To answer this question, we need to understand the PIC (Picture) clause in COBOL, which is used to define the data type and format of a field.
In COBOL, the PIC 9.99 and 9v99 are different data types with different formats:
PIC 9.99 - This is a FOUR-POSITION field. The "9" represents a numeric digit, and the ".99" represents two decimal places.
9v99 - This is a THREE-POSITION field. The "9" represents a numeric digit, and the "v99" represents two decimal places.
Let's go through each option to understand why it is correct or incorrect:
Option A) PIC 9.99 is a THREE-POSITION field whereas PIC 9v99 is a FOUR-POSITION numeric field.
This option is incorrect because the statement is reversed. PIC 9.99 is a FOUR-POSITION field, not THREE-POSITION.
Option B) No difference.
This option is incorrect because there is a difference in the number of positions.
Option C) PIC 9.99 is a FOUR-POSITION field whereas PIC 9v99 is a THREE-POSITION numeric field.
This option is correct. As explained above, PIC 9.99 is a FOUR-POSITION field, and PIC 9v99 is a THREE-POSITION field.
Option D) PIC 9.99 takes less space than PIC 9v99.
This option is incorrect because both PIC 9.99 and 9v99 have the same number of decimal places and take the same amount of space.
The correct answer is C) PIC 9.99 is a FOUR-POSITION field whereas PIC 9v99 is a THREE-POSITION numeric field.