Which statement is used to end a subroutine and optionally return a value?

• A. Return statement
• B. Break statement
• C. Continue statement
• D. Exit program

Answer: (A)

Returning from a subroutine with a value is done using the return statement. It ends the subroutine’s execution and hands a value back to the code that called it. If you specify a value after return (like return x), that value becomes the subroutine’s result. If you omit a value, the subroutine ends without returning data, which is allowed in some languages as a void return.

The other options don’t fit this specific purpose: break is used to exit loops or switch blocks, not to finish a subroutine; continue moves to the next iteration of a loop; and exit the program stops the entire program, not just one subroutine.