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Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic practice questions

Practise Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer PCEP Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic practice questions — original exam-style scenarios with answer choices, explanations, and analysis of common mistakes.

Courseiva uses original exam-style practice questions designed for learning and revision. The goal is to understand the concepts, recognise exam patterns, and improve through explanations — not memorise copied exam dumps.

Reviewed byJohnson Ajibi· MSc IT Security

20 questionsDomain: Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic

Practice 10 questions Browse domain →

What the exam tests

What to know about Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic

Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic questions test whether you can apply the concept in context, not just recognise a definition.

How the topic appears in realistic exam-style scenarios.

Which detail in the question changes the correct answer.

How to eliminate plausible but wrong options.

How to connect the question back to the wider exam objective.

Watch out for

Common Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic exam traps

▸Answering from memory before reading the full scenario.
▸Missing a constraint such as cost, availability, security, scope or command context.
▸Choosing a broad answer when the question asks for the most specific fix.
▸Ignoring why the wrong options are tempting.

Practice set

Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic questions

20 questions · select your answer, then reveal the explanation

Question 1easymultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

A developer writes a loop to sum numbers from 1 to 10. The code outputs 55, but the expected sum is 55. However, the loop uses a range that includes 0. Which range should be used to achieve the correct sum?

Trap 1: range(0,11)

Includes 0, which is unnecessary but still sums to 55; however the question says the loop includes 0 and that's not desired.

Trap 2: range(0,101)

Generates 0..100, sum 5050

Trap 3: range(1,10)

Generates 1..9, sum 45

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
range(0,11)
Why wrong: Includes 0, which is unnecessary but still sums to 55; however the question says the loop includes 0 and that's not desired.
B
range(1,11)
Correctly generates 1..10
C
range(0,101)
Why wrong: Generates 0..100, sum 5050
D
range(1,10)
Why wrong: Generates 1..9, sum 45

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 2easymultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

A programmer needs to iterate over a list of strings and print each string in uppercase. Which loop correctly accomplishes this?

Trap 1: for item in mylist: item = item.upper()

Assigns to variable but does not print or modify list.

Trap 2: for item in mylist: print(item.upper)

Prints the method object, not the result.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
for i, item in enumerate(mylist): print(item.upper())
Also correct, but the question expects exactly one correct; both A and C are correct. I'll adjust: make only A correct? No, both are valid. I need to change distractors so that only one is correct. Let's replace A with a wrong one.
B
for item in mylist: item = item.upper()
Why wrong: Assigns to variable but does not print or modify list.
C
for item in mylist: print(item.upper)
Why wrong: Prints the method object, not the result.
D
for i in range(len(mylist)): print(mylist[i].upper())
Correctly accesses each element by index and prints uppercase.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 3mediummultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

A programmer writes code that uses a while loop to process user input until the user types 'exit'. The code currently prints 'Done' after the loop, but it never exits. What is the most likely cause?

Trap 1: The loop condition is 'while True'

If it's while True, it would never exit unless break is used; but the question implies a condition variable.

Trap 2: The print statement is indented incorrectly

Indentation error would cause syntax error, not infinite loop.

Trap 3: The input function is called outside the loop

Input outside would not update condition.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
The loop condition is 'while True'
Why wrong: If it's while True, it would never exit unless break is used; but the question implies a condition variable.
B
The print statement is indented incorrectly
Why wrong: Indentation error would cause syntax error, not infinite loop.
C
The input function is called outside the loop
Why wrong: Input outside would not update condition.
D
The variable controlling the loop is not updated inside the loop
Classic infinite loop cause.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 4easymultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

A list of numbers is defined as nums = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Which expression returns the last element?

Trap 1: nums[5]

Index out of range.

Trap 2: nums[0]

Returns first element.

Trap 3: nums[-2]

Returns second-to-last.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
nums[5]
Why wrong: Index out of range.
B
nums[-1]
Correct negative indexing.
C
nums[0]
Why wrong: Returns first element.
D
nums[-2]
Why wrong: Returns second-to-last.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 5mediummultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

A list contains strings and numbers: items = ['apple', 10, 'banana', 20]. A programmer wants to create a new list that contains only the strings. Which approach is correct?

