PCEP Computer Programming and Python Fundamentals Practice Test 6 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A QA engineer needs to run a test 5 times. Which loop construct is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

for i in range(5): .... The `for i in range(5)` loop is the most idiomatic and concise way to repeat an action a fixed number of times (5 iterations) in Python. The `range(5)` generates a sequence from 0 to 4, and the loop body executes exactly 5 times, which directly matches the requirement to run a test 5 times without needing manual counter management.

Answer

do: ... while counter < 5

Answer

while counter < 5: ... counter += 1

Answer

def repeat(): ... repeat()

Question 2

A function is defined as:
def add(a, b=5):
    return a + b
What is the result of add(10)?

Accepted Answer

15. The function `add(a, b=5)` defines a default value of 5 for parameter `b`. When called as `add(10)`, the argument 10 is assigned to `a`, and `b` uses its default value of 5. The function returns `10 + 5 = 15`, making option C correct.

Answer

10

Answer

5

Answer

Error

Question 3

A developer writes:
try:
    x = int('hello')
except ValueError:
    x = 0
except TypeError:
    x = -1
finally:
    x = x + 1
What is the final value of x?

Accepted Answer

1. The code attempts to convert the string 'hello' to an integer, which raises a ValueError. The except ValueError block catches this and sets x = 0. The finally block always executes, adding 1 to x, so x becomes 1. The TypeError except is never triggered because the error is a ValueError, not a TypeError.

Answer

0

Answer

-1

Answer

2

Question 4

Consider code:
def outer():
    x = 1
    def inner():
        nonlocal x
        x = 2
    inner()
    print(x)
outer()
What is printed?

Accepted Answer

2. The `nonlocal` declaration inside `inner()` binds the variable `x` to the `x` defined in the enclosing `outer()` function. When `inner()` assigns `x = 2`, it modifies that outer `x`, so after `inner()` returns, `print(x)` in `outer()` outputs 2.

Answer

1

Answer

Error

Answer

None

Question 5

A dictionary: d = {1: 'a', 2: 'b', 3: 'c'}. Which code will cause a KeyError?

Accepted Answer

d[4]. Accessing a dictionary key that does not exist using square bracket notation (d[4]) raises a KeyError. Since the dictionary d has keys 1, 2, and 3, the key 4 is absent, so d[4] triggers the error.

Answer

d.get(4)

Answer

if 4 in d: d[4]

Answer

d.setdefault(4, 'd')

Question 6

Which TWO of the following are valid variable names in Python?

Accepted Answer

total_sum. Option C (total_sum) is valid because Python identifiers may contain letters, digits, and underscores, and this name starts with a letter and uses only those allowed characters. Option E (_count) is valid because a leading underscore is permitted in Python identifiers, and the rest of the name contains only letters. Option A (my-var) is invalid because the hyphen is not allowed in Python identifiers; it is interpreted as a subtraction operator. Option B (2nd_place) is invalid because identifiers cannot begin with a digit. Option D (for) is invalid because 'for' is a reserved Python keyword and cannot be used as a variable name.

Answer

my-var

Answer

2nd_place

Answer

for

Question 7

Which TWO statements about Python lists are true?

Accepted Answer

Lists preserve the order of elements.. Option A is correct because Python lists are ordered sequences: elements are stored in a defined index order (starting at index 0), and iteration, indexing, and slicing return them in that insertion order. Option C is correct because lists are mutable: after creation you can change them in place with operations such as append(), insert(), remove(), pop(), sort(), or item assignment like lst[0] = 5. Option B is wrong because lists are dynamically sized; they grow and shrink automatically as elements are added or removed. Option D is wrong because immutability describes tuples (and strings), not lists, which support in-place modification. Option E is wrong because Python lists are heterogeneous and may hold objects of different types, e.g., [1, 'two', 3.0].

Answer

Lists have a fixed size once created.

Answer

Lists are immutable.

Answer

All elements in a list must be of the same type.

Question 8

What will be printed?

```python
my_list = []
my_list.append('192.168.1.10')
my_list.append('255.255.255.0')
my_list.append('192.168.1.1')
print(my_list)
```

Accepted Answer

['192.168.1.10', '255.255.255.0', '192.168.1.1']. The printed output is a list containing three string elements: '192.168.1.10', '255.255.255.0', and '192.168.1.1'. When printing a list in Python, it displays each element enclosed in square brackets and separated by commas. Option C correctly shows this output. The other options have an incorrect number of elements.

Answer

['255.255.255.0']

Answer

['192.168.1.10']

Answer

['192.168.1.10', '192.168.1.1']

Question 9

Which of the following code snippets will correctly assign the integer 10 to the variable 'x'?

Accepted Answer

x = 10. In Python, the assignment operator is a single equals sign (=), which binds the value on the right to the variable name on the left. The statement `x = 10` assigns the integer 10 to the variable 'x'.

Answer

x == 10

Answer

x := 10

Answer

10 = x

Question 10

According to PEP 8, which of the following is the recommended way to name a constant representing the maximum number of retries?

Accepted Answer

MAX_RETRIES. PEP 8 (Python Enhancement Proposal 8) recommends that constants be named using uppercase letters with underscores separating words, i.e., `MAX_RETRIES`. This convention distinguishes constants from regular variables, which use lowercase with underscores, and helps improve code readability and maintainability.

Answer

max_retries

Answer

1st_retry_limit

Answer

maxRetries

Question 11

What is the output of the following code?

print('Hello'.upper())

Accepted Answer

HELLO. The `.upper()` string method in Python returns a new string with all lowercase letters converted to uppercase. The string `'Hello'` contains the characters 'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o'; after applying `.upper()`, it becomes `'HELLO'`. The output is exactly `HELLO` without any additional characters.

Answer

hello

Answer

HELLO!

Answer

Hello

Question 12

Which logical expression evaluates to True given that a = 5 and b = 10?

Accepted Answer

not (a > b). Given a = 5 and b = 10, the expression not (a > b) evaluates the inner comparison a > b, which is 5 > 10 = False, and then applies not, yielding True. This is the only option that evaluates to True with the given values. Understanding operator precedence and boolean negation is essential for PCEP-style questions.

Answer

a > b and b < 0

Answer

not (a < b)

Answer

a == b or False

Question 13

What function is used to read input from the user in Python 3?

Accepted Answer

input(). In Python 3, the built-in `input()` function reads a line from standard input and returns it as a string. This is the standard and simplest way to capture user input, replacing the Python 2 `raw_input()` function.

Answer

read_input()

Answer

sys.stdin.readline()

Answer

raw_input()

Question 14

Consider the following function definition:

def add(a, b):
    return a + b

What is the value of add(3, '4')?

Accepted Answer

TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for +: 'int' and 'str'. Python's `+` operator is not defined for mixed types like `int` and `str`. When `add(3, '4')` is called, Python attempts to evaluate `3 + '4'`, which raises a `TypeError` because it cannot implicitly convert the string to an integer or vice versa. This is a fundamental type safety rule in Python.

Answer

Error due to missing import

Answer

'34'

Answer

7

Question 15

What is the scope of a variable defined inside a function?

Accepted Answer

Local. In Python, any variable assigned inside a function (without global or nonlocal declarations) has local scope. This means it is only accessible within that function's block and is destroyed when the function returns, as per Python's LEGB (Local, Enclosing, Global, Built-in) rule.

Answer

Global

Answer

Built-in

Answer

Nonlocal