Which of the following statements accurately represents how Depth First Search…
2025
Which of the following statements accurately represents how Depth First Search (DFS) navigates through a graph?
- A.
It follows a path deeply into the graph, backtracking only when necessary.
- B.
It visits all neighbors of a node before proceeding to the next depth level.
- C.
It relies on a queue to manage nodes during traversal.
- D.
It ensures finding the shortest path in an unweighted graph.
Attempted by 77 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Depth First Search (DFS) is a classic graph traversal algorithm that prioritizes depth over breadth.
The Mechanism: Starting from a root/source node, DFS selects an adjacent neighbor and moves to it. It repeats this process, plunging down a single path until it hits a "dead end"—either a node with no outgoing edges or a node where all neighbors have already been visited.
Backtracking: Once it hits this dead end, the algorithm backtracks to the most recent node that still has unvisited neighbors and repeats the deep exploration along that new path.
Data Structure: Because it needs to remember the path to return upward, it naturally uses a Stack (Last-In, First-Out) mechanism.