What defines a parent object in object-oriented programming?

In object-oriented programming, a parent object, often referred to as a superclass or base class, is defined as the object from which another object derives attributes. This concept is fundamental in understanding inheritance, where a child object (or subclass) inherits properties and behaviors (methods) from its parent object. This inheritance model allows for code reusability and establishes a clear hierarchy within the program's structure.

For example, if you have a parent object called "Vehicle," and a child object called "Car," the "Car" object can inherit attributes such as wheels and engine type from the "Vehicle" object. This relationship signifies that "Car" is a more specialized version of "Vehicle," which encapsulates the common characteristics shared among all vehicles.

Other options do not accurately capture the essence of a parent object. An object without attributes is not relevant in this context, as the parent object must have attributes to pass on. A class that can be instantiated multiple times refers to concrete classes that support object creation but does not specifically denote a parent-child relationship. Lastly, an object produced as a result of method execution describes an object resulting from a function call, rather than indicating a hierarchical relationship that characterizes parent and child objects.