Core java questions

Java Interview Questions

1.Whats the difference between constructors and normal methods?
Constructors must have the same name as the class and cannot return a value. They are only called
once while regular methods could be called many times and it can return a value or can be void.

2.What is the final keyword denotes?
final keyword denotes that it is the final implementation for that method or variable or class. You
can’t override that method/variable/class any more.

3. What is the purpose of Void class?
The Void class is a uninstantiable placeholder class to hold a reference to the Class object
representing the primitive Java type void.

4.What is the finalize method do?
Before the invalid objects get garbage collected, the JVM gives the user a chance to clean up some
resources before it got garbage collected.

5.What is JIT and its use?
Really, just a very fast compiler In this incarnation, pretty much a one-pass compiler no offline
computations. So you cannot look at the whole method, rank the expressions according to which
ones are re-used the most, and then generate code. In theory terms, its an on-line problem( JIT is a
compiler for Byte code, The JIT-Complier is part of the JVM, it complies byte code into executable
code in real time, piece-by-piece on demand basis.)

6. What is Abstraction?
Showing the essential and hiding the non-Essential is known as Abstraction.

7.What is Encapsulation?
The Wrapping up of data and functions into a single unit is known as Encapsulation.Encapsulation is
the term given to the process of hiding the implementation details of the object. Once an object is
encapsulated, its implementation details are not immediately accessible any more. Instead they are
packaged and are only indirectly accessed via the interface of the object.

8.What is mean by Inheritance?
Inheritance is the Process by which the Obj of one class acquires the properties of Objsanother
Class.Inheritance is the method of creating the new class based on already existing class, the new
class derived is called Sub class which has all the features of existing class and its own, i.e sub class.
Adv: Reusability of code, accessibility of variables and methods of the Base class by the Derived
class.

9.What is Polymorphism?
The ability to take more than one form, it supports Method Overloading & Method Overriding.

10.What is Method overloading ?
When a method in a class has the same method name with different arguments (diff Parameters or
Signatures) is said to be Method Overloading. This is Compile timePolymorphism.
When a method in a class having the same method name with different arguments (diff Parameters

12.What is Method Overriding?
When a method in a sub Class has the same method name with the same arguments present in a
super class, it is said to be Method overriding. This is Run time Polymorphism.

13.What is meant by Dynamic dispatch?


Dynamic dispatch is a mechanism by which a call to Overridden function is resolved at runtime
rather than at Compile time and this is how Java implements Run time Polymorphism.

14.What is mean by Dynamic Binding?
Means the code associated with the given procedure call is not known until the time of call the call
at run time. (it is associated with Inheritance & Polymorphism).

15.What is mean by byte code?
It is an optimized set of instructions designed to be executed by Java-run time system, which is
called the Java Virtual machine (JVM), i.e. in its standard form, the JVM is an Interpreter for byte
code.

16.What is class variable?
A data item associated with a particular class as a whole–not with particular instances of the class.
Class variables are defined in class definitions. [static field]

17.What is instance variable?
Any item of data that is associated with a particular object. Each instance of a class has its own copy
of the instance variables defined in the class. [field]

18.What is local variable?
A data item known within a block, but inaccessible to code outside the block. For example, any
variable defined within a method is a local variable and can’t be used outside the method.

19.What is class method?
A method that is invoked without reference to a particular object. Class methods affect the class as a
whole, not a particular instance of the class. [static method]

20.What is instance method?
Any method that is invoked with respect to an instance of a class. [method].

21.Define Interface&Rules?
Interfaces can be used to implement the Inheritance relationship between the non-related classes
that do not belongs to the same hierarchy, i.e. any Class and anywhere in hierarchy. Using
Interface, you can specify what a class must do but not how it does.

Rules for defining an interface
 A class can implement more than one Interface.
 An Interface can extend one or more interfaces, by using the keyword extends.
 All the data members in the interface are public, static and Final by default.
 An Interface method can have only Public, default and Abstract modifiers.
 An Interface is loaded in memory only when it is needed for the first time.
 A Class, which implements an Interface, needs to provide the implementation of all the methods
in that Interface.
 If the Implementation for all the methods declared in the Interface are not provided, the class
itself has to declare abstract, otherwise the Class will not compile.
 If a class Implements two interface and both the Intfs have identical method declaration, it is
totally valid.
 If a class implements tow interfaces both have identical method name and argument list, but
different return types, the code will not compile.
 An Interface can’t be instantiated. Intf Are designed to support dynamic method resolution at run
time.
 An interface can’t be native, static, synchronize, final, protected or private.


