Page 1233 - AP Computer Science A, 7th edition

22. (A) Note the order of precedence for the expressions involved: (1) parentheses, (2) !, (3) <, (4) ==, (5) &&, (6) ||. This means that a < c, a < b, and !(a == b) will all be evaluated before || and && are considered. The given expression then boils down to value1 || (value2 && value3), since && has higher precedence than ||. Notice that if value1 is true, the whole expression is true since (true || any) evaluates to true. Thus, a < c will guarantee that the expression evaluates to true. None of the other conditions will guarantee an outcome of true. For example, suppose a < b (choice B). If a == c, then the whole expression will be false because you get F || F.