Multiple choice technology programming languages

Which statement about using the MODIFY statement in a DATA step is true?

  1. MODIFY creates a second copy of the data while variables in the data are being matched with a WHERE clause and then deletes the second copy.

  2. You cannot modify the descriptor portion of the data set using the MODIFY statement

  3. You can use the MODIFY statement to change the name of a variable.

  4. If the system terminates abnormally while a DATA step that is using the WHERE statement is processing, SAS automatically saves a copy of the unaltered data set.
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B Correct answer
Explanation

The MODIFY statement cannot modify descriptor information like variable names, labels, or attributes - only data values. Options A and C are false. Option D is incorrect as SAS does not automatically save copies during abnormal termination. Descriptor changes require other statements like RENAME.

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