Class Inheritance in Java

Understanding Class Inheritance

1

•
•
•
•
•

Inheritance
Overriding methods
Abstract classes
Interfaces
Advanced concepts of inheritance

2

Inheritance and Class Type
• Exam Objective 1.2 Describe, compare, and contrast
concrete classes, abstract classes, and interfaces, and
how inheritance applies to them.

3

Interfaces
public class LandlinePhone implements Phone{
private boolean callInProgress;
public void dialNumber(int number)
{ /* Dial number via wired network */}
public boolean isCallInProgress() { return callInProgress; }
}
public class CellPhone implements Phone{
private boolean callInProgress;
public void dialNumber(int number)
{ /* Dial number via cell network */ }
public boolean isCallInProgress() { return callInProgress; }
}

4

public class VideoPhone implements Phone, VideoPlayer{
...
}

5

Advanced Concepts of Inheritance

6

Encapsulation
• Exam Objective 1.4 Describe information hiding (using
private attributes and methods), encapsulation, and
exposing object functionality using public methods; and
describe the JavaBeans conventions for setter and getter
methods.

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Good Design with Encapsulation
• Encapsulation is the concept of storing similar data and
methods together in discrete classes.
• This can increase the complexity of maintaining the code
because oftentimes the variables that the code is using
are spread apart over the code base.
• Bugs in the code can be hard to find and resolve due to
different remote procedures using the same variables.
• It creates easier to read and maintainable code by
grouping related variables and methods together in
classes.
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The Access Modifiers
Access modifiers control which classes may use a feature.
A class’s features are
• The class itself
• Its member variables
• Its methods and constructors
• Its nested classes
Ben Abdallah Helmi Architect
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public
The most generous access modifier is public . A public
class, variable, or method may be used in any Java
program without restriction. Any public method may be
overridden by any subclass. An application declares its
main() method to be public so that main() can be invoked
from any Java runtime environment.

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private
The least generous access modifier is private . Top-level (that is, not inner) classes may not be declared
private. A Private variable or method may be used only by an instance of the class that declares the
variable or method. For an example of the private access modifier, consider the following code:

1. class Complex {
2. private double real, imaginary;
3.
4. public Complex(double r, double i) {
5. real = r; imaginary = i;
6. }
7. public Complex add(Complex c) {
8. return new Complex(real + c.real,
9. imaginary + c.imaginary);
10. }
11. }

12.
13. class Client {
14. void useThem() {
15. Complex c1 = new Complex(1, 2);
16. Complex c2 = new Complex(3, 4);
17. Complex c3 = c1.add(c2);
18. double d = c3.real; // Illegal!
19. }
20. }

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Default

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protected
It’s important to be aware that different-package subclasses don’t have unlimited access to protected superclass features.
In fact, different-package subclasses have only the following privileges:
•

They may override protected methods of the superclass.

•

An instance may read and write protected fields that it inherits from its superclass. However, the instance may not read
or write protected inherited fields of other instances.

•

An instance may call protected methods that it inherits from its superclass. However, the instance may not call
protected methods of other instances.

As an example of the protected access modifier, consider the following code:
1. package sportinggoods;
2. class Ski {
3. void applyWax() { . . . }

4. }
The applyWax() method has default access. Now consider the following subclass:
1. package sportinggoods;
2. class DownhillSki extends Ski {
3. void tuneup() {
4. applyWax();
5. // other tuneup functionality here 6. } 7. }

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Subclasses and Method Privacy

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7. Given the following code, and making no other changes, which combination of access
modifiers
(public, protected, or private) can legally be placed before aMethod() on line 3 and be
placed before aMethod() on line 8?
1. class SuperDuper
2. {
3. void aMethod() { }
4. }
5.
6. class Sub extends SuperDuper
7. {
8. void aMethod() { }
9. }
A. line 3: public; line 8: private
B. line 3: protected; line 8: private
C. line 3: default; line 8: private
D. line 3: private; line 8: protected
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E. line 3: public; line 8: protected
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7.D. The basic principle is that a method may not be
overridden to be more private. All choices except D
make the access of the overriding method more private.

