SAUTO Network Programmability Foundation Practice Question
You are parsing a complex JSON response from a Cisco ASA API call using the json.loads() method in Python. The response contains a nested list of access control entries. Which method is most efficient to extract all 'destination_ip' fields from every entry in the list?
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
✓
A list comprehension: [item['destination_ip'] for item in response['data']]
List comprehensions are the most Pythonic and efficient way to extract specific fields from a nested JSON list structure.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Iterating through the dictionary using dict.values().
Why it's wrong here
dict.values() does not provide easy access to specific keys within nested objects.
- ✓
A list comprehension: [item['destination_ip'] for item in response['data']]
Why this is correct
List comprehensions are optimized for this type of data extraction in Python.
- ✗
A nested for loop with a list.append() call.
Why it's wrong here
While functional, it is less efficient and more verbose than a list comprehension.
- ✗
Using the json.find() method.
Why it's wrong here
The json library does not have a find method for nested structures.
About these practice questions
This SAUTO question is part of Courseiva's 281-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This SAUTO 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 SAUTO exam.