30 COBOL Quiz Questions and Answers

COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) is a high-level programming language primarily designed for business data processing applications. It was one of the earliest programming languages, developed in the late 1950s by a committee led by Grace Hopper. COBOL’s design aimed to be easily readable and understandable by non-programmers, making it suitable for business professionals who wanted to write and understand computer programs.

Key features and characteristics of COBOL include:

Business-Oriented: COBOL was specifically designed for business applications, such as payroll processing, inventory management, and financial systems. Its syntax is inspired by English-like sentences to make it easier for business users to read and write code.

Data Processing: COBOL excels in handling large volumes of data, especially in batch processing scenarios. It provides extensive support for record-based file handling and data manipulation.

Record Structures: COBOL is well-suited for processing data organized in fixed-length records or tabular formats. It allows developers to define data structures using the “record description” clause.

Data Division: COBOL programs are structured into various divisions, with the “Data Division” being particularly important. In this division, data structures and files are defined, along with their characteristics and layout.

Procedural Language: COBOL follows a procedural programming paradigm, where programs consist of a series of steps or procedures that are executed sequentially.

Article overview

• Part 1: 30 COBOL quiz questions & answers
• Part 2: Download COBOL questions & answers for free
• Part 3: Free online quiz software – OnlineExamMaker

Part 1: 30 COBOL quiz questions & answers

1. COBOL stands for:
a) Common Object-Oriented Business Language
b) Common Business-Oriented Language
c) Common Object-Based Language
d) Common Business Language
Answer: b) Common Business-Oriented Language

2. COBOL is primarily designed for:
a) Scientific computing
b) Web development
c) Business data processing
d) Game development
Answer: c) Business data processing

3. COBOL was developed in which decade?
a) 1960s
b) 1970s
c) 1980s
d) 1950s
Answer: d) 1950s

4. Which programming paradigm does COBOL follow?
a) Object-oriented programming
b) Functional programming
c) Procedural programming
d) Logic programming
Answer: c) Procedural programming

5. What division in a COBOL program is used for defining data structures and files?
a) Input Division
b) Output Division
c) Data Division
d) Procedure Division
Answer: c) Data Division

6. The “ADD” verb in COBOL is used for:
a) Adding two numbers
b) Concatenating strings
c) Writing data to a file
d) Defining a new variable
Answer: a) Adding two numbers

7. COBOL provides extensive support for handling data organized in:
a) Stacks
b) Arrays
c) Fixed-length records
d) Linked lists
Answer: c) Fixed-length records

8. Which COBOL division contains the actual processing logic and the sequence of steps to be executed?
a) Procedure Division
b) Input Division
c) Output Division
d) Data Division
Answer: a) Procedure Division

9. The “PERFORM” verb in COBOL is used for:
a) Executing arithmetic operations
b) Reading data from a file
c) Performing a repetitive task
d) Displaying output to the screen
Answer: c) Performing a repetitive task

10. COBOL supports _______ arithmetic for handling financial calculations.
a) Floating-point
b) Integer
c) Decimal
d) Complex
Answer: c) Decimal

11. Which COBOL division contains the program identification and author information?
a) Input Division
b) Output Division
c) Data Division
d) Identification Division
Answer: d) Identification Division

12. The “MOVE” verb in COBOL is used for:
a) Moving data between variables
b) Moving data between different programs
c) Moving data to a file
d) Moving data to the printer
Answer: a) Moving data between variables

13. COBOL is widely used in which industries?
a) Entertainment and gaming
b) Finance and banking
c) Healthcare and medical
d) Education and research
Answer: b) Finance and banking

14. Which COBOL division contains the input file specifications?
a) Input Division
b) Output Division
c) File Division
d) Data Division
Answer: c) File Division

15. The “IF” statement in COBOL is used for:
a) Looping over a block of code
b) Defining a new variable
c) Performing arithmetic operations
d) Making conditional decisions
Answer: d) Making conditional decisions

Part 2: Download COBOL questions & answers for free

16. COBOL programs can be compiled and executed on various platforms, making them:
a) Platform-specific
b) Platform-independent
c) Platform-neutral
d) Platform-flexible
Answer: b) Platform-independent

17. Which COBOL verb is used to read data from a file?
a) READ
b) WRITE
c) PERFORM
d) DISPLAY
Answer: a) READ

18. The COBOL “STOP RUN” statement is used to:
a) Terminate the program execution
b) Pause the program execution
c) Start the program execution
d) Output a message to the screen
Answer: a) Terminate the program execution

19. Which COBOL division contains the output file specifications?
a) Input Division
b) Output Division
c) File Division
d) Data Division
Answer: c) File Division

20. COBOL is known for its syntax that resembles:
a) Mathematical notation
b) Assembly language
c) English language sentences
d) HTML markup
Answer: c) English language sentences

21. The COBOL verb “WRITE” is used for:
a) Writing data to a file
b) Writing data to the printer
c) Writing data to the screen
d) Writing data to a database
Answer: a) Writing data to a file

22. Which COBOL division contains the source code for the program logic?
a) Procedure Division
b) Input Division
c) Output Division
d) Data Division
Answer: a) Procedure Division

23. Which statement is true regarding COBOL’s readability and understandability?
a) It is difficult to read and understand for non-programmers.
b) It is primarily designed for expert programmers.
c) It is designed to be easily readable by non-programmers.
d) It uses a complex syntax similar to other programming languages.
Answer: c) It is designed to be easily readable by non-programmers.

24. Which COBOL division contains the file access mode and organization information?
a) File Division
b) Input Division
c) Output Division
d) Data Division
Answer: a) File Division

25. COBOL uses _______ as the delimiter for separating statements.
a) Semicolon (;)
b) Colon (:)
c) Period (.)
d) Comma (,)
Answer: c) Period (.)

26. The COBOL “DISPLAY” statement is used to:
a) Write data to a file
b) Display data on the screen
c) Perform arithmetic operations
d) Move data between variables
Answer: b) Display data on the screen

27. In COBOL, what is the purpose of the “PERFORM THRU” statement?
a) To specify the range of input data
b) To execute a series of statements repeatedly
c) To control the flow of the program
d) To terminate the program
Answer: b) To execute a series of statements repeatedly

28. Which COBOL division contains the output device specifications?
a) Input Division
b) Output Division
c) Data Division
d) Environment Division
Answer: d) Environment Division

29. The “REWRITE” verb in COBOL is used for:
a) Reading data from a file

b) Writing data to a file
c) Updating existing data in a file
d) Closing a file
Answer: c) Updating existing data in a file

30. COBOL programs are mainly used for:
a) Scientific calculations
b) Game development
c) Business data processing
d) Web development
Answer: c) Business data processing

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