GATE CS 2020 Set 1 — Question 32

NAT+1 / -0MediumPointers & Pointer ArithmeticC ProgrammingProgramming & Data StructuresArrays & Strings in C

Programming & Data Structures → C Programming → Arrays & Strings in C

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

Consider the following C program.#include <stdio.h> int main() { int a[4][5]={{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}, {6, 7, 8, 9, 10}, {11, 12, 13, 14, 15}, {16, 17, 18, 19, 20}}; printf("%d\n", *(*(a+**a+2)+3)); return(0); } The output of the program is ________.

Correct answer 19 to 19 Solution The array a is a 2D array of size 4x5. **a is equivalent to a[0][0], which is 1 . The expression becomes *(*(a + 1 + 2) + 3) which simplifies to *(*(a + 3) + 3) . a + 3 points to the 4th row of the array (index 3). *(a + 3) is the pointer to the first element of the 4th row. *(a + 3) + 3 points to the 4th element (index 3) of the 4th row. *(*(a + 3) + 3) accesses the value at a[3][3] . The 4th row (index 3) is {16, 17, 18, 19, 20} . a[3][0] = 16, a[3][1] = 17, a[3][2] = 18, a[3][3] = 19 . Thus, the value printed is 19. Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer 19 to 19 Solution The array a is a 2D array of size 4x5. **a is equivalent to a[0][0], which is 1 . The expression becomes *(*(a + 1 + 2) + 3) which simplifies to *(*(a + 3) + 3) . a + 3 points to the 4th row of the array (index 3). *(a + 3) is the pointer to the first element of the 4th row. *(a + 3) + 3 points to the 4th element (index 3) of the 4th row. *(*(a + 3) + 3) accesses the value at a[3][3] . The 4th row (index 3) is {16, 17, 18, 19, 20} . a[3][0] = 16, a[3][1] = 17, a[3][2] = 18, a[3][3] = 19 . Thus, the value printed is 19.

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