Python Interview Questions You'll Most Likely Be Asked
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Vibrant PublishersPython Interview Questions You'll Most Likely Be Asked
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Vibrant PublishersPython Interview
Questions
Review these typical interview questions and think about how you would
answer them. Read the answers listed; you will find best possible answers
along with strategies and suggestions.
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Chapter 1
General Python Concepts
1: How is Python executed?
Answer:
Python files are compiled to bytecode, which is then executed by
the host.
Alternate Answer: Type python <sourcefile>.py at the command
line.
2: What is the difference between .py and .pyc fi les?
Answer:
.py files are Python source files. .pyc files are the compiled
bytecode files that are generated by the Python compiler.
3: How do you invoke the Python interpreter for interactive use?
Answer:
python or pythonx.y
where x.y are the version of the Python interpreter desired.
4: How are Python blocks defi ned?
Answer:
Python blocks are defined by indents or tabs. This is different
from most other languages which use symbols to define blocks.
Indents in Python are significant.
5: What is the Python interpreter prompt?
Answer:
Three greater-than signs: >>>
Also, when the interpreter is waiting for more input the prompt
changes to three periods
6: How do you execute a Python Script?
Answer:
From the command line, type
python <scriptname>.py or pythonx.y<scriptname>.py
where x.y is the version of the Python interpreter desired.
7: Explain the use of try, except, raise, and finally.
Answer:
Try, except and finally blocks are used in Python error handling.
Code is executed in the try block until an error occurs. One can
use a generic except block, which will receive control after all
errors, or one can use specific exception handling blocks for
various error types. Control is transferred to the appropriate except
block. In all cases, the finally block is executed. Raise may be used
to raise your own exceptions.
8: Illustrate the proper use of Python error handling.
Answer:
Code Example:
try:
# This can be any code
except:
# error handling code goes here
finally:
goes here.
9: What happens if an error occurs that is not handled in the
except block?
Answer:
The program terminates, and an execution trace is sent to
sys.stderr.
10: How are modules used in a Python program?
Answer:
Modules are brought in via the import statement.
11: How do you create a Python function?
Answer:
Functions are defined using the def statement. An example might
be deffoo(bar):
12: How is a Python class created?
Answer:
Classes are created using the class statement. An example might be
class aardvark(foobar):
13: How is a Python class instantiated?
Answer:
The class is instantiated by calling it directly. An example might
be myclass=aardvark(5)
14: In a class definition, what does the __init__() function do?
Answer:
It overrides the any initialization from an inherited class, and is
called when the class is instantiated.
15: How does a function return values?
Answer:
A Function returns values using the return statement.
return
statement? Is this valid?
Answer:
Yes, this is valid. The function will then return a None object. The
end of a function is defined by the block of code being executed
(i.e., the indenting), not by any explicit keyword.
17: What is the lambda operator?
Answer:
The lambda operator is used to create anonymous functions. It is
mostly used in cases where one wishes to pass functions as
parameters, or assign them to variable names.
18: Explain the difference between local and global namespaces.
Answer:
Local namespaces are created within a function, when that
function is called. Global name spaces are created when the
program starts.
19: Name the four main types of namespaces in Python.
Answer:
a) Global
b) Local
c) Module and
d) Class namespaces
20: When would you use triple quotes as a delimiter?
Answer:
lines in Python. Triple quotes are usually used when spanning
multiple lines, or enclosing a string that has a mix of single and
double quotes contained therein.
Chapter 2
Python Looping
21: What is a pass statement?
Answer:
The pass is like null filler. Nothing happens when pass is executed.
But it fills up the space where syntactically some statement is
required. For example, if your syntax requires a statement and
the pass statement instead.
22: What is the output?
strArr = ['a', 'b']
for cntr in strArr:
strArr.append(cntr.upper())
print(strArr)
Answer:
This program results in an infinite loop. The append function
appends the upper case version of the strings stored in strArr. So
the array gets appended each time the loop runs and hence it
never ceases to execute.
And it goes on like that.
23: What are the two major loop statements?
Answer:
The two major loop statements are for and while.
24: Under what circumstances would you use a while statement
rather than for?
Answer:
The while statement is used for simple repetitive looping and the
for statement is used when one wishes to iterate through a list of
items, such as database records, characters in a string, etc.
25: What happens if you put an else statement after a for block?
Answer:
The code in the else block is executed after the for loop completes,
unless a break is encountered in the for loop execution, in which
case the else block is not executed.
26: Explain the use of break and continue in Python looping.
Answer:
The break statement stops execution of the current loop, and
transfers control to the next block. The continue statement ends the
ps to the next iteration of the
loop.
27: When would you use a continue statement in a for loop?
Answer:
The continue statement is used when processing of a particular
item is complete. It is used to move on to the next, without
executing further processing in the block. The continue statement
28: When would you use a break statement in a for loop?
Answer:
The break statement is used when the loop has served its purpose.
As an example, after finding the item in a list searched for, there is
no need to keep looping. The break
29: What is the structure of a for loop?
Answer:
The ellipsis represents a code block to be executed, once for each
item in the sequence. Within the block the item is available as the
current item from the entire list.
30: What is the structure of a while loop?
Answer:
The ellipsis represents a code block to be executed, until the
condition becomes false. The condition is an expression that is
considered true unless it evaluates to 0, null or false.
31: Use a for loop and illustrate how you would define and print
the characters in a string out, one per line.
Answer:
formyChar in myString:
printmyChar
32 for loop and
illustrate printing each character up to, but not including the Q.
Answer:
formyChar in myString:
break
printmyChar
33:
except for the spaces, using a for loop.
Answer:
formyChar in myString:
continue
printmyChar
34: Illustrate how to execute a loop ten times.
Answer:
i=1
while i < 10:
i += 1
35: When using a while loop, a condition was encountered that
made staying in the loop pointless, what statement is used to
transfer control?
Answer:
The break statement is used to terminate processing of the loop
and move on to the next block of code.
36: How is execution in the while loop block abandoned, but the
loop itself is not exited?
Answer:
The continue statement is used to terminate processing of the
block, and move control to the next iteration of the loop.
37: What is a looping use of the range() function?
Answer:
The range() function is used to generate a sequence of numbers for
iteration. For example range(5) returns the list [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]. This
list could be used in a for loop.
38: Can the else clause be used after a while loop? When is it
executed?
Answer:
Yes. The else block is executed after the while condition becomes
false, but not if the while loop is exited with a break statement.
39: Illustrate how the range() and len() functions will be used to
iterate over the indices of a sequence.
Answer:
for i in range(len(myItems)):
print i, myItems[i]
40: How is the body of a loop defi ned?
Answer:
The body of the loop is defined by indentation.
41: How are loops nested?
Answer:
Loops are nested with greater levels of indentation.
42: Illustrate a nested loop that uses the following list
and outputs each character on a separate line.
Answer:
formyWord in myItems:
formyChar in myWord:
printmyChar
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