In Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), what is a class?

A class in Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) serves as a blueprint for creating objects. It is a fundamental concept that encapsulates data for the object through attributes (or properties) and functionality through methods (or functions). Essentially, a class defines the structure and behavior of the objects that will be instantiated from it.

When you create an object from a class, that object can hold specific values for the attributes defined in the class and can invoke the methods outlined in the class to perform operations. This encapsulation allows for the creation of more complex systems through the interaction of different classes, promoting code reusability and modular programming.

In contrast, the other options highlight concepts that do not accurately define what a class is in the context of OOP. For instance, a specific instance of an object refers to an individual occurrence created from a class, not the class itself. A type of software development methodology relates to approaches or processes in software creation, which does not pertain to the definition of a class. Lastly, a collection of variables and data types is more descriptive of data structures rather than encapsulating the full concept of a class that includes methods and behaviors alongside attributes.