Programming fundamentals: which of the following is considered a high-level programming language (as opposed to machine or assembly language)?

Introduction / Context:
Programming languages are commonly categorized by abstraction level. High-level languages provide constructs closer to human reasoning and mathematical notation, allowing compilers to translate code into machine instructions. Recognizing the difference helps students understand portability, productivity, and the role of compilers/assemblers.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Machine language consists of raw opcodes and operands executed by the CPU.
• Assembly language provides mnemonic representations of machine instructions.
• High-level languages express algorithms with structured, portable constructs.

Concept / Approach:
FORTRAN (Formula Translation) is among the earliest and most enduring high-level languages, especially for scientific and numerical computing. It abstracts hardware details with variables, control structures, and intrinsic functions, relying on a compiler to generate optimized machine code. In contrast, machine language and assembly are low-level and architecture-specific.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Classify each option by abstraction level.Identify FORTRAN as high-level due to compiler-translated, hardware-agnostic constructs.Confirm that machine and assembly languages are low-level.Select “FORTRAN.”

Verification / Alternative check:
Most curricula group FORTRAN with other high-level languages (C, Python, Java), while assembly is taught under computer architecture and systems programming. Machine language is rarely written by hand outside educational or specialized tooling contexts.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Machine language is the lowest level and not human-friendly. Assembly is a thin mnemonic layer over machine code. “All of the above” cannot be correct because the first two are not high-level. “None” is wrong because FORTRAN clearly is high-level.

Common Pitfalls:
Assuming high-level means slow; modern compilers generate highly optimized code, and performance depends on algorithms and compiler settings.

Final Answer:
FORTRAN