PCPP2 Network Programming Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are common issues when using select.select()?
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
✓
It is inefficient for monitoring thousands of concurrent sockets.
select is limited by the maximum number of file descriptors (FD_SETSIZE) and is not as efficient as epoll/kqueue for massive numbers of connections.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
It requires root privileges to execute.
Why it's wrong here
select is a standard user-space system call.
- ✗
It is significantly faster than epoll on all platforms.
Why it's wrong here
epoll is generally more scalable.
- ✓
It is inefficient for monitoring thousands of concurrent sockets.
Why this is correct
select has an O(n) performance characteristic that degrades with many sockets.
- ✓
It has a limited maximum number of sockets it can monitor.
Why this is correct
Standard select has a hard limit based on the OS file descriptor set.
- ✗
It cannot be used with non-blocking sockets.
Why it's wrong here
It is intended specifically for non-blocking I/O.
About these practice questions
One of 194 original PCPP2 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 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 PCPP2 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 PCPP2 exam.