How can I check if a string is in an array without iterating over the elements?

Question

Is there a way of checking if a string exists in an array of strings - without iterating through the array?

For example, given the script below, how I can correctly impl

Answer 1

q=( 1 2 3 )
[ "${q[*]/1/}" = "${q[*]}" ] && echo not in array || echo in array 
#in array
[ "${q[*]/7/}" = "${q[*]}" ] && echo not in array || echo in array 
#not in array