Here are 50 interview questions for C++ along with their answers. These questions cover a range of topics and difficulty levels related to C++ programming:
1. What is C++?
Answer: C++ is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that is an extension of the C programming language. It includes features like classes, objects, and inheritance for object-oriented programming.
2. What is the difference between C and C++?
Answer: C++ is an extension of C with added features like classes, objects, and support for object-oriented programming, while C is a procedural programming language.
3. What are the basic data types in C++?
Answer: C++ includes fundamental data types like int, float, double, char, and bool.
4. What is a class in C++?
Answer: A class is a user-defined data type that defines a blueprint for creating objects. It contains data members and member functions.
5. Explain the concept of inheritance.
Answer: Inheritance allows a class to inherit properties and behaviors from another class. It promotes code reuse and establishes a relationship between classes.
6. What is a constructor?
Answer: A constructor is a special member function in a class used to initialize objects when they are created.
7. Explain the difference between a constructor and a destructor.
Answer: A constructor is used for object initialization, while a destructor is used for object cleanup and resource deallocation.
8. What is operator overloading?
Answer: Operator overloading allows you to define new behaviors for existing operators when they are used with user-defined data types.
9. What is the 'this' pointer in C++?
Answer: 'this' is a pointer that refers to the current object. It is used to distinguish between data members and parameters with the same name.
10. What is a virtual function?
Answer: A virtual function is a member function in a base class that can be overridden by derived classes. It enables dynamic polymorphism.
11. What is the difference between 'new' and 'malloc'?
Answer: 'new' is an operator in C++ used to allocate memory for objects and call constructors, while 'malloc' is a function in C used for dynamic memory allocation without calling constructors.
12. Explain the 'const' keyword in C++.
Answer: 'const' is used to specify that an object is not modifiable. It can be applied to variables, function parameters, and member functions.
13. What is a reference in C++?
Answer: A reference is an alias for a variable. It provides an alternate name for an existing variable.
14. What is the Standard Template Library (STL)?
Answer: The STL is a collection of template classes and functions that provide common data structures and algorithms in C++.
15. Explain the difference between a shallow copy and a deep copy.
Answer: A shallow copy duplicates the references, while a deep copy duplicates the content of an object. Deep copy is safer but may be more resource-intensive.
16. What is a template in C++?
Answer: A template is a way to create generic classes or functions that can work with different data types.
17. Describe RAII (Resource Acquisition Is Initialization).
Answer: RAII is a C++ programming idiom where resource management is tied to the lifetime of objects. Resources are acquired in constructors and released in destructors.
18. How does C++ support multiple inheritance?
Answer: C++ supports multiple inheritance by allowing a class to inherit from more than one base class.
19. What is a friend function in C++?
Answer: A friend function is a function that is not a member of a class but has access to its private and protected members.
20. What is a namespace in C++?
Answer: A namespace is a way to group related names, variables, and functions, preventing naming conflicts in large projects.
21. How does exception handling work in C++?
Answer: C++ uses 'try', 'catch', and 'throw' keywords to handle exceptions. Code that might raise an exception is enclosed in a 'try' block, and exceptions are caught in 'catch' blocks.
22. What is a pure virtual function in C++?
Answer: A pure virtual function is a virtual function that has no implementation in the base class. It is meant to be overridden by derived classes.
23. Explain the difference between the stack and the heap.
Answer: The stack is used for function call management and is generally faster but has limited size. The heap is used for dynamic memory allocation, has a larger size, and is slower.
24. What is the volatile keyword in C++?
Answer: 'volatile' is used to indicate that a variable may change at any time without any action being taken by the code in which it appears. It is often used for hardware-related variables.
25. Describe the C++ Preprocessor.
Answer: The C++ Preprocessor is a tool that processes the source code before actual compilation. It is responsible for macros, conditional compilation, and file inclusion.
26. What is a function pointer in C++?
Answer: A function pointer is a variable that can point to a function. It allows for dynamic function calls.
27. What is the 'auto' keyword in C++11?
Answer: The 'auto' keyword allows the compiler to automatically deduce the type of a variable at compile time.
28. What is the difference between 'nullptr' and 'NULL' in C++11?
Answer: 'nullptr' is a new keyword introduced in C++11, specifically for pointers, and is type-safe. 'NULL' is an older macro that is not type-safe.
29. Explain the purpose of the 'const_cast' operator.
Answer: 'const_cast' is used to add or remove the 'const' qualifier from a variable, allowing you to modify a 'const' object.
30. What is the purpose of the 'std::move' function in C++11?
Answer: 'std::move' is used to convert an l-value into an r-value, enabling efficient move semantics in C++.
31. What are lambda expressions in C++?
Answer: Lambda expressions are anonymous functions that can be defined in-place. They are used for short, local functions.
