Arizona State University (ASU) CSE240 Introduction to Programming Languages Midterm Practice Exam

Exception handling is primarily characterized by its ability to allow programmers to define specific responses to errors that may arise during the execution of a program. This mechanism enables developers to anticipate potential issues and implement strategies to manage those issues gracefully, rather than allowing the program to crash or produce unpredictable results.

By using exception handling, a programmer can define "try-catch" blocks in their code. The "try" block contains the code that may encounter an error, while the "catch" block specifies how to respond to that error. This structured approach not only enhances the robustness of the program but also contributes to clearer, more maintainable code by separating the error-handling logic from regular program flow.

In contrast to the other options, exception handling does not prevent errors from occurring, does not enforce variable initialization, and while it may aid the debugging process indirectly by making code more reliable, its primary function is not to simplify debugging. Instead, it focuses on how to respond effectively when errors occur.