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

Comments in code serve primarily to enhance readability and understanding. They provide explanations, context, and insights into what specific pieces of code are doing, making it easier for someone else (or even the original author, at a later time) to comprehend the logic and flow of the program. This is especially valuable in complex codebases where the purpose and functionality of certain code snippets may not be immediately clear.

By clearly documenting the purpose of variables, functions, or algorithms through comments, developers facilitate better collaboration and knowledge transfer. This practice can significantly reduce the time needed for someone to familiarize themselves with the code, ultimately making it easier to maintain and modify in the future.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately reflect the primary purpose of comments. Comments do not affect the execution speed of the code, do not directly prevent runtime errors, and do not contribute to reducing file size since they are ignored by the compiler or interpreter during the execution process. Their primary value lies in clarity and maintainability, which aids in effective programming practices.