Arizona State University (ASU) CSE240 Introduction to Programming Languages Midterm Practice Exam

During a method override, a derived class provides its own implementation for a method that has already been defined in the base class. This mechanism allows the derived class to customize or change the behavior of an existing method while still maintaining the same method signature.

In object-oriented programming, method overriding is a key feature that supports polymorphism, enabling a program to invoke the appropriate method depending on the actual object type, rather than the reference type. This allows for more dynamic and flexible code, as the derived class can define specific behavior that is relevant to its context while still adhering to the contract established by the base class.

For instance, if a base class has a method such as `draw()`, a derived class might override that method to provide its own unique way of drawing an object. The overriding method in the derived class will be called when an instance of the derived class invokes the method, effectively replacing the base class implementation.

This behavior is essential for enabling code reusability and enhancing the functionality of inherited classes without modifying the original base class directly.