Structured Programming in C 2023 Board Question Paper

Definition of Object Code

Object code is the low-level, machine-readable binary representation (sequence of instructions in 0s and 1s) produced by a language translator—such as a C compiler or assembler—from high-level human-readable source code.

Key Aspects:

• In C, compilation generates an intermediate object file with extension .obj (on Windows) or .o (on UNIX/Linux).
• Object code is not yet fully executable on its own because external library function references (e.g., printf, sqrt) remain unresolved until the linker links it with runtime libraries to produce the final executable (.exe).

Rules to Define a Variable Name in C

An identifier or variable name in C must adhere to the following naming conventions:

1. Permitted Characters: Can consist solely of letters (A-Z, a-z), digits (0-9), and the underscore (_) character.
2. First Character Rule: Must begin with an alphabetical letter or an underscore. It cannot begin with a digit (e.g., 1count is invalid; count1 is valid).
3. No Special Symbols: Spaces and special characters (@, $, #, -, %) are strictly disallowed.
4. Keywords Reserved: Cannot be any of C’s 32 reserved keywords (e.g., int, while, return cannot be variable names).
5. Case Sensitivity: C is case-sensitive (total, Total, and TOTAL denote three distinct variables).

Is printf() Formatted or Unformatted I/O? Justification

printf() is a formatted I/O function.

Justification:

1. Format Specifiers: printf() accepts a formatting string containing conversion specifications (e.g., %d, %f, %s, %c, %x). It actively parses these specifiers and converts internal binary data representations into human-readable formatted character strings.
2. Layout Control: It supports field widths, precision specifiers, padding zeroes, and alignment flags (e.g., printf("%10.2f", num)).
3. Contrast with Unformatted I/O: Unformatted functions (such as putchar(), puts(), and write()) simply transmit raw, uninterpreted byte sequences without conversion or string formatting.

Implicit Type Conversion in C

Implicit type conversion (also termed type coercion or automatic type conversion) is the automatic conversion of a variable of one data type into another data type performed directly by the C compiler without explicit programmer intervention.

Rules & Promotion Hierarchy:

The compiler converts lower-rank types into higher-rank types in expressions to prevent loss of precision:

$$\text{char, short} \longrightarrow \text{int} \longrightarrow \text{unsigned int} \longrightarrow \text{long} \longrightarrow \text{float} \longrightarrow \text{double} \longrightarrow \text{long double}$$

Example:

int a = 5;
float b = 2.5;
float result = a + b; // 'a' is automatically converted to float 5.0; result is 7.5

Purpose of the exit() Function in C

The exit() function, declared in <stdlib.h>, is used to immediately terminate the execution of the entire calling process/program from any point, returning control back to the operating system.

Key Functions:

1. Immediate Termination: Bypasses remaining code and returns immediately, even from deeply nested functions.
2. Resource Cleanup: Flushes all unwritten buffered output streams, closes all open file pointers, and removes temporary files created by tmpfile().
3. Exit Status Code: Returns a status code to the operating system:
   • exit(0) or exit(EXIT_SUCCESS): Normal successful program termination.
   • exit(1) or exit(EXIT_FAILURE): Abnormal termination due to an error (e.g., file not found, out of memory).

Definition of Null Character in C

The null character is an escape sequence denoted by '\0' in C, having an ASCII numerical value of 0.

Significance:

1. String Delimiter: Serves as the universal sentinel marker denoting the end of a character sequence (string) in memory.
2. Buffer Traversal: Enables functions like printf("%s"), strlen(), and strcpy() to loop through memory until *ptr == '\0' without needing to pass an explicit array length.
3. Distinction: Differs fundamentally from the character digit '0' (ASCII 48) and the NULL pointer ((void*)0).

