Problem of the Day

Monday, March 16, 2026

Problem:

The complete listing of the superclass Alpha is given here.

public class Alpha
{
    private String a;

    public Alpha()
    {
        a = "a";
    }

    public String getValue()
    {
        return a;
    }
}

The complete listing of the subclass Beta which inherits from Alpha is given here.

public class Beta extends Alpha
{
    private String a;

    public Beta()
    {
        a = "b"
    }
    
    public String getValue()
    {
        return a;
    }
}

What is the result of executing the following instructions?

Beta b = new Beta();
System.out.println(b.getValue());

1. The String "a" is printed
2. The String "b" is printed
3. The code compiles but there is a run-time error due to a name collision of the variable a
4. The code won't compile

(Note: This question includes topics that are not currently part of the AP Computer Science A core curriculum.)

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