A program uses the number of seconds in a minute in various calculations. How should this item be declared?

The correct choice is to declare the item as a constant integer for the number of seconds in a minute. This is appropriate because the number of seconds in a minute is a fixed value that does not change over time—there are always 60 seconds in a minute. By declaring it as a constant, you ensure that this value is used consistently throughout the program without the risk of it being accidentally modified. Constants help improve code readability and maintainability by making it clear that certain values are meant to remain unchanged.

Using a variable instead could lead to unintended bugs if the value were to be altered at some point in the program. Declaring it as a float is unnecessary since the value is a whole number and does not require decimal representation. A string declaration would also be inappropriate as it does not represent a numerical value that can be used in calculations. Therefore, a constant integer is the most suitable choice for representing the number of seconds in a minute in the program.