 The Interface fields can’t be Private or Protected.
 A Transient variables and Volatile variables can’t be members of Interface.
 The ‘extends’ keyword should not be used after the Implements keyword, the Extends must
always come before the Implements keyword.
 A top level Interface can’t be declared as static or final.
 If an Interface species an exception list for a method, then the class implementing the interface
need not declare the method with the exception list.
 If an Interface can’t specify an exception list for a method, the class can’t throw an exception.
 If an Interface does not specify the exception list for a method, he class can’t throw any
exception list.

21.What is mean Abstract Class?
Abstract classes can be used to implement the inheritance relationship between the classes that
belongs same hierarchy. Classes and methods can be declared as abstract. If a Class is declared as
abstract, no instance of that class can be created. If a method is declared as abstract, the sub class
gives the implementation of that class. Even if a single method is declared as abstract in a Class, the
class itself can be declared as abstract.In abstract Class the keyword abstract must be used for
method. Abstract class cannot be marked as final.

22.Difference between an Interfaces and Abstract class?
All the methods declared in the Interface are Abstract, whereas abstract class have both abstract
method and concrete.
In abstract class keyword abstract must be used for method, whereas in Interface we need not use
the keyword for methods(interface methods are by default abstract).
Interface can have only abstract method and constants [public static final]
Interface does not have constructor whereas abstract class have constructor.

23.What are access specifiers and access modifiers?
Public: The Variables and methods can be access anywhere and any package.
Protected: The Variables and methods can be access same Class, same Package & sub class.
Protected keyword is used when we have different packages
Private: The variable and methods can be access in same class only.

24. What are Identifiers?
Identifiers are the Variables that are declared under particular Datatype.

25. What are Literals?
Literals are the values assigned to the Identifiers.

26. Where did the Java name come from? What does it stand for?
The name was chosen during one of several brainstorming sessions held by the Java software team.
We were aiming to come up with a name that evoked the essence of the technology — liveliness,
animation, speed, interactivity, and more. “Java” was chosen from among many, many suggestions.
The name is not an acronym, but rather a reminder of that hot, aromatic stuff that many
programmers like to drink lots of.

27. Why developers should not write programs that call ‘sun’ packages
Java Software supports into the future only classes in java.* packages, not sun.* packages. In
general, API in sun.* is subject to change at any time without notice. For more details, see the article
Why Developers Should Not Write Programs That Call ‘sun’ Packages.


28. What releases of Java technology are currently available? What do they contain?
The Java programming language is currently shipping from Sun Microsystems, Inc. as the Java
Development Kit (JDKTM). All Sun releases of the JDK software are available from the JDK software
home page (http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/). Each release of the Java Development Kit (JDK)
contains:
Java Compiler
Java Virtual Machine*
Java Class Libraries
Java AppletViewer
Java Debugger and other tools
Documentation (in a separate download bundle)
To run Java 1.0 applets, use Netscape Navigator 3.x or other browsers that support Java applets. To
run Java 1.1.x applets, use HotJavaTM 1.x or Netscape Navigator 4.x or other browsers that support
the newest version of the Java API.

29.What is the difference between a constructor and a method?
A constructor is a member function of a class that is used to create objects of that class. It has the
same name as the class itself, has no return type, and is invoked using the new operator.
A method is an ordinary member function of a class. It has its own name, a return type (which may
bevoid), and is invoked using the dot operator.

30.How are this() and super() used with constructors?
A: This() is used to invoke a constructor of the same class.
super() is used to invoke a superclass constructor.

31.What is the difference between static and non-static variables?
A static variable is associated with the class as a whole rather than with specific instances of a class.
Non-static variables take on unique values with each object instance.

32. What is the difference between a while statement and a do statement?
A while statement checks at the beginning of a loop to see whether the next loop iteration should
occur. A do statement checks at the end of a loop to see whether the next iteration of a loop should
occur. The do statement will always execute the body of a loop at least once.

33. Does Java provide any construct to find out the size of an object?
No there is no sizeof operator in Java. So there is not direct way to determine the size of an object
directly in Java.

