What happens when a return statement is executed in a method?

When a return statement is executed in a method, the method immediately terminates. This means that control is passed back to the point where the method was invoked, and the method no longer executes any further statements or logic contained within it. Notably, if the method has a return value, that value is passed back to the caller as specified by the return type of the method.

This behavior is essential for managing flow control in programming, allowing for predictable exits from methods that can handle various outcomes as needed. For instance, if a condition is met within the method, the return statement can be used to exit early, effectively bypassing any remaining statements that would normally execute thereafter.

The other choices do not accurately represent what occurs with a return statement; the method does not continue executing, it does not start a new method, and while technically any remaining code after the return statement is ignored, generally the emphasis is on the immediate termination of the method itself.