What is the algorithm for traversing a linked list?

• A. Initialize a temporary pointer to head, and while it is not nullptr, process the current node and move to the next node.
• B. Start at the tail and move backward until null.
• C. Recursively traverse from head without using a loop.
• D. Copy all values into an array.

Answer: (A)

Traversing a linked list means visiting each node in order by following the next pointers from the head until you reach null. The standard approach uses a temporary pointer that starts at head, checks that it isn’t null, processes the current node, and then moves to the next node by following its next pointer. This forward, iterative method is ideal because it works cleanly for singly linked lists, uses only constant extra space, and runs in linear time. Starting at the tail and moving backward isn’t generally possible on a singly linked list since there’s no built-in way to go to the previous node without extra structure. Recursively traversing without a loop is possible, but it relies on the call stack and can overflow for long lists. Copying all values into an array isn’t the traversal itself—it’s a separate operation that adds extra storage, whereas traversal can be done directly by visiting nodes one by one.