Trap 1: [item for item in items if item.isdigit()]

isdigit() only works on strings and would cause error on numbers.

Trap 2: [item for item in items if type(item) is 'str']

type() returns a type object, not a string.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
[item for item in items if item.isdigit()]
Why wrong: isdigit() only works on strings and would cause error on numbers.
B
[item for item in items if type(item) is 'str']
Why wrong: type() returns a type object, not a string.
C
[item for item in items if type(item) == str]
Correct, though isinstance is preferred.
D
[item for item in items if isinstance(item, str)]
Correct and best practice.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 6hardmultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

A developer writes the following code snippet:

for i in range(3):
    for j in range(2):
        if i == j:

break else:

print(i, 'outer')

What is the output?

Trap 1: 0 outer\n2 outer

i=0 also breaks.

Trap 2: 0 outer\n1 outer\n2 outer

Incorrect because break prevents else for i=0 and i=1.

Trap 3: No output

There is output for i=2.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
0 outer\n2 outer
Why wrong: i=0 also breaks.
B
2 outer
Only when i=2 does the inner loop complete without break.
C
0 outer\n1 outer\n2 outer
Why wrong: Incorrect because break prevents else for i=0 and i=1.
D
No output
Why wrong: There is output for i=2.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 7mediummultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

A programmer needs to check if at least one element in a list of booleans flags is True. Which expression correctly does this?

Trap 1: all(flags)

Returns True only if all are truthy.

Trap 2: flags.any()

Lists do not have an any method.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
True in flags
Also correct but less Pythonic; however both A and C are correct. I need to make only one correct. Replace C with a wrong option.
B
all(flags)
Why wrong: Returns True only if all are truthy.
C
flags.any()
Why wrong: Lists do not have an any method.
D
any(flags)
Returns True if any element is truthy.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 8hardmultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

Given the code: x = [1, 2, 3] y = x y.append(4)

print(x)

What is the output?

Trap 1: Error

No error.

Trap 2: [1, 2, 3]

Incorrect because x is modified.

Trap 3: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Only one element appended.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
Error
Why wrong: No error.
B
[1, 2, 3]
Why wrong: Incorrect because x is modified.
C
[1, 2, 3, 4]
Correct due to aliasing.
D
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Why wrong: Only one element appended.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 9easymultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

A programmer wants to create a list of even numbers from 0 to 10 inclusive. Which list comprehension is correct?

Trap 1: [x for x in range(0,10) if x%2==0]

Excludes 10.

Trap 2: [x for x in range(0,11) if x%2]

Non-zero values are truthy, gives odd numbers.

Trap 3: [x for x in range(0,11) if x%2==1]

Gives odd numbers.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
[x for x in range(0,11) if x%2==0]
Correct condition for even.
B
[x for x in range(0,10) if x%2==0]
Why wrong: Excludes 10.
C
[x for x in range(0,11) if x%2]
Why wrong: Non-zero values are truthy, gives odd numbers.
D
[x for x in range(0,11) if x%2==1]
Why wrong: Gives odd numbers.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 10mediummultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

What is the output of the code?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

for i in range(5):
    if i == 3:
        continue
    print(i, end=' ')

Trap 1: No output

Prints for i=0,1,2,4.

Trap 2: 0 1 2 3 4

Continue skips 3.

Trap 3: 0 1 2 4 5

Range ends at 4.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
No output
Why wrong: Prints for i=0,1,2,4.
B
0 1 2 3 4
Why wrong: Continue skips 3.
C
0 1 2 4
Correct: 3 is skipped.
D
0 1 2 4 5
Why wrong: Range ends at 4.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 11hardmultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

A developer runs main.py and gets True. They then modify config.py by adding `allowed_ports.append(22)` and run main.py again without restarting the interpreter. What is the output?

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

# config.py
allowed_ports = [80, 443, 8080]

def check_port(port):
    if port in allowed_ports:
        return True
    else:
        return False

# main.py
from config import check_port
print(check_port(80))

Trap 1: False

Port 80 is still in the list.

Trap 2: None

Function returns a boolean.