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11. Suppose class Supe, in package packagea, has a
method called doSomething(). Suppose class
Subby, in package packageb, overrides doSomething().
What access modes may Subby’s
version of the method have? (Choose all that apply.)
A. public
B. protected
C. Default
D. private
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11. A, B. Since the method in the superclass is
overridden in a different package, the superclass
version must be public or protected. (Default methods
may be overridden only if the subclass is in the same
package as the superclass; private methods may not be
overridden at all.) An overriding method’s access mode
must be the same as, or more open than, the superclass
version’s access mode.

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16. Suppose class A has a method called
doSomething(), with default access. Suppose class B
extends A and overrides doSomething(). Which
access modes may apply to B’s version of
doSomething()? (Choose all that apply.)
A. public
B. private
C. protected
D. Default
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16. A, C, D. An overriding method’s access mode must be
the same as, or more open than, the superclass version’s
access mode.

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17. True or false: If class Y extends class X, the two
classes are in different packages, and class X has a
protected method called abby(), then any instance of
Y may call the abby() method of any other instance of
Y.
A. True
B. False

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17. B. An object that inherits a protected method from a
superclass in a different package may call that method
on itself but not on other instances of the same class.

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final
The final modifier applies to classes, variables, and methods. The meaning of final varies from context to context, but the essential idea is
the same: final features may not be changed. A final class cannot be subclassed. For example, the following code will not compile,
because the java.lang.Math class is final:
class SubMath extends java.lang.Math { }
The compiler error says, “Can’t subclass final classes.”
A final variable cannot be modified once it has been assigned a value. In Java, final variables play the same role as consts in C++ and
#define constants in C. For example, the java.lang.Math class has a final variable, of type double, called PI. Obviously, pi is not the sort
of value that should be changed during the execution of a program. If a final variable is a reference to an object, it is the reference that
must stay the same, not the object. This is shown in the following code:
1. class Walrus {
2. int weight;
3. Walrus(int w) { weight = w; }

4. } 5.
6. class Tester {
7. final Walrus w1 = new Walrus(1500);
8. void test() {
9. w1 = new Walrus(1400); // Illegal
10. w1.weight = 1800; // Legal
11. } }

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You may not change a final object reference variable. You may change data owned by an object
that is referred to by a final object reference variable.
A final method may not be overridden. For example, the following code will not compile:
1. class Mammal {
2. final void getAround() { }
3. }
4.
5. class Dolphin extends Mammal {
6. void getAround() { }
7. }
Dolphins get around in a very different way from most mammals, so it makes sense to try to
override the inherited version of getAround(). However, getAround() is final, so the only result
is a compiler error at line 6 that says, “Final methods can’t be overridden.”

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18. Which of the following statements are true?
A. A final class must be instantiated.
B. A final class must contain at least one final method.
C. A final class must contain at least one final data
field.
D. A final class may not be extended.
E. None of the above.

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18. D. There is only one restriction on a final class: A
final class may not be extended.

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A. A final class must be instantiated.
B. A final class may only contain final methods.
C. A final class may not contain non-final data fields.
D. A final class may not be extended.
E. None of the above.

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19. D. There is only one restriction on a final class: A
final class may not be extended.

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abstract

The abstract modifier can be applied to classes and
methods. A class that is abstract may not be instantiated
(that is, you may not call its constructor). Abstract classes
provide a way to defer implementation to subclasses.
Consider the class hierarchy shown in

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In fact, the compiler insists that a class must be declared
abstract if any of the following conditions is true:
• The class has one or more abstract methods.
• The class inherits one or more abstract methods (from an
abstract parent) for which it does not provide implementations.
• The class declares that it implements an interface but does
not provide implementations for every method of that
interface.
These three conditions are very similar to one another. In each
case, there is an incomplete class. Some part of the class’s
functionality is missing and must be provided by a subclass.
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2. Which of the following statements is true?
A. An abstract class may not have any final methods.
B. A final class may not have any abstract methods.

