PCPP1 Best Practices And Coding Conventions Practice Question
Which TWO of these identify a potential 'code smell' in Python exception handling?
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
✓
Swallowing exceptions with an empty 'except' block.
Swallowing exceptions and catching BaseException are both poor practices.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Using 'finally' for cleanup.
Why it's wrong here
This is a best practice.
- ✓
Swallowing exceptions with an empty 'except' block.
Why this is correct
Silently failing makes debugging nearly impossible.
- ✗
Catching specific exceptions.
Why it's wrong here
This is a best practice.
- ✓
Catching 'BaseException' instead of 'Exception'.
Why this is correct
Catches system exit signals, which is dangerous.
- ✗
Raising custom exceptions.
Why it's wrong here
This is a best practice.
About these practice questions
This PCPP1 question is part of Courseiva's 209-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official Python Institute exam blueprint
This PCPP1 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 PCPP1 exam.