FC0-U71 practice question 14 of 25

Which of the following refers to a human-readable program?

Full set: 171 questions

Domain Technology Fundamentals

Answer options
A: Branch
B: Sequence
C: Object-oriented
D: Pseudocode Correct answer
Correct Answer:
D. Pseudocode
Explanation

Pseudocode is a high-level, informal description of the operating principle of a computer program or algorithm. It uses the structural conventions of a programming language but is intended for human reading rather than machine compilation or interpretation. Its purpose is to allow programmers and designers to conceptualize and communicate the logic of a program in a clear, language-agnostic, and human-readable format before writing the actual code.

Why Incorrect

A. Branch: This is a control flow construct (e.g., an if-then-else statement) that directs the execution path of a program based on a condition, not a human-readable program itself.
B. Sequence: This refers to the fundamental control structure where program instructions are executed in a linear, ordered manner, one after the other. It is a concept within a program, not the program's representation.
C. Object-oriented: This is a programming paradigm based on the concept of "objects," which can contain data and code. It is a method for structuring a program, not a human-readable version of it.

References

1. Schneider, G. M., & Gersting, J. L. (2018). Invitation to Computer Science (8th ed.). Cengage Learning. In Chapter 5, "Introduction to Algorithms," pseudocode is defined as "a set of English-language constructs designed to resemble statements in a programming language but that do not actually run on a computer" (p. 178). The same chapter defines sequential and conditional (branching) operations (pp. 174-175).

2. Guttag, J. V. (2016). Introduction to Computation and Programming Using Python, With Application to Understanding Data (2nd ed.). MIT Press. This book, used in MIT's 6.0001 course, describes branching programs (Chapter 3.1, p. 37) and object-oriented programming (Chapter 8, p. 121), distinguishing them as programming constructs and paradigms, respectively, rather than human-readable descriptions.

3. Brookshear, J. G., & Brylow, D. (2019). Computer Science: An Overview (13th ed.). Pearson. Chapter 5, "Algorithms," states, "In order to communicate algorithms, we need a way of representing them... we use a notation called pseudocode" (p. 219). It emphasizes that pseudocode is a "notational system in which ideas can be expressed informally."

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