For the scenario described, the most appropriate linear data structure for quickly manipulating large amounts of data would be an array list.
Reasons:
- Array List: It provides average constant time complexity for accessing elements by index, which makes it very efficient for data manipulation tasks.
- Linked List: While it allows for efficient insertions and deletions, accessing elements by index is typically slower than with an array list.
- Graphs: These are not linear data structures and are used for representing more complex relationships between data points.
- Maps: These structures are used for key-value storage and do not provide a linear arrangement of data.
Considering the need for speed in data manipulation, an array list would be the best choice here.