Final answer:
A parallel statement allows all statements within it to be executed simultaneously, leveraging multiple processors or threads for concurrent execution, which is useful for tasks that are independent of each other.
Step-by-step explanation:
When the program performs a parallel statement, all statements within it are executed simultaneously. Unlike a sequential execution, where each statement is run one after the other, a parallel execution divides the tasks among multiple processors or threads, allowing them to be processed at the same time. This is particularly useful in scenarios where a program is designed to perform tasks that are not dependent on the completion of each other, hence they can be executed concurrently. The concept of parallel computing is important in fields like scientific computing, video rendering, and large-scale data processing where there is a demand for high computational power.