Core Java - Interview Questions and Answers for 'Core Java' | Search Interview Question

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Q101. What is the difference between these two method declarations ?

private static void method(String[] arg)

and

private static void method(String... arg)

Core Java

Ans. First expects the argument as a string array whereas second expects variable number of string arguments or a string array.

So we can call both by providing string array as an argument but second can be called with 0 to n string arguments which cannot be done for first.

for example - We can call second method with any of following

method();
method("Hello");
method("Hello","World");
method(new String[4]);

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Q102. What is the difference between inner class and sub class ?

Core Java

Ans. Inner Class is a class that is nested within another class whereas sub class is a class that extends or inherit another class.

Inner class can only be accessed using reference of outer class ( Class name , if inner class is static or object reference, if inner class is non static ) whereas Sub class is accessed directly.

In terms of memory, inner class is stored just like another class having it's own body whereas sub class carries the body of parent class as well as it's own fields in memory.

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Q103. Is this a valid initialization ? Explain.

Collection<Collection> collection = new LinkedList<LinkedList>();

Core Java

Ans. No. It will result in a type mismatch error.

Collection<Collection> collection = new LinkedList<Collection>();

is a valid initialization as collection being reference of "Collection" class can hold object of derived Class "LinkedList" due to runtime Polymorphism. Runtime polymorphism is not applicable to type arguments.

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Q104. What are the benefits of using Wrapper classes over primitive types ?

Core Java

Ans. With Collection classes , we cannot use primitive types. Moreover for any class using generic types, we cannot use primitive types.

They add more functionality by means of additional methods.

As their reference can be null , they offer consistent check for uninitialized state.

They facilitate caching and reuse by means of constant Pools.

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Q105. If arrays cannot be resized , Why is this code valid

String[] strArray = new String[2];
strArray = new String[5];

Core Java

Ans. We are not resizing the first array here but assigning the reference strArray to a new Array with size 5.

So after line 2, We have 2 arrays in memory, one with size 2 and other with size 5 with strArray referring to second array with size 5.

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Q106. What are the different types of inner classes ?

Core Java

Ans. Simple Inner Class,
Local Inner Class,
Anonymous Inner Class,
Static Nested Inner Class.

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Frequently asked in Indian Service Companies. Tech Mahindra ( Based on 3 inputs ) and Infosys ( 3 inputs )

Q107. What is the difference between List, Set and Map ?

or

What are the different Java Collections Interfaces ?

Core Java

Ans. List - Members are stored in sequence in memory and can be accessed through index.
Set - There is no relevance of sequence and index. Sets doesn't contain duplicates whereas multiset can have duplicates.
Map - Contains Key , Value pairs.

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Q108. Does Java support Multiple Inheritance ?

Core Java

Ans. Java doesn't support multiple inheritance. Interfaces does't facilitate inheritance and hence implementation of multiple interfaces doesn't make multiple inheritance.

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Frequently asked at HCL Technologies ( Based on 3 feedback )

Q109. Difference between Checked and Unchecked exceptions ?

Core Java

Ans. Checked exceptions are the exceptions for which compiler throws an errors if they are not checked whereas unchecked exceptions are caught during run time only and hence can't be checked.

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Very frequently asked. Favorite question in Walk in Drive of many Indian service companies.

Q110. What is a Final Variable ?

Core Java

Ans. Final variable is a variable constant that cannot be changed after initialization.

Sample Code for final variable

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Q111. When are static variables loaded in memory ?

Core Java

Ans. They are loaded at runtime when the respective Class is loaded.

Sample Code for static variable

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Q112. Can we serialize static variables ?

Core Java

Ans. No. Only Object and its members are serialized. Static variables are shared variables and doesn't correspond to a specific object.

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Q113. Can we use null as a key for a map collection ?

Core Java

Ans. Yes , for HashMap. HashMap implements Map interface. HashMap allows one null key and any number of null values.

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Q114. Are constructors inherited? Can a subclass call the parent's class constructor? When?

Core Java

Ans. You cannot inherit a constructor. That is, you cannot create a instance of a subclass using a constructor of one of it's superclasses. One of the main reasons is because you probably don't want to override the superclasses constructor, which would be possible if they were inherited. By giving the developer the ability to override a superclasses constructor you would erode the encapsulation abilities of the language.

