"If I just assign str1 to str2 outright then str1 disappears when I try to print it and I get an error that the compiler freed it."
It actually "disappears" during assignment but that doesn't cause any problems until you try to use it by printing it.
#Choice of assignment option question
worthy locust
ornate matrix
Ownership manages freeing
Giving ownership of str1 to str2 doesn't free str1, it makes str2 the owner. Then, when str2 goes out of scope, it's freed.
Something is freed when there is no more owner
Other than that, sounds accurate
worthy locust
The difference between using a reference and cloning goes beyond what can be freed. Making a clone uses more memory and takes more time, because a full replica of the data is made. A reference doesn't make a replica. It just refers to the original data. It is possible to make a mutable clone and modify it without the original being changed, because it's a completely independent duplicate of the data.