Which programming structure is used for repeating a block of code a specific number of times?

The correct choice is a for loop because it is specifically designed to repeat a block of code a predetermined number of times. When using a for loop, the programmer defines the initialization of a counter, the condition under which the loop should continue executing, and the increment or decrement that modifies the counter after each iteration. This structure is especially useful for situations where the number of iterations is known before execution, such as iterating over the elements of an array or executing a set number of calculations.

In contrast, a conditional statement is used to execute code based on whether a specific condition evaluates to true or false, rather than for repetition of code blocks. An infinite loop is defined as a loop that continues to execute indefinitely, lacking a terminating condition, which is not suitable for scenarios requiring a specific number of iterations. A while loop, while capable of repeating a code block, does so based on a condition that may not explicitly define a set number of iterations, making it less straightforward for counting repeated executions.