Procedural abstraction

Question 1

What is meant by abstraction in programming?

Answer 1

The distinction between what a program unit does and how it does it.

Question 2

What is a proper procedure?

Answer 2

A procedure which embodies a COMMAND to be executed. It’s only purpose is to update some variables.

Question 3

What is a function procedure?

Answer 3

A procedure which embodies an EXPRESSION to be evaluated/executed. It’s net effect is to yield a value.

Question 4

What is an argument?

Answer 4

A value that is passed to a procedure.

Question 5

What is an actual parameter?

Answer 5

An expression that yields an argument.

Question 6

What is a formal parameter?

Answer 6

An identifier through which a procedure may access an argument.

Question 7

What is a parameter mechanism?

Answer 7

The means with which a formal parameter allows access to the corresponding argument.

Question 8

What is a parameter mechanism?

Answer 8

The means with which a formal parameter allows access to the corresponding argument.

Question 9

What is a copy parameter mechanism?

Answer 9

A mechanism in which a value is copied into and/or out of a procedure. The formal parameter is bound to a local variable of that procedure.

May be: copy-in parameter, copy-out parameter

Question 10

What is a reference parameter mechanism?

Answer 10

A mechanism in which the formal parameter is a reference to the argument.

Question 11

What is a reference parameter mechanism?

Answer 11

A mechanism in which the formal parameter is a reference to the argument. The FP is bound to a reference => has indirect access to the argument.

May be: constant parameters, variable parameters, procedural parameters.