Wrapped Increment

What this C++ language-knowledge question tests

This is a hard language-knowledge question that probes your understanding of integer overflow behaviour and type casting in C++. It appears straightforward on the surface but demands precise knowledge of how unsigned integer types wrap at their boundaries.

The question rewards candidates who understand the distinction between signed and unsigned integer semantics, the behaviour of the increment operator on bounded types, and how explicit casts interact with the resulting value. Firms use questions like this to identify candidates who reason carefully about low-level behaviour rather than relying on intuition or guess-and-check.

• Unsigned integer wraparound semantics
• Type promotion in arithmetic operations
• Cast behaviour and value preservation