GATE CS 2004 Q1 — Programming in C

The correct option is C.

Structured programming is a programming paradigm aimed at improving the clarity, quality, and development time of a computer program.

• Primary Goal: The core objective is to make programs easier to read, understand, and maintain. This is achieved when the static structure of the program text (source code) closely corresponds to its dynamic execution. Thus, a programmer can easily infer the flow of control simply by reading the program text.
• Why not D? While avoiding goto statements is a well-known guideline of structured programming (as popularized by Edsger Dijkstra), it is a method or means to achieve structured code, rather than the ultimate goal itself. The ultimate goal remains the readability and traceability of the control flow from the program text.
• Why not A? Code indentation is a matter of formatting style and readability, not a defining goal of the structured programming paradigm.
• Why not B? Compiled code (assembly or machine code) inherently uses low-level jumps and branches, making it difficult to infer the flow of control directly from it.