Western Governors University (WGU) ITSW 2113 D278 Scripting and Programming Foundations Practice Exam

A string literal is a sequence of characters that represent textual data, typically enclosed in quotes. In programming, string literals are used to define strings that the program can manipulate, store, or display. When text is enclosed in double quotes, such as "Hello, World!", it is recognized by the programming language as a string literal. This allows developers to incorporate specific text into their code, making it clear and meaningful.

The other options do not qualify as string literals: a number like 42 represents a numeric value, a numeric variable holds a numeric value within a variable name and can change, and a function name is an identifier used to call a specific block of code. None of these represent the textual data that string literals encapsulate. Thus, only the option with text enclosed in double quotes accurately exemplifies what constitutes a string literal.