How do you handle exceptions and errors in the COBOL Procedure Division?
- Employing the IGNORE statement
- Implementing the EXCEPTION condition
- Using the EXIT statement
- Utilizing the GOTO statement
Exceptions and errors in the COBOL Procedure Division are handled by implementing the EXCEPTION condition. It allows the programmer to define specific actions to be taken when certain exceptional conditions occur during program execution.
In a COBOL program, what is the primary use of the VARYING clause within a PERFORM loop?
- To control the flow of execution in nested loops
- To define variables with varying data types
- To execute the loop only if a condition is met
- To iterate over a range of values for a loop variable
The VARYING clause in a PERFORM loop is used to iterate over a range of values for a loop variable, allowing the repeated execution of a block of code with different values during each iteration.
You are developing a COBOL program to manage employee records, and you need to store the names of all employees. Which aspect of the OCCURS clause would be most relevant for this task?
- Depending On
- Grouping
- Indexing
- Non-indexed
In this scenario, the most relevant aspect of the OCCURS clause is non-indexed. It allows you to group similar data without indexing, which is suitable for storing names where direct access is not required, and sequential access suffices.
In COBOL, what are the main categories of data items defined in the Data Division?
- Elementary and Group
- Input and Output
- Local and Global
- Numeric and Alphabetic
The main categories of data items in the COBOL Data Division are Elementary and Group items. Elementary items represent atomic data, while Group items are collections of other items.
In COBOL, what is the format of the current date and time when stored in the CURRENT-DATE special register?
- DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM:SS
- HH:MM:SS DD/MM/YYYY
- MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS
- YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
In COBOL, the CURRENT-DATE special register typically stores the current date and time in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS. It follows the ISO 8601 standard for date and time representation.
In COBOL, how can you format a date in a specific way for displaying to the user or writing to a file?
- FUNCTION CURRENT-DATE
- FUNCTION DATE-ADD
- FUNCTION FORMAT-TIME
- FUNCTION NUMVAL
To format a date in COBOL for display or file output, the FUNCTION FORMAT-TIME is used. It allows programmers to define the desired format for presenting date and time information.
The _____ keyword in COBOL is used to pass data from the calling program to the subprogram.
- ACCEPT
- MOVE
- RETURN
- USING
The USING keyword in COBOL is used to pass data from the calling program to the subprogram. It allows for the exchange of data between the calling program and the called subprogram, facilitating communication and data sharing.
In COBOL, what is the significance of the CONTINUE statement in error handling?
- It indicates the end of the program
- It is used to ignore errors and continue with the next statement
- It skips the remaining statements in the current iteration and continues with the next iteration of the loop
- It terminates the program immediately
In error handling, the CONTINUE statement is used to ignore errors and continue with the next statement. It helps in gracefully handling errors without terminating the program abruptly.
What is the purpose of a class in Object-Oriented COBOL?
- To control program execution
- To define a template for creating objects with shared attributes and behaviors
- To define the size and type of data
- To optimize memory usage
In Object-Oriented COBOL, a class serves as a blueprint for creating objects. It defines attributes (data) and behaviors (methods) that the objects instantiated from the class will share. This facilitates code organization and reusability.
What is the main entry point of a COBOL program?
- DATA DIVISION
- ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
- IDENTIFICATION DIVISION
- PROCEDURE DIVISION
The "PROCEDURE DIVISION" is the main entry point of a COBOL program. It contains the actual executable statements and is where the program's logic and operations are defined.