Final answer:
The %s and %d formatting symbols are for strings and integers, respectively, while %r is mainly used for debugging by providing a 'raw' string representation of any type.
Step-by-step explanation:
The different formatting symbols, %s, %d, and %r, serve specific purposes in Python string formatting. The symbol %s is used for strings, formatting whatever value you give it as a string. The symbol %d is used for integers, converting the value to a decimal representation. On the other hand, %r uses the repr() method to create a string representation of the value that includes quotations and escape characters - this is typically used for debugging purposes because it gives the 'raw' format of the value. As a result, option (a) is correct: %r is best for debugging, while %s and %d are used for displaying formatted variables to users.