PCEP Practice Question: Data Types, Variables, Basic I/O and Operators
Given 's = "Hello"; t = s[0:3]; print(t)', what is the output?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the exclusive stop index with an inclusive one, leading them to select "Hell" (option C) because they mistakenly include index 3, or they misremember the starting index and pick "ello" (option A).
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
✓
Hel
String slicing in Python uses the syntax `s[start:stop]`, where the stop index is exclusive. For `s = "Hello"`, `s[0:3]` extracts characters from index 0 up to but not including index 3, resulting in indices 0 ('H'), 1 ('e'), and 2 ('l'), giving the substring "Hel".
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ello
Why it's wrong here
That would be s[1:5].
- ✗
H
Why it's wrong here
The slice s[0:3] returns three characters, not one. The temptation is to read '0:3' as a single index, but the colon denotes a range from index 0 up to (not including) index 3, yielding 'Hel'.
- ✗
Hell
Why it's wrong here
Slicing s[0:3] returns characters at indices 0, 1 and 2, which is 'Hel', not 'Hell'. The temptation is to count the stop index inclusively, but Python's slice stop is exclusive, so index 3 ('l') is excluded.
- ✓
Hel
Why this is correct
Slicing extracts characters from index 0 up to, but excluding, index 3, yielding "Hel". The start index defaults to 0, and the stop index is exclusive, so the character at position 3 ("l") is omitted. This satisfies the stem's requirement to print the first three characters of "Hello".
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