Explanation:

In the given program, the comparison i = n is performed multiple times within the while loop. Let's break down the program step by step to determine the number of times the comparison is performed.

1. Initialize variables:

i = 85
n = 5

2. Enter the while loop:

while (i = n) {

3. At this point, the value of i is 5, so the condition (i = n) is true. The code within the loop executes:

i = i - 1; // i becomes 4
n = n + 1; // n becomes 6

4. The loop condition is re-evaluated:

while (i = n) {

5. At this point, the value of i is 6 and the value of n is 6, so the condition (i = n) is true. The code within the loop executes:

i = i - 1; // i becomes 5
n = n + 1; // n becomes 7

6. The loop condition is re-evaluated:

while (i = n) {

7. At this point, the value of i is 7 and the value of n is 7, so the condition (i = n) is true. The code within the loop executes:

i = i - 1; // i becomes 6
n = n + 1; // n becomes 8

8. The loop condition is re-evaluated:

while (i = n) {

9. At this point, the value of i is 8 and the value of n is 8, so the condition (i = n) is true. The code within the loop executes:

i = i - 1; // i becomes 7
n = n + 1; // n becomes 9

10. The loop condition is re-evaluated:

while (i = n) {

11. At this point, the value of i is 9 and the value of n is 9, so the condition (i = n) is true. The code within the loop executes:

i = i - 1; // i becomes 8
n = n + 1; // n becomes 10

12. The loop condition is re-evaluated:

while (i = n) {

13. At this point, the value of i is 10 and the value of n is 10, so the condition (i = n) is true. The code within the loop executes:

i = i - 1; // i becomes 9
n = n + 1; // n becomes 11

14. The loop condition is re-evaluated:

while (i = n) {

15. At this point, the value of i is 11 and the value of n is 11, so the condition (i = n) is true. The code within the loop executes:

i = i - 1; // i becomes 10
n = n + 1; // n becomes 12

16. The loop condition is re-evaluated:

while (i = n) {

17. At this point, the value of i is