Question

class Main {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        new Cloned().clone();
    }
}

class Cloned implements Cloneable {
}

This gives an error, saying it is protected. None of the subclasses of object can call that method.

Answer 1

The problem here is that Main doesn’t extend Cloned. As it stands, Main can call Main.clone, but not Cloned.clone.

The fact that the clone method is declared in Object doesn’t matter here. Apart from public methods, a class can only call its own inherited methods. This includes the protected ones from its super-classes, but not protected methods of others (super) classes.