34. What are passby reference and passby value?
Passby Reference means passing the address itself rather than passing the value.
Passby Value means passing a copy of the value to be passed.

35. What is an Iterator?
Some of the collection classes provide traversal of their contents via a java.util.Iterator interface.
This interface allows you to walk through a collection of objects, operating on each object in turn.
Remember when using Iterators that they contain a snapshot of the collection at the time the
Iterator was obtained; generally it is not advisable to modify the collection itself while traversing an
Iterator.

36. Declaration of access specifier and access modifiers:
Class – Public, Abstract, Final
Inner Class – Public, Protected, Private, Final, Static,
Anonymous – Public, Protected, Private, Static


Variable – Public, Protected, Private, Final, Static, Transient, Volatile, Native
Method – Public, Protected, Private, Final, Abstract, Static, Native, Synchronized
Constructor – Public, Protected, Private
Free-floating code block – Static, Synchronized.

37. What is an abstract class?
Abstract class must be extended/subclassed (to be useful). It serves as a template. A class that
isabstract may not be instantiated (ie, you may not call its constructor), abstract class may
containstatic data. Any class with an abstract method is automatically abstract itself, and must be
declared assuch.A class may be declared abstract even if it has no abstract methods. This prevents it
from beinginstantiated.

38.What is static in java?
Static means one per class, not one for each object no matter how many instance of a class might
exist. This means that you can use them without creating an instance of a class. Static methods are
implicitly final, because overriding is done based on the type of the object, and static methods are
attached to a class, not an object. A static method in a superclass can be shadowed by another static
method in a subclass, as long as the original method was not declared final. However, you can’t
override a static method with a nonstatic method. In other words, you can’t change a static method
into an instance method in a subclass.

39. What is final?
A final class can’t be extended ie., final class may not be subclassed. A final method can’t be
overridden when its class is inherited. You can’t change value of a final variable (is a constant).

40.What if the static modifier is removed from the signature of the main method?
Program compiles. But at runtime throws an error “NoSuchMethodError”.

41.What if I write static public void instead of public static void?
Program compiles and runs properly.

42.What if I do not provide the String array as the argument to the method?
Program compiles but throws a runtime error “NoSuchMethodError”.

43.What is the first argument of the String array in main method?
The String array is empty. It does not have any element. This is unlike C/C++ where the first element
by default is the program name.

44.If I do not provide any arguments on the command line, then the String array of Main method
will be empty or null?
It is empty. But not null.

45.How can one prove that the array is not null but empty using one line of code?
Print args.length. It will print 0. That means it is empty. But if it would have been null then it would
have thrown a NullPointerException on attempting to print args.length.

46.What environment variables do I need to set on my machine in order to be able to run Java
programs?
CLASSPATH and PATH are the two variables.


47.Can an application have multiple classes having main method?
Yes it is possible. While starting the application we mention the class name to be run. The JVM will
look for the Main method only in the class whose name you have mentioned. Hence there is not
conflict amongst the multiple classes having main method.

48.Can I have multiple main methods in the same class?
No the program fails to compile. The compiler says that the main method is already defined in the
class.

49. What is the difference between declaring a variable and defining a variable?
In declaration we just mention the type of the variable and it’s name. We do not initialize it. But
defining means declaration + initialization.e.g String s; is just a declaration while String s = new String
(“abcd”); Or String s = “abcd”; are both definitions.

50. What is the default value of an object reference declared as an instance variable?
Null unless we define it explicitly.

51. Does garbage collection guarantee that a program will not run out of memory?
Garbage collection does not guarantee that a program will not run out of memory. It is possible for
programs to use up memory resources faster than they are garbage collected. It is also possible for
programs to create objects that are not subject to garbage collection.

52. Can an unreachable object become reachable again?
An unreachable object may become reachable again. This can happen when the object’s finalize()
method is invoked and the object performs an operation which causes it to become accessible to
reachable objects.

53. What modifiers are allowed for methods in an Interface?
Only public and abstract modifiers are allowed for methods in interfaces.

54. What are some alternatives to inheritance?
Delegation is an alternative to inheritance. Delegation means that you include an instance of
another class as an instance variable, and forward messages to the instance. It is often safer than
inheritance because it forces you to think about each message you forward, because the instance is
of a known class, rather than a new class, and because it doesn’t force you to accept all the methods
of the super class: you can provide only the methods that really make sense. On the other hand, it
makes you write more code, and it is harder to re-use (because it is not a subclass).

