Programming and Data Structures · Programming in C
Official IIT answer key · IIT Roorkee · Audited Aug 2026
GATE CSE 2017 Set 1 Q13 · MCQ · 1 mark
#include <stdio.h>
int *assignval(int *x, int val) {
*x = val;
return x;
}
void main () {
int *x = malloc(sizeof(int));
if(NULL == x) return;
x = assignval(x, 0);
if(x) {
x = (int *)malloc(sizeof(int));
if(NULL == x) return;
x = assignval(x, 10);
}
printf("%d
", *x);
free(x);
}
The code suffers from which one of the following problems:Key concept
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Topic notes
In GATE CS, Programming in C is tested extensively through rigorous code tracing, pointer mechanics, and fundamental semantics rather than high-level syntax trivia. Questions emphasize pointer arithmetic and multidimensional array decay, storage classes (especially static local variables), evaluation order, side effects of increment/decrement operators, parameter passing mechanisms (pass-by-value vs pass-by-reference), and recursive program state tracking. The topic features a nearly balanced split between NAT and MCQ items across 1-mark and 2-mark categories, demanding precise, bug-free execution traces without a compiler.
Full Programming in C guide →Consider the following C code: #include int *assignval(int *x, int val) *x = val; return x; void main () int *x = malloc(sizeof(int)); if(NULL == x) return; x = assignval(x, 0); if(x) x = (int *)malloc(sizeof(int)); if(NULL == x) return; x = assignval(x, 10); printf("%d ", *x); free(x); The code suffers from which one of the following problems:
Topic-wise GATE CS PYQs with verified steps
Independent practice explanation verified by the GateAI team. GATE is conducted by the IITs; question text follows the official paper.