How do you properly access the third element in an array variable named "fruit"?

To access the third element in an array variable named "fruit," the proper syntax to use is "fruit[2]." In programming languages that use zero-based indexing, such as JavaScript, Python, and many others, the first element is accessed using index 0, the second element with index 1, and the third element with index 2. Therefore, using "fruit[3]" results in attempting to access the fourth element, which is out of bounds for an array that does not have at least four elements.

The first choice "[fruit]3" does not conform to standard array indexing syntax, while "fruit_3" implies a naming convention that does not relate to accessing elements of an array. Thus, the correct way to refer to the third element would be to use "fruit[2]," and since none of the provided choices reflect this, the answer would be that none of the above are correct.