Western Governors University (WGU) ICSC2100 C949 Data Structures and Algorithms I Practice Exam

The correct choice is associated with sets in data structures and refers to the operation that combines two distinct sets to create a new set that contains all the unique elements from both sets. This operation, known as union, is fundamental to set theory and plays a critical role in many algorithms that require the aggregation of unique items.

In a set data structure, the union operation is particularly important because one of the defining characteristics of a set is that it inherently prevents duplicate values. When performing a union, the elements are combined while automatically discarding any duplicates, which is efficient in maintaining the integrity of the set.

Visualizing this, if you have two sets—let's say Set A containing {1, 2, 3} and Set B containing {3, 4, 5}—the union of these two sets would result in a new set that reflects all unique elements: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}. This operation demonstrates how sets can be used effectively to manage collections of items in programming and algorithm design.

The other operations mentioned, like slicing, filtering, and sorting, are more typically associated with lists or arrays. Slicing refers to accessing a subset of elements from data structures, filtering is about selecting