Which data structure offers fast indexing and contiguous memory?

• A. Arrays
• B. Linked lists
• C. Stacks
• D. Queues

Answer: (A)

Arrays store elements in consecutive memory locations, which gives direct access by index in constant time. This means you can retrieve or update any position quickly without scanning previous elements, and the contiguous layout also improves cache performance since neighboring elements are loaded together.

Linked lists place each element in its own node with pointers to the next (and possibly previous) node, so the elements aren’t stored contiguously and random access requires traversing from the start, making indexing slower.

Stacks and queues describe how data is used rather than how it’s stored; they can be implemented with arrays or linked lists, but their primary property isn’t fast indexing with contiguous memory. Arrays inherently provide both fast indexing and contiguous storage.