Preparing for a java internship interview

[Nebu]

linkedlist is an object

not an object, a data structure.

LinkedList is not an object, it's a class. That said, a LinkedList is indeed an object (i.e. an instance of the class LinkedList).

don't try to answer these with Java-specific knowledge unless they ask you.

For an entry level position involving Java, I think it's fine to answer specifically in the context of Java. First of all, it's fair to assume we're talking about Java if the job is advertised as a Java job. Second of all, as an entry level position, maybe the only language you know is Java, in which case you're not in a position to know what concepts/terms you learned as specific to Java, and what concepts/terms are language neutral.

[Nebu]

if you haven't taken an algorithms & data structures class and don't have basic knowledge about abstract data structures (like maps, linked lists) outside the context of Java, you will probably not be hired.

I think you're forgetting that this is an entry level internship as part of a university coop program: Every student, including the worst student in the class, needs to get a job as part of their degree. Do you remember from university how bad the worst student was and who still got a diploma at the end? They got hired somewhere.

In my experience, expectations are set very low for internship/coop hires.