A data structure described as LIFO is actually a:

The correct answer is A. stack. LIFO stands for Last In, First Out, which is the defining characteristic of a stack (A) - the last element pushed onto the stack is the first one popped off, like a stack of plates. The distractors are wrong for these reasons: B. Tree - a hierarchical structure with…

Question

A data structure described as LIFO is actually a:

Options

Astack
Btree
Clist
Dheap

How the community answered

(48 responses)

A
71% (34)
B
17% (8)
C
4% (2)
D
8% (4)

Explanation

LIFO stands for Last In, First Out, which is the defining characteristic of a stack (A) - the last element pushed onto the stack is the first one popped off, like a stack of plates.

The distractors are wrong for these reasons:

B. Tree - a hierarchical structure with parent/child nodes; has no inherent ordering policy like LIFO.
C. List - a sequential collection that supports arbitrary insertion/removal at any position, not constrained to LIFO.
D. Heap - a priority-based tree structure where elements are removed by priority, not by insertion order.

Memory tip: Think of a stack of pancakes - you always add and remove from the top. The last pancake placed is the first one eaten: Last In, First Out = stack.

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