D) Rail fence
Answer: A
36. Key in Caesar cipher is:
A) 0–25
B) Only 3
C) 1–100
D) Binary
Answer: A
37. Main weakness of monoalphabetic cipher:
A) Large key space
B) Frequency patterns
C) No key
D) Too complex
Answer: B
38. Rail fence cipher is simple form of:
A) Substitution
B) Permutation
C) Hashing
D) RSA
Answer: B
39. Encryption algorithm is denoted by:
A) D
B) E
C) K
D) P
Answer: B
40. Decryption algorithm is denoted by:
A) E
B) P
C) D
D) X
Answer: C
41. Ciphertext should not reveal:
A) Key
B) Plaintext
C) Both A and B
D) None
Answer: C
42. Vigenère cipher operates in:
A) Z10
B) Z2
C) Z26
D) Real numbers
Answer: C
43. Monoalphabetic cipher uses:
A) One alphabet mapping
B) Many mappings
C) Binary keys
D) Matrices
Answer: A
44. Playfair cipher invented by:
A) Caesar
B) Charles Wheatstone
C) Diffie
D) Shannon
Answer: B
45. Cryptography ensures:
A) Confidentiality
B) Availability
C) Redundancy
D) Delay
Answer: A
46. Brute force attack complexity depends on:
A) Plaintext size
B) Key space size
C) Ciphertext size
D) Network speed
Answer: B
47. Classical ciphers are mainly:
A) Mathematical
B) Quantum
C) Manual techniques
D) Digital only
Answer: C
48. Transposition cipher keeps:
A) Letters same but order changes
B) Order same but letters change
C) Both change
D) Both same
Answer: A
49. Frequency analysis works best when ciphertext is:
A) Very short
B) Very long
C) Binary
D) Encrypted twice
Answer: B
50. A secure cipher should make key determination:
A) Easy
B) Difficult
C) Public
D) Optional
Answer: B
51. Cryptography over insecure channel prevents:
A) Eavesdropping understanding
B) Transmission
C) Noise
D) Storage
Answer: A
52. In Playfair matrix, letters I and J are often:
A) Separated
B) Combined
C) Removed
D) Duplicated
Answer: B
Week 2
Data Encryption Standard (DES)
1. DES is a ______ cipher.
a) Stream
b) Feistel
c) Block substitution
d) Public key
Answer: b
Ri−1=11001100 F (Ri−1 , K i )=11110000
Find Ri .
a) 01011010
b) 11001100
c) 10101010
d) 00110011
Answer: a) 01011010
Explanation:
Ri=Li−1 ⊕ F(R i−1 , K i)
