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    Question

    Which tree traversal is most suitable for finding the

    shortest path in an unweighted graph represented as a tree?
    A In-order traversal Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    B Pre-order traversal Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    C Post-order traversal Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    D Breadth-First Search (BFS) Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    E Depth-First Search (DFS) Correct Answer Incorrect Answer

    Solution

    Breadth-First Search (BFS) is an algorithm used to explore graphs or trees. It systematically explores all nodes at the current depth level before moving to the next level. This feature is crucial in several scenarios, especially when dealing with unweighted graphs or trees, where BFS ensures the shortest path from the root (or starting node) to any other node is found as soon as the node is reached. How BFS Works: BFS starts at a root node and explores all of its immediate neighbors (nodes directly connected to the root). Then, it moves to the neighbors of those neighbors, and so on, gradually exploring all reachable nodes level by level. BFS typically uses a queue data structure to maintain the list of nodes to explore next, ensuring that nodes are processed in the correct order. For example, given an unweighted graph:

    • Start with the root node.
    • Explore all its neighbors, mark them as visited, and enqueue them for future exploration.
    • Once all neighbors of the root have been processed, move on to the next level of neighbors, processing them in the same way.
    Why Other Options Are Incorrect ·         Option 1 (In-order traversal): In-order traversal is specific to Binary Search Trees for retrieving elements in sorted order, not finding paths. ·         Option 2 (Pre-order traversal): Pre-order processes the root before its children, which doesn’t ensure the shortest path. ·         Option 3 (Post-order traversal): Post-order explores children before the root, making it unsuitable for shortest path discovery. ·         Option 5 (DFS): DFS explores paths deeply, which may result in longer paths being traversed before shorter paths are found.

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