What is a Boolean expression used for in programming?

A Boolean expression in programming is a fundamental concept used to evaluate conditions and determine the truth value of statements. It consists of variables and logical operators (like AND, OR, NOT) that produce a result of either true or false. This binary outcome is critical for decision-making processes within programs—such as controlling the flow of execution with conditionals (if statements) or loops, which rely on these evaluations to function properly.

For example, in a conditional statement, a program might check if a user’s input is greater than a specific value. The Boolean expression here evaluates whether that condition is true or false, allowing the program to execute the appropriate actions based on the result. This capability to make decisions is central to programming, enabling the implementation of dynamic behaviors and response mechanisms in applications.

In contrast, the other options describe functionalities that do not pertain directly to the evaluation of conditions. Creating graphical elements relates to visual output rather than logical evaluation. Defining data types pertains to specifying the kind of data a variable can hold, which does not involve truth values. Generating random outputs involves randomness and does not depend on logical evaluations. Thus, the role of Boolean expressions in programming is uniquely focused on evaluating and returning true or false outcomes.