What does exception handling allow a program to do?

Exception handling is a crucial feature in programming that enables a program to manage and respond to runtime errors in a controlled and graceful manner. When an unexpected situation occurs—such as trying to access a file that doesn’t exist or performing operations that are not mathematically valid—exception handling allows the program to catch these error events and execute specific code to deal with them.

By doing so, the program can maintain stability rather than crashing or producing unpredictable results. This facilitates a better user experience, as the program can inform the user of the issue, log the error for further analysis, or attempt corrective actions without terminating abruptly. Additionally, it allows developers to specify how to address particular exceptions, thus providing the flexibility to define custom responses for various error conditions.

In contrast, the other options do not capture the essence of what exception handling aims to achieve. It is not about terminating the program on errors; rather, it is about managing errors. Ignoring all runtime errors is not practical, as it can lead to data inconsistencies and incomplete operations. Displaying error codes instead of messages does not provide user-friendly feedback, as errors should be communicated in a manner that is understandable to users, which is enabled by proper exception handling.