55. What does it mean that a method or field is “static”?
Static variables and methods are instantiated only once per class. In other words they are class
variables, not instance variables. If you change the value of a static variable in a particular object, the
value of that variable changes for all instances of that class. Static methods can be referenced with
the name of the class rather than the name of a particular object of the class (though that works
too). That’s how library methods like System.out.println() work out is a static field in the
java.lang.System class.

56. Is Empty .java file a valid source file?
Yes, an empty .java file is a perfectly valid source file.

57. Can a .java file contain more than one java classes?
Yes, a .java file contain more than one java classes, provided at the most one of them is a public
class.


58. Is String a primitive data type in Java?
No String is not a primitive data type in Java, even though it is one of the most extensively used
object. Strings in Java are instances of String class defined in java.lang package.
59. Is main a keyword in Java?
No, main is not a keyword in Java.

60. Is next a keyword in Java?
No, next is not a keyword.
61. Is delete a keyword in Java?
No, delete is not a keyword in Java. Java does not make use of explicit destructors the way C++ does.
62. Is exit a keyword in Java?
No. To exit a program explicitly you use exit method in System object.
63. What happens if you dont initialize an instance variable of any of the primitive types in Java?
Java by default initializes it to the default value for that primitive type. Thus an int will be initialized
to 0, a boolean will be initialized to false.
64. What will be the initial value of an object reference which is defined as an instance variable?
The object references are all initialized to null in Java. However in order to do anything useful with
these references, you must set them to a valid object, else you will get NullPointerExceptions
everywhere you try to use such default initialized references.
65. What are the different scopes for Java variables?
The scope of a Java variable is determined by the context in which the variable is declared. Thus a
java variable can have one of the three scopes at any given point in time.
Instance: -
These are typical object level variables, they are initialized to default values at the time of creation of
object, and remain accessible as long as the object accessible.
Local: -
These are the variables that are defined within a method. They remain accessible only during the
course of method execution. When the method finishes execution, these variables fall out of scope.
Static: -
These are the class level variables. They are initialized when the class is loaded in JVM for the first
time and remain there as long as the class remains loaded. They are not tied to any particular object
instance.
66. What is the default value of the local variables?
The local variables are not initialized to any default value, neither primitives nor object references. If
you try to use these variables without initializing them explicitly, the java compiler will not compile
the code. It will complain about the local variable not being initialized.
67. Can main method be declared final?
Yes, the main method can be declared final, in addition to being public static.
68. What will be the output of the following statement?
System.out.println (“1″ + 3).It will print 13.
1. What is inner class?
If the methods of the inner class can only be accessed via the instance of the inner class, then it is
called inner class.


2. What is nested class?
If all the methods of a inner class is static then it is a nested class.

3. What are different types of inner classes?
Nested top-level classes, Member classes, Local classes, Anonymous classes

4.What is a Nested top-level class?
If you declare a class within a class and specify the static modifier, the compiler treats the class just
like any other top-level class.Any class outside the declaring class accesses the nested class with the
declaring class name acting similarly to a package. eg, outer.inner. Top-level inner classes implicitly
have access only to static variables.There can also be inner interfaces. All of these are of the nested
top-level variety.

5.What is a Member class?
Member inner classes are just like other member methods and member variables and access to the
member class is restricted, just like methods and variables. This means a public member class acts
similarly to a nested top-level class. The primary difference between member classes and nested
top-level classes is that member classes have access to the specific instance of the enclosing class.

6.What is a Local class?
Local classes are like local variables, specific to a block of code. Their visibility is only within the block
of their declaration. In order for the class to be useful beyond the declaration block, it would need to
implement amore publicly available interface.Because local classes are not members, the modifiers
public, protected, private, and static are not usable.

7.What is Anonymous class?
Anonymous inner classes extend local inner classes one level further. As anonymous classes have no
name, you cannot provide a constructor.

