C Programming Language By Dennis Ritchie

 

This article reviews the book “The C Programming Language” by Dennis Ritchie.

The article covers-

• Special features of book
• Analysis of Content
• Analysis of Exercises
• Necessary Instructions
• Conclusion

 

Why Should Be Read?

 

Special Features of Book-

 

The special features of this book are-

• It is one of the best books available on this subject.
• It covers C language in great depth.
• It covers all the GATE topics in a detailed way.
• It has decent number of good quality exercise questions.
• Covering this book is a must for GATE preparation.

 

Analysis of Content-

 

The following table analyzes sections of the book that are relevant for GATE-

 

Chapter No.	GATE Relevant Sections	GATE Topics Covered
1	All Sections	Introduction
2	2.1 to 2.4	Variables & Data Types
	2.5 to 2.12	Operators & Precedence Order
3	3.1 to 3.8	Control Flow
4	4.1 to 4.2	Functions
	4.3, 4.6, 4.7	External, Static & Register Variables
	4.5	Header Files
	4.10	Recursion
	4.11	C Preprocessor
5	All Sections	Pointers & Arrays
6	6.1 to 6.2	Basics of Structures
	6.3	Arrays of Structures
	6.4 to 6.5	Pointers & Structures
	6.7	Typedef
	6.8	Unions
7	7.1 to 7.2	Standard & Formatted I/O
	7.4	Scanf
	7.6	Error Handling

Covering Only These Sections Is Enough

 

Analysis of Exercises-

 

The following table analyzes exercises of the book that are relevant for GATE-

 

Chapter No.	Question No.
1	1.4, 1.15, 1.17, 1.19, 1.23, 1.24
2	2.1 to 2.10
3	3.4, 3.5, 3.6
4	4.1, 4.3, 4.8, 4.9, 4.12, 4.13
5	5.1 to 5.4, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10
6	6.1, 6.2, 6.4
7	7.5

Practicing Only These Exercises Is Enough

 

Necessary Instructions-

 

Keep the following instructions in mind while reading the book-

• The book has nearly 300 pages.
• However, if you cover only GATE related topics, it comes down to 150 pages.
• This subject has a good weightage in GATE exam.
• The knowledge of this subject is required in solving some of the data structures and algorithms problems.
• The exercise questions of this book are quite good from practice point of view.
• Practice C programming questions from all the previous GATE papers.
• Mostly, questions in this subject come from the topic of arrays and pointers.
• Having a firm grip over arrays and pointers will ensure good marks in the exam.

 

Conclusion-

 

• The textbook covers many more topics than those mentioned in the GATE syllabus.
• Reading the above described sections will ensure all the topics are covered.
• Overall, covering this book alone is more than enough for GATE preparation of this subject.
• You need not to refer anything else.

 

THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ WHETHER YOU ARE PREPARING FOR GATE EXAM OR NOT.

 

This book may appear a bit tough for beginner-level students.

Make sure you are familiar with the basics.

 

 

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Other Recommended Books-

 

C Programming By K.N. King-