Which statement best defines a recursive function?

Which statement best defines a recursive function?

• A. Terminates after a single call.
• B. Calls itself, directly or indirectly.
• C. Executes without calling itself.
• D. Uses a loop exclusively.

Answer: (B)

A recursive function is one that calls itself, directly or indirectly. This self-reference lets you break a problem into smaller versions of the same problem and solve those step by step, with a base case to stop the process. Because of this self-call behavior, recursion is defined by the function invoking itself rather than by looping alone. For example, a function computing factorial(n) typically calls itself with n-1 until it reaches the base case of 0 or 1, at which point it returns and the results unwind. While loops can appear inside a recursive solution, the essential idea is the self-call, not the presence of a loop.

A recursive function is one that calls itself, directly or indirectly. This self-reference lets you break a problem into smaller versions of the same problem and solve those step by step, with a base case to stop the process. Because of this self-call behavior, recursion is defined by the function invoking itself rather than by looping alone. For example, a function computing factorial(n) typically calls itself with n-1 until it reaches the base case of 0 or 1, at which point it returns and the results unwind. While loops can appear inside a recursive solution, the essential idea is the self-call, not the presence of a loop.