Mastering Java: The Ultimate Quiz for 'Thinking in Java'

Can a private inner class be accessed outside of its enclosing class?

1. Yes, using reflection

2. No

3. Yes, if a public method returns its reference

4. Yes, by inheriting the outer class

The correct answer is: No

Private inner classes are not accessible outside of their enclosing class because they have restricted access modifiers. Option A is incorrect because although reflection can allow access to private members, it cannot bypass the access modifier set on the inner class. Option C is incorrect because a public method within the enclosing class would not be able to access the private inner class. Option D is incorrect because inheriting the outer class does not automatically grant access to the private inner class.