Which one of the following statements is FALSE?

Answer: The false statement is "Type checking is done before parsing."

• Why this is false: Type checking is part of semantic analysis and requires a parsed representation (abstract syntax tree) and symbol information, so it occurs after parsing, not before.

• Notes on the other statements:

  • Context-free grammar can be used to specify both lexical and syntax rules.: While context-free grammars can express regular languages in principle, lexical rules are usually specified by regular expressions because they are simpler and faster to implement; CFGs are primarily used for syntax.

  • High-level language programs can be translated to different Intermediate Representations.: True. Compilers commonly use different IRs (for example, three-address code, SSA form, or bytecode) for optimization and portability.

  • Arguments to a function can be passed using the program stack.: True. Many calling conventions pass arguments on the stack (though others use registers); stack passing supports recursion and variable-length argument lists.