Which programming paradigm focuses on describing what the program should accomplish without detailing control flow?

The focus of the declarative programming paradigm is on describing what the program should accomplish, rather than specifying how to achieve that outcome, which involves detailing control flow. This means that in declarative programming, the programmer expresses the logic of a computation without explicitly describing the control flow.

For instance, SQL (Structured Query Language) is a classic example of a declarative language where you state what data you want to retrieve, but you don't specify how the database should execute that query. This abstraction allows for higher-level thinking about the problem rather than getting bogged down in the minutiae of implementation.

In contrast, other paradigms like imperative and procedural programming emphasize how tasks are performed, often involving step-by-step instructions and control flow. While functional programming may share some declarative characteristics, it also includes details about how functions are applied and that can influence control flow within the functional constructs. Thus, declarative programming is distinct in its focus on the outcome rather than the methods used to achieve it.