Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) Certification Practice Test

What would happen if you call GC.SuppressFinalize on an object?

1. The finalizer for the object will not be called

2. The object will be collected immediately

3. The object's resources will be ignored

4. The object will be marked as unused

The correct answer is: The finalizer for the object will not be called

Calling GC.SuppressFinalize on an object prevents the finalizer of that object from being called by the garbage collector. The finalizer is a special method, typically defined by overriding the Finalize method in a class, that is used to clean up unmanaged resources or perform other cleanup operations before an object is reclaimed by the garbage collector. Suppose an object has a finalizer, and you determine that there is no need for that finalizer to run because you have already cleaned up the resources that the finalizer would handle. By invoking GC.SuppressFinalize, you inform the garbage collector that it can eliminate the work of invoking the finalizer since it’s no longer needed. This action improves performance by reducing the workload on the garbage collector, especially when there are many objects requiring finalization in a given process. The other options do not accurately reflect the outcomes of the GC.SuppressFinalize method. Immediate collection of the object or marking it as unused does not occur simply by calling this method; the object will be eligible for garbage collection when it is no longer referenced regardless of the suppression of finalization. The resources of the object are also not "ignored" in a manner that suggests they will be cleaned differently; they are only subject to the normal garbage collection process that occurs