What does the `break` keyword do in a switch statement?

The break keyword in a switch statement is used to terminate the execution of the switch block and transfer control to the statement that follows the switch. When the break statement is encountered, it exits the switch, preventing the execution from falling through to subsequent cases unintentionally. This behavior is crucial because, without the break, the program would continue executing the code in the following cases, which may not be the desired outcome.

For example, if the first case is true and a break statement is included at the end of that case, the program will exit the switch—and no other case will be executed. This allows for more controlled and predictable flow within the switch statement. It's a fundamental part of managing flow in C programming.

In the context of the other options, while "pausing" or "looping back" do not reflect the actual mechanism of a break in a switch, skipping the current case does not adequately capture the effect of break, since skipping would imply continuing with the following cases, which is not what break does. Thus, the choice indicating that break exits the switch statement accurately defines its role.