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Q115. Difference between Abstract and Concrete Class ?

Core Java

Ans. Abstract classes are only meant to be sub classed and not meant to be instantiated whereas concrete classes are meant to be instantiated.

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Q116. Difference between Vector and ArrayList ?

Core Java

Ans. Vectors are synchronized whereas Array lists are not.

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Very Frequently asked. Usually asked along with String Class related questions.

Q117. What is an immutable class ?

Core Java

Ans. Class using which only immutable (objects that cannot be changed after initialization) objects can be created.

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Q118. Difference between object instantiation and construction ?

Core Java

Ans. Though It's often confused with each other, Object Creation ( Instantiation ) and Initialization ( Construction ) are different things in Java. Construction follows object creation.

Object Creation is the process to create the object in memory and returning its handler. Java provides New keyword for object creation.

Initialization is the process of setting the initial / default values to the members. Constructor is used for this purpose. If we don't provide any constructor, Java provides one default implementation to set the default values according to the member data types.

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Frequently asked to fresh graduates and less experienced.

Q119. Which of the following is tightly bound ? Inheritance or Composition ?

Core Java

Ans. Inheritance.

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Very frequently asked in phone and walk in interviews.

Q120. What are Marker Interfaces ? Name few Java marker interfaces ?

Core Java

Ans. An interface without any method declaration is called as marker interface. there are 3 in-built interfaces in JVM i.e. serializable, clonable, remote

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Q121. Explain Autoboxing ?

Core Java

Ans. Autoboxing is the automatic conversion that the Java compiler makes between the primitive types and their corresponding object wrapper classes

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Very frequently asked. Usually difference between String,StringBuffer and StringBuilder is asked in different variations.

Q122. Difference between StringBuffer and StringBuilder ?

Core Java

Ans. StringBuffer is synchronized whereas StringBuilder is not.

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Q123. Explain java.lang.OutOfMemoryError ?

Core Java

Ans. This Error is thrown when the Java Virtual Machine cannot allocate an object because it is out of memory, and no more memory could be made available by the garbage collector.

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Q124. How can we create objects if we make the constructor private ?

Core Java

Ans. We can do so through a static public member method or static block.

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Q125. What are strong, soft, weak and phantom references in Java ?

Core Java

Ans. Garbage Collector wont remove a strong reference.

A soft reference will only get removed if memory is low.

A weak reference will get removed on the next garbage collection cycle.

A phantom reference will be finalized but the memory will not be reclaimed. Can be useful when you want to be notified that an object is about to be collected.

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Q126. Which memory areas does instance and static variables use ?

Core Java

Ans. instance variables and objects are stored on heap and the references are stored on stack whereas static variables are stored in the method area of heap.

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Q127. Difference Between this() and super() ?

Core Java

Ans. 1.this is a reference to the current object in which this keyword is used whereas super is a reference used to access members specific to the parent Class.

2.this is primarily used for accessing member variables if local variables have same name, for constructor chaining and for passing itself to some method whereas super is primarily used to initialize base class members within derived class constructor.

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Q128. What are the disadvantages of using arrays ?

Core Java

Ans. Arrays are of fixed size and have to reserve memory prior to use. Hence if we don't know size in advance arrays are not recommended to use.

Arrays can store only homogeneous elements.

Arrays store its values in contentious memory location. Not suitable if the content is too large and needs to be distributed in memory.

There is no underlying data structure for arrays and no ready made method support for arrays, for every requriment we need to code explicitly

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Q129. What are the Disadvantages of using Collection Classes over Arrays ?

Core Java

Ans. Collections can only hold objects, It can't hold primitive data types.

Collections have performance overheads as they deal with objects and offer dynamic memory expansion. This dynamic expansion could be a bigger overhead if the collection class needs consecutive memory location like Vectors.

Collections doesn't allow modification while traversal as it may lead to concurrentModificationException.

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Q130. What is Generalization and Specialization in terms of casting ?

Core Java

Ans. Generalization or UpCasting is a phenomenon where a sub class is prompted to a super class, and hence becomes more general. Generalization needs widening or up-casting. Specialization or DownCasting is a phenomenon where a super class is narrowed down to a sub class. Specialization needs narrowing or down-casting.

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