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

Pass-by-reference is advantageous primarily because it allows for direct manipulation of the original variable. When a function receives a reference to a variable rather than a copy of its value, any changes made to that variable within the function directly affect the original variable. This can lead to more efficient memory usage since it avoids the overhead of creating copies for large data structures.

For example, if a function needs to modify a large array or a complex object, using pass-by-reference means the function operates on the original data without the need to allocate additional memory for a copy. This not only saves time and space but also allows functions to apply changes in real-time, providing immediate effects on the original variable, which is particularly beneficial in scenarios where multiple parts of a program need to access and modify the same data.

In contexts where data needs to be shared or altered across various functions or modules, pass-by-reference facilitates this by allowing all referenced functions to see and interact with the current state of the variable.