Traversal of Circular Linked List in DSA Python - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to start traversal from the head node.

DSA Python

current = [1]

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

Acurrent.next

Btail

CNone

Dhead

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Starting traversal from tail instead of head.

Using None as starting point.

The traversal of a circular linked list starts from the head node.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to move to the next node during traversal.

DSA Python

current = current[1]

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

A.next

B.tail

C.prev

D.head

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using .prev which goes backward.

Using .head or .tail which are not node attributes.

To traverse the list, move to the next node using .next.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the loop condition to stop traversal after one full cycle.

DSA Python

while current != [1]:
    print(current.data)
    current = current.next

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

ANone

Bhead

Ccurrent

Dtail

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using None as stopping condition causes infinite loop.

Using tail or current as stopping condition is incorrect.

Traversal should stop when current reaches the head again, completing one full cycle.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to correctly print all nodes in the circular linked list once.

DSA Python

print(current.data)
current = current[1]
while current != [2]:
    print(current.data)
    current = current.next

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

A.next

B.prev

Chead

Dtail

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using .prev moves backward, causing wrong traversal.

Stopping at tail instead of head causes incomplete traversal.

Start by printing the current node's data, move to next node, then loop until back at head.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a dictionary mapping node data to their next node's data.

DSA Python

mapping = { [1]: [2] for node in nodes if node.data != [3] }

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

Anode.data

Bnode.next.data

CNone

Dhead.data

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using None instead of head.data causes wrong filtering.

Swapping key and value reverses the mapping.

This dictionary comprehension maps each node's data to the next node's data, skipping the head node.

Practice

1. What is the main difference between a circular linked list and a regular singly linked list?

easy

A. In a circular linked list, the last node points back to the first node.

B. In a circular linked list, nodes have two pointers instead of one.

C. In a circular linked list, nodes are stored in an array.

D. In a circular linked list, the first node points to null.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the structure of a circular linked list

   A circular linked list connects the last node back to the first node, forming a circle.

2. Step 2: Compare with a regular singly linked list

   A regular singly linked list ends with a node pointing to null, not back to the first node.

3. Final Answer:

   In a circular linked list, the last node points back to the first node. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Circular linked list last node points to first node [OK]

Hint: Remember: circular means last node loops to first [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking circular lists have two pointers per node
• Confusing circular linked list with doubly linked list
• Assuming last node points to null

2. Which of the following is the correct way to start traversing a circular linked list in Python?

easy

A. current = head
while current is not None:
print(current.data)
current = current.next

B. current = head
while True:
print(current.data)
current = current.next
if current == head:
break

C. current = head
for i in range(len(list)):
print(current.data)
current = current.next

D. current = head
while current.next is not None:
print(current.data)
current = current.next

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand traversal stopping condition for circular list

   Traversal must stop when current node comes back to head to avoid infinite loop.

2. Step 2: Check code options for correct loop and break condition

   current = head while True: print(current.data) current = current.next if current == head: break uses while True with break when current equals head, correctly handling circular traversal.

3. Final Answer:

   Use while True loop and break when current equals head. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Stop traversal when current == head [OK]

Hint: Use break when current node equals head to stop [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using None as stopping condition in circular list
• Forgetting to break loop causing infinite traversal
• Using length which is not defined for linked list

3. What will be the output of the following code snippet?

class Node:
    def __init__(self, data):
        self.data = data
        self.next = None

head = Node(10)
second = Node(20)
third = Node(30)

head.next = second
second.next = third
third.next = head  # circular link

current = head
count = 0
while True:
    print(current.data, end=' ')
    current = current.next
    count += 1
    if count == 4:
        break

medium

A. 10 20 30 30

B. 10 20 30

C. 10 20 30 10

D. 10 20 20 10

Solution

1. Step 1: Trace the nodes and their links

   Nodes are 10 -> 20 -> 30 -> back to 10 forming a circle.

2. Step 2: Follow the loop for 4 iterations

   Prints: 10 (count=1), 20 (2), 30 (3), 10 (4) then breaks.

3. Final Answer:

   10 20 30 10 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   4 prints following circular links [OK]

Hint: Count iterations to avoid infinite loop in circular list [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Stopping after 3 prints assuming no repetition
• Printing wrong node data due to pointer confusion
• Ignoring circular link causing infinite loop

4. The following code is intended to traverse a circular linked list and print all node data once. What is the error?

current = head
while current != head:
    print(current.data)
    current = current.next

medium

A. The code will raise an AttributeError.

B. The loop will run infinitely because no break condition.

C. The code will print only the head node data once.

D. The loop never starts because current == head initially.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the loop condition at start

   current is initialized to head, so current != head is False initially.

2. Step 2: Understand loop execution

   Since condition is False, loop body never executes, so no data is printed.

3. Final Answer:

   The loop never starts because current == head initially. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Loop condition false at start stops loop [OK]

Hint: Check initial loop condition carefully in circular traversal [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming loop runs at least once
• Using != head as loop condition without special handling
• Not using do-while style logic for circular lists

5. You have a circular linked list with nodes containing values [5, 15, 25, 35]. Write a Python function to traverse and collect all node values in a list without infinite looping. What is the correct output of your function?

hard

A. [5, 15, 25, 35]

B. [5, 15, 25, 35, 5]

C. [15, 25, 35, 5]

D. [5, 15, 25]

Solution

1. Step 1: Traverse circular list starting at head

   Start at head node with value 5 and move to next nodes collecting values.

2. Step 2: Stop traversal when current node returns to head

   Collect values 5, 15, 25, 35 and stop before repeating 5 again.

3. Final Answer:

   [5, 15, 25, 35] -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Collect all unique nodes once [OK]

Hint: Stop when current node equals head to avoid repeats [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Including head node twice causing extra element
• Stopping too early missing last node
• Infinite loop by not checking for head again