How do conditional statements work in programming?

Conditional statements in programming are fundamental constructs that allow the code to make decisions based on specific conditions. The essence of a conditional statement lies in its ability to execute different branches of code depending on whether the evaluated condition is true or false.

For example, consider a simple scenario where a program needs to check if a user is old enough to vote. The conditional statement would evaluate the user's age; if the age is 18 or older, the program executes one block of code that permits voting, and if the age is below 18, it executes a different block that denies permission. This mechanism of branching based on conditional evaluation is what makes conditional statements powerful for controlling the flow of a program.

Other choices involve different concepts: repeating calculations until a condition is met describes loops rather than conditionals; grouping variables together refers to data structures; and connecting functions pertains to function calls rather than the decision-making process provided by conditional statements. These distinctions underline the specific role that conditional statements play in programming logic.