Question

The asterisk has two different uses, declaring an address variable (pointer) and indirectly accessing the data (in the memory location to which the variable points).

a) Pointer operator
b) Indirection operator
c) Multiplication operator
d) Reference operator

Answer 1

The asterisk in C programming has two primary uses: as a pointer operator when declaring pointers, and as an indirection operator when accessing the data pointed to by a pointer. It is also used as a multiplication operator in arithmetic expressions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question refers to the different uses of the asterisk in the context of C programming language. In C, the asterisk serves primarily two purposes:

• When preceding a variable, it acts as the pointer operator, used to declare a pointer variable.
• When preceding a pointer variable, it serves as the indirection operator (also known as dereferencing operator), which accesses the value at the memory location pointed to by the pointer.

Therefore, the correct terms applying to the two aforementioned uses of the asterisk are:

• Pointer operator (for declaring a pointer variable).
• Indirection operator (for accessing the value the pointer points to).

The asterisk is also routinely used as the multiplication operator in arithmetic expressions within the language. However, this use is not part of the question asked.