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Regular Expressions and Finite Automata

GATE CSE 2016 Set 2 · Q42

MCQ2 marksMedium

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Consider the following two statements: I. If all states of an NFA are accepting states then the language accepted by the NFA is Σ∗\Sigma^*. II. There exists a regular language AA such that for all languages BB, A∩BA \cap B is regular. Which one of the following is CORRECT?

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Official answer: B) Only II is true

Regular Expressions and Finite Automata

Let us analyze the two statements:

  • Statement I is False: In an NFA, transitions on certain alphabet symbols may not be defined for some states. If a string ww has no valid path in the NFA, it is rejected even if all existing states are accepting states. For example, an NFA with a single accepting start state and no transitions only accepts {ϵ}\{\epsilon\}, not Σ∗\Sigma^*.

  • Statement II is True: Consider the regular language A=∅A = \emptyset (the empty language). For any language BB (whether regular, context-free, or undecidable):

    A∩B=∅∩B=∅A \cap B = \emptyset \cap B = \emptyset

    Since ∅\emptyset is a regular language, there indeed exists a regular language AA such that A∩BA \cap B is regular for every language BB.

Hence, only statement II is true.

Therefore, the correct option is (B).

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This Regular Expressions and Finite Automata previous year question is Q42 of the GATE CSE 2016 Set 2 paper. Find more GATE CSE PYQs on Regular Expressions and Finite Automata in Theory of Computation, or browse all GATE CSE PYQs.

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Regular Expressions and Finite Automata in GATE CSE

Regular Expressions and Finite Automata has 41 GATE CSE PYQs across 24 papers from 2011 to 2026. 10 of them are 2-mark MCQs like this one, and GATE CSE 2016 Set 2 has 2.

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GateAI solution cardGATE CSE 2016 Set 2 · Q42 · MCQ

Consider the following two statements: I. If all states of an NFA are accepting states then the language accepted by the NFA is *. II. There exists a regular language A such that for all languages B, A ∩ B is regular. Which one of the following is CORRECT?

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Independent practice explanation verified by the GateAI team. GATE is conducted by the IITs; question text follows the official paper.