Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) Certification Practice Test

What is the purpose of a Finalizer in garbage collection?

1. To manage memory allocation

2. To clean up unmanaged resources before an object is collected

3. To enhance performance in code execution

4. To create anonymous methods

The correct answer is: To clean up unmanaged resources before an object is collected

The purpose of a Finalizer in garbage collection is to clean up unmanaged resources before an object is collected. When an object in a programming environment with garbage collection is no longer reachable from the application, the garbage collector is responsible for reclaiming memory. However, if the object holds unmanaged resources such as file handles, database connections, or network connections, those resources do not get released automatically since they are not managed by the garbage collector. The Finalizer, also known as a destructor, provides a way for developers to define cleanup logic for these unmanaged resources. When an object is eligible for garbage collection, the Finalizer is called before the memory occupied by that object is freed. This ensures that any necessary cleanup has been performed, which helps prevent resource leaks and other issues associated with failing to free unmanaged resources. While managing memory allocation and enhancing performance are important aspects of application development, they are not the primary functions of a Finalizer. Similarly, creating anonymous methods pertains to different programming constructs and is unrelated to the role of a Finalizer in garbage collection.