Read through a pointer

Challenge

Read the value of a variable through a pointer to it.

Task

Implement int deref(const int *p) that returns the int value p points to. No main — the grader calls it.

Input

p — a pointer to a valid int (never NULL in the tests).

Output

Returns the int stored at *p.

Example

int x = 7; deref(&x)    ->   7
int y = -9; deref(&y)   ->   -9

Why this matters

Drill: practice one contract before combining it with other skills.

Input format

p — a pointer to a valid int (never NULL in the tests).

Output format

Returns the int stored at *p.

Constraints

p points to a live readable int and is never NULL. Return its value without mutation or allocation.

Starter code

int deref(const int *p) {
    /* TODO */
    return 0;
}

Common mistakes

Returning a constant or trying to return the address instead of the int.

Edge cases to handle

Zero, negatives, integer limits, and different addresses with the same value.

Up next

• Set a value through a pointer