What is the purpose of the self keyword in a class?

The self keyword is crucial in defining instance methods within a class. By convention, it is the first parameter of any method in a class and allows the method to access attributes and methods associated with the specific instance of that class. When you create an instance of a class, self represents that particular instance, enabling you to work with its attributes (variables) and methods.

For example, if you have a class Car with attributes like color and model, using self allows you to set and get those values uniquely for each instance of Car. Here’s a small example for clarity:

class Car:

def __init__(self, color, model):

self.color = color  # self.color refers to the instance's color attribute

self.model = model  # self.model refers to the instance's model attribute

In this snippet, self.color and self.model assign values to the attributes of the specific Car instance being created.

The other choices do not capture this essential function of self. Defining a class variable is not directly tied to self; it's a broader concept that can be applied outside of instance methods. Self does not indicate private methods, which are typically defined with