To answer this question, we need to understand the characteristics of the java.lang.Exception class.
Option A) A. protected - This option is incorrect because the java.lang.Exception class is not declared as protected. The protected access modifier restricts access to the class to only its subclasses and classes in the same package.
Option B) B. extends Throwable - This option is correct because the java.lang.Exception class extends the Throwable class. In Java, all exception classes, including the Exception class, are subclasses of the Throwable class.
Option C) C. implements Throwable - This option is incorrect because the java.lang.Exception class does not implement the Throwable interface. It extends the Throwable class directly.
Option D) D. serializable - This option is incorrect because the java.lang.Exception class does not implement the Serializable interface. The Serializable interface is used for enabling an object to be serialized and deserialized.
The correct answer is B) B. extends Throwable. This option is correct because the java.lang.Exception class is a subclass of the Throwable class.