- A
List
Why wrong: Lists are ordered and mutable.
- B
Tuple
Why wrong: Tuples are immutable and ordered.
- C
Dictionary
Dicts are mutable and unordered (or insertion-ordered in 3.7+, but still considered unordered in context).
- D
Set
Why wrong: Sets are mutable but unordered.
Question 956 of 1,000
200-901 Software Development and Design Practice Question
This 200-901 practice question tests your understanding of software development and design. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which Python data type is mutable and unordered?
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
✓
Dictionary
Option C (Dictionary) is correct because dictionaries in Python are mutable (you can add, remove, or change key-value pairs) and unordered (prior to Python 3.7, insertion order was not guaranteed; even with order preservation in CPython 3.7+, the data structure is conceptually unordered and accessed by key, not index). This matches the question's requirement for a mutable and unordered data type.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
List
Why it's wrong here
Lists are ordered and mutable.
- ✗
Tuple
Why it's wrong here
Tuples are immutable and ordered.
- ✓
Dictionary
Why this is correct
Dicts are mutable and unordered (or insertion-ordered in 3.7+, but still considered unordered in context).
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Set
Why it's wrong here
Sets are mutable but unordered.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between mutable vs. immutable and ordered vs. unordered, and the trap here is that candidates confuse the ordered nature of lists (mutable, ordered) with the unordered nature of dictionaries, or mistakenly think tuples are mutable because they can contain mutable objects.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, dictionaries are implemented as hash tables, which provide O(1) average-case lookup, insertion, and deletion by key. The unordered nature stems from the fact that keys are stored based on their hash values, not insertion order (though CPython 3.7+ preserves insertion order as an implementation detail, the language spec does not guarantee it until Python 3.7). In real-world scenarios, this matters when you need to iterate over key-value pairs and rely on order—using a dictionary for ordered data can lead to subtle bugs if your code runs on Python versions before 3.7 or on alternative implementations like Jython or PyPy.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 200-901 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-901 question test?
Software Development and Design — This question tests Software Development and Design — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Dictionary — Option C (Dictionary) is correct because dictionaries in Python are mutable (you can add, remove, or change key-value pairs) and unordered (prior to Python 3.7, insertion order was not guaranteed; even with order preservation in CPython 3.7+, the data structure is conceptually unordered and accessed by key, not index). This matches the question's requirement for a mutable and unordered data type.
What should I do if I get this 200-901 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This 200-901 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-901 exam.
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