This is C++?

What this C++ language-knowledge question tests

This is an easy C++ question that checks whether you can read and predict the behaviour of unfamiliar code at a glance. It requires you to trace through syntax, operator precedence, and standard library behaviour without a compiler in front of you.

During technical interviews—especially at trading firms where C++ is the standard implementation language—interviewers use questions like this to assess code literacy and attention to detail. They're less interested in memorised trivia than in your ability to reason through what a snippet does and to spot potential surprises in language semantics.

• C++ operator precedence and associativity
• Standard library function behaviour
• Type conversions and implicit casts
• Output stream formatting