Final answer:
The given code defines a function called mystery, and performing a series of operations on two variables x and y.
Step-by-step explanation:
The given code defines a function called mystery which takes two parameters: an int& x and an int y. The function performs a series of operations on these variables. Let's break down the code:
int a=5: initializes variable a to 5.
x= y* 4+ (a++): multiplies the value of y by 4, adds the value of a (5), and assigns the result to x. After that, a is incremented by 1.
a = 2 * y + 5: assigns the value of 2 * y + 5 to a.
y = x + 4: assigns the value of x + 4 to y.
In this case, a is a temporary variable that does not affect the output, so we can ignore it. The initial values provided for a and b in the C++ statements are not used in the function. Therefore, the output of the function will depend on the values of a and b passed to it.