What is the main goal of using object-oriented programming?

The main goal of object-oriented programming (OOP) is to structure code in a way that makes it more understandable, maintainable, and extendable by modeling real-world entities as objects.

OOP allows combining data and methods that operate on that data into unified structures — classes and objects. This promotes:

• Encapsulation — hiding internal implementation and protecting data.
• Inheritance — reusing code and creating class hierarchies.
• Polymorphism — the ability to use objects of different classes through a common interface.

Example in Python:

class Animal:
    def speak(self):
        pass

class Dog(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Woof"

class Cat(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Meow"

animals = [Dog(), Cat()]
for animal in animals:
    print(animal.speak())

This simplifies extending functionality and maintaining the code.