After the last statement of a method is executed, what occurs next?

When the last statement of a method is executed, control is passed back to the point immediately following the method call. This is a fundamental aspect of how method execution works in Java and most programming languages.

When a method is invoked, the program pauses at the point of the method call, executes the method's code, and once it reaches the end of that method, the flow of control returns exactly to the location where the method was called. This allows the program to continue executing subsequent statements in the same sequence as they were written. It reinforces the concept of methods serving as reusable blocks of code that can be executed, return values if applicable, and seamlessly integrate back into the broader flow of the program.

Understanding this mechanism is crucial, as it helps in grasping how functions interact within a program and how the execution context is managed.