Final answer:
A first generation programming language is a low-level language understood by the computer's hardware. A second generation language is a low-level language closer to human language. A third generation language is a higher-level language closer to human language.
Step-by-step explanation:
A first generation programming language is a low-level programming language that is directly understood by the computer's hardware. Examples include machine language and assembly language.
A second generation programming language is a low-level programming language that is closer to human language than machine language. Examples include FORTRAN and COBOL.
A third generation programming language is a higher-level programming language that is closer to human language and makes use of high-level constructs. Examples include C, Java, and Python.