CSS Computer Science Object Oriented Programming Syllabus

Object Oriented Programming syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Object Oriented Programming in CSS Computer Science, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   OOP Concepts & Abstraction

   3 topics

   • Procedural vs Object Oriented Paradigm
   • Data Abstraction & Encapsulation
   • Classes & Objects
2. 2

   Class Design Features

   4 topics

   • Friend Functions
   • Static Members
   • Composition & Aggregation
   • Operator Overloading
3. 3

   Inheritance & Polymorphism

   4 topics

   • Single & Multiple Inheritance
   • Protected Members & Method Overriding
   • Virtual & Pure Virtual Functions
   • Abstract Classes
4. 4

   Templates, Files & Exceptions

   3 topics

   • Standard Template Library (STL)
   • File Streams
   • Exception Handling

Object Oriented Programming flashcards for CSS Computer Science

23 of 52 cards from the Object Oriented Programming deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the procedural programming paradigm?

   A programming style that structures a program as a sequence of procedures/functions operating on data. The program is decomposed into functions, and data is typically global or passed around, with emphasis on the logic of actions rather than on data.

2. In what fundamental way does the object-oriented paradigm differ from the procedural paradigm in handling data and functions?

   OOP bundles data and the functions that operate on it together into objects (data + methods), whereas procedural programming keeps data and functions separate, with functions acting on externally held data.

3. List the four pillars (core principles) of object-oriented programming.

   Encapsulation, Abstraction, Inheritance, and Polymorphism.

4. In procedural vs OOP, how does each typically approach a problem (top-down vs bottom-up)?

   Procedural programming uses a top-down approach (break the problem into functions); OOP uses a bottom-up approach (build objects/classes and compose them into a system).

5. Why is OOP generally considered more secure than procedural programming regarding data?

   Because OOP uses encapsulation and access specifiers to hide data inside objects, restricting direct access; procedural programs often rely on global data accessible from anywhere, which is less secure.

6. Define data abstraction in OOP.

   Data abstraction is the principle of exposing only the essential features/operations of an object to the outside world while hiding the internal implementation details.

7. Define encapsulation in OOP.

   Encapsulation is the bundling of data (attributes) and the methods that operate on that data into a single unit (a class), often combined with restricting direct access to the data through access specifiers.

8. What is the key distinction between abstraction and encapsulation?

   Abstraction focuses on hiding complexity by showing only essential features (a design-level concept of 'what'), while encapsulation focuses on bundling data and methods together and restricting access (an implementation-level concept of 'how' data is protected).

9. How is data hiding typically achieved in a C++ class?

   By declaring data members as private (or protected) so they cannot be accessed directly from outside the class, and providing public getter/setter methods for controlled access.

10. What is a class in OOP?

    A class is a user-defined data type that serves as a blueprint or template defining the attributes (data members) and behaviors (member functions) common to a category of objects.

11. What is an object in OOP?

    An object is an instance of a class; it is a concrete entity that occupies memory and has its own copy of the class's data members, with access to the class's member functions.

12. What are the three access specifiers in a C++ class and their visibility?

    public (accessible from anywhere), private (accessible only within the class and its friends), and protected (accessible within the class, its friends, and derived classes).

13. In C++, what is the default access specifier for members of a class versus a struct?

    Members of a class are private by default; members of a struct are public by default.

14. What is a constructor and when is it called?

    A constructor is a special member function with the same name as the class and no return type, automatically called when an object is created, used to initialize the object's data members.

15. What is a destructor and what symbol denotes it?

    A destructor is a special member function automatically called when an object is destroyed (goes out of scope or is deleted), used to release resources. It has the same name as the class preceded by a tilde (~), e.g., ~ClassName().

16. What is a friend function in C++?

    A friend function is a non-member function (declared with the friend keyword inside a class) that is granted access to the private and protected members of that class.

17. Does a friend function belong to the class, and is it called using an object?

    No. A friend function is not a member of the class and is called like an ordinary function (without an object and the dot operator), though it can access the class's private/protected members.

18. State three key properties/restrictions of friend functions in C++.

    1) Friendship is not inherited. 2) Friendship is not mutual/reciprocal unless explicitly declared both ways. 3) A friend function is not called with an object and has no 'this' pointer; it must be granted friendship by the class itself.

19. What is a friend class?

    A friend class is a class whose member functions are all granted access to the private and protected members of another class that declares it as a friend.

20. What is a static data member of a class?

    A static data member is a single shared variable common to all objects of the class; only one copy exists regardless of the number of objects, and it belongs to the class rather than to any individual object.

21. How must a static data member be defined, and what is its default initial value?

    A static data member must be defined (allocated storage) outside the class using the scope resolution operator, e.g., int ClassName::count = 0;. If not explicitly initialized, it defaults to zero.

22. What is a static member function and what key restriction does it have?

    A static member function belongs to the class and can be called without any object (using the class name). Its key restriction is that it can access only static data members and other static functions; it has no 'this' pointer and cannot access non-static members.

23. Give a common practical use of a static data member.

    Counting the number of objects (instances) currently created of a class, since all objects share the same counter.

See more Object Oriented Programming flashcards →

Planning Object Oriented Programming for CSS Computer Science

Object Oriented Programming (CSS Computer Science) FAQ