How Compiler Determines the Lifetime of a Variable

The C compiler determines the lifetime (duration of memory retention) of a variable based on its storage class and the scope of its declaration:

1. Automatic Storage Class (auto):
   • Default for variables declared inside a block or function.
   • Lifetime: Allocated on the call stack when the block is entered, and automatically deallocated when the block exits.
2. Static Storage Class (static):
   • Variables declared with the static keyword or declared globally outside functions.
   • Lifetime: Allocated in the data segment at program startup and persists throughout the entire program execution.
3. Dynamic Storage (Heap Allocation):
   • Memory allocated via malloc(), calloc(), or realloc().
   • Lifetime: Managed dynamically by the programmer; persists until explicitly released via free() or program exit.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Pointers in C

One Major Advantage:

• Dynamic Memory Management & Pass by Reference: Pointers enable dynamic runtime memory allocation on the heap (malloc) and allow functions to directly modify the caller’s variables through pass-by-reference without the overhead of copying large arrays or structures.

One Major Disadvantage:

• Risk of Memory Corruption & Bugs: Improper pointer manipulation can lead to severe runtime faults including segmentation faults, dangling pointers (pointing to freed memory), wild pointers (uninitialized), and memory leaks.

When to Prefer Union Over Structure

A union is preferred over a structure when a program requires a variable that can hold different data types at different times, but only one member will ever be stored at any given moment, thereby drastically conserving memory.

Explanation:

• A structure allocates separate memory for each member (total size = sum of member sizes + padding).
• A union allocates a single shared memory block equal to the size of its largest member; all members share the exact same starting address.

Example:

union HardwareValue {
    int intVal;       // 4 bytes
    float floatVal;   // 4 bytes
    char charVal;     // 1 byte
};
// Size of union is 4 bytes, compared to 9+ bytes in a struct.

Difference Between Append Mode (“a”) and Write Mode (“w”) in File Handling

Flowchart to Find the Smallest Among Three Integers

                 [ START ]
                     |
                     v
             [ Input A, B, C ]
                     |
                     v
             /               \
            /     A < B ?     \
           /                   \
        (YES)                 (NO)
         /                       \
        v                         v
  /           \             /           \
 /   A < C ?   \           /   B < C ?   \
(YES)        (NO)        (YES)        (NO)
  |            |           |            |
  v            v           v            v
[Print A]  [Print C]   [Print B]   [Print C]
  \            /           \            /
   \          /             \          /
    +--------+---------------+--------+
                     |
                     v
                  [ STOP ]

Logic:

1. Compare (A) with (B). If (A < B), compare (A) with (C); if (A < C), (A) is smallest; otherwise (C) is smallest.
2. If (A \ge B), compare (B) with (C); if (B < C), (B) is smallest; otherwise (C) is smallest.

Data Types in C Programming and Their Usage

C provides a rich type system categorized into three main families:

1. Fundamental (Primitive) Data Types:

• int (Integer): Stores whole numbers without fractional parts (e.g., int age = 21;, typically 4 bytes, range (-2^{31}) to (2^{31}-1)).
• float (Floating-Point): Stores single-precision real numbers with decimals (e.g., float gpa = 3.75f;, 4 bytes, ~6-7 decimal digits precision).
• double (Double Precision): Stores high-precision floating numbers (e.g., double pi = 3.1415926535;, 8 bytes, ~15 decimal digits precision).
• char (Character): Stores single ASCII characters enclosed in single quotes (e.g., char grade = 'A';, 1 byte, range -128 to 127).
• void (Empty Type): Denotes the absence of a value or generic untyped pointer (void*).

2. Derived Data Types:

• Arrays: Collections of homogeneous elements (e.g., int marks[5];).
• Pointers: Variables that hold memory addresses (e.g., int *ptr;).
• Functions: Subroutines with specific return types and parameter lists.

3. User-Defined Data Types:

• struct: Heterogeneous grouping of related attributes.
• union: Memory-sharing type for mutually exclusive fields.
• enum: Enumerated named integer constants.

Escape Sequences and Delimiters in C

1. Escape Sequences:

An escape sequence is a character combination consisting of a backslash (\) followed by a letter or digits. It represents non-printable, control, or special characters in character/string literals.

