Consider this iterative bitwise sum implementation. Which line contains a subtle bug that causes incorrect results for negative inputs?

medium🐞 Bug Identification Q7 of Q15

Bit Manipulation - Sum of Two Integers Without + Operator

AThe carry calculation missing parentheses around (a & b)

BThe while loop condition should be 'while a != 0' instead of 'while b != 0'

CThe return statement missing sign correction for negative numbers

DThe masking with MASK should be applied after the while loop

Step-by-Step Solution

Solution:

Step 1: Identify handling of negative numbers
Python integers are unbounded; masking intermediate results is correct, but final result must convert back to signed integer.
Step 2: Check return statement
Return statement lacks sign correction (e.g., 'return a if a <= 0x7FFFFFFF else ~(a ^ MASK)') causing wrong negative outputs.
Final Answer:
Option C -> Option C
Quick Check:
Missing sign fix causes incorrect negative sums [OK]

Quick Trick: Final sign fix needed after masking [OK]

Common Mistakes:

MISTAKES

Trap Explanation:

PITFALL

Interviewer Note:

CONTEXT

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