Question

In the Scheme programming language, the define special form is used as follows:

(define )
This expression first evaluates the , then binds the to its value.
What does the whole define expression evaluate to?
a) The value of the symbol
b) The evaluated expression
c) The symbol
d) The Scheme keyword

Answer 1

The 'define' special form in Scheme evaluates to the symbol that is being bound, not the value of the expression. Hence, the correct answer is c) The symbol.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the Scheme programming language, the define special form serves to create bindings between symbols and values or functions. When the (define symbol expression) is used, the expression is first evaluated, and then the symbol is bound to the resulting value.

However, the define expression itself, when evaluated, does not return the value or the evaluated expression; instead, it returns the symbol that has been defined or augmented with a new binding. Therefore, the correct answer to what the define expression evaluates to is c) The symbol. This behavior is consistent with how variable declarations work in Scheme, as the primary purpose of define is to establish bindings rather than return values from the declaration itself.