When the sealed keyword is applied to a member, what does it accomplish?

When the sealed keyword is applied to a member, it specifically prevents that member from being overridden in any derived class. This is particularly relevant in object-oriented programming, especially when working with classes and inheritance. Sealing a member ensures that once it is defined and implemented in a base class, no derived class can alter its behavior through overriding.

This mechanism is beneficial when a developer wants to maintain the integrity of a method or property in the base class, ensuring that its implementation remains consistent across the application. It provides a way to control the behavior of inheritable members, allowing for both flexibility and safety in the use of inheritance.

In context, while other options mention aspects of inheritance and member access, they do not accurately capture the specific functionality of the sealed keyword. The other choices may describe different features related to class design, but they do not reflect the actual consequence of sealing a member.