GATE CS 2024 Set 2 | Question 42
Consider an array X that contains n positive integers. A subarray of X is defined to be a sequence of array locations with consecutive indices.
The C code snippet given below has been written to compute the length of the longest subarray of X that contains at most two distinct integers. The code has two missing expressions labelled \((P)\) and \((Q)\).
int first=0, second=0, len1=0, len2=0, maxlen=0;
for (int i=0; i < n; i++) {
if (X[i] == first) {
len2++; len1++;
} else if (X[i] == second) {
len2++;
len1 = ___(P)___;
second = first;
} else {
len2 = ___(Q)___;
len1 = 1; second = first;
}
if (len2 > maxlen) {
maxlen = len2;
}
first = X[i];
}Which one of the following options gives the CORRECT missing expressions?
(Hint: At the end of the i-th iteration, the value of len1 is the length of the longest subarray ending with X[i] that contains all equal values, and len2 is the length of the longest subarray ending with X[i] that contains at most two distinct values.)
Explanation
Answer: (B)
During iteration i, first holds the previous element and second the other value in the current two-value window.
X[i] == second: the window still has only two values, solen2grows by 1. ButX[i]differs from the previous element, so the run of equal values ending atX[i]starts again: (P) is1.- A new value: the window must drop
second. The longest valid subarray ending atX[i]is the final run offirstvalues, of lengthlen1, plusX[i]: (Q) islen1+1.
For example, for 1, 2, 1, 3 the correct value at 3 is 2 (the subarray 1, 3), which len1+1 gives, while len2+1 would give 4.
Answer: B