APCSP Computational Thinking Practices 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A programmer notices that a function she wrote to find the maximum value in a list returns the wrong answer when the list contains duplicate values. Which computational thinking practice is she applying when she identifies and isolates this specific scenario?
- Abstraction
- Debugging (Correct answer)
- Decomposition
- Generalization
Correct answer: Debugging
Debugging involves identifying, isolating, and correcting errors in a program, including finding edge cases like duplicate values.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'abstraction' in computational thinking?
- Breaking a problem into smaller sub-problems
- Removing unnecessary details to focus on essential features (Correct answer)
- Repeating a set of instructions multiple times
- Translating a solution into a specific programming language
Correct answer: Removing unnecessary details to focus on essential features
Abstraction means hiding irrelevant details and focusing only on the information necessary to solve the problem at hand.
Question 3: A student wants to simulate how a virus spreads through a school. She models each student as a node and each contact as an edge. What type of computational model is she using?
- Sequential model
- Graph-based model (Correct answer)
- Relational model
- Regression model
Correct answer: Graph-based model
A graph-based model uses nodes and edges to represent relationships, making it ideal for modeling contact networks like disease spread.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of 'decomposition' as a computational thinking strategy?
- Writing pseudocode for an entire program at once
- Splitting a music app into separate modules for playback, search, and playlists (Correct answer)
- Combining two programs into a single function
- Testing an algorithm on a very large dataset
Correct answer: Splitting a music app into separate modules for playback, search, and playlists
Decomposition is the process of breaking a complex problem or system into smaller, more manageable parts.
Question 5: When evaluating a computational artifact, a student considers whether the program produces the correct output for all possible inputs, including unexpected ones. What practice does this represent?
- Collaboration
- Testing and verification (Correct answer)
- Documentation
- Optimization
Correct answer: Testing and verification
Testing and verification involves running a program against various inputs, including edge cases, to confirm it behaves correctly.
Question 6: A team of students is building an app. One student handles the user interface, another manages the database, and a third writes the core logic. Which computational thinking practice does this workflow reflect?
- Abstraction
- Iteration
- Decomposition with collaboration (Correct answer)
- Pattern recognition
Correct answer: Decomposition with collaboration
Dividing a project into distinct roles combines decomposition (breaking the problem apart) with collaboration (working together).
Question 7: Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates 'pattern recognition' in computational thinking?
- Writing a loop to repeat instructions 10 times
- Noticing that sorting algorithms all require comparing elements (Correct answer)
- Using a variable to store a user's name
- Drawing a flowchart of a program's logic
Correct answer: Noticing that sorting algorithms all require comparing elements
Pattern recognition involves identifying similarities or recurring structures across different problems, such as recognizing that all sorting algorithms use comparisons.
APCSP Computational Thinking Practices 2
A programmer notices that a function she wrote to find the maximum value in a list returns the wrong answer when the list contains duplicate values.
Which computational thinking practice is she applying when she identifies and isolates this specific scenario?