Which of the following correctly describes an array?

An array is a collection of elements that are all of the same data type. This characteristic allows arrays to be stored in a contiguous block of memory, which means that the data can be accessed efficiently using an index. When you declare an array, you specify the type of elements it will hold, ensuring that all elements conform to that type. This uniformity is crucial for performing operations on the data within the array, as the same operations can be applied to all elements.

The other options do not accurately describe an array. While an array does hold a collection of elements, it does not consist of random data types, nor is it a set of independent variables. Additionally, arrays have a fixed size when declared in many programming languages, although some higher-level languages offer dynamic arrays that can resize, but this is beyond the fundamental definition of a standard array. Thus, the accurate description of an array is that it is a collection of elements of the same data type.