Job Scheduling with Deadlines in DSA C++ - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to sort jobs by their profit in descending order.

DSA C++

bool compare(Job a, Job b) {
    return a.profit [1] b.profit;
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A>

B!=

C==

D<

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '<' will sort in ascending order, which is incorrect for maximizing profit.

Using '==' or '!=' does not define an order.

We want to sort jobs so that the job with higher profit comes first, so we use '>' operator.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to find the maximum deadline among all jobs.

DSA C++

int maxDeadline = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
    if (jobs[i].deadline [1] maxDeadline) {
        maxDeadline = jobs[i].deadline;
    }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A<

B>

C>=

D<=

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '<' will find the minimum deadline, which is incorrect.

Using '<=' or '>=' may cause unnecessary updates.

We update maxDeadline only if the current job's deadline is greater than maxDeadline.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to mark the slot as occupied after scheduling a job.

DSA C++

for (int j = jobs[i].deadline; j > 0; j--) {
    if (slot[j] == false) {
        slot[j] = [1];
        result[j] = i;
        break;
    }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A1

Bfalse

Ctrue

D0

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Assigning false will mark the slot as free, which is wrong.

Assigning 1 or 0 may cause type mismatch.

We mark the slot as true to indicate it is occupied.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to initialize the slot array and result array correctly.

DSA C++

bool slot[[1] + 1];
int result[[2] + 1];
for (int i = 0; i <= maxDeadline; i++) {
    slot[i] = false;
    result[i] = -1;
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AmaxDeadline

Bn

CmaxProfit

Ddeadline

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using n (number of jobs) may cause incorrect array size.

Using maxProfit or deadline variable names that are undefined.

Both arrays should be sized based on maxDeadline to cover all possible slots.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to print the scheduled jobs and total profit.

DSA C++

int totalProfit = 0;
for (int i = 1; i <= maxDeadline; i++) {
    if (result[i] != -1) {
        cout << jobs[[1]].id << " ";
        totalProfit += jobs[[2]].profit;
    }
}
cout << "\nTotal Profit: " << [3] << endl;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aresult[i]

Bi

CtotalProfit

Djobs[i]

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using i as index for jobs is wrong because i is slot number, not job index.

Printing jobs[i] directly is incorrect as jobs is an array of objects.

Printing totalProfit before calculation.

We use result[i] to get the job index for printing and profit addition. totalProfit is printed at the end.

Practice

1. What is the main goal of the Job Scheduling with Deadlines problem?

easy

A. Minimize the number of jobs scheduled

B. Schedule jobs in the order they appear without considering deadlines

C. Maximize total profit by scheduling jobs before their deadlines

D. Maximize the number of jobs scheduled regardless of profit

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the problem objective

   The problem aims to schedule jobs so that each job finishes before its deadline to earn profit.

2. Step 2: Identify the optimization goal

   The goal is to maximize the total profit earned by selecting jobs that fit within their deadlines.

3. Final Answer:

   Maximize total profit by scheduling jobs before their deadlines -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Goal = Maximize profit [OK]

Hint: Focus on profit maximization within deadlines [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring deadlines and scheduling all jobs
• Trying to schedule jobs in input order
• Maximizing number of jobs instead of profit

2. Which of the following is the correct C++ syntax to sort jobs by profit in descending order using std::sort and a custom comparator?

easy

A. std::sort(jobs.begin(), jobs.end());

B. std::sort(jobs.begin(), jobs.end(), [](Job a, Job b){ return a.profit > b.profit; });

C. std::sort(jobs.begin(), jobs.end(), compare); // where compare returns a.profit < b.profit

D. std::sort(jobs.begin(), jobs.end(), [](Job a, Job b){ return a.profit < b.profit; });

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand sorting by profit descending

   To sort descending, comparator should return true if first profit is greater than second.

2. Step 2: Check lambda comparator syntax

   std::sort(jobs.begin(), jobs.end(), [](Job a, Job b){ return a.profit > b.profit; }); uses a lambda returning a.profit > b.profit, which sorts descending correctly.

3. Final Answer:

   std::sort(jobs.begin(), jobs.end(), [](Job a, Job b){ return a.profit > b.profit; }); -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Descending sort = a.profit > b.profit [OK]

Hint: Use comparator returning true if first > second for descending [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using < instead of > for descending order
• Not providing a comparator for custom sorting
• Using default sort which sorts ascending

3. Given jobs with deadlines and profits:
jobs = [{id:1, deadline:2, profit:100}, {id:2, deadline:1, profit:19}, {id:3, deadline:2, profit:27}, {id:4, deadline:1, profit:25}, {id:5, deadline:3, profit:15}]
What is the maximum profit achievable by scheduling these jobs?

medium

A. 185

B. 190

C. 160

D. 142

Solution

1. Step 1: Sort jobs by profit descending

   Sorted jobs: (1,100,2), (3,27,2), (4,25,1), (2,19,1), (5,15,3)

2. Step 2: Schedule jobs greedily before deadlines

   Schedule job 1 at slot 2, job 4 at slot 1, job 5 at slot 3. Jobs 3 and 2 cannot fit without conflict.

