Which programming construct allows execution to continue as long as a specified condition is met?

The choice of a while loop is correct because it is designed to repeatedly execute a block of code as long as a specified condition evaluates to true. This construct is fundamental in programming for tasks that require indefinite repetition until a certain condition changes.

In contrast to a for loop, which is typically used when the number of iterations is known ahead of time, the while loop is more flexible, allowing for conditions to be evaluated at runtime. If the condition remains true, the while loop will continue to execute; once the condition no longer holds, the loop terminates.

Conditional statements, while important for decision-making processes within code, do not facilitate repeated execution. They allow the program to execute different branches based on the truth value of certain conditions but do not inherently involve looping. Functions, on the other hand, are blocks of code meant to accomplish a specific task and may be called multiple times, but they do not inherently control iteration based on a condition like a while loop does.

In summary, the while loop’s ability to keep executing as long as a given condition remains true makes it the correct answer for this question.