What is the purpose of the pass statement in Python?

a) To skip the rest of the loop

b) To do nothing

c) To break out of a loop

d) To terminate a function

Answer:

b) To do nothing

Explanation:

The pass statement in Python is used as a placeholder when a statement is syntactically required but no action is needed. It allows you to write empty code blocks that do nothing, which can be useful in scenarios such as stubbing out functions or classes during development.

def placeholder_function():
    pass  # This function does nothing, but it is syntactically valid

The pass statement can also be used in loops, conditionals, or class definitions where you plan to implement functionality later but want to maintain a valid code structure in the meantime.

By using pass, you can avoid syntax errors in Python while developing your code incrementally. It provides a way to write code that is incomplete but still functional.