5.1 Procedures and functions are coding constructs often used as part of modular programming - NSC Information Technology - Question 5 - 2022 - Paper 2

A key difference is that a procedure does not necessarily return a value, while a function must return a value.

Invalid. The assignment is incorrect as it attempts to assign a Boolean result to X instead of setting Y to 2.

Valid. String comparison is valid in programming, given that Name1 and Name2 are initialized correctly.

Defensive programming is a technique used to ensure that software continues to function under unforeseen circumstances. This involves anticipating potential errors and implementing measures to either avoid them or handle them gracefully.

An overflow error may occur if a number is stored in a variable that exceeds the maximum value the data type can hold. This often happens when calculations result in a value that exceeds the range of the data type being used.

One way to prevent a runtime error is through data validation, where the inputs are checked to ensure they fall within the acceptable range before being processed.

A constructor method is used to instantiate or initialize an object of a class. It sets up the initial state of the object by assigning initial values to attributes.

The method getCompanyName() serves as an accessor method, as it retrieves the value of the Company's name without modifying the state of the object.

The CompanyNum attribute would require the use of a mutator method the least, because it uniquely identifies the company and should remain constant.

Changing the CompanyNum would result in inconsistency, as it serves as the unique identifier for the company. Thus, mutating this attribute is generally unnecessary and could lead to errors.

Some attributes, like +ContactNumber, are declared as public when they should be private to prevent unauthorized access.

Incorrect access can result in unintended modifications or access to sensitive information, leading to data integrity issues and potential security risks.

A sentinel-controlled loop is preferred when the number of iterations is not known beforehand and you require a specific condition to terminate the loop. This is often used for input validation until a valid set of data is received.

The code can be rewritten using a WHILE loop as follows:

    iNumber := RandomRange(1,11);
    While (iNumber = 5) OR (iNumber = 8) do
        iNumber := RandomRange(1,11);