• Significance: Allows programmers to format terminal output, control cursor movement, and include quotation marks within strings.
• Common Examples:
  • \n : Newline (moves cursor to next line).
  • \t : Horizontal tab (indents by tab stops).
  • \\ : Backslash literal.
  • \" : Double quotation mark literal within a string.

printf("Paper Khoj:\tArchiving Past Papers\nPrice:\t\"Rs. 0 (Free)\"\n");

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2. Delimiters:

A delimiter is a character or sequence of characters that separates independent lexical tokens (words, statements, expressions, data values).

• Significance: The compiler and runtime scanners use delimiters to parse statements and separate distinct fields in input streams.
• Common Examples in C:
  • Semicolon (;): Statement delimiter / terminator.
  • Comma (,): Separates arguments, variable declarations, and array elements.
  • Braces ({ and }): Delimits functional and structural code blocks.
  • Whitespace (Space, Tab, Newline): Separates adjacent tokens in C and values in scanf("%d %d", &a, &b).

Pointer Arithmetic in C with Example

In C, arithmetic operations on pointers do not behave like standard integer addition. Instead, pointer arithmetic is scaled automatically by the size of the data type to which the pointer points.

Allowed Operations:

1. Adding an integer to a pointer (ptr + n advances by (n \times \text{sizeof}(*\text{ptr})) bytes).
2. Subtracting an integer from a pointer (ptr - n).
3. Subtracting two pointers of the same type (ptr2 - ptr1 yields the number of elements between them).
4. Increment (ptr++) and Decrement (ptr--).

Illustrative Program:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int arr[] = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50};
    int *ptr = arr; // points to arr[0]

    printf("=== Pointer Arithmetic Demonstration ===\n");
    printf("Initial Address of ptr (&arr[0]) : %p | Value: %d\n", (void*)ptr, *ptr);

    // Increment pointer
    ptr++; // advances by sizeof(int) = 4 bytes
    printf("After ptr++        (&arr[1]) : %p | Value: %d\n", (void*)ptr, *ptr);

    // Adding integer offset
    ptr = ptr + 2; // points to arr[3]
    printf("After ptr + 2      (&arr[3]) : %p | Value: %d\n", (void*)ptr, *ptr);

    return 0;
}

Program: Structure “mobile” and Price Filter (> 10,000)

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

// Define structure Mobile
struct mobile {
    char model[50];
    float price;
};

int main() {
    int n, i;
    printf("=== Mobile Phones Directory ===\n");
    printf("Enter number of mobiles: ");
    if (scanf("%d", &n) != 1 || n <= 0) {
        printf("Invalid input count!\n");
        return 1;
    }

    struct mobile m[n];

    for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
        printf("\nEnter details for Mobile #%d:\n", i + 1);
        printf("  Model Name: ");
        scanf("%s", m[i].model);
        printf("  Price (Rs.): ");
        scanf("%f", &m[i].price);
    }

    printf("\n===========================================\n");
    printf("Mobiles with Price > Rs. 10,000:\n");
    printf("===========================================\n");
    int found = 0;
    for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
        if (m[i].price > 10000.0f) {
            printf("Model: %-20s | Price: Rs. %.2f\n", m[i].model, m[i].price);
            found = 1;
        }
    }

    if (!found) {
        printf("No mobiles found with price exceeding Rs. 10,000.\n");
    }
    printf("===========================================\n");

    return 0;
}

Program: Copy Contents of One File to Another File

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main() {
    char sourceFile[100], destFile[100];
    FILE *fSource, *fDest;
    int ch;

    printf("=== File Copy Utility in C ===\n");
    printf("Enter source filename: ");
    scanf("%s", sourceFile);
    printf("Enter destination filename: ");
    scanf("%s", destFile);