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2. B. Any class with abstract methods must itself be
abstract, and a class may not be both abstract and
final. Statement A says that an abstract class may not
have final methods, but there is nothing wrong with
this. The abstract class will eventually be subclassed,
and the subclass must avoid overriding the parent’s
final methods. Any other methods can be freely
overridden.

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3. What is the minimal modification that will make this code compile correctly?
1. final class Aaa
2. {
3. int xxx;

4. void yyy() { xxx = 1; }
5. }6.7.
8. class Bbb extends Aaa
9. {
10. final Aaa finalref = new Aaa();
11.
12. final void yyy()
13. { 14. System.out.println("In method yyy()");
15. finalref.xxx = 12345;

16. }
17. }
A. On line 1, remove the final modifier.
B. On line 10, remove the final modifier.

C. Remove line 15.
D. On lines 1 and 10, remove the final modifier.

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3. A. The code will not compile because on line 1, class
Aaa is declared final and may not be subclassed.
Lines 10 and 15 are fine. The instance variable finalref
is final, so it may not be modified; it can reference
only the object created on line 10. However, the data
within that object is not final, so nothing is wrong
with line 15.

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A. An abstract class may be instantiated.
B. An abstract class must contain at least one abstract
method.
C. An abstract class must contain at least one abstract
data field.
D. An abstract class must be overridden.
E. An abstract class must declare that it implements an
interface.
F. None of the above.
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12. F. A is false because the compiler forbids
construction of an abstract class. B is false because
abstract classes need not contain any abstract methods
(though if a class does contain any abstract methods, it
must be abstract). C is false because there is no such
thing as an abstract data field. D is false because, when
you really think about it, it doesn’t make any sense; the
compiler compiles classes one at a time and has no
interest in whether or not a class is overridden. E is false
because there is no compiler requirement that an abstract
class must declare that it implements any interface.
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13. Suppose interface Inty defines five methods.
Suppose class Classy declares that it implements Inty
but does not provide implementations for any of the
five interface methods. Which is/are true?
A. The class will not compile.
B. The class will compile if it is declared public.
C. The class will compile if it is declared abstract.
D. The class may not be instantiated.

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13. C, D. If a class does not provide implementations for
all methods of all interfaces that the class declares it
implements, that class must be declared abstract.
Abstract classes may not be instantiated

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14. Which of the following may be declared final?
(Choose all that apply.)
A. Classes
B. Data
C. Methods

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14. A, B, C. Classes, data, and methods can be declared
final. Variables cannot.

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static
The static modifier can be applied to variables, methods,
and even a strange kind of code that is not part of a
method. You can think of static features as belonging to a
class, rather than being associated with an individual
instance of the class.

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• If a static method needs to access a nonstatic variable or call a nonstatic
method, it must specify which instance of its class owns the variable or
executes the method. This situation is familiar to anyone who has ever
written an application with a GUI:
1. import java.awt.*;
2.
3. public class MyFrame extends Frame {
4. MyFrame() {
5. setSize(300, 300);
6. }
7.
8. public static void main(String args[]) {
9. MyFrame theFrame = new MyFrame();
10. theFrame.setVisible(true);
11. }
12. }
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• A static method may access only the static data of its
class; it may not access nonstatic data.
• A static method may call only the static methods of its
class; it may not call nonstatic methods.
• A static method has no this.
• A static method may not be overridden to be nonstatic.

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Methods, Overloading and
Overriding
In the class that defines the original method, or a subclass of
that class, the method name can be re-used if the argument
list differs in terms of the type of at least one argument. This is
overloading. It is important to realize that a difference in return
type or list of thrown exceptions is insufficient to constitute an
overload and is illegal.
In a strict subclass of the class that defines the original method,
the method name can be re-used with identical argument
types and order and with identical return type. This is
overriding. In this case, additional restrictions apply to the
accessibility of, and exceptions that may be thrown by, the
method.
Ben Abdallah Helmi Architect 45
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Overloading Method Names
In Java, a method is uniquely identified by the combination
of its fully qualified class name, the method name, and
the exact sequence of its argument types. Overloading is
the re-use of a method name in the one class or subclass
for a different method.
1. public void aMethod(String s) { }
2. public void aMethod() { }
3. public void aMethod(int i, String s) { }
4. public void aMethod(String s, int i) { }
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One last point to consider is the return type of an
overloaded method. The language treats methods with
overloaded names as totally different methods, and as
such they can have different return types (you will see
shortly that overriding methods do not have this freedom).

