What defines assembly language?

Assembly language is defined as a low-level programming language that closely represents machine code in a format that is more understandable for humans. This means that assembly language uses mnemonics and symbols to represent the binary instructions that a computer's CPU executes directly. This human-readable text makes it easier for programmers to write instructions that the machine can understand without having to deal with complex binary code.

In contrast, options that suggest assembly language is purely machine-readable or that it is a high-level language mischaracterize its purpose and nature. Assembly language is not considered a high-level programming language, as high-level languages are further abstracted from machine code and include more complex structures and constructs. Additionally, assembly language is not limited to web programming; it is used in various applications where low-level hardware control is needed, such as system programming and embedded systems. Thus, the defining characteristic of assembly language is its ability to represent machine code in a form accessible to human programmers.