Question

What will this code do, when executed?

int spock[10];
spock[12] = 42;
A) Assign the value 42 to the 12th element of the array
B) Throw an exception
C) Cause undefined behavior on 32-bit machines only
D) Exhibit illegal behavior

Answer 1

The code will cause undefined behavior due to accessing an array out of its declared bounds, which can lead to program crashes, data corruption, or security issues on any machine architecture.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the code is executed, it will cause undefined behavior because the array is being accessed out of its bounds. The array spock is declared with a size of 10, meaning the valid indices are from 0 to 9. Writing to spock[12] accesses memory that is not allocated for the spock array, and this can lead to unpredictable results, including program crashes, data corruption, or security vulnerabilities. This behavior is not confined to 32-bit machines; it will occur on any architecture where the program is run.