Automata and Compiler Design: A Quiz on Grammar Types

Test your knowledge of formal grammars used in compiler design! This quiz challenges your understanding of different grammar types (regular, context-free, LL(1), LR(1), etc.), their characteristics, and their relevance in parsing and compiler construction. Check your expertise in compiler theory.

Understanding Automata and Grammar Types

Grammar Types: A Quick Quiz

This section presents a short quiz testing your knowledge of different grammar types in compiler design. These grammars define the structure of programming languages and are essential for creating parsers and compilers.

Question 1: Identifying Grammar Types

Which of the following grammar types is characterized by the absence of adjacent non-terminals?

  1. Irregular grammar
  2. Regular grammar
  3. Operator precedence grammar

Answer: c. Operator precedence grammar

Explanation: Operator precedence grammars are defined by the constraint that adjacent non-terminal symbols are not allowed in their production rules. This is a key distinguishing feature.

Question 2: DFA (Deterministic Finite Automata)

What does DFA stand for?

  1. Non-Deterministic Finite set Automata
  2. Deterministic Finite Automata
  3. Non-Deterministic Finite Automata
  4. Deterministic Finite set Automata

Answer: b. Deterministic Finite Automata

Explanation: DFA (Deterministic Finite Automata) is a fundamental model of computation used in lexical analysis (the first phase of compilation), responsible for breaking down source code into tokens.

Question 3: NFA (Non-Deterministic Finite Automata)

What does NFA stand for?

  1. Non-Deterministic Finite set Automata
  2. Deterministic Finite Automata
  3. Non-Deterministic Finite Automata
  4. Deterministic Finite set Automata

Answer: c. Non-Deterministic Finite Automata

Explanation: NFA (Non-deterministic Finite Automata) is another model of computation where a state can have multiple possible transitions for a given input symbol. This differs from DFA, which has only one transition per state and input symbol.