In the Procedure Division of a COBOL program, which of the following is Optional?
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(A) Sections
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(B) Paragraphs
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(C) Sentences
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(D) Statements.
In COBOL Procedure Division, only Sections are optional. You must have at least one Paragraph, which contains Sentences, which are composed of Statements. This hierarchy is: Sections (optional) > Paragraphs (required) > Sentences (required) > Statements (required). A procedure can consist of a single paragraph with sentences, without any sections, making sections the only truly optional element.
The Procedure Division's basic structural unit is the paragraph, made up of one or more sentences/statements; Sections (a named grouping of one or more paragraphs) are an optional organizational layer on top of that — a program can be written with just paragraphs (or even just sentences) and no Sections at all, and it will still compile and run. Paragraphs, Sentences, and Statements are effectively required building blocks of executable logic in the Procedure Division (you can't have a working program with none of them), which is why Sections is the one genuinely optional element among the choices.