10101010
11110000
---------
01011010
Hence correct answer = 01011010
2. DES block size is:
a) 32 bits
b) 56 bits
c) 64 bits
d) 128 bits
Answer: c
3. Effective key length of DES is:
a) 64 bits
b) 48 bits
c) 56 bits
d) 32 bits
Answer: c
4. DES consists of how many rounds?
a) 8
b) 12
c) 16
d) 32
Answer: c
5. The first step in DES is:
a) Expansion
b) Initial Permutation
c) Substitution
d) XOR
Answer: b
6. Final step in DES is:
a) Inverse Initial Permutation
b) Expansion
c) XOR
d) PC-2
Answer: a
7. In DES, the right half is expanded from 32 bits to:
a) 64 bits
b) 48 bits
c) 56 bits
d) 32 bits
Answer: b
8. Expansion permutation is denoted as:
a) IP
b) P
c) E
d) PC-1
Answer: c
9. Each S-box takes input of:
a) 4 bits
b) 6 bits
c) 8 bits
d) 32 bits
Answer: b
10. Each S-box produces output of:
a) 4 bits
b) 6 bits
c) 8 bits
d) 2 bits
Answer: a
11. Total number of S-boxes in DES:
a) 4
b) 6
c) 8
d) 16
Answer: c
12. DES round function is represented as:
a) f(Ri, Ki)
b) IP
c) PC-2
d) XOR only
Answer: a
13. Ri =
a) Li-1
c) Li-1 ⊕ f(Ri-1, Ki)
b) Ri-1
d) f(Ri-1)
Answer: c
14. Subkeys are generated using:
a) S-box
b) PC-1 and PC-2
c) XOR
d) IP
Answer: b
15. PC-1 reduces key size from:
a) 64 to 56 bits
b) 56 to 48 bits
c) 64 to 48 bits
d) 48 to 32 bits
Answer: a
16. PC-2 produces subkey of size:
a) 56 bits
b) 48 bits
c) 32 bits
d) 64 bits
Answer: b
17. In each round, left shift is applied to:
a) R only
b) L only
c) C and D
d) S-box
Answer: c
18. DES decryption differs from encryption only in:
a) IP
b) Key order
c) S-box
d) XOR
Answer: b
19. DES is vulnerable mainly to:
a) Differential attack
b) Brute force attack
c) Replay attack
d) Side channel attack
Answer: b
20. Key space of DES is:
a) 2^48
b) 2^56
c) 2^64
d) 2^32
Answer: b
🔐 Triple DES
21. Triple DES applies DES algorithm:
a) Twice
b) Thrice
c) Four times
d) Once
Answer: b
22. Triple DES commonly uses how many keys?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
Answer: b
23. Triple DES follows which mode commonly?
a) EEE
b) EDE
c) DED
d) EDD
Answer: b
24. Triple DES improves security against:
a) Chosen plaintext
b) Brute force
c) Known plaintext
d) Replay attack
Answer: b
25. In 2-key 3DES, key size is:
a) 112 bits
b) 168 bits
c) 56 bits
d) 128 bits
Answer: a
🔐 Modes of Operation
26. ECB stands for:
a) Electronic Code Block
b) Electronic Codebook
c) Encrypted Cipher Block
d) Extended Cipher Block
Answer: b
27. In ECB mode, identical plaintext blocks produce:
a) Different ciphertext
b) Same ciphertext
c) Random output
d) Hash
Answer: b
28. ECB is considered insecure because:
a) It uses XOR
b) It reveals patterns
c) It uses 64-bit key
d) It has 8 rounds
Answer: b
29. CBC stands for:
a) Cipher Block Chaining
b) Cipher Binary Code
c) Code Block Cipher
d) Chained Binary Cipher
Answer: a
30. CBC requires:
a) Public key
b) IV
c) Hash
d) MAC
Answer: b
31. In CBC encryption, plaintext is XORed with:
a) Key
b) IV only
c) Previous ciphertext
d) S-box
Answer: c
32. CFB stands for:
a) Cipher Feedback
b) Code Feedback
c) Cipher Forward Block
d) Control Feedback
Answer: a
33. OFB stands for:
a) Output Feedback
b) Operation Feedback
c) Output Function Block
d) Open Feedback
Answer: a
34. OFB generates:
a) Hash
b) Pseudorandom keystream
c) Subkey
d) IV
Answer: b
35. In CBC, error in one block affects:
a) Only one block
b) Two blocks
c) All blocks
d) None
Answer: b
🔐 Stream Ciphers
36. Stream cipher works on:
a) Blocks
b) Bits
c) Bytes only
d) Characters
Answer: b
37. Stream cipher encryption is:
a) Addition
b) Multiplication
c) XOR
d) Substitution
Answer: c
38. Key stream is:
a) Plaintext
b) Ciphertext
c) Pseudorandom sequence
d) Hash value
Answer: c
39. Decryption in stream cipher is done by:
a) Subtraction
b) XOR again
c) Division
d) Hashing
Answer: b
40. One-time pad is a perfect:
a) Block cipher
