Arizona State University (ASU) CSE240 Introduction to Programming Languages Midterm Practice Exam

A queue is fundamentally defined by its behavior regarding the order of element removal. It operates on a First-In, First-Out (FIFO) principle, which means that the first element added to the queue will be the first one to be removed. This characteristic is pivotal in situations where maintaining the order of processing is crucial, such as task scheduling or managing resources. Thus, when an element is removed from a queue, it is the one that has been in the queue the longest, directly aligning with option C’s description.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately encapsulate the defining traits of a queue. Random access is not a feature of a queue, as elements are accessed sequentially. Additionally, adding elements at both ends is characteristic of a different data structure known as a deque (double-ended queue), not a standard queue. Lastly, a queue and a stack exhibit different behaviors; a stack operates on a Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) basis, allowing the most recently added element to be removed first. Thus, the definition aligning with the FIFO principle solidifies option C as the most accurate description of a queue.