‘Macro’ in an assembly-level program is _______.

Concept

A macro is a named sequence of assembly-language statements that the assembler expands at assembly time wherever it is invoked.

It packages a limited operation for reuse within a larger source program; unlike a runtime procedure call, expansion inserts the generated statements into the source stream.

Application

In this item, “subprogram” is the closest offered description because it denotes a limited, reusable block within a larger program. Here the term is being used broadly; a macro is expanded by the assembler rather than called as a separate runtime routine.

Contrast by option value

• A complete program contains the full structure needed to stand as the whole program, whereas a macro supplies only a reusable sequence within that source.

• A hardware portion is a physical component or circuit; a macro is a source-level construct handled by the assembler.

• Relative coding is an addressing technique that represents a displacement from a reference location; it is not a reusable statement sequence.

Cross-check

IBM assembler documentation defines a macro as a request to process a predefined sequence of instructions and generate those instructions as part of the source module. This matches the limited reusable-unit sense of “subprogram” among the offered choices.

Result

Therefore, among the given choices, a macro is best described as a subprogram.