b) Stream cipher
c) Hash
d) MAC
Answer: b
41. One-time pad requires key length equal to:
a) Block size
b) Half plaintext
c) Plaintext
d) 56 bits
Answer: c
🔐 Attacks on Cryptosystems
42. Ciphertext-only attack means attacker knows:
a) Plaintext
b) Key
c) Ciphertext only
d) Algorithm
Answer: c
43. Known plaintext attack requires:
a) Only ciphertext
b) Plaintext-ciphertext pair
c) IV
d) Hash
Answer: b
44. Chosen plaintext attack allows attacker to:
a) Choose ciphertext
b) Choose plaintext
c) Choose key
d) Modify algorithm
Answer: b
45. Chosen ciphertext attack allows attacker to:
a) Choose ciphertext
b) Choose plaintext
c) Modify key
d) Change IV
Answer: a
46. Brute force attack complexity for DES is:
a) 2^32
b) 2^48
c) 2^56
d) 2^64
Answer: c
47. Differential cryptanalysis applies mainly to:
a) RSA
b) DES
c) Hash
d) MAC
Answer: b
48. Linear cryptanalysis is used against:
a) DES
b) AES only
c) SHA
d) MD5
Answer: a
49. DES was standardized by:
a) IEEE
b) ISO
c) NIST
d) IETF
Answer: c
50. DES is now considered:
a) Highly secure
b) Weak due to small key size
c) Unbreakable
d) Public key algorithm
Answer: b
Week 3
Q1. An LFSR of length m consists of
a) m bytes
b) m stages storing one bit each
c) m keys
d) m blocks
Answer: b) m stages storing one bit each
Explanation:
An LFSR (Linear Feedback Shift Register) has m stages, and each stage stores
exactly one bit. At every clock pulse, the bits shift and a new bit is generated
using XOR of selected taps. That is why it is used to generate pseudorandom
bit sequences.
Q2. In an LFSR, the feedback value is computed using
a) Normal addition
b) AND operation
c) XOR (addition modulo 2)
d) Subtraction
Answer: c) XOR (addition modulo 2)
Explanation:
The feedback is calculated using addition modulo 2, which is the same as XOR.
In modulo 2 arithmetic:
0+0=0
1+0=1
1+1=0
So LFSR feedback is always computed using XOR of selected bits.
Q3. A prime number is
a) Any number greater than 1
b) A number divisible by 2
c) An integer greater than 1 with exactly two positive divisors
d) Any odd number
Answer: c) An integer greater than 1 with exactly two positive divisors
Explanation:
A prime number has only two divisors: 1 and itself.
Example: 7 → divisors are 1 and 7 only.
If a number has more than two divisors, it is composite.
Q4. Why is 1 neither prime nor composite?
a) It has only one divisor
b) It is even
c) It is negative
d) It is odd
Answer: a) It has only one divisor
Explanation:
A prime number must have exactly two divisors.
1 has only one divisor (itself).
So it does not satisfy prime definition and is also not composite.
Q5. The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic states that
a) Every number is prime
b) Every integer ≥ 2 can be uniquely expressed as product of primes
c) Only even numbers are composite
d) All numbers are multiples of 2
Answer: b) Every integer ≥ 2 can be uniquely expressed as product of primes
Explanation:
Every integer greater than or equal to 2 can be written as a product of prime
numbers, and this factorization is unique (except for order).
Example:
12 = 2 × 2 × 3
This is very important in cryptography.
Q6. gcd(a, b) represents
a) Smallest common divisor
b) Largest common divisor
c) Product of a and b
d) Difference of a and b
Answer: b) Largest common divisor
Explanation:
The greatest common divisor (GCD) is the largest number that divides both a
and b without remainder.
Example:
gcd(12,18) = 6
Because 6 is the largest number dividing both.
Q7. If gcd(a, b) = 1, then a and b are called
a) Equal
b) Prime
c) Relatively prime (co-prime)
d) Composite
Answer: c) Relatively prime (co-prime)
Explanation:
If gcd(a,b)=1, it means they share no common factors except 1.
They may not be prime individually, but together they are co-prime.
Example: 8 and 15 → gcd = 1 → co-prime.