    // Open source file in read mode
    fSource = fopen(sourceFile, "r");
    if (fSource == NULL) {
        printf("Error: Could not open source file '%s'!\n", sourceFile);
        return 1;
    }

    // Open destination file in write mode
    fDest = fopen(destFile, "w");
    if (fDest == NULL) {
        printf("Error: Could not create destination file '%s'!\n", destFile);
        fclose(fSource);
        return 1;
    }

    // Read character-by-character until EOF and write to destination
    while ((ch = fgetc(fSource)) != EOF) {
        fputc(ch, fDest);
    }

    printf("\nSuccessfully copied content from '%s' to '%s'.\n", sourceFile, destFile);

    fclose(fSource);
    fclose(fDest);
    return 0;
}

Key Steps:

1. fgetc(fSource) reads bytes sequentially until EOF.
2. fputc(ch, fDest) writes each character into the destination file.
3. fclose() commits data and flushes buffers.

Program: Sum of Digits of an Integer Using Recursion

#include <stdio.h>

// Recursive function to calculate sum of digits
int sumOfDigits(int n) {
    // Base case: when number reduces to 0
    if (n == 0) {
        return 0;
    }
    // Recursive case: last digit (n % 10) + sum of remaining digits (n / 10)
    return (n % 10) + sumOfDigits(n / 10);
}

int main() {
    int num, result;

    printf("=== Sum of Digits (Recursive) ===\n");
    printf("Enter an integer: ");
    if (scanf("%d", &num) != 1) {
        printf("Invalid input!\n");
        return 1;
    }

    // Handle negative integers by taking absolute value
    int temp = (num < 0) ? -num : num;

    result = sumOfDigits(temp);

    printf("Input: %d -> Sum of Digits: %d\n", num, result);

    return 0;
}

Execution Trace for input = 123:

• sumOfDigits(123) = (123 % 10) + sumOfDigits(12) = (3) + sumOfDigits(12)
• sumOfDigits(12) = (12 % 10) + sumOfDigits(1) = (2) + sumOfDigits(1)
• sumOfDigits(1) = (1 % 10) + sumOfDigits(0) = (1) + (0) = (1)
• Total unwind: (1 + 2 + 3 = 6).

Drawing a Rectangle in C Graphics

In C graphics (<graphics.h>), a rectangle is drawn using the rectangle() function.

Syntax:

void rectangle(int left, int top, int right, int bottom);

• left: X-coordinate of top-left corner.
• top: Y-coordinate of top-left corner.
• right: X-coordinate of bottom-right corner.
• bottom: Y-coordinate of bottom-right corner.

Complete Program:

#include <graphics.h>
#include <conio.h>
#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int gd = DETECT, gm;

    // Initialize graphics mode
    initgraph(&gd, &gm, "C:\\Turboc3\\BGI");

    // Optional styling
    setcolor(YELLOW);

    // Draw rectangle from (100, 100) to (400, 250)
    rectangle(100, 100, 400, 250);

    outtextxy(120, 120, "Tribhuvan University - BITM Graphics");

    getch();        // Wait for user keystroke
    closegraph();   // Deallocate graphics screen memory
    return 0;
}

Four Storage Classes in C with Examples

A storage class defines the scope, visibility, initial value, and lifetime of a variable:

Code Demonstrations:

#include <stdio.h>

// 1. External (Global)
int globalCount = 100;

void demo() {
    // 2. Automatic (local stack)
    auto int a = 10;

    // 3. Static (retains value across calls)
    static int s = 0;
    s++;

    // 4. Register (hint to CPU for fast loop index)
    register int i;

    printf("a = %d, static s = %d\n", a, s);
}

int main() {
    demo(); // a = 10, s = 1
    demo(); // a = 10, s = 2
    return 0;
}

Program: Symmetrical Word Pattern Printing

Pattern to display:

BIMMIB
IMMI
MM

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

int main() {
    char word[] = "BIM";
    int len = strlen(word); // len = 3
    int i, j;

    printf("=== Symmetrical Word Pattern ===\n");

