What are Comments?

• A. Messages written by the software engineer about a program's code
• B. Execution traces produced at runtime
• C. Binary files compiled from source
• D. The user manual for the program

Answer: (A)

Comments are text written in a program’s source code that explains what the code does, why certain choices were made, or how to use a function. They’re created by the programmer to help anyone reading the code—now or later—understand the intent behind the implementation. Comments guide future maintenance, clarify complex logic, and can note assumptions or TODOs. They don’t affect how the program runs because the compiler or interpreter ignores them during execution. You'll see comment syntax specific to each language, such as single-line markers or block-delimited sections, and comments can be added wherever helpful to illuminate the code. This is why describing comments as messages written by the software engineer about the code fits best: they are built-in notes, not part of runtime behavior, not generated traces, not compiled binaries, and not user manuals.