What is a "class" in programming?

A "class" in programming is fundamentally a blueprint for creating objects. It encapsulates data for the object in the form of attributes (often called properties or fields) and defines the behaviors of that object through methods (functions that belong to the class). When a class is instantiated, it creates an object that derives all characteristics defined in the class, allowing for the organization and structuring of code in a way that promotes reuse and modularity.

This concept is central to object-oriented programming (OOP), which is a paradigm that uses classes and objects to structure software in a way that makes it easier to manage complexity. By establishing a clear definition of how objects behave and how they can interact with one another, classes enable developers to create applications that can be easily maintained and scaled.

The other choices reflect aspects of programming but do not capture the core definition of a class. For instance, a collection of procedures and functions pertains more to procedural programming concepts, while specific data structures refer to organized ways of storing and accessing data, and an instance of a program module does not accurately describe the foundational role that a class plays in OOP.