Distinguish Checked and Unchecked Exceptions in Java
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Software Engineering Fundamentals
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Technical Screen
What is the difference between checked and unchecked exceptions in Java? Give examples and explain what the distinction requires at a method boundary.
### What a Strong Answer Covers
Identify the relevant exception hierarchy, explain catch-or-declare checking, and distinguish compile-time obligations from the time an exception is actually thrown. Discuss recovery and propagation without treating every unchecked exception as safe to ignore.
### Follow-up Questions
- Does declaring throws handle an exception?
- What should a library preserve when translating one exception into another?
Overview: Distinguish Java’s compile-time exception obligations from runtime failures. Cover the checked hierarchy, catch-or-declare behavior, propagation, and preserving causes when translating errors.