Q8. The expression n ≡ r (mod m) means
a) n = r
b) n and r give same remainder when divided by m
c) n is divisible by m
d) r is divisible by n
Answer: b) n and r give same remainder when divided by m
Explanation:
n ≡ r (mod m) means when n and r are divided by m, both leave the same
remainder.
Example:
17 ≡ 2 (mod 5)
Because 17 ÷ 5 leaves remainder 2.
Q9. The set Zm contains
a) All integers
b) {0,1,2,…,m−1}
c) Only primes
d) Only even numbers
Answer: b) {0,1,2,…,m−1}
Explanation:
Zm represents integers modulo m.
So possible remainders are from 0 to m−1.
Example:
Z5 = {0,1,2,3,4}
Q10. A number a has multiplicative inverse modulo m if
a) a < m
b) a is prime
c) gcd(a,m) = 1
d) m is even
Answer: c) gcd(a,m) = 1
Explanation:
A multiplicative inverse exists only if a and m are co-prime.
That means gcd(a,m)=1.
Otherwise inverse does not exist.
Q11. In a group, identity element is a number that
a) Changes every element
b) Leaves elements unchanged under operation
c) Is always 1
d) Is always 0
Answer: b) Leaves elements unchanged
Explanation:
Identity element e satisfies:
a·e=a
For addition → identity is 0
For multiplication → identity is 1
Q12. A group is called Abelian if
a) It has identity
b) It has inverse
c) Operation is commutative
d) It is finite
Answer: c) Operation is commutative
Explanation:
If a · b = b · a for all elements, the group is Abelian (commutative).
Example: Integers under addition.
Q13. A cyclic group is generated by
a) Two elements
b) Identity element
c) One element
d) All elements
Answer: c) One element
Explanation:
If every element of group can be written as powers (or multiples) of one
element, that element is called generator, and group is cyclic.
Q14. The order of a group is
a) Identity element
b) Number of elements in group
c) Generator
d) Operation
Answer: b) Number of elements in group
Explanation:
Order means total number of elements in the group.
If finite → finite group
If infinite → infinite group
Q15. In a ring, distributive property means
a) a + b = b + a
b) a(b+c) = ab + ac
c) a = b
d) ab = ba always
Answer: b) a(b+c) = ab + ac
Explanation:
Ring requires multiplication to distribute over addition.
This is essential for algebraic structure.
Q16. An integral domain is a ring that
a) Has zero divisors
b) Has no zero divisors
c) Has no identity
d) Has no multiplication
Answer: b) Has no zero divisors
Explanation:
In integral domain:
If ab = 0 → then either a=0 or b=0.
So there are no zero divisors.
Great 👍
Here are more MCQ questions from Week-3 topics (LFSR, Number Theory,
Modular Arithmetic, Modular Inverse, Group, Ring) with:
✔ Options
✔ Correct Answer
✔ Clear and slightly detailed explanation
✅ Additional MCQs – Week 3 (Cryptography Math Background)
Q17. In an LFSR, the next bit generated depends on
a) All previous outputs
b) Selected tapped bits
c) Only first bit
d) Random number generator
Answer: b) Selected tapped bits
Explanation:
In LFSR, only certain stages are chosen as taps. Their bits are XORed (mod 2
added) to produce the next bit. Not all bits are used unless specified.
Q18. If an LFSR has m stages, the maximum possible period is
a) m
b) 2m
c) 2^m − 1
d) 2^m
Answer: c) 2^m − 1
Explanation:
An LFSR of length m can generate at most 2^m − 1 non-zero states before
repeating.
All-zero state is excluded because it keeps producing zeros.
Q19. The remainder r in division n = qm + r must satisfy
a) r > m
b) r ≥ m
c) 0 ≤ r < m
d) r ≤ 0
Answer: c) 0 ≤ r < m
Explanation:
By definition of division algorithm, the remainder must be non-negative and
less than the divisor.
Q20. The floor function ⌊x⌋ represents
a) Smallest integer ≥ x
b) Greatest integer ≤ x
c) Decimal part of x
d) Square root
Answer: b) Greatest integer ≤ x
Explanation:
Example: ⌊3.7⌋ = 3.
