Bitwise Byte

What this C++ bitwise-operation question tests

This is a medium-difficulty language-knowledge question that probes your understanding of how bitwise operators behave in C++, particularly in the context of type conversions and operator precedence. It rewards careful reading of the code over guesswork.

To solve problems like this, you need to trace through each operation step-by-step, paying close attention to the types involved, how values are promoted or cast, and the order in which operators are evaluated. The question rewards precision: a single misread operator or type conversion will lead to the wrong answer.

• Bitwise AND, OR, XOR, and shift operators
• Type promotion and conversion in arithmetic expressions
• Operator precedence and associativity
• How bytes and integers interact in bit-level operations