Western Governors University (WGU) ICSC2211 D684 Introduction to Computer Science Practice Test

In programming, an argument is a value that is passed to a function when it is called. It serves as data input for the function to use during its execution. In the context of the question, the variable that represents an argument would typically be one that is passed into a function rather than one that is defined within the function itself.

The variable named num_d represents an argument in the code snippet, indicating that when the function is invoked, a value associated with num_d is supplied to that function. This can be directly linked to the function's parameters, which are placeholders for the arguments during the function's definition. When the function is called, the arguments replace the parameters to perform operations within the function.

In contrast, the other variables—num_a, num_b, and num_c—are more likely to be either local variables defined within the function's scope or used in a different context where they are not supplying values to the function. Understanding the distinction between function parameters, arguments, and local variables is crucial in programming, as it helps clarify how data flows through functions and how values are manipulated.