Final answer:
After the nth pass of insertion sort algorithm, n items are sorted. Each pass ensures that the items up to the current index are placed in correct order relative to each other.
Step-by-step explanation:
After the nth pass of insertion sort, exactly n items are sorted.
When performing insertion sort, elements from the unsorted part of the list are picked and placed at their correct position in the sorted part of the list.
For example, after the first pass, the first element is considered sorted. After the second pass, the algorithm ensures that the first two elements are in their correct, sorted positions relative to each other, and so on.
By the nth pass, the first n items will be correctly sorted within the list, even though the entire list may not necessarily be sorted yet.