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

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Mastering Java: The Ultimate Quiz for 'Thinking in Java'. Dive deep into Java with multiple-choice questions. Challenge yourself with quiz questions designed to test and improve your understanding of the 'Thinking in Java' book. Get ready for your exam!

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How can the contents of an object in Java be directly compared for equality?

Using the == operator
Using the equals() method
Using the toString() method
Using the hashCode() method

The correct answer is: Using the equals() method

The equals() method is used to compare the contents of two objects in Java. While the == operator can also be used for this purpose, it only checks if the two objects are referring to the same memory location. This means that two objects could have the same contents but be stored in different memory locations, resulting in the == operator returning false. The toString() method is used to convert an object to a String representation and the hashCode() method is used to generate a unique integer representation of an object, neither of which are useful for directly comparing the contents of two objects. Therefore, option B, using the equals() method, is the correct choice for comparing the contents of an object in Java for equality.