What is the purpose of the 'static' keyword when used with class members?

The use of the 'static' keyword with class members serves a specific purpose: it allows that member to be shared among all instances of the class. When a member is declared as static, it does not belong to any particular object of the class. Instead, it belongs to the class itself, meaning that all instances of that class share the same version of that member.

This characteristic of static members is particularly useful for maintaining a common value or state that needs to be accessed or modified across multiple instances of the class. For example, a static variable can be used to count the number of objects that have been created from a class, providing a way to keep track of the total regardless of how many instances exist.

Other options describe functionalities that do not accurately reflect the role of the static keyword in this context. Access restrictions, initialization timing, and virtual member behavior pertain to different aspects of class and object management in C++. Thus, the key idea that sets static members apart is the shared ownership among all instances, making the second choice the correct interpretation of the static keyword's purpose in this scenario.