11. A class containing a pure virtual function is called an " abstract class ". 12. Most interfaces and abstract classes in Java do not specify a public clone ( ) method. 13. A classic example would be the use of abstract classes to hide the actual method logic. 14. Instead, a generic CheckMe ( ) method is built into the element's abstract class . 15. The lower-level layers are created by inheritance / implementation of these abstract classes or interfaces. 16. New features in 2.0 included multiple inheritance, abstract classes , static member functions, boolean type. 17. It seems to me that what you're describing is an abstract class , a somewhat narrower concept. 18. A framework that uses the call super anti-pattern may provide the following abstract class ( in C # ): 19. Not all classes can be instantiated abstract classes cannot be instantiated, while classes that can be instantiated are called concrete classes. 20. In's code, the code in the abstract class is actually being called through a method defined in the concrete class.