Control Statements

tags : Conditional Statements

What are control statements in Java?

Control statements are used to change the flow of execution in a program. They allow you to:

• Make decisions (conditional: if, if-else, switch)
• Repeat actions (loops: for, while, do-while)
• Jump to other parts of code (branching: break, continue, return)

What is a decision-making statement?

It allows the program to choose between different actions based on conditions.

What is a loop control statement in Java?

It lets you repeat a block of code multiple times.

When should you use a for loop?

Use a for loop when the number of iterations is known beforehand.

for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
    System.out.println(i);
}

How does a while loop work?

A while loop executes the block as long as the condition is true.

int i = 0;
while (i < 5) {
    System.out.println(i);
    i++;
}

What is the difference between while and do-while loop?

Feature	while	do-while
Condition check	Before executing block	After executing block
Execution	May not run even once	Runs at least once

What are branching statements in Java?

Branching statements allow you to exit or skip parts of loops or methods.

What does the break statement do?

It immediately exits the current loop or switch block.

for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
    if (i == 5) break;
    System.out.println(i);
}

What is the use of continue statement?

It skips the current iteration and jumps to the next loop cycle.

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i == 3) continue;
    System.out.println(i);
}

What is the purpose of the return statement?

It exits a method and optionally returns a value.

return x + y;

Can break be used outside a loop or switch?

No. It causes a compile-time error if used outside a loop or switch.

What is a labeled break statement?

It allows exiting outer loops using labels.

outer:
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
    for (int j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
        if (j == 1) break outer;
    }
}

What is a labeled continue statement?

It skips to the next iteration of the outer loop.

outer:
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
    for (int j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
        if (j == 1) continue outer;
    }
}

What happens if a loop condition is always true?

It results in an infinite loop, unless a break is used.

while (true) {
    // infinite loop unless broken
}