Question

Which of the following is TRUE with respect to a Reference?
1. A reference can never be NULL
2. A reference needs an explicit dereferencing mechanism
3. A reference can be reassigned after it is established
4. A reference and pointer are synonymous

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 1 : A reference can never be NULL

The correct answer is "option 1".

The reference is used to refer to an existing variable in an alternative name.

Syntax: DataType &newname = current name

EXPLANATION:

Option 1: TRUE

A pointer can have a NULL value but a reference cannot have.

Option 2: FALSE

A reference doesn't need any explicitly dereferencing mechanism.

Option 3: FALSE

A reference can't reassign since a reference can't refer to another object once the reference is created.

Option 4: FALSE

Reference & pointers are not synonymous.

Reference is used to refer to an existing variable in an alternative name while pointers are used to store the address of a variable.

Hence, the correct answer is "option 1".

The syntax for a pointer is:

Syntax: DataType *pointer;