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To summarize, these are the key
points about overloading methods:
The identity of a method is determined by the combination
of its fully qualified class; its name; and the type, order,
and count of arguments in the argument list.
Two or more methods in the same class (including
methods inherited from a superclass) with the same name
but different argument lists are called overloaded.
Methods with overloaded names are effectively
independent methods—using the same name is really just
a convenience to the programmer. Return type,
accessibility, and exception lists may vary freely
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Method Overriding
There are a number of key distinctions between overloading and overriding:
• Overloaded methods supplement each other; an overriding method replaces the
method it overrides.
• Overloaded methods can exist, in any number, in the same class. Each method
in a parent class can be overridden at most once in any one subclass.
• Overloaded methods must have different argument lists; overriding methods
must have argument lists of identical type and order (otherwise they are simply
treated as overloaded methods).
• The return type of an overloaded method may be chosen freely; the return type
of an overriding method must be identical to that of the method it overrides.
• The exception list of an overriden method may be chosen according to the rules
defined earlier in this chapter.
• The access modifiers of an overriden method may be chosen according to the
rules defined earlier in this chapter.
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What Is Overriding For?
• Overloading allows multiple implementations of the same
essential functionality to use the same name. Overriding,
on the other hand, modifies the implementation of a
particular piece of behavior for a subclass.

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• The method name and the type and order of arguments must
be identical to those of a method in a parent class. If this is the
case, then the method is an attempt to override the
corresponding parent class method, and the remaining points
listed here must be adhered to or a compiler error arises. If
these criteria are not met, then the method is not an attempt to
override and the following rules are irrelevant.
• The return type must be the same as, or a subclass of, the
superclass version’s return type.
• Methods marked final may not be overridden.
• The accessibility must not be more restrictive than that of the
original method.
• The method may throw only checked exception types that are
the same as, or subclasses of, exception types thrown by the
original method.
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The second rule is new in release 5.0. Prior to 5.0, an overriding method’s return type had to exactly match
the superclass version’s return type. Now the rule has been expanded, to supportcovariant return types.
A covariant return type of an overriding method is a subclass of the return type of the superclass version.
Here’s an example:
class TheSuperclass {
Number getValue() {
return new Long(33);
}
}
class TheSubclass extends TheSuperclass {
Float getValue() {
return new Float(1.23f);
}
}
The superclass version returns a Number. The subclass version returns a Float, which extends
Number. This would be illegal without covariant return types.
In addition, while you can make the return type narrower, you can't make the parameter types wider.

When overriding a method, you can make its return type narrower ifJ2EE class.
it is a
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Late Binding
Unlike traditional languages or runtime environments,
every time the Java system allocates memory, it marks
that memory with the type of the data that it has been
allocated to hold. So, given any object, and without regard
to the type associated with the reference variable acting
as a handle to that object, the runtime system can
determine the real class of that object by inspection. This
process is the basis of the instanceof operator, which
allows you to program a test to determine the actual class
of an object at runtime

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Variable-Length Argument Lists
• void xyz(String … stringies)
• Callers may invoke this method with any number of String
arguments (even none at all).
• Within the method, stringies appears as an array of
Strings.
• Many methods of the core Java classes accept variable
argument lists, so keep your eye out for the three dots in
method descriptions in the API pages.

