Which characteristic describes a high-level programming language?

Which characteristic describes a high-level programming language?

• A. It provides independence from hardware and is closer to human language.
• B. It maps almost directly to processor instructions.
• C. It requires no compiler.
• D. It is always faster than low-level code.

Answer: (A)

High-level programming languages are designed to hide the computer’s hardware details and use syntax that resembles human language. This abstraction means you can write code without worrying about memory addresses or processor instructions, and the same code can run on different machines because a compiler or interpreter translates it into the machine code the CPU can execute. That hardware independence and readability is what makes high-level languages easier to learn and more productive for writing complex programs. The other ideas don’t fit as well. Mapping almost directly to processor instructions is a sign of low-level languages, not high-level ones. Many high-level languages still need a translator (a compiler or interpreter) to convert code into executable form. And high-level code isn’t inherently faster than low-level code; the extra abstraction often adds overhead, even though it brings benefits in portability and development speed.

High-level programming languages are designed to hide the computer’s hardware details and use syntax that resembles human language. This abstraction means you can write code without worrying about memory addresses or processor instructions, and the same code can run on different machines because a compiler or interpreter translates it into the machine code the CPU can execute. That hardware independence and readability is what makes high-level languages easier to learn and more productive for writing complex programs.

The other ideas don’t fit as well. Mapping almost directly to processor instructions is a sign of low-level languages, not high-level ones. Many high-level languages still need a translator (a compiler or interpreter) to convert code into executable form. And high-level code isn’t inherently faster than low-level code; the extra abstraction often adds overhead, even though it brings benefits in portability and development speed.