Question

A partially filled array is normally used with ________.

Answers:
a) A library function that performs array insertions
b) An accompanying variable that holds a copy of the last item stored in the array
c) An accompanying integer variable that holds the number of items that are actually stored in the array
d) A warning to the user that some of the elements contain invalid values

Answer 1

A partially filled array is normally used with an accompanying integer variable that holds the number of items that are actually stored in the array, which helps in tracking how many elements contain valid data.

Step-by-step explanation:

A partially filled array is normally used with an accompanying integer variable that holds the number of items that are actually stored in the array. This integer, often referred to as a size or length variable, helps keep track of how many elements of the array are valid or have been initialized with meaningful data. This is important because an array in most programming languages is a fixed size, and often we do not use all available slots.

Using a separate variable to track the actual count of items ensures efficient use of the array without confusion about which elements contain valid data and which do not. For example, if you have an array of size 10 but have only used 6 slots, the size variable would be set to 6, indicating only the first 6 elements should be accessed for processing.