What type of selection statement is used to execute a block of code based on a condition?

The type of selection statement that is specifically designed to execute a block of code based on a condition is the IF statement. This statement evaluates a boolean expression, and if the expression resolves to true, the code block within the IF statement is executed. This allows for conditional execution, meaning that certain code will only run if specific conditions are met.

In programming, the IF statement is commonly used for decision-making processes. For instance, if you need a program to perform different actions based on user input or variable values, you would employ the IF statement to check those conditions. If a condition you are testing evaluates to false, the code within the IF statement is skipped.

While the other options include statements that handle looping (like the While statement), evaluate multiple conditions (Switch statement), or represent alternative execution paths (Else statement), they do not function in the same straightforward way to directly determine the execution of code blocks based purely on a singular condition. The ELSE statement, for instance, typically appears in conjunction with an IF statement to provide an alternative path of execution, while the SWITCH statement is generally used when you need to handle multiple potential conditions or cases based on a single variable's value.