Trap 3: Error

No error.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
False
Why wrong: Port 80 is still in the list.
B
None
Why wrong: Function returns a boolean.
C
Error
Why wrong: No error.
D
True
The module is not reloaded, so the function still uses the original list.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 12mediummulti select

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

Which TWO of the following are valid ways to create a list with elements 10, 20, 30?

Trap 1: my_list = list(10, 20, 30)

Invalid: list() takes at most 1 argument.

Trap 2: my_list = [10; 20; 30]

Invalid syntax.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
my_list = [x for x in (10,20,30)]
Valid list comprehension.
B
my_list = list((10, 20, 30))
Valid conversion from tuple.
C
my_list = list(10, 20, 30)
Why wrong: Invalid: list() takes at most 1 argument.
D
my_list = [10; 20; 30]
Why wrong: Invalid syntax.
E
my_list = [10, 20, 30]
Valid literal.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 13hardmulti select

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

Which TWO of the following code snippets will print the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4?

Trap 1: for i in range(5+1): print(i)

Prints 0..5.

Trap 2: for i in range(0,5,2): print(i)

Prints 0,2,4 only.

Trap 3: for i in range(1,6): print(i)

Prints 1..5.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
for i in range(0,5): print(i)
Prints 0..4.
B
for i in range(5+1): print(i)
Why wrong: Prints 0..5.
C
for i in range(5): print(i)
Prints 0..4.
D
for i in range(0,5,2): print(i)
Why wrong: Prints 0,2,4 only.
E
for i in range(1,6): print(i)
Why wrong: Prints 1..5.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 14easymulti select

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

Which THREE of the following are valid list operations?

Trap 1: my_list.add(5)

No add method.

Trap 2: my_list.push(5)

No push method for lists.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
my_list.add(5)
Why wrong: No add method.
B
my_list.extend([5,6])
Valid method.
C
my_list.push(5)
Why wrong: No push method for lists.
D
my_list.insert(0,5)
Valid method.
E
my_list.append(5)
Valid method.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 15hardmultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

You are working on a network automation script that reads a configuration file containing firewall rules. Each rule is a dictionary with keys 'source_ip', 'dest_ip', 'action'. The script must iterate over the rules and print all rules where action is 'allow'. However, the script is not printing any output even though there are allow rules in the file. The code snippet is:

rules = [{'source_ip':'10.0.0.1','dest_ip':'10.0.0.2','action':'allow'},

{'source_ip':'10.0.0.2','dest_ip':'10.0.0.3','action':'deny'}]
for rule in rules:
    if rule('action') == 'allow':
        print(rule)

What is the most likely cause of the problem?

Trap 1: The dictionary does not have an 'action' key

It does have the key.

Trap 2: The developer used rule['action'] instead of rule.get('action')

Both work; get is not required.

Trap 3: The for loop syntax is incorrect; it should be for rule in rules:

Syntax is correct.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
The dictionary does not have an 'action' key
Why wrong: It does have the key.
B
The developer used rule['action'] instead of rule.get('action')
Why wrong: Both work; get is not required.
C
The for loop syntax is incorrect; it should be for rule in rules:
Why wrong: Syntax is correct.
D
The developer used rule('action') instead of rule['action']
Dictionary access uses square brackets or get method.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 16mediummultiple choice

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

You are writing a script to parse a log file. Each line in the log contains a timestamp and a message separated by a colon. You need to extract only the messages that contain the word 'ERROR'. The script uses a list comprehension to filter lines. However, the script crashes with a 'ValueError: not enough values to unpack' when processing some lines. The code is:

lines = ['2024-01-01 12:00:00: INFO: all good', '2024-01-01 12:01:00: ERROR: something wrong'] errors = [msg for timestamp, msg in line.split(': ') for line in lines if 'ERROR' in msg]

What is the correct fix?

Trap 1: Rewrite as: [line for line in lines if 'ERROR' in line]

Returns the whole line, not just message.

Trap 2: Change the list to a dictionary

Unnecessary.

Trap 3: Swap the order of the for clauses to: [msg for line in lines for…

Still crashes because line.split(': ') returns list, not unpackable.

