When using a variable, you must specify which two things?

When using a variable, specifying the type and name is fundamental because the type dictates what kind of data the variable can hold, such as integers, floats, strings, or booleans. This is crucial as it ensures that the data stored in the variable is appropriate for the operations that will be performed on it, promoting type safety and reducing errors in the program.

The name of the variable serves as a reference through which you can access or manipulate the stored data. It's important for the name to be descriptive enough to convey its purpose, enhancing code readability and maintainability.

In contrast, while the value represents the actual data stored in the variable, it is not necessary to specify it at the time of declaration; you can initialize or assign it later. Other options may introduce different terms or concepts that don't directly align with the specific requirements of declaring a variable in programming.