Which term describes variables that can be accessed from anywhere in the program?

• A. Local variables
• B. Library routines
• C. Global variables
• D. Parameters

Answer: (C)

Understanding where a variable can be seen in a program comes down to scope. A variable that can be accessed from anywhere is one declared in the global scope, meaning it sits outside any function or block. Because it lives in the global namespace, every part of the program—including all functions—can read or modify it, and it retains its value for the whole run of the program. For example, if you declare a top-level variable, a function can adjust it and other parts of the program will see the updated value.

Local variables, by contrast, exist only inside a function or a narrow block; once that function finishes, they are out of scope and cannot be accessed elsewhere. Parameters are values passed into functions and are local to that function during its execution. Library routines refer to prewritten functions, not to a kind of variable scope.

So, the term that describes variables accessible from anywhere in the program is global variables.