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Quiz: Collections, Control Flow, Functions, and Error Handling

Test your understanding of lists, loops, functions, and error handling with these questions.

1. Which type of Python collection is created with square brackets and can be changed after it is created?

  1. Tuple
  2. Dictionary
  3. List
  4. String
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. A list uses square brackets [ ] and is mutable — you can add, remove, or change items after creating it. A tuple uses parentheses () and cannot be changed. A dictionary uses curly braces {} and maps keys to values. Strings use quotation marks and are not a collection in the same way.

Concept Tested: List

2. You have notes = ["C", "D", "E"]. What does notes[0] return?

  1. "D"
  2. 1
  3. "E"
  4. "C"
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. Python uses zero-based indexing — the first item in a list is always at index 0. So notes[0] returns "C" (the first item), notes[1] returns "D", and notes[2] returns "E".

Concept Tested: List

3. What is the purpose of a tuple compared to a list?

  1. Tuples can hold more items than lists
  2. Tuples store key-value pairs; lists only store values
  3. Tuples cannot be changed after creation; lists can
  4. Tuples use less memory for text; lists use less memory for numbers
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. A tuple is like a list that is locked — once you create it, you cannot add, remove, or change any of its values. This makes tuples ideal for storing fixed constants like pin number pairs (0, 1) or RGB color values (255, 0, 0) that should never change in your program.

Concept Tested: Tuple

4. What will this code print?

1
2
3
4
5
temp = 35
if temp > 30:
    print("Hot!")
else:
    print("Cool.")
  1. Cool.
  2. Hot! Cool.
  3. Nothing — the code has an error
  4. Hot!
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. The condition temp > 30 checks whether 35 is greater than 30. Since it is, the condition is True, and Python runs the if block, printing Hot!. The else block is skipped entirely. Only one branch of an if-else runs per evaluation.

Concept Tested: Conditional Statement / If-Else Statement

5. How many times does this for loop run?

1
2
for i in range(1, 6):
    print(i)
  1. 4 times
  2. 6 times
  3. 5 times
  4. 7 times
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. range(1, 6) generates the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 — it starts at 1 and stops before 6. That is five values, so the loop runs five times, printing 1 through 5. Remember: range always excludes the stop value.

Concept Tested: For Loop

6. What is the danger of a while loop whose condition never becomes False?

  1. It runs exactly 100 times and then stops automatically
  2. It causes a SyntaxError before the program starts
  3. It runs forever and freezes your program or Pico
  4. It skips the loop body every other iteration
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. A while loop with a condition that is always True creates an infinite loop — the code inside runs forever without stopping. On a Pico, this freezes the device. Always make sure your loop variable changes inside the loop so the condition eventually becomes False.

Concept Tested: While Loop

7. What keyword is used to define a function in Python?

  1. function
  2. def
  3. define
  4. func
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The correct answer is B. In Python, def is the keyword that starts a function definition. After def, you write the function name, parentheses (with any parameters inside), and a colon. The function body is then indented below. Other languages use function or func, but Python always uses def.

Concept Tested: Function Definition

8. What does the return statement do inside a function?

  1. Prints the result to the screen
  2. Sends a result back to the code that called the function
  3. Repeats the function from the beginning
  4. Stops the whole program immediately
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. The return statement sends a value back to wherever the function was called from. For example, celsius_to_fahrenheit(23.5) uses return to give back the calculated Fahrenheit value. Without return, the function performs actions but gives nothing back to the caller.

Concept Tested: Return Value

9. Which line correctly imports only the sleep_ms function from the utime module?

  1. import sleep_ms from utime
  2. include utime.sleep_ms
  3. from utime import sleep_ms
  4. using utime.sleep_ms
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. The syntax from module import name lets you import a specific function from a module. After this line, you can call sleep_ms(500) directly without typing utime.sleep_ms(500). Options A and D use incorrect syntax, and B is not valid Python at all.

Concept Tested: Module Import

10. What type of error does a try-except ValueError block catch?

  1. Any error that occurs in the try block
  2. Specifically errors caused by wrong value types, like converting "abc" to an integer
  3. Only errors caused by dividing by zero
  4. Hardware errors from the Pico's GPIO pins
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. A ValueError occurs when a function receives a value of the right type but an inappropriate value — for example, calling int("abc") gives a ValueError because "abc" cannot become an integer. The except ValueError block catches only that specific kind of error, while other error types would still crash the program.

Concept Tested: Try-Except Block / Error and Exception