What is the purpose of a question mark after a type (for example: int? myVariable)?

It means that the value type in question is a nullable type

Nullable types are instances of the System.Nullable struct. A
nullable type can represent the correct range of values for its
underlying value type, plus an additional null value. For example, a
Nullable<Int32>, pronounced “Nullable of Int32,” can be assigned any
value from -2147483648 to 2147483647, or it can be assigned the null
value. A Nullable<bool> can be assigned the values true, false, or
null. The ability to assign null to numeric and Boolean types is
especially useful when you are dealing with databases and other data
types that contain elements that may not be assigned a value. For
example, a Boolean field in a database can store the values true or
false, or it may be undefined.

class NullableExample
{
  static void Main()
  {
      int? num = null;

      // Is the HasValue property true?
      if (num.HasValue)
      {
          System.Console.WriteLine("num = " + num.Value);
      }
      else
      {
          System.Console.WriteLine("num = Null");
      }

      // y is set to zero
      int y = num.GetValueOrDefault();

      // num.Value throws an InvalidOperationException if num.HasValue is false
      try
      {
          y = num.Value;
      }
      catch (System.InvalidOperationException e)
      {
          System.Console.WriteLine(e.Message);
      }
  }
}

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