Final score: 29/60
Missed topics breakdown
1.4 Identifying and Correcting Errors (25%)
Reason for Mistakes: Misunderstanding common error messages or debugging strategies. Overlooking small syntax or logic errors in the code.
How to Improve: Practice debugging using tools in your programming environment. Focus on reading error messages carefully to identify the root cause. Use step-by-step debugging techniques like adding print statements or using a debugger.
2.2 Data Compression (33%)
Reason for Mistakes: Difficulty understanding how data compression algorithms work. Confusion with interpreting compression ratio or efficiency.
How to Improve: Study examples of data compression techniques (e.g., Huffman encoding). Practice calculating compression ratios and understanding how data is transformed. Review scenarios where compression is used and its trade-offs.
3.5 Boolean Expressions (33%) Reason for Mistakes: Misinterpreting how Boolean logic works (e.g., AND, OR, NOT). Errors in truth table evaluations or simplifying Boolean expressions.
How to Improve: Practice building and evaluating truth tables. Use visualization tools to understand Boolean logic better. Work on problems involving conditional logic and edge cases.
3.12 Calling Procedures (40%)
Reason for Mistakes: Misunderstanding how functions or procedures are invoked. Confusion about arguments, parameters, or return values.
How to Improve: Write and test small functions to understand how arguments are passed. Practice tracing through code to see how procedures interact with variables. Focus on understanding the difference between local and global scope.
3.15 Random Values (0%)
Reason for Mistakes: Lack of familiarity with how random values are generated or used in programs. Difficulty in understanding the concept of randomness and its implementation in code.
How to Improve: Practice using random number generation functions in your programming language. Study examples of using randomness in real-world applications like games or simulations. Learn about concepts like seeding and how randomness is controlled.
3.16 Simulations (50%)
Reason for Mistakes: Struggling to model real-world scenarios using code. Errors in interpreting simulation outputs or assumptions.
How to Improve: Work through examples of simulations, such as predicting outcomes or modeling behavior. Focus on understanding the inputs, processes, and outputs of a simulation. Break down simulation problems into smaller, manageable parts.
3.17 Algorithmic Efficiency (0%)
Reason for Mistakes: Lack of understanding of time complexity (e.g., Big O notation). Difficulty comparing the efficiency of different algorithms.
How to Improve: Study common algorithms and their time complexities. Practice analyzing code to determine its efficiency. Solve problems where you compare multiple solutions for performance.
3.18 Undecidable Problems (0%)
Reason for Mistakes: Misunderstanding what makes a problem undecidable. Confusion with theoretical computer science concepts.
How to Improve: Learn examples of undecidable problems, like the Halting Problem. Focus on understanding the limits of computation. Use study resources or videos to reinforce theoretical concepts.
3.10 Lists (0%)
Reason for Mistakes: Struggling with list indexing, operations, or iteration through lists. Errors in applying list methods or manipulating data structures.
How to Improve: Practice creating, modifying, and accessing lists in your programming language. Work on problems that involve sorting, searching, and filtering lists. Learn common list methods and their applications.
Corrections
1) The code segment below is intended to swap the values of the variables first and second using a temporary variable, temp.
The block code consists of 3 lines. Line 1: temp, left arrow, first Line 2: first, left arrow, second Line 3: MISSING CODE
Which of the following can be used to replace missing code so that the code segment works as intended?
Answer: temp <- second Correct answer: second <- temp
2) Which of the following best describes one of the benefits of using an iterative and incremental process of program development?
Answer: It allows programmers to implement algorithmic solutions to otherwise unsolvable problems. Correct answer: It helps programmers identify errors as components are added to a working program.
3) A spinner is divided into three sections. The sector labeled Red is four times as large as each of the sectors labeled Blue and Yellow, which are of equal size.
The figure shows a spinner divided into 3 sections. The sector labeled Red is 4 times as large as each of the sectors labeled Blue and Yellow, which are of equal size.
The procedure below is intended to simulate the behavior of the spinner.
Which of the following can be used to replace missing code so that the procedure correctly simulates the spinner?
Answer: C Correct answer: D
4) A social media site allows users to send messages to each other. A group of researchers gathered user data for the first 10 years of the site’s existence. Some of the data are summarized in the table below, along with some of the company milestones.
Which of the following hypotheses is most consistent with the data in the table?
Answer: The mobile app release did not have any effect on the average number of daily messages sent per user. Correct Answer: The mobile app release led to users tending to write shorter messages.
5) Which of the following is a true statement about Internet communication?
Answer: Every device connected to the Internet is assigned a digital certificate by a certificate authority.
Correct Answer: Every device connected to the Internet is assigned an Internet protocol (IP) address.
6) A user reads reviews of a popular artist’s new album and then downloads the album from the Web site of a licensed online music seller. Which of the following is LEAST likely to be a consequence of this action?