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Constructors and Subclassing

• A constructor is invoked with a call of the form new
MyClass(arg1, arg2, ...). If the argument list is empty, the
constructor is called a no-arguments (or no-args)
constructor. If you do not explicitly code any constructors
for a class, the compiler automatically creates a default
constructor that does nothing except invoke the
superclass’ default constructor, via a mechanism
described in the next section. This “freebie” constructor is
called the default constructor. It has public access if the
class is public; otherwise its access mode is default.
• It is important to know that the superclass constructor
must be called before any reference is made to any part
of this object.
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Overloading Constructors
• Constructors are not inherited in the same way as normal methods. You can create an
object only if the class defines a constructor with an argument list that matches the one your
new call provides.
• If you define no constructors in a class, then the compiler provides a default that takes no
arguments. If you define even a single constructor, this default is not provided.
• It is common to provide multiple overloaded constructors—that is, constructors with different
argument lists. One constructor can call another using the syntax this(arguments).
• A constructor delays running its body until the parent parts of the class have been initialized.
This commonly happens because of an implicit call to super() added by the compiler. You
can provide your own call to super(arguments) to control the way the parent parts are
initialized. If you do so, it must be the first statement of the constructor.
• A constructor can use overloaded constructor versions to support its work. These are
invoked using the syntax this(arguments) and if supplied, this call must be the first statement
of the constructor. In such conditions, the initialization of the parent class is performed in the
overloaded constructor

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1. Consider this class:
1. public class Test1 {
2. public float aMethod(float a, float b) {
3. }
4.
5. }
Which of the following methods would be legal if added (individually) at line 4? (Choose
all
that apply.)
A. public int aMethod(int a, int b) { }
B. public float aMethod(float a, float b) { }
C. public float aMethod(float a, float b, int c) throws Exception { }
D. public float aMethod(float c, float d) { }
E. private float aMethod(int a, int b, int c) { }
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1. A, C, E. In each of these answers, the argument list
differs from the original, so the method is an overload.
Overloaded methods are effectively independent, and
there are no constraints on the accessibility, return type,
or exceptions that may be thrown. B would be a legal
overriding method, except that it cannot be defined in the
same class as the original method; rather, it must be
declared in a subclass. D is also an override, because the
types of its arguments are the same: changing the
parameter names is not sufficient to count as overloading.

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2. Consider these classes, defined in separate source files:
1. public class Test1 {
2. public float aMethod(float a, float b)
3. throws IOException {...
4. }
5. }
1. public class Test2 extends Test1 {
2.
3. }
Which of the following methods would be legal (individually) at line 2 in class Test2? (Choose
all that apply.)
A. float aMethod(float a, float b) {...}
B. public int aMethod(int a, int b) throws Exception {...}
C. public float aMethod(float a, float b) throws Exception {...}
D. public float aMethod(float p, float q) {...}

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2. B, D. A is illegal because it is less accessible than
the original method; the fact that it throws no
exceptions is perfectly acceptable. B is legal because it
overloads the method of the parent class, and as such it
is not constrained by any rules governing its return value,
accessibility, or argument list. The exception thrown by C
is sufficient to make that method illegal. D is legal
because the accessibility and return type are identical,
and the method is an override because the types of the
arguments are identical—remember that the names of the
arguments are irrelevant. The absence of an exception
list in D is not a problem: An overriding method may
legitimately throw fewer exceptions than its original, but it
may not throw more.
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3. You have been given a design document for a veterinary registration system
for implementation
in Java. It states:
“A pet has an owner, a registration date, and a vaccination-due date. A cat is a pet that
has a
flag indicating whether it has been neutered, and a textual description of its markings.”
Given that the Pet class has already been defined, which of the following fields would
be
appropriate for inclusion in the Cat class as members? (Choose all that apply.)
A. Pet thePet;
B. Date registered;
C. Date vaccinationDue;
D. Cat theCat;
E. boolean neutered;
F. String markings;
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3. E, F. The Cat class is a subclass of the Pet class, and as
such should extend Pet, rather than contain
an instance of Pet. B and C should be members of the Pet class
and as such are inherited
into the Cat class; therefore, they should not be declared in the
Cat class. D would declare a reference
to an instance of the Cat class, which is not generally
appropriate inside the Cat class
(unless, perhaps, you were asked to give the Cat a member that
refers to its mother). Finally, the
neutered flag and markings descriptions, E and F, are the items
called for by the specification;
these are correct items.
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4. You have been given a design document for a veterinary registration system for
implementation
in Java. It states:
“A pet has an owner, a registration date, and a vaccination-due date. A cat is a pet that has a
flag indicating if it has been neutered, and a textual description of its markings.”
Given that the Pet class has already been defined and you expect the Cat class to be used
freely
throughout the application, how would you make the opening declaration of the Cat class, up
to but not including the first opening brace? Use only these words and spaces: boolean, Cat,
class, Date, extends, Object, Owner, Pet, private, protected, public, String.
A. protected class Cat extends Owner
B. public class Cat extends Object
C. public class Cat extends Pet
D. private class Cat extends Pet
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4. C. The class should be public, because it is to be used
freely throughout the application. The
statement “A cat is a pet” tells you that the Cat class should
subclass Pet. The other words
offered are required for the body of the definitions of either
Cat or Pet—for use as member
variables—but are not part of the opening declaration.

