Suppose this is the clone() method of the ArrayedList class: public ArrayedList clone() throws CloneNotSupportedException { return (ArrayedList) super.clone(); } What kind of clone is this?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

We are analyzing the clone() method shown and what kind of clone it performs.

Option 1 (Deep clone): A deep clone would involve creating a new object and recursively cloning all objects referenced by the original, so that no shared references exist between the original and the clone. In Java, a deep clone typically requires overriding clone to manually clone referenced fields or using serialization. In the provided code, the method simply calls super.clone() and casts the result, with no additional steps to copy or recursively clone internal state. This suggests it does not perform a deep copy of contained objects, so this option is not describing what the method does.

Option 2 (Shallow clone): A shallow clone creates a new instance and copies the values of the original's fields, but if those fields are references to other objects, only the references are copied, not the objects they point to. The code returns (ArrayedList<I>) super.clone() directly, which is the standard way to obtain a shallow clone when the superclass implements Cloneable and provides a field-for-field copy. Since there is no extra logic to duplicate internal objects, this behavior aligns with a shallow clone.

To connect the concepts: in Java, unless you override clone() to perform deeper copying of mutable contained objects, the default clone mechanism performs a shallow copy. The given implementation defers to super.clone() without additional processing, which is characteristic of a shallow clone.

Therefore, the explanation supports that the described clone is a shallow clone, not a deep one.

Note on reasoning differences: If you consider edge cases where the superclass’s clone() might already perform deep copying for some fields, you could misinterpret this as a deep clone. However, in standard practice, simply delegating to super.clone() without extra cloning logic indicates a shallow copy of the object and its references.

In summary, understanding the lack of extra duplication logic and the direct cast from super.clone() leads to the conclusion that the clone is a shallow clone. The other option would require explicit recursive copying of referenced objects, which is not present here.

XLMC0202501 Topic 6 Quiz

Suppose this is the clone() method of the ArrayedList class: public ArrayedList<I> clone() throws CloneNotSupportedException { return (ArrayedList<I>) super.clone(); } What kind of clone is this?

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