32. Explain the use of the 'std::vector' container in the STL.
Answer: 'std::vector' is a dynamic array that can grow and shrink dynamically. It is part of the C++ Standard Template Library (STL).
33. How is a copy constructor different from an assignment operator?
Answer: A copy constructor is used to create a new object as a copy of an existing one, while an assignment operator is used to copy the contents of one object into another.
34. What is the 'constexpr' keyword in C++?
Answer: 'constexpr' is used to indicate that a function or variable can be evaluated at compile-time. It is often used for compile-time constant expressions.
35. What is the purpose of the 'std::unique_ptr' in C++11?
Answer: 'std::unique_ptr' is a smart pointer used for single ownership of dynamically allocated objects. It ensures that the object is deleted when it is no longer needed.
36. What is the 'sizeof' operator in C++?
Answer: The 'sizeof' operator returns the size, in bytes, of an object or data type.
37. Explain the difference between 'const' and 'constexpr'.
Answer: 'const' indicates that a variable cannot be modified, while 'constexpr' specifies that an expression can be evaluated at compile time.
38. What is the purpose of 'const_iterator' in STL containers?
Answer: 'const_iterator' is used to iterate over the elements of an STL container while ensuring that the elements themselves are not modified.
39. What are smart pointers in C++?
Answer: Smart pointers are C++ objects that manage the memory of dynamically allocated objects, helping to avoid memory leaks and manage object lifetime.
40. Explain what RAII (Resource Acquisition Is Initialization) is and how it is implemented in C++ code.
Answer: RAII is a C++ programming idiom where resource management is tied to the lifetime of objects. Resources are acquired in constructors and released in destructors. It is implemented by creating classes that acquire resources in their constructors and release them in their destructors.
41. What is the difference between 'nullptr' and 'NULL'?
Answer: 'nullptr' is a keyword introduced in C++11 specifically for representing a null pointer, and it is type-safe. 'NULL' is a macro defined in C and used in C++ to represent a null pointer, but it is not type-safe.
42. Describe the purpose and use of the 'const' keyword in C++ with regard to member functions.
Answer: The 'const' keyword in C++ is used to indicate that a member function does not modify the object it is called on. It is used to promise the compiler that the function will not change the state of the object. When applied to a member function, 'const' serves as a promise that the function will not modify the object's data members.
43. What is a virtual destructor, and when should it be used? Answer: A virtual destructor is a destructor declared with the 'virtual' keyword in a base class. It should be used when you have a base class pointer pointing to a derived class object and you want to ensure that the derived class's destructor is called when the object is deleted through the base class pointer. This is essential for proper cleanup in polymorphic hierarchies.
44. How does multiple inheritance work in C++? Explain potential issues and solutions.
Answer: Multiple inheritance in C++ allows a class to inherit from more than one base class. This can lead to the "diamond problem," where a class indirectly inherits the same base class through multiple paths. To address this issue, C++ provides the 'virtual' inheritance mechanism, which ensures that only one instance of the shared base class is included in the derived class.
45. Describe what the 'volatile' keyword is used for in C++.
Answer: The 'volatile' keyword in C++ is used to indicate that a variable may change its value at any time, without any action being taken by the code that surrounds it. It is often used for variables that are accessed by hardware or in situations where the value can change due to external factors, such as an interrupt.
46. Explain the purpose of a friend function in C++.
Answer: A friend function in C++ is a function that is not a member of a class but is granted access to the private and protected members of the class. It is typically used when a function needs to access the private data of a class but should not be a member of that class.
47. What is function overloading in C++?
Answer: Function overloading in C++ is the ability to define multiple functions with the same name in the same scope, but with different parameter lists. The compiler determines which function to call based on the number or types of arguments provided.
48. Explain the concept of dynamic binding in C++.
Answer: Dynamic binding, also known as late binding or runtime polymorphism, is a feature of C++ that allows the selection of a function to be determined at runtime, based on the actual object's type. It is achieved through the use of virtual functions.
49. What is the purpose of the 'std::mutex' in C++ for multithreading?
Answer: 'std::mutex' is a C++ standard library class used for providing synchronization between multiple threads to avoid data races and ensure that only one thread accesses a critical section of code at a time.
50. Explain what the 'try', 'catch', and 'throw' keywords are used for in C++. for handling exceptions.
Answer: In C++, 'try' is used to enclose a block of code where an exception might be thrown. 'catch' is used to handle the exceptions that are thrown within the 'try' block. 'throw' is used to manually throw an exception from a block of code. Together, they provide a mechanism for handling and propagating exceptions in C++.
These questions and answers cover a wide range of C++ topics and should help you prepare for C++ interviews. However, it's important to tailor your preparation to the specific requirements of the job you're applying for and be ready to explain your thought process and problem-solving skills in addition to answering these questions.