What is the process to delete a node in a linked list?

• A. Identify the node to delete and its predecessor, adjust the predecessor's link, and deallocate the memory of the deleted node.
• B. Remove by copying data from the next node.
• C. Just set the head to null.
• D. Ignore memory management.

Answer: (A)

Deleting a node from a linked list means unlinking it from the chain and freeing the memory it occupies. In a singly linked list you locate the node to delete and its previous node, update the previous node’s next pointer to bypass the deleted node, and then deallocate the memory for that node. This keeps the list connected and ensures the node is truly removed. If the node to delete is the head, you update the head pointer to the next node and free the old head; in a doubly linked list you’d also fix the next node’s previous pointer.

Other approaches don’t fit the general case: copying data from the next node avoids dealing with the predecessor and can’t delete the last node, and it changes the node’s data instead of truly removing the target. Simply setting the head to null would erase the entire list, not just one node. Ignoring memory management would cause a leak.