Functional programming paradigm exam tips

Exam tips

• Read the arrow notation carefully

  For f: A → B, remember that A is the domain and argument type, while B is the co-domain and result type.

  This directly identifies the key terms likely to be tested and prevents the domain and co-domain from being reversed.

• State the permitted operations precisely

  When defining a first-class object, remember the four actions: it can appear in an expression, be assigned to a variable, be assigned as an argument, and be returned in a function call.

  Listing the specification terms helps ensure that an explanation is complete and avoids giving only the narrower example of passing a function as an argument.

• Interpret the type notation precisely

  When explaining integer x integer → integer, state that the input is a pair from the Cartesian product and that the output is an integer.

  This addresses both the meaning of the product symbol and the direction of the arrow, helping you gain all available explanation marks.

• Count supplied and remaining arguments

  For one-, two- and three-argument functions, identify how many arguments have been supplied and write the type of the function that remains.

  Each partial application supplies one argument and leaves a function requiring the remaining arguments.

• Write the intermediate result

  When evaluating a composition, explicitly write f(input) before applying g.

  This makes the order of application clear and helps prevent errors when substituting the result into the second function.