Exercise 3: The DATA DIVISION's Six Sections and Where the Rest Connect — Possible Solution
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This chapter names all six real sections the DATA DIVISION can contain,
and states directly which two this Fundamentals course actually
focuses on, while pointing the remaining four toward specific later
material.

THE TWO SECTIONS THIS COURSE FOCUSES ON
This chapter states plainly that WORKING-STORAGE SECTION and FILE
SECTION are the two sections most programs - including everything in
this Fundamentals course - actually need. WORKING-STORAGE holds static,
program-owned variables and is used constantly throughout this course,
exactly as shown in this chapter's own WS-GREETING example. FILE
SECTION holds record layouts for files a program reads or writes.

WHERE THE REMAINING FOUR SECTIONS CONNECT
LINKAGE SECTION: this chapter identifies it as holding parameters and
return values passed between programs, and directly names Chapter 9's
own real CALL material as where this becomes relevant - the LINKAGE
SECTION is how a called subprogram receives data from the program that
called it.

FILE SECTION (mentioned again for its own later depth): this chapter
already flags this course's own Chapter 8 as its home for full file-
handling coverage, even though the section itself is introduced here.

REPORT SECTION: this chapter identifies structured report layouts as
its purpose, and names COBOL Intermediate/Advanced Chapter 5 (Sort/
Merge Operations & Report Writing) as the real chapter where this
becomes relevant.

SCREEN SECTION: this chapter identifies interactive screen definitions
as its purpose, and names COBOL Intermediate/Advanced Chapter 7
(Screen Handling: CICS & Interactive COBOL Basics) as the real chapter
where this becomes relevant.

LOCAL-STORAGE SECTION: this chapter describes it as holding automatic
(reentrant) variables, mentioned as one of the six real sections but
not tied to a specific later chapter in this material.

WHY THIS STRUCTURE MAKES SENSE FOR A FUNDAMENTALS COURSE
Focusing early instruction on WORKING-STORAGE and FILE, while
deferring LINKAGE, REPORT, and SCREEN to the specific later chapters
that actually use them, avoids introducing sections before there's a
real, concrete reason to use them - each remaining section becomes
relevant exactly when the corresponding real-world capability
(subprograms, reports, interactive screens) is actually being taught.

ANSWER: This Fundamentals course focuses on the WORKING-STORAGE SECTION
(static program variables, used constantly throughout the course) and
the FILE SECTION (file record layouts, expanded on in Chapter 8). Of
the remaining four sections, the LINKAGE SECTION connects to Chapter
9's own CALL/subprogram material, the REPORT SECTION connects to COBOL
Intermediate/Advanced Chapter 5 (Sort/Merge Operations & Report
Writing), and the SCREEN SECTION connects to COBOL Intermediate/
Advanced Chapter 7 (Screen Handling: CICS & Interactive COBOL Basics);
the LOCAL-STORAGE SECTION, for automatic/reentrant variables, is named
but not tied to a specific later chapter here.

WHY THIS WORKS AS AN ANSWER
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This correctly identifies the two sections this course actually
focuses on and accurately maps each of the remaining four real sections
to the specific chapter (in this course or its sibling) the chapter
itself names as their real destination.