Binary Search (K&B Chap7 Self Test)

Hello Ranchers,

Below is quesion #9 of K&B Chap 7 Self Test (p 616)

Given a properly prepared String array containing 5 elements, which range of results could be proper invocation of Arrays.binarySearch() produce ?

A. 0 through 4
B. 0 through 5
C. -1 through 4
D. -1 through 5
E. -5 through 4
F. -5 through 5
G. -6 through 4 <<-- correct answer
H. -6 through 5

I found a few threads tackling this same issue:
http://www.coderanch.com/t/269386/java-programmer-SCJP/certification/page
http://www.coderanch.com/t/263469/java-programmer-SCJP/certification/chapter

..but I am still lost... I couldn't even come up with a good answer that is E, as most of them answered.

Can anybody help me on this? Thank you!

What most people miss is the case where the insertion point would be
AFTER ALL existing elements in the collection--ie, index 5. You know
there are only five elements, so there is no index 5, only 0-4, but
that is the point.

That is, if you had an ArrayList with a,b,c,d and
e as its sorted elements, and then you searched on "f", the insertion
point would be index 5--that's where it would have gone if it had been
in the collection. Then you just negate it and subtract 1, due to the
zero thing, as explained in the book.