A Learning Toolkit
I took my first-ever CS Course, the Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (CS 61A), in Spring 2018, and thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it; be it its inherent difficulty, projects, labs, or homeworks, every part of the Course was rewarding for someone like me who’d just started out in the field of Computer Science. In the end, I reflected on my journey and realized I had immensely grown, thanks to Professor Denero, the Course Staff, and my friends.
Throughout the semester, CS 61A was my top priority. I logged my studying hours and averaged 6 hours a day, a sum that amounts to 500 hours over a semester. This relentless persistence motivated me to excel and master the 61A material, something that is foundational and fundamental to CS later. Thus, when I noticed that text walkthroughs – a novel way of explaining intuition and process thoroughly – were missing, I decided to build them. This way, not only would I be able to master the material, but I’d also help you, the reader, master it. Hence, this project.
They are a step-by-step guide on approaching exam-level code-writing questions. I haven’t written walkthroughs for What Would Python Display or Environment Diagrams, because they are self-explanatory.
The walkthroughs follow a philosophy of VIPRE – Vigor & Precision.
I have taken motivation from William J Strunk, who, in his book Elements of Style, writes: “Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words for the same reason that a machine should have no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.” Thus, I’ve kept my writing concise.
At Vervago Skill Sharpeners, Clare Dolan and her team talk about PrecisionQ+A (i.e. Precision Questioning and Answering). See this blog, for example. Hence, these walkthroughs put forward precise questions and answers.
These walkthroughs are color-coded, where necessary, for ease of understanding.
I will be regularly updating these walkthroughs. If you have any specific questions or would like a particular exam-question to be addressed, please email me at ak1@berkeley.edu.
For any feedback, questions, or advice, please also email me at ak1@berkeley.edu.
For some fun readings, see these links:
| S.no | Resource | Exam | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spring 2018 | Midterm 1 | 3a,b |
| 2 | Spring 2018 | Midterm 1 | 4a,b,c |
| 3 | Fall 2017 | Final | 4a, b, c |
| 4 | Summer 2017 | Final | 5 |
| 5 | Summer 2017 | Midterm | 5 |
| 6 | Fall 2016 | Midterm 2 | 7a |
| 7 | Spring 2016 | Midterm 1 | 6a,b |