PCEP Practice Question: Functions, Tuples, Dictionaries and Exceptions
Given the tuple t = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), which expression returns the last element?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common trap in PCEP exams is that candidates may use a hardcoded index like t[4] which works for this specific tuple but fails if the tuple length changes. The correct dynamic way is t[-1], which always references the last element regardless of tuple length.
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
✓
t[-1]
In Python, negative indices count from the end of a sequence. For the tuple t = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), t[-1] accesses the last element (5), because -1 refers to the final position. This is a standard feature of Python's sequence indexing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
t[-1]
Why this is correct
Negative index -1 refers to the last element.
- ✗
t[5]
Why it's wrong here
Index 5 is out of range for a 5-element tuple (indices 0-4).
- ✗
t[4]
Why it's wrong here
Returns the last element only if tuple has 5 elements; but index 4 is valid here.
- ✗
t[0]
Why it's wrong here
Returns the first element.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 498 original PCEP practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.