Which of the following statements is true regarding the syntax of a conditional statement? Group of answer choices: – Branches in conditional statements are executed in the given order from top to bottom. – “end” is not always necessary for conditional statements. – “elseif” and “else if” are equivalent. – Each “if”/”elseif” can be followed by an array of Boolean variables.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer:
Branches in conditional statements are executed in the given order from top to bottom.
Explanation:
In MATLAB, conditional statements are used to execute specific blocks of code depending on whether given logical conditions are true. The basic structure of a conditional statement in MATLAB includes if, elseif, else, and end keywords. Understanding the correct syntax and behavior of these statements is essential for proper program flow and logic control.
The correct statement here is that branches in conditional statements are executed in the given order from top to bottom. This means MATLAB evaluates the condition following the if keyword first. If that condition evaluates to true, MATLAB executes the associated block of code and skips all remaining branches (elseif or else). If the if condition is false, MATLAB proceeds to evaluate the elseif conditions in the order they are written. This sequential evaluation continues until one of the conditions is found to be true, at which point the corresponding code block is executed. If none of the if or elseif conditions are true, and there is an else clause, MATLAB will execute the else block as a final fallback.
The other choices are incorrect for the following reasons:
- “end” is not always necessary for conditional statements: This is false. Every
ifstatement in MATLAB must be properly closed with anendkeyword to define the boundary of the conditional block. - “elseif” and “else if” are equivalent: This is false. MATLAB uses
elseifas a single keyword. Splitting it intoelse ifis not valid syntax and will result in an error. - Each “if”/”elseif” can be followed by an array of Boolean variables: This is misleading. The condition must be a scalar logical value (true or false). If an array is provided, MATLAB throws an error unless the expression resolves to a single Boolean result.
Understanding these rules ensures that conditional logic in MATLAB behaves predictably and without syntax errors.
