Java OOPS Viva Questions with Answers
1. What is Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)?
Answer: OOP is a programming paradigm based on the concept of objects, which contain data
(attributes) and methods (functions). It emphasizes modularity and reuse.
2. What are the main principles of OOP?
Answer: The main principles are:
- Encapsulation
- Inheritance
- Polymorphism
- Abstraction
3. Can you explain the concept of a class and an object in Java?
Answer: A class is a blueprint for creating objects, and an object is an instance of a class.
4. What is inheritance in Java? Can you provide an example?
Answer: Inheritance allows a class to acquire properties and methods of another class. Example:
class B extends A.
5. What is polymorphism? How is it implemented in Java?
Answer: Polymorphism means 'many forms'. It is implemented via method overloading
(compile-time) and method overriding (runtime).
6. What is the difference between method overloading and method overriding?
Answer: Overloading occurs within the same class with different method signatures. Overriding
happens in a subclass to modify a parent class method.
7. What is encapsulation? How does Java achieve it?
Answer: Encapsulation is the bundling of data and methods. Java achieves it by using private
variables and public getter/setter methods.
8. Can you explain the concept of abstraction with an example?
Answer: Abstraction hides implementation details and shows only the essential features. Example:
Abstract classes or interfaces.
9. What is the difference between an abstract class and an interface?
Answer: Abstract class: Can have abstract and concrete methods.
Interface: Only abstract methods (Java 8+ allows default/static methods).
10. What is the 'this' keyword in Java?
Answer: 'this' refers to the current instance of the class.
11. How is the 'super' keyword used in Java?
Answer: 'super' is used to refer to the immediate parent class's methods or constructors.
12. What is the significance of constructors in Java?
Answer: Constructors initialize an object when it is created. They have the same name as the class.
13. Can you differentiate between default constructor and parameterized constructor?
Answer: Default: No parameters.
Parameterized: Takes arguments to initialize object attributes.
14. What is the importance of the 'final' keyword in Java?
Answer: It prevents modification. Final variables: constants, final methods: cannot be overridden,
final classes: cannot be subclassed.
15. How is exception handling related to OOP in Java?
Answer: It ensures proper flow of the program using try, catch, and finally blocks, encapsulating
error handling.
16. What are static methods and variables in Java?
Answer: Static methods/variables belong to the class rather than any specific object.
17. What is the difference between aggregation and composition?
Answer: Aggregation: Weak relationship (e.g., car and driver).
Composition: Strong relationship (e.g., car and engine).
18. What is the role of access modifiers in OOP?
Answer: Access modifiers (public, private, protected, default) control the visibility of members.
19. Can you explain the concept of inner classes in Java?
Answer: Inner classes are defined within another class. Types: static, non-static, local, and
anonymous.
20. What is the significance of the 'toString()' method?
Answer: 'toString()' provides a string representation of an object.
21. How does Java achieve runtime polymorphism?
Answer: Via method overriding and dynamic method dispatch.
22. What is the difference between deep copy and shallow copy?
Answer: Shallow copy: Copies references only. Deep copy: Copies all object fields.
23. Can you explain the use of packages in Java?
Answer: Packages organize classes and interfaces, avoiding name conflicts.
24. How does garbage collection work in Java?
Answer: It automatically reclaims memory by removing unused objects.
25. What is the difference between '== operator' and 'equals() method'?
Answer: '==' compares memory locations, while 'equals()' compares content.
26. What is an interface in Java?
Answer: An interface defines a contract that implementing classes must fulfill.
27. Can an abstract class have a constructor?
Answer: Yes, abstract classes can have constructors to initialize fields.
28. What is a singleton class?
Answer: A class that allows only one instance to be created. Example: using a private constructor.
29. What is the difference between 'abstract' and 'final' classes?
Answer: Abstract: Cannot be instantiated.
Final: Cannot be subclassed.
30. What are Java annotations?
Answer: Annotations provide metadata about the program, e.g., @Override, @Deprecated.
31. What is the difference between checked and unchecked exceptions?
Answer: Checked: Compile-time exceptions (e.g., IOException).
Unchecked: Runtime exceptions (e.g., NullPointerException).
32. Can you override a static method in Java?
Answer: No, static methods belong to the class and are not overridden but hidden.
33. What is a marker interface?
Answer: An empty interface with no methods. Example: Serializable, Cloneable.
34. What is the difference between StringBuffer and StringBuilder?
Answer: StringBuffer: Thread-safe.
StringBuilder: Faster but not thread-safe.
35. What is the use of the instanceof operator?
Answer: It checks whether an object is an instance of a specific class or subclass.
36. What are default and static methods in interfaces?
Answer: Default: Provide default implementation in interfaces.
Static: Methods callable without an object.
37. What is the difference between ArrayList and LinkedList?
Answer: ArrayList: Faster for random access.
LinkedList: Better for frequent insertions/deletions.
38. What is method chaining?
Answer: Calling multiple methods in a single statement. Example: obj.method1().method2();
39. What are wrapper classes in Java?
Answer: Classes that encapsulate primitive data types (e.g., Integer, Double).
40. What is a functional interface?
Answer: An interface with a single abstract method, used in lambda expressions.
41. Can you explain method hiding in Java?
Answer: When a static method in a subclass has the same name and signature as in the parent
class.
42. What is the difference between 'throw' and 'throws'?
Answer: 'throw': Used to explicitly throw an exception.
'throws': Declares exceptions a method may throw.
43. What are Java streams?
Answer: A new abstraction introduced in Java 8 to process collections of data.
44. What is reflection in Java?
Answer: An API to inspect and manipulate classes, methods, and fields at runtime.
45. What is the difference between FileReader and BufferedReader?
Answer: FileReader reads character by character.
BufferedReader reads larger chunks for efficiency.
