Which concept enables a derived class to provide its own implementation of a base class method?

Which concept enables a derived class to provide its own implementation of a base class method?

• A. Overloading
• B. Encapsulation
• C. Overriding
• D. Abstraction

Answer: (C)

Method overriding lets a subclass provide its own version of a method defined in the base class. When the derived class defines a method with the same signature, that version is used for objects of the derived type, even when accessed through a base-class reference, enabling dynamic, specialized behavior. This is what lets a subclass tailor how a method works without changing the code that calls the method through the base type. Overloading, by contrast, adds another method with the same name but different parameters and doesn’t replace the base method. Encapsulation and abstraction refer to other OO ideas—hiding internal state and exposing essential interfaces, respectively—rather than providing a new implementation of an existing base method.

Method overriding lets a subclass provide its own version of a method defined in the base class. When the derived class defines a method with the same signature, that version is used for objects of the derived type, even when accessed through a base-class reference, enabling dynamic, specialized behavior. This is what lets a subclass tailor how a method works without changing the code that calls the method through the base type. Overloading, by contrast, adds another method with the same name but different parameters and doesn’t replace the base method. Encapsulation and abstraction refer to other OO ideas—hiding internal state and exposing essential interfaces, respectively—rather than providing a new implementation of an existing base method.