Final answer:
When profile access is removed and OWD is public read-only, a user can only view contacts but cannot edit, delete, or change their sharing settings.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a user's profile access is removed and the Organization-Wide Default (OWD) for contacts is set to public read-only, the user will be limited in the actions they can take. They will still be able to view the contacts because the OWD is public read-only, which means all users can see the records, but they won't be able to edit, delete, or change sharing settings for the contacts since they no longer have profile access that would grant them those permissions.