\begin{tabular}{l} Which of the following statements about virtual \\ functions is false? \\ \( \begin{array}{l}\text { They allow the program to select the correct } \\ \text { implementation at execution time. } \\ \text { They do not remain virtual down the inheritance } \\ \text { hierarchy. } \\ \text { They can use either static or dynamic binding, } \\ \text { depending on the handles on which the functions } \\ \text { are called. } \\ \text { They can be called using the dot operator. }\end{array} \) \\ \( \begin{array}{l}\text { Ther }\end{array} \) \\ \hline\end{tabular}

Virtual functions are a key feature in object-oriented programming, allowing polymorphism, which is the ability to call the correct function implementation based on the object type at runtime rather than compile time. This mechanism enables a base class to define a function and its derived classes to provide their specific implementations without changing the way the function is invoked in the code. One common mistake when working with virtual functions is misusing them with the dot operator. Although virtual functions enable dynamic binding, they should be invoked through a pointer or reference to the base class to ensure the correct derived class implementation is called. Using the dot operator on a base class object won't give the expected behavior and will result in static binding, potentially leading to logical errors in code execution.