What is the purpose of the br tag in HTML?

The purpose of the br tag in HTML is to insert a single line break in text. This tag is a self-closing tag that does not require a closing counterpart. When used within text content, it effectively moves the subsequent content to the next line, creating a break without starting a new paragraph. This is particularly useful for formatting text where you want to maintain a specific separation or format without adding extra spacing that would come from using paragraph tags.

The other options pertain to different HTML elements and their functions. Defining a section in an HTML document is typically achieved with tags like div or section. Creating clickable areas within an image map is done using the area tag, which defines specific regions of an image for links. Providing a description for a table is generally done using the caption tag that precedes a table to give context about its content. Each of these tags serves a distinct purpose in web development, separate from the functionality of the br tag.