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5. Consider the following classes, declared
in separate source files:
1. public class Base {
2. public void method(int i) {
3. System.out.print(“Value is “ + i);
4. }
5. }
1. public class Sub extends Base {
2. public void method(int j) {
3. System.out.print(“This value is “ + j);
4. }
5. public void method(String s) {
6. System.out.print(“I was passed “ + s);
7. }
8. public static void main(String args[]) {
9. Base b1 = new Base();
10. Base b2 = new Sub();
11. b1.method(5);
12. b2.method(6);13. }14. }

What output results when the main
method of the class Sub is run?
A. Value is 5Value is 6
B. This value is 5This value is 6
C. Value is 5This value is 6
D. This value is 5Value is 6
E. I was passed 5I was passed 6

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5. C. The first message is produced by the Base class
when b1.method(5) is called and is therefore
Value is 5. Despite the fact that variable b2 is declared as
being of the Base class, the behavior
that results when method() is invoked upon it is the
behavior associated with the class of the
actual object, not with the type of the variable. Because the
object is of class Sub, not of class
Base, the second message is generated by line 3 of class
Sub: This value is 6.
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6. Consider the following class definition:
1. public class Test extends Base {
2. public Test(int j) {
3. }
4. public Test(int j, int k) {
5. super(j, k);
6. }
7. }
Which of the following are legitimate calls to construct instances of the Test class? (Choose all
that apply.)
A. Test t = new Test();
B. Test t = new Test(1);
C. Test t = new Test(1, 2);
D. Test t = new Test(1, 2, 3);
E. Test t = (new Base()).new Test(1);

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6. B, C. Because the class has explicit constructors
defined, the default constructor is suppressed,
so A is not possible. B and C have argument lists that
match the constructors defined at lines
2 and 4 respectively, and so they are correct constructions.
D has three integer arguments, but
there are no constructors that take three arguments of any
kind in the Test class, so D is incorrect.
Finally, E is a syntax used for construction of inner classes
and is therefore wrong.
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7. Consider the following class definition:
1. public class Test extends Base {
2. public Test(int j) {
3. }
4. public Test(int j, int k) {
5. super(j, k);
6. }
7. }
Which of the following forms of constructor must exist explicitly in the definition of the Base
class? Assume Test and Base are in the same package. (Choose all that apply.)
A. Base() { }
B. Base(int j) { }
C. Base(int j, int k) { }
D. Base(int j, int k, int l) { }
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7. A, C. The constructor at lines 2 and 3 includes no explicit call to either this() or
super(),
which means that the compiler will generate a call to the no-args superclass
constructor, as in A.
The explicit call to super() at line 5 requires that the Base class must have a
constructor as in
C. This requirement has two consequences. First, C must be one of the required
constructors and
therefore one of the answers. Second, the Base class must have at least that
constructor defined
explicitly, so the default constructor is not generated but must be added explicitly.
Therefore the
constructor of A is also required and must be a correct answer. At no point in the Test
class is
there a call to either a superclass constructor with one or three arguments, so B and D
need not
explicitly exist.
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11. Which of the following may override a method
whose signature is void xyz(float f)?
A. void xyz(float f)
B. public void xyz(float f)
C. private void xyz(float f)
D. public int xyz(float f)
E. private int xyz(float f)

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11. A, B. A uses the original method’s signature verbatim,
which is legal. B makes the subclass version
more accessible, which is legal. C makes the subclass
version less accessible, which is not
legal. D and E change the return type, which is not legal.

