GATE CS 2017 Set 2 — Question 2

MCQ+1 / -0.33EasyPointers & Pointer ArithmeticC ProgrammingProgramming & Data StructuresDynamic Memory AllocationStorage Classes

Programming & Data Structures → C Programming → Dynamic Memory Allocation

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

Match the following: (P) static char var; (i) Sequence of memory locations to store addresses (Q) m = malloc(10); m = NULL; (ii) A variable located in data section of memory (R) char *ptr[10]; (iii) Request to allocate a CPU register to store data (S) register int var1; (iv) A lost memory which cannot be freed


(P)	`static char var;`	(i)	Sequence of memory locations to store addresses
(Q)	`m = malloc(10); m = NULL;`	(ii)	A variable located in data section of memory
(R)	`char *ptr[10];`	(iii)	Request to allocate a CPU register to store data
(S)	`register int var1;`	(iv)	A lost memory which cannot be freed

Correct answer (A) (P) arrow (ii), (Q) arrow (iv), (R) arrow (i), (S) arrow (iii) Solution Matching the C programming concepts: (P) static char var; : Static variables are stored in the data segment of the memory. Thus, (P) matches (ii). (Q) m = malloc(10); m = NULL; : This code allocates memory on the heap and then loses the reference to it by setting the pointer to NULL. This is a memory leak (lost memory that cannot be freed). Thus, (Q) matches (iv). (R) char *ptr[10]; : This is an array of 10 pointers to characters. An array is a sequence of memory locations, and here they store addresses. Thus, (R) matches (i). (S) register int var1; : The register keyword is a hint to the compiler to store the variable in a CPU register for faster access. Thus, (S) matches (iii). The correct match is (P)-(ii), (Q)-(iv), (R)-(i), (S)-(iii). Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer (A) (P) arrow (ii), (Q) arrow (iv), (R) arrow (i), (S) arrow (iii) Solution Matching the C programming concepts: (P) static char var; : Static variables are stored in the data segment of the memory. Thus, (P) matches (ii). (Q) m = malloc(10); m = NULL; : This code allocates memory on the heap and then loses the reference to it by setting the pointer to NULL. This is a memory leak (lost memory that cannot be freed). Thus, (Q) matches (iv). (R) char *ptr[10]; : This is an array of 10 pointers to characters. An array is a sequence of memory locations, and here they store addresses. Thus, (R) matches (i). (S) register int var1; : The register keyword is a hint to the compiler to store the variable in a CPU register for faster access. Thus, (S) matches (iii). The correct match is (P)-(ii), (Q)-(iv), (R)-(i), (S)-(iii).

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