CS3251 Programming in C Previous Year Question Papers - Anna University

UNIT I: Basics of C Programming

Part A (2 Marks)

• List the different data types available in C.
• Explain the difference between ++a and a++ (pre vs. post increment).
• What are the various types of operators in C?
• Define preprocessor directives and give two examples.
• State the importance of keywords and identifiers.

Part B (13/15 Marks)

• Describe the structure of a C program with an example.
• Explain decision-making statements (if-else, switch-case) with sample programs.
• Discuss the various looping statements (for, while, do-while).
• Explain the compilation process in C in detail.

UNIT II: Arrays and Strings

Part A (2 Marks)

• Define an array and provide its syntax.
• List the main string manipulation functions (e.g., strcpy, strlen).
• What is the difference between a one-dimensional and two-dimensional array?
• Explain the role of the null character \0 in strings.

Part B (13/15 Marks)

• Write a program to perform matrix operations like addition, multiplication, or transpose.
• Explain searching algorithms (Linear Search and Binary Search).
• Implement sorting using the Selection Sort algorithm.
• Discuss string operations like length, compare, and concatenate with examples.

UNIT III: Functions and Pointers

Part A (2 Marks)

• What is a function prototype and why is it needed?
• Define recursion and give a simple example.
• What is an address operator (&) and an indirection operator (*)?
• Differentiate between actual and formal parameters.

Part B (13/15 Marks)

• Explain parameter passing methods: Pass by Value vs. Pass by Reference with a swapping program.
• Discuss modular programming and the classification of functions based on inputs/outputs.
• Write a program for binary search using a recursive function.
• Explain pointer arithmetic and its relationship with arrays.

UNIT IV: Structures and Union

Part A (2 Marks)

• Define a structure and write its syntax.
• How do you access members of a structure?
• What is the use of typedef in C?
• Compare structures and unions in terms of memory allocation.

Part B (13/15 Marks)

• Explain nested structures and array of structures with an example program.
• Discuss dynamic memory allocation functions (malloc, calloc, realloc, free).
• Explain self-referential structures and their role in linked lists.
• Implement a Singly Linked List and its basic operations (insertion/deletion).

UNIT V: File Processing

Part A (2 Marks)

• List different file opening modes (e.g., "r", "w", "a").
• What are command line arguments?
• Define sequential access and random access in file processing.
• Explain the purpose of fseek() and ftell().

Part B (13/15 Marks)

• Explain the various file operations (open, read, write, close) in detail.
• Discuss random access file processing and the functions used to implement it.
• Write a C program to copy the contents of one file to another or process student records using files.
• Illustrate the use of argc and argv with a command-line program.

Most Repeated / High-Weight Questions

Pointer arithmetic and arrays, function parameter passing, recursion, linked lists, dynamic memory allocation, file operations, string manipulation, matrix operations.