Multiple choice technology mainframe

How many comparisons can a single COBOL if statement make?

  1. There is no limit

  2. 1

  3. 2

  4. COBOL if statements are not used to compare variable values
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

In COBOL, a single IF statement can make exactly one comparison. The structure is IF condition THEN statement-1 ELSE statement-2, where the condition is a single relational test. Multiple comparisons require nested IF statements or combined conditions with AND/OR, but each IF statement itself evaluates one condition.

AI explanation

To answer this question, we need to understand how a COBOL "IF" statement works.

In COBOL, the "IF" statement is used to perform conditional branching based on the evaluation of a condition. The condition can involve one or more comparisons between variable values.

The correct answer is B) 1.

A single COBOL "IF" statement can make one comparison. The condition in the "IF" statement typically consists of a single comparison operator, such as "=", "<>", "<", ">", "<=", or ">=". This means that only one comparison can be made in a single "IF" statement.

For example, consider the following COBOL "IF" statement:

IF A &gt; B
    ...
END-IF

In this example, there is one comparison being made, which is "A > B". The "IF" statement will evaluate this comparison and perform the subsequent actions based on the result of the comparison.

Therefore, the correct answer is B) 1.

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