What is the purpose of a constructor in a class?

The purpose of a constructor in a class is primarily to initialize object attributes. When an object of a class is created, the constructor is invoked automatically, and it provides a mechanism to set the initial state of the object by assigning values to its attributes. This ensures that the object starts its life with valid and meaningful data.

For example, if a class represents a Car, the constructor might take parameters such as make, model, and year, and assign these values to the respective attributes of the Car object. This process of initialization is crucial for the integrity of the object’s state throughout its lifecycle.

While providing default values can be a role of a constructor, it's not the primary function; the main aim is to initialize all necessary attributes as per the requirements. Destruction of an object is handled by a destructor, not the constructor, and constructors do not facilitate multiple inheritance, which involves class design rather than object initialization.