3. Step 3: Calculate total profit

   Profit = 100 + 25 + 15 = 140. But check if job 3 can replace job 4 for better profit: job 3 (27) > job 4 (25), so schedule job 3 at slot 2, job 4 at slot 1 is not possible because slot 1 is taken by job 4. Instead, schedule job 3 at slot 2, job 2 at slot 1 (profit 19), job 5 at slot 3 (15). Total = 100 + 27 + 15 = 142. Better is job 1 (100), job 3 (27), job 4 (25) at slots 2,1,3 respectively? Slot 3 deadline is 3, so job 4 deadline 1 can't be at 3. So best is job 1 (100), job 3 (27), job 4 (25) at slots 2,1, no slot for job 5. Total 152. Actually, slot 3 is free for job 5 (15). So schedule job 1 at 2, job 4 at 1, job 5 at 3 = 100+25+15=140. Or job 1 at 2, job 3 at 1, job 5 at 3 = 100+27+15=142. Or job 1 at 2, job 4 at 1, job 3 can't fit. So max profit is 142.

4. Final Answer:

   142 -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Max profit = 142 [OK]

Hint: Sort by profit, schedule greedily before deadlines [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Scheduling jobs ignoring deadlines
• Not sorting by profit first
• Overlapping jobs in same time slot

4. Identify the error in the following C++ code snippet for job scheduling:

struct Job { int id, deadline, profit; };
std::vector<Job> jobs = ...;
std::sort(jobs.begin(), jobs.end(), [](Job a, Job b){ return a.profit < b.profit; });
std::vector<int> slot(maxDeadline + 1, -1);
for (auto &job : jobs) {
  for (int j = job.deadline; j > 0; j--) {
    if (slot[j] == -1) {
      slot[j] = job.id;
      break;
    }
  }
}

medium

A. Sorting comparator sorts ascending instead of descending

B. Slots vector size should be maxDeadline, not maxDeadline + 1

C. Inner loop should run from 1 to job.deadline, not reverse

D. Job IDs should not be stored in slots, profits should be stored

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze sorting comparator

   The comparator returns true if a.profit < b.profit, which sorts ascending by profit.

2. Step 2: Understand scheduling logic

   Jobs must be sorted descending by profit to schedule highest profit jobs first.

3. Final Answer:

   Sorting comparator sorts ascending instead of descending -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Comparator must sort descending [OK]

Hint: Sort jobs descending by profit for correct scheduling [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using ascending sort comparator
• Incorrect slot vector size off by one
• Loop direction confusion

5. You have 6 jobs with deadlines and profits:
jobs = [{id:1, d:4, p:70}, {id:2, d:1, p:80}, {id:3, d:1, p:30}, {id:4, d:1, p:100}, {id:5, d:3, p:40}, {id:6, d:2, p:20}]
Using the job scheduling algorithm, what is the maximum profit and which jobs are scheduled?

hard

A. Profit: 230; Jobs scheduled: 4 -> 1 -> 5 -> 6

B. Profit: 220; Jobs scheduled: 4 -> 2 -> 5 -> 6

C. Profit: 240; Jobs scheduled: 4 -> 2 -> 1 -> 5

D. Profit: 210; Jobs scheduled: 4 -> 1 -> 3 -> 5

Solution

1. Step 1: Sort jobs by profit descending

   Sorted: (4,100,1), (2,80,1), (1,70,4), (5,40,3), (3,30,1), (6,20,2)

2. Step 2: Schedule jobs greedily before deadlines

   Schedule job 4 at slot 1 (deadline 1), job 6 at slot 2 (deadline 2), job 5 at slot 3 (deadline 3), job 1 at slot 4 (deadline 4). Jobs 2 and 3 cannot fit because slot 1 is taken by job 4.

3. Step 3: Calculate total profit and jobs scheduled

   Profit = 100 + 20 + 40 + 70 = 230; Scheduled jobs in order of slots: 4 -> 6 -> 5 -> 1 (slots 1,2,3,4)

4. Final Answer:

   Profit: 230; Jobs scheduled: 4 -> 6 -> 5 -> 1 -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Max profit = 230 with jobs 4,6,5,1 [OK]

Hint: Sort by profit, assign latest free slot before deadline [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Scheduling multiple jobs in same slot
• Ignoring deadlines when scheduling
• Not sorting jobs by profit first