Which statement accurately describes how to traverse a singly linked list?
2025
Which statement accurately describes how to traverse a singly linked list?
- A.
Begin from the tail node and move backward toward the head node
- B.
Start from the head node and visit each subsequent node by following the next pointer until reaching a null reference
- C.
Start at any node and move through nodes using the previous pointers
- D.
Access nodes randomly by their index similar to arrays
Attempted by 235 students.
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Correct answer: B
To traverse a singly linked list, you must start at the head node because it is the only entry point to the data structure. From there, you follow the 'next' pointer of each node sequentially to access the subsequent nodes in memory. This process continues until you encounter a null reference, which indicates that there are no more nodes in the list. This linear progression is fundamental to singly linked lists as they only store forward references.
Option A is incorrect because singly linked lists do not have backward pointers to the tail.
Option C is wrong as previous pointers are absent in this structure, and random access like arrays (Option D) is impossible without sequential traversal. Therefore, starting at the head and following next pointers until null is the only valid method for traversing a singly linked list.