Answer: Advertisements for the artist’s other albums will be displayed when the user visits a different Web site.
Correct Answer: The user will be in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
7) Byte pair encoding is a data encoding technique. The encoding algorithm looks for pairs of characters that appear in the string more than once and replaces each instance of that pair with a corresponding character that does not appear in the string. The algorithm saves a list containing the mapping of character pairs to their corresponding replacement characters.
For example, the string”THIS_ IS_THE_BEST_WISH” can be encoded as” %##%E_BEST_W#H
Which of the following statements about byte pair encoding is true?
Answer: Byte pair encoding is an example of a lossy transformation because it discards some of the data in the original string.
Correct Answer: Byte pair encoding is an example of a lossless transformation because an encoded string can be restored to its original version.
8) A text-editing application uses binary sequences to represent each of 200 different characters. What is the minimum number of bits needed to assign a unique bit sequence to each of the possible characters?
Answer: 6 Correct Answer: 8
9) A computer program performs the operation 2 divided by 3 and represents the result as the value 0.6666667. Which of the following best explains this result?
Answer: An overflow error occurred. Correct Answer: The precision of the result is limited due to the constraints of using a floating-point representation.
10) Internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) represents each IP address as a 32-bit binary number. Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) represents each IP address as a 128-bit binary number. Which of the following best describes the result of using 128-bit addresses instead of 32-bit addresses?
Answer: 4 times as many addresses are available. Correct Answer: 2^96 as many addresses are available.
11) A NAND gate is a type of logic gate that produces an output of false only when both of its two inputs are true. Otherwise, the gate produces an output of true. Which of the following Boolean expressions correctly models a NAND gate with inputs P and Q ?
Answer: (NOT P) and(NOT Q) Correct Answer: Not(P and Q)
12) A student wants to create an algorithm that can determine, given any program and program input, whether or not the program will go into an infinite loop for that input.
The problem the student is attempting to solve is considered an undecidable problem. Which of the following is true?
Answer: It is possible to create an algorithm that will solve the problem for all programs and inputs, but the algorithm will not run in reasonable time.
Correct Answer: It is not possible to create an algorithm that will solve the problem for all programs and inputs.
13) In public key cryptography, the sender uses the recipient’s public key to encrypt a message. Which of the following is needed to decrypt the message?
Answer: The sender’s public key Correct Answer: The recipient’s private key
14) Which of the following are true statements about how the Internet enables crowdsourcing?
I. The Internet can provide crowdsourcing participants access to useful tools, information, and professional knowledge.
II. The speed and reach of the Internet can lower geographic barriers, allowing individuals from different locations to contribute to projects.
III. Using the Internet to distribute solutions across many users allows all computational problems to be solved in reasonable time, even for very large input sizes.
Answer: I, II, and III Correct Answer: I and II only
15) Which of the following are ways in which a programmer can use abstraction to manage the complexity of a program?
Answer: Replacing several lines of documentation with a single line of documentation; Replacing the string variables name 1, name 2, name 3, name 4 with a list of strings called names
Correct Answer: Replacing each instance of repeated code with a call to a procedure; Replacing the string variables name 1, name 2, name 3, name 4 with a list of strings called names
16) Which of the following statements describe how cloud computing has affected Internet communication?
Answer: Cloud computing has eliminated the need to provide redundancy in Internet routing.; Cloud computing has helped enhance collaboration.
Correct Answer: Cloud computing has helped enhance collaboration.; Cloud computing has introduced new data-security concerns.
Analysis
Why did I make mistakes?
The errors I committed were due mostly to two fundamental problems: defects in foundational understanding and complications in problem-solving methods. For example, difficult cases include code behavior interpretation-4.B, identification and correction of errors-4.C, and algorithm implementation-2.B, which many times were the result of lack of attention to detail and difficulty managing edge cases. Similarly, errors in questions involving abstraction (3.B, 3.C), computer systems (5.A), and derivation of knowledge from data (5.B) indicate an incomplete understanding of the key concepts and their applications. In addition, difficulties with solution evaluation (1.D) and ethical considerations (5.E) emphasize inadequacies within critical thinking, as well as the capacity to consider the effect of various factors on one another. These mistakes got worse because we were in a hurry when solving problems, misunderstood what was needed, and didn’t try to break down tough problems into smaller, easier steps.
Reflection on Growth
Looking back, it is clear to me how these mistakes represent opportunities for development. In order to fill in the foundational gaps, I will review the most important concepts and practice their application through coding exercises, real-life examples, and challenges in debugging. To perform better problem-solving, I am going to slow down, investigate the tasks more carefully, and practice structured representations like pseudocode and flowcharts. Developing a systematic approach to evaluating solutions will enhance my decision-making and critical analysis. Also, reading through case studies, practicing those tough edge cases, and asking for feedback will build my improvement in understanding and doing those things.