I wonder if just writing a brute-force maze solver, and then explaining that you are aware better solutions exist...but that you didn't have any memorized, would have sufficed.
If you could go back in time to before they've ever seen it, well then yeah, I agree.
Point out that in a real life scenario you wouldn't do this because it is so more efficient to use the work of others, but then solve the problem so they can measure your problem solving skills.
A recursive implementation of depth-first search should only take ten minutes to write. OK, here, I'll do it without looking anything up. Start time 8:55pm.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <memory.h>
const int WIDTH = 32; // adjust to suit
const int HEIGHT = 32; // adjust to suit
const bool WALLS[WIDTH][HEIGHT] = {
// enter maze layout here, true = wall
// this isn't a test of file IO knowledge
// make sure the outer perimeter of the maze is
// fully closed with walls
};
const int START_X = 16; // adjust to suit
const int START_Y = 16; // adjust to suit
const int GOAL_X = 16; // adjust to suit
const int GOAL_Y = 16; // adjust to suit
bool search_maze(bool **searched, int cur_x, int cur_y,
int start_x, int start_y) {
const int DIRS = 4;
const int DIR_X = { -1, 0, 1, 0 };
const int DIR_Y = { 0, 1, 0, -1 };
searched[cur_x][cur_y] = true;
for (int i=0; i<DIRS; i++) {
int new_x = cur_x + DIR_X[i];
int new_y = cur_y + DIR_Y[i];
if (WALLS[new_x][new_y])
continue;
// if moving in this direction lands us on the start
// point, or searching starting here returns true,
// then we're done and our current pos is on the path
if ((new_x == start_x && new_y == start_y) ||
(!searched[new_x][new_y] && search_maze(
searched, new_x, new_y, start_x, start_y)) {
printf("Go to %d, %d\n", new_x, new_y);
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
int main(int argc, char **argv) {
bool searched[WIDTH][HEIGHT];
memset(searched, 0, sizeof(searched));
printf("Starting at %d, %d\n", START_X, START_Y);
search_maze(searched, GOAL_X, GOAL_Y, START_X, START_Y);
printf("Goal at %d, %d\n", GOAL_X, GOAL_Y);
return 0;
}