PCEP Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic Practice Question

A programmer has a list of tuples representing (product, price) and wants to find the highest price. Which code correctly finds the maximum price?

⚠ Common exam trap

Python Institute often tests the difference between `max()` returning the element that maximizes the key versus returning the key value itself, leading candidates to incorrectly choose option A when they want just the price.

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

✓

max_price = max([price for product, price in prices])

Ly uses a list comprehension to extract all prices from the tuples, then passes that list to the built-in `max()` function, which returns the highest numeric value. This directly solves the problem of finding the maximum price without any unnecessary complexity.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

✗
max_price = max(prices, key=lambda x: x[1])
Why it's wrong here
Returns the entire tuple, not just the price.
✓
max_price = max([price for product, price in prices])
Why this is correct
Correct; list comprehension extracts prices, then max finds the largest.
✗
max_price = 0; for p in prices: if p[1] > max_price: max_price = p[1]
Why it's wrong here
Initializes to 0; fails if all prices are negative.
✗
max_price = sorted(prices, key=lambda x: x[1])[-1]
Why it's wrong here
Returns the last tuple, not the price.

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PCEP Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic Practice Question

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

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