1Z0-811 Primitives, Strings and Operators Practice Question
What is the result of the following code? int a = 8; int b = 3; System.out.println(a >> 1);
⚠ Common exam trap
Oracle often tests the confusion between the right shift (`>>`) and left shift (`<<`) operators, as well as the misconception that `>> 1` always divides by 2 (which is true for positive integers but not for negative ones due to sign extension).
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
4
The right shift operator `>>` shifts the bits of the integer `a` (which is 8, binary `1000`) to the right by 1 position. This discards the least significant bit and fills the most significant bit with the sign bit (0 for positive numbers), resulting in binary `0100`, which is decimal 4. Therefore, `System.out.println(a >> 1)` prints 4.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
2
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect.
- ✗
3
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect.
- ✓
4
Why this is correct
8 shifted right by 1 is 4.
- ✗
16
Why it's wrong here
That would be left shift.
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