Which of the following is NOT a restriction on method overriding?

• A. The name of the overridden method must be changed
• B. The overriding method must have the same argument list
• C. The overriding method must return the same type
• D. The overriding method cannot throw new checked exceptions

Answer: (A)

The correct answer is that the name of the overridden method must be changed is not a restriction on method overriding because overriding specifically refers to creating a new implementation of a method in a subclass while retaining the same method signature. This means that the new method must have the same name, return type, and argument types as the method it overrides.

In Java, method overriding is a feature that allows a subclass to provide a specific implementation of a method that is already defined in its superclass. This is vital for achieving polymorphism, which allows objects to be treated as instances of their parent class while invoking the overridden methods of the subclass.

The other restrictions mentioned are indeed valid in the context of method overriding. The overriding method must have the same argument list to ensure proper binding at runtime, and it must return the same type (or a subtype in the case of covariant return types). Additionally, when overriding a method, the overriding method cannot throw new checked exceptions that aren’t specified in the overridden method's declaration, as this would violate the principle of method compatibility.