. . . . . . . . are the characteristics that describe the object.

Classes
Attributes
Objects
Instances

The correct answer is: B. Attributes

An attribute is a characteristic of an object. It is a property that describes an object. For example, the attributes of a person might be their name, age, and gender.

A class is a blueprint for creating objects. It defines the attributes and methods that all objects of that class will have. For example, the class “Person” might define the attributes “name”, “age”, and “gender”, and the method “speak()”.

An object is an instance of a class. It is a concrete representation of a class. For example, a person named John is an object of the class “Person”.

An instance is a specific occurrence of an object. For example, there might be many objects of the class “Person”, each with their own name, age, and gender.

In conclusion, attributes are the characteristics that describe an object. They are properties that define an object.