What is the significance of a constructor in object-oriented programming?

The significance of a constructor in object-oriented programming is primarily that it initializes object properties when an object is created. A constructor is a special type of method that is automatically called when an instance of a class is created. This ensures that all necessary attributes of the object are set to a valid initial state, allowing the object to be used immediately after it is instantiated.

For example, if a class represents a car, the constructor could initialize the car's properties like color, model, and year when the object is created. This serves to prevent errors by ensuring that the object has all the required data, making it ready for use right from the moment it is instantiated.

The other options speak to different aspects of the class and object functionality: defining behaviors typically falls under methods, access limitations pertain to access modifiers, and duplication relates to either cloning methods or copy constructors. Thus, initializing object properties is the core role of a constructor, making the first choice the correct one.