When working with COBOL structures, the POINTER clause is used to indicate the ___________ of the current element within the structure.
- Address
- Index
- Position
- Size
In COBOL, the POINTER clause is used to indicate the memory address of the current element within the structure. It allows for dynamic memory manipulation and is often used in conjunction with the USAGE IS POINTER clause.
What is the purpose of the "IF" statement in COBOL?
- To conditionally execute a block of code based on a specified condition
- To declare variables in COBOL
- To define a loop in COBOL programs
- To perform arithmetic operations
The "IF" statement in COBOL is used to conditionally execute a block of code based on a specified condition. It allows the program to take different paths depending on whether the condition is true or false.
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.
When processing multiple files in a COBOL program, you encounter an exception in one file but want to continue processing the other files without interruption. How can you achieve this?
- Implement exception handling with the EXIT PROGRAM statement
- Set the FILE STATUS to 'OK' manually
- Use the CONTINUE statement after error handling
- Use the NOT ON EXCEPTION clause in the file control entry
To continue processing other files without interruption in case of an exception in one file, you can use the NOT ON EXCEPTION clause in the file control entry. This allows the program to skip the file that has an exception and continue processing the next files.