Mastering Java: The Ultimate Quiz for 'Thinking in Java'

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Dive into the depths of Java with our quiz based on "Thinking in Java, Fourth Edition" by Bruce Eckel. Test your knowledge, solidify concepts, and prepare for certification with challenging questions and insightful feedback.

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

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What happens if a local variable in a method is not initialized?

Compilation error
NullPointerException
It is initialized to a default value.
Runtime error

The correct answer is: Compilation error

When a local variable is declared in a method, it must be initialized with a value before it can be used. If it is not initialized, the compiler will throw an error and the code will not compile. This is because the compiler cannot determine which value to assign to the variable, and therefore cannot continue with the compilation process. Options B, C, and D are incorrect because a null pointer exception or runtime error would only occur during execution of the program, not during compilation. Additionally, local variables do not have default values, only instance variables do.