In object-oriented programming, a derived class does indeed have the ability to access and modify the protected members of its base class. The concept of "protected" access indicates that these members are accessible not only within the class they are declared in but also by any subclasses that inherit from that class. This access allows derived classes to implement or extend functionality while maintaining the encapsulation principles of the base class.
For example, if a base class has a protected variable such as int count;, a derived class can directly access and change the value of count as needed. This feature promotes flexibility and code reuse since derived classes can build upon the foundational logic established in the base class while still adhering to the constraints provided by the object's design.
Understanding this allows programmers to design their class hierarchies effectively, ensuring that derived classes can both utilize and modify the shared state defined by their base classes while respecting the principles of inheritance.