Which of these is a characteristic of interpreted languages?

The correct choice identifies a defining characteristic of interpreted languages: the code is not compiled before execution. In interpreted languages, the source code is typically executed line-by-line or statement-by-statement by an interpreter at runtime, rather than being transformed into machine code ahead of time like in compiled languages. This process allows for greater flexibility and ease of debugging, as developers can test code snippets immediately without the need for a separate compilation step.

In contrast to compiled languages, which translate the entire source code into machine language prior to execution, interpreted languages offer a more interactive programming environment. This is especially beneficial during the development phase, as changes can be easily tested without restarting the entire program.

The other options do not accurately reflect characteristics of interpreted languages. The notion of execution speed in comparison to compiled languages does not hold true, as interpreted languages generally experience slower execution times due to the overhead of interpreting the code during runtime. Large-scale applications often benefit more from the performance optimizations of compiled languages than from the flexibility of interpretation. Furthermore, direct access to hardware resources is more common in compiled languages, which can optimize performance for system-level operations due to their compilation process.