What is the primary purpose of using selectors in jQuery?

The primary purpose of using selectors in jQuery is to select HTML elements. jQuery selectors allow developers to easily target elements in the Document Object Model (DOM) for further manipulation, such as altering their styles, attributes, or content, or binding events to them.

By using selectors, developers can write more efficient and concise code. For instance, instead of using traditional JavaScript methods that often require complex navigation through the DOM, jQuery provides a straightforward way to select elements based on various criteria such as tags, classes, IDs, or even complex CSS-like selectors. This capability is fundamental to jQuery’s functionality, as much of what jQuery accomplishes relies on first identifying the right elements to work with.

While jQuery can indeed perform tasks like manipulating CSS styles, creating functions, or defining variables within the context of its code, these activities are secondary to the core function of selecting elements from the HTML document. Thus, the correct answer emphasizes the foundational role of selectors in implementing jQuery functionalities.