User-Defined Methods

Question 1

What is a program?

Answer 1

It is a set of instructions given to the computer to solve a particular problem

Question 2

How are instructions in a program specified,

Answer 2

In forms of methods in Java

Question 3

What are methods known as in other programming languages?

Answer 3

functions, procedures, modules, subroutines or sub-programs

Question 4

Where do the methods exist?

Answer 4

Inside a class

Question 5

Name the two types of methods

Answer 5

1. System defined methods

2. User Defined Methods

Question 6

What are system defined methods??

Answer 6

The methods defined by the developers of Java

Question 7

Give other names for system defined methods

Answer 7

Library methods or built in methods

Question 8

What are user-defined methods?

Answer 8

The methods defined by the user. They are defined as per the need of the user to create customised and reusable blocks of code

Question 9

Give the advantages of methods

Answer 9

1. They provide the means to avoid duplication of the code and help in code reusability
2. They help divide complex programs into manageable code blocks
3. They help in understanding the flow of a program
4. They help in improving the readability of the code
5. They make debugging of the code easier

Question 10

When are the methods defined inside the class?

Answer 10

Immediately after the member variables

Question 11

Give the syntax of a method definition

Answer 11

[access modifier] type method-name ([parameter list])

{
method body;
}

Question 12

What is the first line of the method definition called?

Answer 12

Method prototype or method header

Question 13

Name the five main parts a method definition can be divided into

Answer 13

1. The method prototype - begin w/ a.m.
2. Data returned if any valid java d.t
3. Method name can be any identifier
4. Parameter list -sequence of d.t and identifier pairs
5. Statements must be within method body

Question 14

What may the method prototype begin with?

Answer 14

An access modifier

Question 15

What are the forms the access modifier can take?

Answer 15

Public, private or protected

Question 16

What do access modifiers determine?

Answer 16

The type of access to the method

Question 17

Why are access modifiers or specifies called so?

Answer 17

They specify if elements outside the class can use this method

Question 18

What do square brackets around access modifiers indicate?

Answer 18

This part of the method definition is optional

Question 19

What is the type when the method doesn’t return a value?

Answer 19

Void

Question 20

Give other names for the parameter list

Answer 20

Parameters or arguments

Question 21

What happens if a method has no parameters?

Answer 21

Its parameter list will be empty, but you must use empty round brackets. Parameters are optional

Question 22

What is the method signature?

Answer 22

The method name along with the list of parameters used in the method prototype

Question 23

In ‘public void HelloMessage’, give the meaning of each term?

Answer 23

public - modifier
void - return method
HelloMessage - method name
() - no parameters inside

Question 24

When can no values be passed onto a method?

Answer 24

When its parameter list is empty

Question 25

What does the parameter provide a mechanism for?

Answer 25

Passing information to the method

Question 26

How can a method be invoked?

Answer 26

By specifying its name, followed by parameters being sent enclosed in the round brackets