PCEP Practice Question: Data Types, Variables, Basic I/O and Operators
A developer writes a script that records a product price. The line is:
price = 19.99
Later, the script runs print(type(price)). What is displayed?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking a number with few decimal digits might be stored as an integer or a special decimal type rather than a plain float.
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
✓
<class 'float'>
Python infers a variable's type from the value assigned to it, and any numeric literal with a decimal point becomes a float. The type function returns the class of the object, and printing that class shows the type name in angle brackets. Since 19.99 includes a decimal point, the output is the float class.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
<class 'int'>
Why it's wrong here
This option ignores the decimal point in the literal. A number written without a decimal point, such as 19, would create an int, but 19.99 contains a fractional part, so Python creates a float. The type function would never report int for a value assigned from a literal with a decimal point.
- ✗
<class 'decimal'>
Why it's wrong here
There is no built-in type named decimal in Python. The standard library does provide a Decimal class in the decimal module, but it must be imported explicitly and instantiated deliberately, and it is not produced by writing an ordinary floating-point literal. A plain assignment like price = 19.99 always yields a float, not a Decimal object.
- ✓
<class 'float'>
Why this is correct
Any numeric literal containing a decimal point in Python is a float, regardless of how many digits appear after it. Assigning 19.99 to price makes the variable reference a float object, and the built-in type function returns the class object for that type. Printing it displays the class name inside angle brackets, so the script outputs <class 'float'>.
- ✗
<class 'str'>
Why it's wrong here
A string type would result only if the value were enclosed in quotes, as in price = '19.99'. Because the literal appears with no quotation marks, Python parses it as a numeric value rather than text. The type function therefore reports a numeric class, and str is incorrect for this assignment.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Python Institute exam blueprint
This PCEP practice question is part of Courseiva's free Python Institute 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 PCEP exam.