What is encapsulation?

Short answer: The practice of hiding internal details of a class and exposing only necessary functionality through access modifiers and properties. private int speed;

Example code

public int Speed
{ get { return speed; } set { speed = value; }
}

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest’s Order keeps _items private and exposes AddItem() so totals stay correct—callers cannot put a negative quantity directly into the list.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.