What is a loop control statement used for?

A loop control statement is used to modify the behavior of a loop during execution. This includes commands like break, which exits the loop prematurely, or continue, which skips the current iteration and proceeds with the next one. Such statements allow for dynamic control over the looping process, enabling developers to create more complex and responsive iterative structures within their code.

By using loop control statements, programmers can implement conditions that dictate how many times a loop runs and under what circumstances the loop may end or skip iterations. This added flexibility is crucial when handling varying datasets or when specific conditions must be checked repeatedly.

The other choices focus on tasks related to loops but do not encompass the primary purpose of loop control statements. While declaring variables, executing functions, and initializing indices are important aspects of working with loops, they do not capture the essence of controlling the flow of loop execution based on logical conditions or states.