200-901 Software Development and Design Practice Question

Given the JSON string: '{"name": "Alice", "scores": [90, 85, 92]}', which Python code correctly extracts the second score (85)?

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

json.loads(json_str)['scores'][1]

json.loads converts to dict, then access scores list index 1.

Answer analysis

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✓
json.loads(json_str)['scores'][1]
Why this is correct
json.loads parses the string into a dictionary, then ['scores'] retrieves the list and [1] indexes its second element, which is 85. Python lists are zero-indexed, so index 1 satisfies the stem's requirement of extracting the second score rather than the first.
✗
json.dumps(json_str)['scores'][1]
Why it's wrong here
json.dumps() serialises a Python object into a JSON string, so subscripting its result with ['scores'] raises a TypeError rather than returning the list. It is tempting because dumps and loads are easily confused, but dumps is the correct choice when converting Python data into a JSON string for transmission.
✗
json_str['scores'][1]
Why it's wrong here
json_str is a string, and Python string indexing accepts only integers, so ['scores'] raises a TypeError before any parsing occurs. It is tempting because the syntax mirrors dictionary access, but direct subscripting is correct only after json.loads() has converted the string into a dictionary.
✗
json.loads(json_str)['scores'][2]
Why it's wrong here
json.loads() correctly parses the string, but Python lists are zero-indexed, so index [2] returns the third score, 92, not 85. It is tempting because the parsing step is right, but index [1] is the correct choice whenever the second element of a list is required.

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