Question

You hear someone make the following comment: "A blueprint is a design for a house. A carpenter can use the blueprint to build the house. If the carpenter wishes, he or she can build several identical houses from the same blueprint." Think of this as a metaphor for classes and objects. Does the blueprint represent a class, or does it represent an object?

Short answer

The metaphor of a blueprint represents a class. In this metaphor, the blueprint (class) defines the design or structure of a house (object). The carpenter can use this blueprint (class) to build multiple identical houses (objects), each as an instance of the blueprint (class).

Step-by-step solution

Understand Classes and Objects

In programming, a class defines a blueprint for a data type. It is like a template that describes the characteristics (attributes) and actions (methods) that an object created from the class will have. An object is an instance of a class, created from that blueprint, with its own unique set of data.

Analyze the Blueprint Metaphor

The given metaphor describes a blueprint as a design for a house, which can be used by a carpenter to build one or more houses. These houses are identical instances created from the same blueprint.

Determine Representation

In this metaphor, the blueprint represents a class. The blueprint (class) defines the design or structure of a house (object). The carpenter can use this blueprint (class) to build multiple identical houses (objects), each as an instance of the blueprint (class).