Arizona State University (ASU) CSE100 Principles of Programming with C++ Midterm 1 Practice Exam

The 'return 0;' statement in a C++ program indicates successful execution of the program. In C++, the main function returns an integer value to the operating system. By convention, a return value of 0 signifies that the program has completed its operation without encountering any errors. This is an important aspect of programming that provides a standardized way for a program to communicate its execution status back to the environment that called it.

In contrast, if the program were to return a non-zero value, it would typically indicate that an error or an exceptional condition occurred during execution. The actual values and their meanings can vary across different programs, but returning 0 is universally recognized as a signal of success.

Other options mention aspects such as error indication, output commands, or initialization of return values, but they do not align with the standard interpretations of 'return 0;' in the context of C++. Therefore, 'return 0;' solely serves the purpose of signaling a successful exit from the program.