Floor function gives the largest integer less than or equal to x.
Q21. The ceiling function ⌈x⌉ represents
a) Greatest integer ≤ x
b) Smallest integer ≥ x
c) Absolute value
d) Modulus
Answer: b) Smallest integer ≥ x
Explanation:
Example: ⌈3.2⌉ = 4.
Ceiling function gives the smallest integer greater than or equal to x.
Q22. Euclid’s algorithm is based on the property
a) gcd(a,b) = gcd(a−b, b)
b) gcd(a,b) = gcd(b, a mod b)
c) gcd(a,b) = a+b
d) gcd(a,b) = ab
Answer: b) gcd(a,b) = gcd(b, a mod b)
Explanation:
Euclid’s algorithm repeatedly replaces (a,b) with (b, a mod b) until remainder
becomes 0.
Q23. In modular arithmetic, two numbers are congruent if
a) They are equal
b) Their difference is divisible by modulus
c) They are prime
d) They are multiples of 2
Answer: b) Their difference is divisible by modulus
Explanation:
n ≡ r (mod m) means
m divides (n − r).
So their difference must be a multiple of m.
Q24. If 25 ≡ x (mod 7), then x equals
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
Answer: c) 4
Explanation:
25 ÷ 7 = 3 remainder 4.
So 25 ≡ 4 (mod 7).
Q25. The multiplicative inverse of 3 mod 7 is
a) 2
b) 3
c) 5
d) 6
Answer: c) 5
Explanation:
We need number x such that:
3x ≡ 1 (mod 7)
3 × 5 = 15
15 mod 7 = 1
So inverse is 5.
Q26. In Z6, which element has no multiplicative inverse?
a) 1
b) 5
c) 3
d) 5
Answer: c) 3
Explanation:
An element has inverse only if gcd(a,6)=1.
gcd(3,6)=3 ≠ 1 → no inverse.
Q27. Closure property in a group means
a) a + b is always zero
b) a + b belongs to the group
c) a = b
d) a − b
Answer: b) a + b belongs to the group
Explanation:
Closure means performing the group operation on any two elements gives
another element in same group.
Q28. Associativity means
a) a + b = b + a
b) (a + b) + c = a + (b + c)
c) a = b
d) a + 0 = a
Answer: b) (a + b) + c = a + (b + c)
Explanation:
Associativity changes grouping, not order.
It is required in all groups.
Q29. A cyclic group is always
a) Non-abelian
b) Abelian
c) Infinite
d) Prime
Answer: b) Abelian
Explanation:
Every cyclic group is automatically commutative (Abelian).
Q30. In a ring, addition forms
a) A group
b) An abelian group
c) A cyclic group
d) A field
Answer: b) An abelian group
Explanation:
In a ring, addition must satisfy all group axioms plus commutativity.
Q31. If ab = 0 in an integral domain, then
a) a = 0 only
b) b = 0 only
c) Either a = 0 or b = 0
d) Both non-zero
Answer: c) Either a = 0 or b = 0
Explanation:
Integral domain has no zero divisors.
So product zero implies one factor is zero.
Q32. The identity element in multiplicative group mod p (p prime) is
a) 0
b) 1
c) p
d) p−1
Answer: b) 1
Explanation:
Multiplicative identity always equals 1 since:
a × 1 = a.
Q33. In Z5, how many elements are there?
a) 4
b) 5
c) 6
d) Infinite
Answer: b) 5
Explanation:
Z5 = {0,1,2,3,4}.
Total 5 elements.
Q34. The inverse of 4 mod 5 is
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 1
Answer: c) 4
Explanation:
4 × 4 = 16
16 mod 5 = 1
So inverse of 4 is 4.
Q35. If a group has finite number of elements, it is called
a) Abelian group
b) Finite group
c) Cyclic group
d) Ring
Answer: b) Finite group
Explanation:
If total number of elements is finite → finite group.
Otherwise infinite group.
