Which of the following is not a divide and conquer method

2025

Which of the following is not a divide and conquer method

  1. A.

    Binary Search

  2. B.

    Merge Sort

  3. C.

    Quick Sort

  4. D.

    Heap Sort

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Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D

Short answer: Heap Sort is not a divide-and-conquer method.

Reason: Divide and conquer means splitting a problem into smaller independent subproblems, solving them (usually recursively), and combining their solutions.

  • Binary Search: repeatedly halves the search interval, solving a smaller subproblem each time — this follows divide-and-conquer.

  • Merge Sort: splits the array into halves, recursively sorts each half, and merges the results — classic divide-and-conquer.

  • Quick Sort: partitions the array and recursively sorts partitions. The partitioning and recursive sorting of subarrays is divide-and-conquer.

  • Heap Sort: builds a heap and repeatedly extracts the root to produce a sorted sequence. It operates by manipulating a single data structure rather than splitting the problem into independent subproblems, so it is not a divide-and-conquer method.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Heap Sort.

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