Scheme Interview Questions and Answers for freshers

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100 Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers: Scheme

  1. What is Scheme?

    • Answer: Scheme is a dialect of the Lisp programming language known for its elegance, simplicity, and powerful macro system. It emphasizes functional programming paradigms and is often used in education and research for its clean design and support for metaprogramming.

  2. What are the key features of Scheme?

    • Answer: Key features include its simple syntax based on S-expressions, strong support for functional programming (e.g., first-class functions, higher-order functions, recursion), powerful macro system enabling code generation and extension, and a minimal core language with extensibility through libraries.

  3. Explain the concept of S-expressions in Scheme.

    • Answer: S-expressions (symbolic expressions) are the fundamental data structure in Scheme. They are lists enclosed in parentheses, where each element can be an atom (number, symbol) or another S-expression. This uniform representation makes code and data interchangeable.

  4. What is the difference between `define` and `lambda` in Scheme?

    • Answer: `define` is used to create named variables or functions. `lambda` creates anonymous functions (functions without a name). `define` provides a way to give a function a name for later use, while `lambda` allows you to create functions inline or pass them as arguments to other functions.

  5. How does function application work in Scheme?

    • Answer: Function application in Scheme is prefix notation. The function name is written first, followed by its arguments enclosed in parentheses. For example, `(+ 1 2)` adds 1 and 2.

  6. Explain the concept of recursion in Scheme.

    • Answer: Recursion is a fundamental programming technique in Scheme where a function calls itself directly or indirectly. It's crucial because Scheme doesn't have built-in looping constructs like `for` or `while` loops; recursion provides the primary method for iterative processes.

  7. What are higher-order functions? Give examples in Scheme.

    • Answer: Higher-order functions are functions that take other functions as arguments or return functions as results. Examples include `map`, `filter`, and `fold` (or `reduce`). `map` applies a function to each element of a list; `filter` selects elements from a list based on a predicate; and `fold` combines the elements of a list using a binary operation.

  8. What are macros in Scheme and how are they useful?

    • Answer: Macros are a powerful metaprogramming feature in Scheme that allow you to extend the language itself. They operate on code as data, transforming code before it's evaluated. This enables the creation of domain-specific languages (DSLs) within Scheme, improving code readability and expressiveness.

  9. Explain the difference between `let` and `letrec` in Scheme.

    • Answer: `let` creates local variables that are bound before the body of the `let` expression is evaluated. `letrec` allows mutually recursive function definitions; the variables are bound before the body is evaluated, enabling the functions to call each other.

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