🔹 11. If ( \gcd(a,m) \neq 1 ), then Euler’s theorem:
(a) Still holds
(b) Never holds
(c) May not hold
(d) Becomes Fermat’s theorem
✅ Answer: (c)
Explanation: Euler’s theorem requires ( \gcd(a,m)=1 ). Otherwise it is not
guaranteed.
🔹 12. ( \phi(10) = )
(a) 2
(b) 4
(c) 5
(d) 8
✅ Answer: (b)
Explanation:
10 = 2 × 5
[
\phi(10)=10\left(1-\frac12\right)\left(1-\frac15\right)=10×\frac12×\
frac45=4
]
🔹 13. If (p) and (q) are primes, then:
[
\phi(pq) =
]
(a) (pq)
(b) (p+q)
(c) ((p-1)(q-1))
(d) (pq-1)
✅ Answer: (c)
Explanation: For distinct primes,
[
\phi(pq)=\phi(p)\phi(q)=(p-1)(q-1)
]
🔹 14. The multiplicative inverse of (a) mod (m) exists if:
(a) (a<m)
(b) (a>m)
(c) ( \gcd(a,m)=1 )
(d) (m) is prime
✅ Answer: (c)
Explanation: Inverse exists only when (a) and (m) are coprime.
🔹 15. In ( \mathbb{Z}_7 ), the inverse of 3 is:
(a) 2
(b) 4
(c) 5
(d) 6
✅ Answer: (c)
Explanation:
[
3×5=15 \equiv 1 \pmod7
]
🔹 16. Number of quadratic residues modulo prime (p):
(a) (p)
(b) (p-1)
(c) ( \frac{p-1}{2} )
(d) ( \frac{p+1}{2} )
✅ Answer: (c)
Explanation: Squares repeat in pairs (x^2=(-x)^2).
🔹 17. In polynomial arithmetic over ( \mathbb{Z}_5 ), coefficients are taken
from:
(a) Integers
(b) Real numbers
(c) ( {0,1,2,3,4} )
(d) Rational numbers
✅ Answer: (c)
Explanation: ( \mathbb{Z}_5 = {0,1,2,3,4} ).
🔹 18. A constant polynomial has degree:
(a) 0
(b) 1
(c) -1
(d) Depends on coefficient
✅ Answer: (a)
Explanation: Any non-zero constant polynomial has degree 0.
🔹 19. The order of (GF(p^n)) is:
(a) (p+n)
(b) (p^n)
(c) (pn)
(d) (n^p)
✅ Answer: (b)
Explanation: A finite field has order equal to a power of a prime.
🔹 20. In (GF(2)), the elements are:
(a) {0,1}
(b) {0,1,2}
(c) {1,2}
(d) {0,2}
✅ Answer: (a)
Explanation: (GF(2)) is binary field.
🔹 21. If (a \equiv b \pmod m), then:
(a) (m | (a+b))
(b) (m | (a-b))
(c) (m | ab)
(d) None
✅ Answer: (b)
Explanation: By definition, (a-b) is divisible by (m).
🔹 22. The gcd of two numbers can be efficiently computed using:
(a) Fermat’s theorem
(b) Euler’s theorem
(c) Euclid’s algorithm
(d) Wilson’s theorem
✅ Answer: (c)
Explanation: Euclid’s algorithm finds gcd.
🔹 23. If degree of (f(x)=4) and (g(x)=3), then degree of (f(x)g(x)):
(a) 7
(b) 12
(c) 1
(d) 4
✅ Answer: (a)
Explanation: Add degrees → 4+3=7.
🔹 24. In modular arithmetic, subtraction is:
(a) Not allowed
(b) Same as addition of inverse
(c) Always zero
(d) Impossible
✅ Answer: (b)
Explanation:
[
a-b \equiv a+(-b) \pmod m
]
🔹 25. An irreducible polynomial over a field is analogous to:
(a) Even number
(b) Prime number
(c) Composite number
(d) Rational number
✅ Answer: (b)
Explanation: Irreducible polynomial behaves like prime in integers.