Which statement best describes the relationship between a script and the environment that runs it?

• A. A script is compiled to native code and then run.
• B. A script is always executed by a browser only.
• C. A script is read and executed by a software environment without changing the script file.
• D. A script requires no environment to run.

Answer: (C)

A script is run by a software environment that reads the code and executes it, while leaving the original script file itself unchanged. The environment—an interpreter or runtime—parses the text, translates it into actions, and runs those actions, often using internal caches or bytecode behind the scenes, but the source file remains intact.

This explains why scripts are so portable: you can edit the file, run it with the appropriate interpreter, and the runtime handles the execution without altering the source code you wrote. For example, a Python interpreter reads a .py file and executes it; a JavaScript engine in a browser reads the script and runs it via the browser’s APIs. Some environments may compile to intermediate forms or cache, but the script file you edit stays the same.

The other options don’t fit because not all scripts are compiled to native code, many run outside a browser, and scripts generally require some kind of environment or runtime to execute.