This PCAP practice question tests your understanding of exceptions and file i/o. 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.
A developer wants to ensure that a file is always closed after writing, even if an exception occurs. Which approach is considered best practice in Python?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue: "always"
Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
Use try/finally with explicit f.close()
Why wrong: Works but is more verbose and error-prone.
Rely on the garbage collector to close the file
Why wrong: Unreliable; files may remain open.
Use try/except/finally with f.close() in both except and finally
Why wrong: Redundant and not as clean as 'with'.
Use the with statement: with open('file.txt', 'w') as f: ...
Context manager ensures automatic cleanup.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Use the with statement: with open('file.txt', 'w') as f: ...
Option D is correct because the `with` statement in Python implements a context manager that automatically calls the file's `__exit__` method, which closes the file even if an exception occurs inside the block. This is the idiomatic and recommended approach for resource management, as it guarantees cleanup without requiring explicit `close()` calls.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Use try/finally with explicit f.close()
Why it's wrong here
Works but is more verbose and error-prone.
Rely on the garbage collector to close the file
Why it's wrong here
Unreliable; files may remain open.
Use try/except/finally with f.close() in both except and finally
Why it's wrong here
Redundant and not as clean as 'with'.
Use the with statement: with open('file.txt', 'w') as f: ...
Why this is correct
Context manager ensures automatic cleanup.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "always" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Python Institute often tests the misconception that `try/finally` with explicit `close()` is equivalent to the `with` statement, but the trap is that the `with` statement is the explicitly recommended best practice in the Python documentation and PEP 343, making it the correct answer over more manual approaches.
Detailed technical explanation
The `with` statement uses the context manager protocol, which calls `__enter__` on entry and `__exit__` on exit (even if an exception occurs). For file objects, `__exit__` invokes `f.close()`, ensuring the file descriptor is released immediately. In CPython, reference counting may close files promptly, but relying on it is non-portable and discouraged; the `with` statement provides deterministic cleanup across all Python implementations.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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FAQ
Exceptions and File I/O — This question tests Exceptions and File I/O — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Use the with statement: with open('file.txt', 'w') as f: ... — Option D is correct because the `with` statement in Python implements a context manager that automatically calls the file's `__exit__` method, which closes the file even if an exception occurs inside the block. This is the idiomatic and recommended approach for resource management, as it guarantees cleanup without requiring explicit `close()` calls.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "best", "always". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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