Oxford, Cambridge and RSA (OCR) GCSE Computer Science Practice Exam

A breakpoint is a specific marker set within the code that tells the debugger to pause execution at that precise location. This is particularly useful in debugging because it allows programmers to examine the current state of the program, including variable values and the call stack, at the moment the execution is halted. By doing so, developers can identify logical errors, check how data is processed, and understand the flow of execution in the program.

The other options, while related to debugging, serve different purposes. A debugger is a tool that can be used to identify and remove errors in code but does not specifically refer to the act of halting execution at a chosen line. A watchpoint is used for monitoring the value of a specific variable and does not halt execution at a predetermined line, and a stepping tool facilitates going through code one line at a time but does not focus on designated halting points. Thus, the breakpoint is the most direct answer to the question about halting a program at a specific place for debugging purposes.