In the BASIC programming language, certain keywords instruct the interpreter on how to treat a line of code, and some lines are meant purely for human readers rather than for execution.
The keyword REM (short for "remark") marks the line that follows it as a comment. When the BASIC interpreter encounters REM at the start of a line, it ignores everything on that line during program execution. Programmers use REM statements to leave explanatory notes inside their code, describing what a section of the program does, without affecting how the program runs.
This distinguishes REM from other statement types. An executable statement is one the interpreter actually carries out, such as an assignment or a PRINT command, and REM is deliberately excluded from execution. It is also not correct to call it simply "un-executable statement", since that phrase does not capture its actual purpose, which is documentation, not merely being skipped. It is not an output statement either, since it produces no visible result on screen.
Whenever a question mentions REM in BASIC, associate it directly with the term comment, since its sole function is to hold explanatory text that the computer ignores.
