What is a programming language object that refers directly to another value stored in memory using its address?

The correct answer is a pointer. A pointer is a specific type of variable used in programming languages, particularly in languages like C and C++, that stores the memory address of another variable. By holding the address of a value, pointers allow for more efficient memory management and manipulation of data. This capability enables programmers to directly access and modify the value stored at that address.

Pointers are particularly useful for dynamic memory allocation, enabling structures like linked lists, trees, and other complex data structures, as they can point to different places in memory as needed. Understanding pointers is critical in programming as they provide a powerful way to handle memory and share data among different parts of a program.

While reference, identifier, and variable are all related concepts in programming, they don't specifically refer to the mechanism of storing a memory address directly. A reference typically refers to an alias for another variable, an identifier is a name used to identify a variable or function, and a variable itself is a storage location that can hold a data value.