Which of the following best describes the working of Insertion Sort?

2025

Which of the following best describes the working of Insertion Sort?

  1. A.

    Swap adjacent elements until sorted

  2. B.

    Select minimum repeatedly

  3. C.

    Move through the array and insert elements in the correct position in a growing sorted list

  4. D.

    Divide and conquer

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Correct answer: C

Insertion Sort works by building a sorted sub-list one element at a time. The algorithm iterates through the array, treating each new element as an item to be inserted into its correct position within the already sorted portion of the list. This is done by shifting larger elements one position to the right until the correct spot for the current element is found. Option C accurately describes this process of moving through the array and inserting elements into a growing sorted list.

Option A describes Bubble Sort, which repeatedly swaps adjacent elements.

Option B refers to Selection Sort, where the minimum element is selected and placed at the beginning of the unsorted section.

Option D describes algorithms like Merge Sort or Quick Sort, which divide the problem into smaller sub-problems.

Option C is the correct description of Insertion Sort's mechanism.

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