PCEP Computer Programming and Python Fundamentals Practice Question
What is the output of the following code?
print('Hello'.upper())⚠ Common exam trap
The PCEP exam often tests whether candidates understand that `.upper()` does not add or remove characters—it only changes the case of alphabetic characters, so any extra punctuation or unchanged casing indicates a misunderstanding of the method's exact behavior.
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
✓
HELLO
The `.upper()` string method in Python returns a new string with all lowercase letters converted to uppercase. The string `'Hello'` contains the characters 'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o'; after applying `.upper()`, it becomes `'HELLO'`. The output is exactly `HELLO` without any additional characters.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
hello
Why it's wrong here
str.upper() returns a new string with every character converted to uppercase, so the output is HELLO, not lowercase hello. It is tempting because lower() produces lowercase, and that method would be the correct choice if the code called 'Hello'.lower() instead of upper().
- ✗
HELLO!
Why it's wrong here
str.upper() converts letters to uppercase but adds no punctuation, so the result is HELLO without an exclamation mark. It is tempting because an exclamation can appear in printed greetings, but that would require the source string to contain '!' or an explicit concatenation, neither of which occurs here.
- ✓
HELLO
Why this is correct
The `upper()` string method returns a copy of the string with all cased characters converted to uppercase, leaving the original unchanged. Applied to `'Hello'`, it transforms each lowercase letter, producing `HELLO`. This satisfies the stem's requirement to determine the exact printed output of the expression.
- ✗
Hello
Why it's wrong here
str.upper() transforms the string, returning HELLO; it does not preserve the original mixed-case Hello. It is tempting because Hello is the literal input, and that would be the output if the code printed the string without calling any method, but upper() changes it.
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