Can you "C" it Trivia Quiz

Answer: float _rate

In C, variable names must begin with a letter or underscore and cannot use reserved keywords or special characters. _rate is valid because it starts with an underscore and uses only permissible characters. 1value starts with a digit, struct is a reserved keyword, and %profit contains an invalid symbol.

Answer: To retain the variable's value between function calls

When a local variable is declared as static inside a function, it is initialized only once and retains its value between subsequent calls to that function. This allows the function to preserve state without using global variables. The variable is stored in the data segment, not on the stack, and its scope remains local to the function.

Answer: It performs text substitution and file inclusion before compilation

The C preprocessor runs before the actual compilation process and handles directives such as macro substitution, conditional compilation, and file inclusion. It processes commands like #define and #include, transforming the source code into a form that the compiler can understand. It does not generate machine code or perform linking.

Answer: They make debugging and maintenance more difficult

Global variables are accessible throughout the entire program, which can lead to unintended side effects and make it harder to track changes and dependencies. In large codebases, this can result in poor modularity, reduced readability, and increased risk of bugs. While global variables are sometimes necessary, their use should be minimized and carefully managed.

Answer: They enable dynamic memory allocation and efficient data manipulation

Pointers provide direct access to memory locations, which allows for dynamic memory allocation, efficient handling of arrays and structures, and implementation of complex data structures like linked lists and trees. They are a powerful feature of C but require careful management to avoid issues like memory leaks and segmentation faults.

Answer: The program may produce unpredictable results or behave inconsistently

Undefined behavior in C refers to situations where the language standard does not prescribe what should happen. This can occur due to invalid memory access, modifying a variable multiple times without a sequence point, or using uninitialized variables. The result may vary across compilers, platforms, or even different runs of the same program.

Answer: An error caused by accessing memory outside the allowed range

A segmentation fault occurs when a program tries to read or write to a memory location that it is not permitted to access. This typically happens due to dereferencing invalid pointers, accessing freed memory, or overflowing arrays. It is a runtime error and typically leads to program termination.

Answer: They allow function declarations and macro definitions to be shared across multiple source files

Header files in C are used to declare functions, macros, constants, and data types that can be shared across different source files. This promotes modularity and code reuse. By including a header file using the #include directive, a source file gains access to the declarations without duplicating code.

Answer: It signals successful termination of the program to the operating system

In C, the main function returns an integer value to the operating system. A return value of zero conventionally indicates that the program completed successfully. Non-zero return values can be used to signal errors or abnormal termination, which is useful for scripting and automation.

Answer: Arrays have fixed size, while linked lists can grow dynamically

Arrays in C are allocated with a fixed size and stored in contiguous memory, making them efficient for random access but inflexible in size. Linked lists, on the other hand, consist of nodes connected via pointers and can grow or shrink dynamically during runtime. This makes them suitable for applications where the size of the data structure is not known in advance.