Question

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the C programming language?

• A. It supports low-level memory manipulation
• B. It is a high-level, structured language
• C. It allows direct access to hardware
• D. It does not support recursion

Hint:

To understand C characteristics:
- Learn about pointers for memory manipulation.
- Recognize structured programming with functions.
- Note hardware access via memory addresses.
- Test recursion with simple factorial functions.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

To determine which statement is NOT a characteristic of the C programming language, we need to evaluate each option against the known features of C.
Step 1: Understand C Programming Language
C is a general-purpose programming language known for its flexibility, efficiency, and control over system resources.
It supports low-level operations, structured programming, and hardware interaction, and also includes support for recursion.
Step 2: Analyze Option A - It supports low-level memory manipulation
C provides pointers and manual memory management (e.g., malloc, free), which is a key feature for low-level memory control.
Thus, option A is correct.
Step 3: Analyze Option B - It is a high-level, structured language
C is considered a high-level language with structured programming features (e.g., functions, loops), though it retains low-level capabilities.
Thus, option B is correct.
Step 4: Analyze Option C - It allows direct access to hardware
C allows direct hardware manipulation through pointers and memory addresses, making it suitable for system programming.
Thus, option C is correct.
Step 5: Analyze Option D - It does not support recursion
C fully supports recursion, as functions can call themselves, and the language includes a call stack to manage recursive calls.
The statement "It does not support recursion" is false.
Thus, option D is incorrect and the correct answer.
Step 6: Conclusion
The only statement that does not describe C is that it lacks recursion support, making option D the answer.