    // Loop through 3 rows
    for (i = 0; i < len; i++) {
        // Left side: print letters from index i to len - 1
        for (j = i; j < len; j++) {
            putchar(word[j]);
        }
        // Right side (mirror): print letters from index len - 1 down to i
        for (j = len - 1; j >= i; j--) {
            putchar(word[j]);
        }
        printf("\n");
    }

    return 0;
}

Step-by-Step Logic:

1. Row 0 (i=0): Left prints word[0..2] ("BIM"), Right prints word[2..0] ("MIB") (\rightarrow) BIMMIB.
2. Row 1 (i=1): Left prints word[1..2] ("IM"), Right prints word[2..1] ("MI") (\rightarrow) IMMI.
3. Row 2 (i=2): Left prints word[2..2] ("M"), Right prints word[2..2] ("M") (\rightarrow) MM.

Common String Library Functions in C (<string.h>)

The C standard library provides functions declared in <string.h> to manipulate null-terminated character strings:

1. strlen() — String Length

• Returns the number of characters in the string, excluding '\0'.
• Example: strlen("Tribhuvan") returns 9.

2. strcpy() — String Copy

• Copies the source string into the destination buffer (including '\0').
• Example: strcpy(dest, "BITM");

3. strcat() — String Concatenation

• Appends the source string to the end of the destination string.
• Example: strcat(dest, " Nepal");

4. strcmp() — String Comparison

• Lexicographically compares two strings:
  • Returns 0 if identical.
  • Returns (< 0) if str1 is lexicographically smaller than str2.
  • Returns (> 0) if str1 is greater than str2.

5. strrev() — String Reverse (or manual reversal)

• Reverses the string in place.

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Comprehensive Demonstration Program:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

int main() {
    char s1[50] = "Tribhuvan";
    char s2[50] = "University";
    char s3[100];

    printf("=== String Library Functions Demonstration ===\n\n");

    // 1. strlen
    printf("1. Length of '%s': %zu\n", s1, strlen(s1));

    // 2. strcpy
    strcpy(s3, s1);
    printf("2. Copied s1 to s3: '%s'\n", s3);

    // 3. strcat
    strcat(s3, " ");
    strcat(s3, s2);
    printf("3. Concatenated s3: '%s'\n", s3);

    // 4. strcmp
    int cmp = strcmp(s1, s2);
    if (cmp == 0) {
        printf("4. s1 and s2 are equal.\n");
    } else if (cmp < 0) {
        printf("4. '%s' precedes '%s' alphabetically.\n", s1, s2);
    } else {
        printf("4. '%s' follows '%s' alphabetically.\n", s1, s2);
    }

    return 0;
}

Passing Arguments by Value vs Passing Arguments by Address in C

1. Comparison & Contrast:

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2. Side-by-Side Code Demonstration:

#include <stdio.h>

// A. Pass by Value: original variable remains unchanged
void modifyByValue(int x) {
    x = x + 100;
    printf("  Inside modifyByValue: x = %d\n", x);
}

// B. Pass by Address: original variable is mutated
void modifyByAddress(int *ptr) {
    *ptr = *ptr + 100;
    printf("  Inside modifyByAddress: *ptr = %d\n", *ptr);
}

int main() {
    int num1 = 50;
    int num2 = 50;

    printf("=== Demonstration of Argument Passing Modes ===\n\n");

    // Case 1: Pass by Value
    printf("Case 1: Passing by Value\n");
    printf("  Before function call: num1 = %d\n", num1);
    modifyByValue(num1);
    printf("  After function call : num1 = %d (UNCHANGED)\n\n", num1);

    // Case 2: Pass by Address
    printf("Case 2: Passing by Address\n");
    printf("  Before function call: num2 = %d\n", num2);
    modifyByAddress(&num2); // pass address using &
    printf("  After function call : num2 = %d (MUTATED)\n", num2);

    return 0;
}