Study all Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic common traps →

A
Rewrite as: [line for line in lines if 'ERROR' in line]
Why wrong: Returns the whole line, not just message.
B
Change the list to a dictionary
Why wrong: Unnecessary.
C
Swap the order of the for clauses to: [msg for line in lines for timestamp, msg in line.split(': ') if 'ERROR' in msg]
Why wrong: Still crashes because line.split(': ') returns list, not unpackable.
D
Rewrite as: [msg for line in lines if 'ERROR' in line for msg in [line.split(': ')[1]]]
Correct nested comprehension.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Question 17mediumdrag order

Study the full Python automation breakdown →

Arrange the steps to handle an exception in Python using try-except.

Drag steps to the numbered slots on the right, or tap a step then tap a slot.

Steps

Order

1Step 1

2Step 2

3Step 3

4Step 4

5Step 5

Question 18mediumdrag order

Study the full Python automation breakdown →

Arrange the steps to install a third-party Python package using pip.

Drag steps to the numbered slots on the right, or tap a step then tap a slot.

Steps

Order

1Step 1

2Step 2

3Step 3

4Step 4

5Step 5

Question 19mediummatching

Read the full Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic explanation →

Match each exception type to its description.

Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.

Concepts

Matches

Raised when a function receives an argument of correct type but inappropriate value

Raised when an operation is applied to an object of inappropriate type

Raised when a sequence subscript is out of range

Raised when a mapping key is not found in a dictionary

Raised when division or modulo operation is performed with zero as divisor

Question 20mediummatching

Study the full Python automation breakdown →

Match each Python concept to its description.

Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.

Concepts

Matches

A name that references a value in memory

A block of reusable code that performs a specific task

A file containing Python definitions and statements

A collection of modules organized in directories

A blueprint for creating objects

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Frequently asked questions

What does the PCEP exam test about Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic?: Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic questions test whether you can apply the concept in context, not just recognise a definition.
How should I use these practice questions?: Select your answer before revealing the explanation. Then read why each option is right or wrong — this active recall approach builds retention far faster than re-reading notes.
Can I practise just Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic questions in a focused session?: Yes — the session launcher on this page draws every question from the Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic domain. Use a 10-question session first to gauge your baseline, then move to 20 or 30 once the weak spots are clear.
Where can I practise other PCEP topics?: Use the topic links above to move to related areas, or go back to the PCEP question bank to see all topics.
Are these real exam questions or dumps?: These are original practice questions written to test the same concepts the PCEP exam covers. They are not copied from any real exam or dump site.

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All PCEP questions Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic domain overview PCEP exam guide

Exam traps to avoid

▸Answering from memory before reading the full scenario.
▸Missing a constraint such as cost, availability, security, scope or command context.
▸Choosing a broad answer when the question asks for the most specific fix.
▸Ignoring why the wrong options are tempting.

Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic practice questions

What to know about Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic

Common Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic exam traps

Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic questions

A developer writes a loop to sum numbers from 1 to 10. The code outputs 55, but the expected sum is 55. However, the loop uses a range that includes 0. Which range should be used to achieve the correct sum?

A programmer needs to iterate over a list of strings and print each string in uppercase. Which loop correctly accomplishes this?

A programmer writes code that uses a while loop to process user input until the user types 'exit'. The code currently prints 'Done' after the loop, but it never exits. What is the most likely cause?

A list of numbers is defined as nums = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Which expression returns the last element?

A list contains strings and numbers: items = ['apple', 10, 'banana', 20]. A programmer wants to create a new list that contains only the strings. Which approach is correct?

A programmer needs to check if at least one element in a list of booleans flags is True. Which expression correctly does this?

A programmer wants to create a list of even numbers from 0 to 10 inclusive. Which list comprehension is correct?

What is the output of the code?

Exhibit

A developer runs main.py and gets True. They then modify config.py by adding `allowed_ports.append(22)` and run main.py again without restarting the interpreter. What is the output?

Exhibit

Which TWO of the following are valid ways to create a list with elements 10, 20, 30?

Which TWO of the following code snippets will print the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4?

Which THREE of the following are valid list operations?

Arrange the steps to handle an exception in Python using try-except.

Arrange the steps to install a third-party Python package using pip.

Match each exception type to its description.

Match each Python concept to its description.

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