In C programming, what will be the output of the following program (note the nested conditional operator and that only 'num' is printed)? #include<stdio.h> int main() { int k, num = 30; k = (num > 5 ? (num <= 10 ? 100 : 200) : 500); printf("%d ", num); return 0; }

Introduction / Context:
This C output question checks understanding of the conditional (ternary) operator, operator precedence, and, most importantly, what value is actually printed. Many learners focus on the expression that computes k and forget that printf prints only num.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• num is initialized to 30.
• k is assigned using a nested conditional operator.
• The program prints num via printf("%d\n", num).

Concept / Approach:
The ternary operator has the form condition ? expr_true : expr_false. Nested usage evaluates the inner test only when needed. However, the print statement uses only num, not k. Therefore any changes to k are irrelevant to the output.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Evaluate condition: num > 5 evaluates to 30 > 5, which is true.Because true, evaluate the inner ternary: (num <= 10 ? 100 : 200). Since 30 <= 10 is false, this yields 200; thus k becomes 200.No statement modifies num; it remains 30 throughout.printf prints num, so the output is 30.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can temporarily add a second printf to display k. You would then see k = 200, num = 30, confirming that only num is printed in the provided code.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
(a) 200 is the value assigned to k, not printed. (c) 100 would be chosen only if num <= 10, which is false. (d) 500 would be chosen only if num > 5 were false, which it is not. (e) The behavior is not compiler-dependent; it is well-defined.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing the value printed (num) with the computed value (k). Another pitfall is assuming the ternary expression prints or changes num, which it does not.

Final Answer:
30