Exam Prep: Prelims & Finals

Your CP1 prelim covers the first three lessons of this subject — nothing more:

• Lesson 1: Programming Concepts — hardware vs. software, the five-step programming process, syntax vs. logic errors, flowcharts, pseudocode
• Lesson 2: Introduction to C — history, compilation, identifiers, data types, variables, constants, operators, precedence
• Lesson 3: Input/Output and Program Structure — printf, scanf, format specifiers, escape sequences, conio.h functions, the anatomy of a C program

How a Typical CP1 Prelim Is Built

The Memorize List (Non-Negotiable)

If it is in a table in the lessons, it is fair game. Before the exam you should be able to write these from memory:

• Flowchart symbols: oval = terminal, parallelogram = input/output, rectangle = process, diamond = decision, arrow = flow line, circle = connector
• Five steps of programming, in order: define → design → code → test → document
• Format specifiers: %c char, %d decimal integer, %f float, %lf double, %e scientific, %s string
• Escape sequences: \n newline, \t tab, \\ backslash, \" double quote, \' single quote, \a bell
• Data types and sizes: char 1 byte, short int 2 bytes (−32,768 to +32,767), int 4 bytes, float 4 bytes, double 8 bytes, void no value
• Identifier rules: starts with a letter or _; then letters, digits, _; no spaces or hyphens; case-sensitive; never a keyword
• Precedence ladder: ! ++ -- then * / % then + - then < <= > >= then == != then && then || then ? : then assignment
• C history: BCPL (Martin Richards, 1967) → B (Ken Thompson, 1970, typeless) → C (Dennis Ritchie, 1972, Bell Labs) → Turbo C (Borland, 1987)

Top Mistakes That Cost Prelim Points

1. Writing 1.5 for 3/2 — integer division truncates to 1.
2. Forgetting & in scanf("%d", &num); on fill-in-the-blank items.
3. Calling integer a keyword — the keyword is int; integer is a valid identifier.
4. Pairing the wrong flowchart shape (parallelogram is I/O, not process).
5. Ignoring field widths — %5d questions are graded space by space.

7-Day Study Plan

Light review the night before, sleep, and bring two pens. Kaya mo 'yan — the prelim is the most predictable exam of the semester.

Answer all 15 on paper before scrolling to the key. Target: 20 minutes, closed notes. Scope: Lessons 1–3 only.

Items

1. Which flowchart symbol represents a decision? a) rectangle b) parallelogram c) diamond d) oval
2. TRUE or FALSE: A syntax error is caught during compilation.
3. Who designed the C language at AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1972? a) Ken Thompson b) Dennis Ritchie c) Martin Richards d) Borland
4. Which identifier is INVALID? a) _count b) qty_sold c) 2ndYear d) Rating
5. Evaluate: 11 / 2 = ______
6. Evaluate: 11 % 2 = ______
7. Which format specifier reads a double with scanf? a) %d b) %f c) %lf d) %e
8. Write the exact output (mark spaces): printf("%5d", 42);
9. TRUE or FALSE: int and integer are both C keywords.
10. Fill in the missing character: scanf("%d", ___num);
11. Which escape sequence prints a tab?
12. After x = 10; y = x++; what are the values of y and x?
13. Name the three fundamental control structures that can build any program logic.
14. What data type is the constant 'A'?
15. Evaluate: 2 + 3 * 4 % 5 = ______

Answer Key

1. c) diamond — the diamond is the decision symbol; the rectangle is process, the parallelogram is I/O.
2. TRUE — syntax errors break language rules and the compiler catches them; only testing catches logic errors.
3. b) Dennis Ritchie — Thompson made B (1970), Richards made BCPL (1967), Borland made Turbo C (1987).
4. c) 2ndYear — identifiers cannot start with a digit; the rest are all legal.
5. 5 — integer division truncates; there is no 5.5 in int math.
6. 1 — modulus gives the remainder of 11 ÷ 2.
7. c) %lf — %f is for float; a double in scanf needs %lf.
8. 42 — three spaces then 42: %5d right-justifies the number in a field of width 5.
9. FALSE — int is a keyword; integer is not (it is actually a valid identifier).
10. & — scanf needs the address-of operator before a plain variable.
11. \t — backslash-t; \n is newline, \a is the bell.
12. y = 10, x = 11 — postfix x++ hands over the old value first, then increments.
13. Sequence, selection, repetition — per Lesson 1, these three are sufficient for any logic.
14. char — single quotes mean a single character; "A" in double quotes would be a string.
15. 4 — * and % share the same level, left to right: 3*4=12, 12%5=2, then 2+2=4.

Scored 12 or better? You are on track. Below that, redo the lesson the missed items came from before trying a full mock. The four full 30-item mock exams below — two prelim and two final, each with a fully explained answer key — are included when you unlock this subject.