What is defined as coding two or more methods with the same name but with different functionality?

• A. Overloading
• B. Polymorphism
• C. Abstraction
• D. Inheritance

Answer: (A)

This item tests method overloading, the idea of having several methods with the same name but different parameter lists so the program can choose the right one based on the arguments you pass. When you call a method, the compiler looks at the number and types of the arguments and selects the matching overload, letting related operations share a common name.

For example, a class might define print(int), print(String), and print(int, int). Calling print(5) uses the first version, print("hello") uses the second, and print(2, 3) uses the third. This keeps code readable and lets you perform variations of an operation under a single, familiar name.

Polymorphism, in contrast, is a broader idea about the same interface yielding different forms at runtime (often through method overriding in an inheritance hierarchy). Abstraction is about exposing essential behavior while hiding details, and inheritance is about deriving new classes from existing ones.