Practice question · Select all that apply
Select every statement the lesson supports about the claim that linked lists are faster than arrays.
Hints
- The lesson names this exact claim as its pitfall and gives three reasons to qualify it.
- One option reverses the property that follows directly from contiguous layout.
Show the answer
- B. Finding a position in a linked list is still O(n)
- C. Neither structure is universally better
- D. Insertion is only O(1) once you already hold the position
- E. Arrays scan more cache-friendly because their elements are adjacent
Why
The constant-time insertion is real but conditional, finding the spot is still a walk, and contiguity makes array scanning genuinely faster in practice. Only the indexing claim is backwards: computing an address beats following pointers, and reversing that is the misconception the pitfall targets.
Practise Arrays, Lists, and Memory Layout
The app has 7 more questions on this lesson, and keeps your place in the course. Computer Science I is free to start.