C++ questions

• Explain the difference between virtual function and virtual inheritance.
• What is the difference between global static functions and static functions, class members.
• What is common and what is the difference between implementations of the copy constructors, initialization and overloaded assignment operators?
• Compare two ways of operator overloading: as a method of class and as an external friend function.
• How to create virtual constructor and destructor in a class?
• Can template class be abstract? Why?
• What is the specificity of overloading sizeof, typeid, new and delete operators?
• Compare distinctive features of overload of operations "()" and "[]".
• Give the detailed comparison of work with strings in C style (char *) and C++ style (string).
• Give the detailed comparison of work with dynamic memory in C and C++.
• Give the detailed comparison of standard input-output facilities in C and C++.
• What does operator throw without parameter mean?
• Tell about the kinds of iterators you know and the difference between them.
• What is the difference between modifiers register, const and volatile?
• How to write the function takes unknown number of arguments?
• What is the difference between constructions extern and extern "C"?
• In traditional C++, what's the difference between using and include?
• Compare use of macros, inline-functions and template-functions.
• How can you competently organize nontrivial sorting using tools of standard C and C++ libraries (compare the approaches)?
• Tell what and how you can do to be able to put class objects into cout and read them from cin?
• Compare various forms of type cast operations (in C and C++ styles). Tell about overloading of these operations.
• Each class has some special member-functions, which calls can be inserted by the compiler into a code without explicit instruction of the programmer. Enumerate such functions, members and cases, when implicit calls can arise.
• How to set default values of function arguments? What are pros and contras of use of this C++ opportunity? What's its alternative?
• When writing catch operator we can write directly type of exception as a type of its argument, pointer to a type of exception or reference to a type of exception. Compare these approaches.
• In what order function arguments are evaluated at its call: from left to right, from right to left or any other way? For example, in what order will the arguments in the following example be calculated: f(5+I, ++I); ?
• If when creating a variable the programmer explicitly did not initialize it, in some cases, the compiler itself would give it a certain, predefined initial value, and in some cases the initial value would be unpredictable. What does it depend on?
• What does the order of creation (sequence of constructors call) of global variables depend on? What practical conclusions can be made from this fact?
• There is a code:
    f(){return 3.5;}
        ...
    double d = f()
  What is the value d equal to and why?
• Explain the difference between anonymous namespace and anonymous enumeration.
• What will happen, if the exception is thrown from the constructor?
• What is the templates specialization and what is its application?
• What is the specifity of application of operator delete to the function pointers?
• What is this? How is this used?
• What the forward declaration of classes is used for?
• What preprocessor directives are usually used to prevent multiple inclusion of the header file?
• What constructions does C++ offer to programmers for organization of branches?
• What constructions does C++ offer to programmers for organization of loops?
• What is polymorphism? What constructions in C++ allow to say that this language supports polymorphism? What polymorphism is used for?
• What is lvalue?
• What the finally keyword is used for in C++?
• Compare operators continue and break.
• What trigraphs are and what are they necessary for?
• What is the difference and what is common in specifity of constructors and destructors overloading?
• What is anonymous union and how is it used?
• Is it possible (if yes - than how) to write such a class in C++ that no class could be inherited from it?
• There are two classes given, one of which is the successor from another. Write how should the constractors of copying-initialization for these classes look (make an example).
• What's the specifity of operations "||" and "&&"? What's the specifity of these operations overload?
• Compare "static variable" and "static variable as a member of a class".
• What's the danger of using macroses? Show that on examples.
• Compare operators throw and return.
• How to initialize a variable which is a private static member of a class?
• What does auto_ptr class stand for and how is it used?

This is the list of questions on C++, which are often asked during technical interview with applicants. These are not test questions, which suggest several alternatives to choose, but open questions, which give the opportunity to see the tested person's train of thought and impel to a deeper discussion. In most cases to answer the question the tested person needs to demonstrate his/her knowledge from several subject sections. Questions are often formulated in somewhat provocative form. They are not supposed to have a simple answer. Part of the questions is rather difficult and requires good knowledge of C++. Most of the questions require further explanations and answering questions like: "Why do you think so?", "How can you motivate your answer?", "When (in which situations) can it be applied?" etc.

The best way to prepare for technical review on C++ is to solve all tasks from the third (!) edition of B. Stroustrup's book "C++ programming language".