PCEP Practice Question: Data Types, Variables, Basic I/O and Operators
Given x = 5, which of the following assignments will cause a runtime error?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may mistakenly think any operator can handle zero as a divisor or confuse floor division with modulo, but The PCEP exam specifically tests that `//` with a zero divisor raises a runtime error, not a syntax error or silent failure.
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
✓
x //= 0
Division by zero is undefined in Python, and the floor division assignment operator `//=` with a divisor of 0 raises a `ZeroDivisionError` at runtime. The other operators (`**=`, `-=`, `+=`) perform valid arithmetic on the integer 5 and do not cause errors.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
x **= 2
Why it's wrong here
Works fine, x becomes 25.
- ✗
x -= 3
Why it's wrong here
Works fine, x becomes 2.
- ✓
x //= 0
Why this is correct
Integer division by zero raises ZeroDivisionError.
- ✗
x += 2
Why it's wrong here
Works fine, x becomes 7.
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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.