8. Are the imports checked for validity at compile time? e.g. will the code containing an import
such as java.lang.ABCD compile?
Yes the imports are checked for the semantic validity at compile time. The code containing above
line of import will not compile. It will throw an error saying,can’t resolve symbolsymbol : class ABCD,
location: package io ,import java.io.ABCD;

1.What is the difference between the methods sleep() and wait()?
The code sleep(1000); puts thread aside for exactly one second. The code wait(1000), causes a wait
of up to one second. A thread could stop waiting earlier if it receives the notify() or notifyAll() call.
The method wait() is defined in the class Object and the method sleep() is defined in the class
Thread.

2.Why would you use a synchronized block vs. synchronized method?
Synchronized blocks place locks for shorter periods than synchronized methods. Both the
synchronized method and block are used to acquire the lock for an object. synchronized block will
lock a specific method synchronized method it will lock all methods.

3. What kind of thread is the Garbage collector thread?
It is a daemon thread. Daemon thread: These are the threads which can run without user
intervention. The JVM can exit when there are daemon thread by killing them abruptly.

4. What is the difference between pre-emptive scheduling and time slicing?
Under pre-emptive scheduling, the highest priority task executes until it enters the waiting or dead
states or a higher priority task comes into existence. Under time slicing, a task executes for a


predefined slice of time and then reenters the pool of ready tasks. The scheduler then determines
which task should execute next, based on priority and other factors.

5. When a thread is created and started, what is its initial state?
A thread is in the ready state after it has been created and started.

6. What is the purpose of finalization?
The purpose of finalization is to give an unreachable object the opportunity to perform any cleanup
processing before the object is garbage collected.

7. What method must be implemented by all threads?
All tasks must implement the run() method, whether they are a subclass of Thread or implement the
Runnable interface.

8. What is the difference between pre-emptive scheduling and time slicing?
Under pre-emptive scheduling, the highest priority task executes until it enters the waiting or dead
states or a higher priority task comes into existence. Under time slicing, a task executes for a
predefined slice of time and then reenters the pool of ready tasks. The scheduler then determines
which task should execute next, based on priority and other factors.

1. Explain the usage of Java packages.
This is a way to organize files when a project consists of multiple modules. It also helps resolve
naming conflicts when different packages have classes with the same names. Packages access level
also allows you to protect data from being used by the non-authorized classes.

2.Explain the usage of the keyword transient?
Transient keyword indicates that the value of this member variable does not have to be serialized
with the object. When the class will be de-serialized, this variable will be initialized with a default
value of its data type (i.e. zero for integers).

3. What is serialization?
Serialization is a mechanism by which you can save the state of an object by converting it to a byte
stream.

4. How do I serialize an object to a file?
The class whose instances are to be serialized should implement an interface Serializable. Then you
pass the instance to the ObjectOutputStream which is connected to a fileoutputstream. This will
savethe object to a file.

5.Which methods of Serializable interface should I implement?
The serializable interface is an empty interface, it does not contain any methods. So we do not
implement any methods.

6.How can I customize the serialization process?
i.e. how can one have a control over the serialization process?
Yes it is possible to have control over serialization process. The class should implement
Externalizable interface. This interface contains two methods namely readExternal and
writeExternal. You should implement these methods and write the logic for customizing the
serialization process.

7. What is the common usage of serialization?
Whenever an object is to be sent over the network, objects need to be serialized. Moreover if the
state of an object is to be saved, objects need to be serialized.


8.What is Externalizable interface?
Externalizable is an interface which contains two methods readExternal and writeExternal. These
methods give you a control over the serialization mechanism. Thus if your class implements this
interface, you can customize the serialization process by implementing these methods.

9.When you serialize an object, what happens to the object references included in the object?
The serialization mechanism generates an object graph for serialization. Thus it determines whether
the included object references are serializable or not. This is a recursive process. Thus when an
object is serialized, all the included objects are also serialized alongwith the original object.

10. What one should take care of while serializing the object?
One should make sure that all the included objects are also serializable. If any of the objects is not
serializable then it throws a NotSerializableException.

11.What happens to the static fields of a class during serialization?
There are three exceptions in which serialization doesn’t necessarily read and write to the stream.
These are
i). Serialization ignores static fields, because they are not part of a particular state.
ii). Base class fields are only handled if the base class itself is serializable.
iii), Transient fields.

12. What is Externalizable?
Externalizable is an Interface that extends Serializable Interface. And sends data into Streams in
Compressed Format. It has two methods, writeExternal(ObjectOuput out) and
readExternal(ObjectInput in)

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