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19. Suppose class X contains the following method:
void doSomething(int a, float b) { … }
Which of the following methods may appear in class Y,
which extends X?
A. public void doSomething(int a, float b) { … }
B. private void doSomething(int a, float b) { … }
C. public void doSomething(int a, float b)
throws java.io.IOException { … }
D. private void doSomething(int a, float b)
throws java.io.IOException { … }
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19. A. A method with default access may be overridden
to have default, protected, or public access
but not private access, because a method may not be
overridden with more restrictive access. An
overriding method may not declare that it throws exception
types that do not appear in the
superclass version.

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20. This question involves IOException, AWTException, and
EOFException. They are all checked
exception types. IOException and AWTException extend
Exception, and EOFException extends
IOException. Suppose class X contains the following method:
void doSomething() throws IOException{ … }
Which of the following methods may appear in class Y, which
extends X?
A. void doSomething() { … }
B. void doSomething() throws AWTException { … }
C. void doSomething() throws EOFException { … }
D. void doSomething() throws IOException, EOFException {
…}
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20. A, C, D. An overriding method may throw an
unlimited number of exception types, provided all
types are the same as, or are descended from, the types
that appear in the overridden version’s
declared list of thrown exception types.

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The JavaBeans naming convention
• The convention specifies a discipline for choosing names for
properties and the methods that access and modify them.
Specifically, A property name begins with a lowercase letter. All
subsequent letters are lowercase except for the first letter of a
new word. Underscores are not used. Examples: bear,
innerClass, normalizedRotationalInertia
• A method that returns the value of a property is named
getXxx(), where xxx is the property name. Example:
getInnerClass()
• A method that modifies the value of a property is named
setXxx(), where xxx is the property name. Example:
setNormalizedRotationalInertia()
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•

If the property is a boolean, the getter method's prefix is either get or is. For example,
getStopped() or isStopped() are both valid JavaBeans names for a boolean property.

• The setter method's prefix must be set. For example, setSize() is the valid JavaBean name
for a property named size.
• To complete the name of a getter or setter method, change the first letter of the property
name to uppercase, and then append it to the appropriate prefix (get, is, or set).
• Setter method signatures must be marked public, with a void return type

and an argument that represents the property type.
•

Getter method signatures must be marked public, take no arguments, and

have a return type that matches the argument type of the setter method for
that property.
•

Listener method names used to "register" a listener with an event source must use the
prefix add, followed by the listener type. For example, addActionListener() is a valid name
for a method that an event source will have to allow others to register for Action events.

•

Listener method names used to remove ("unregister") a listener must use the prefix
remove, followed by the listener type (using the same rules as the registration add method).

•

The type of listener to be added or removed must be passed as the argument to the method.

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Examples of valid JavaBean method signatures are
public void setMyValue(int v)
public int getMyValue()
public boolean isMyStatus()
public void addMyListener(MyListener m)
public void removeMyListener(MyListener m)
Examples of invalid JavaBean method signatures are
void setCustomerName(String s) // must be public
public void modifyMyValue(int v) // can't use 'modify'
public void addXListener(MyListener m) // listener type
mismatch
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Advanced Examples of Classes with
Inheritance and Encapsulation

• Exam Objective 3.2 Develop code that declares concrete
classes, abstract classes, and interfaces, code that
supports implementation and interface inheritance, code
that declares instance attributes and methods, and code
that uses the Java access modifiers: private and public.

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Class Inheritance in Java

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