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Quiz: Modules and Random Numbers

Test your understanding of Python modules, import syntax, and the random module with these questions. Click "Show Answer" to reveal the correct answer and explanation.

1. What does the import statement do at the top of a Python program?

  1. Saves your program to a file
  2. Loads a module so your program can use its functions and values
  3. Runs another Python file inside your current program
  4. Creates a new variable with the module's name
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. import module_name loads a module from Python's Standard Library (or an installed package) and makes its functions available. After import random, you access its functions with random.function_name(). The module is only loaded once, even if you import it multiple times.

Concept Tested: import Statement

2. What is the difference between import random and from random import randint?

  1. import random loads only randint; from random import randint loads everything
  2. import random requires random.randint(); from random import randint lets you call randint() directly without the prefix
  3. from random import randint is slower than import random
  4. They are identical — both let you call random.randint() the same way
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. import random imports the whole module, and you access functions with random.randint(). from random import randint imports just the randint function by name, so you can call it directly as randint() without the random. prefix. Both approaches work; the second is more concise when you only need one or two functions.

Concept Tested: from...import Syntax

3. What does import random as rnd do?

  1. Creates a copy of the random module called rnd
  2. Imports only the rnd function from random
  3. Imports the random module and gives it the alias rnd, so you use rnd.randint() instead of random.randint()
  4. Renames all functions in random to start with rnd_
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. import ... as alias imports a module and gives it a shorter nickname. After import random as rnd, you call rnd.randint(1, 6) instead of random.randint(1, 6). This is commonly used for modules with long names (like numpy as np or matplotlib.pyplot as plt) to save typing.

Concept Tested: import...as Alias

4. What does random.randint(1, 6) return?

  1. A random float between 1.0 and 6.0
  2. A random integer from 1 to 5, not including 6
  3. A random integer from 1 to 6, including both 1 and 6
  4. Always the number 3 (the midpoint)
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. randint(a, b) returns a random integer where both endpoints are included: a <= result <= b. So randint(1, 6) can return 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 — simulating a fair six-sided die. This is different from range(1, 6) which stops before 6.

Concept Tested: random.randint()

5. What does random.random() return?

  1. A random integer between 0 and 100
  2. A random float between 0.0 and 1.0 (not including 1.0)
  3. A random choice from a list you provide
  4. A random Boolean — either True or False
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. random.random() returns a random floating-point number in the range [0.0, 1.0) — that is, 0.0 is possible but 1.0 is not. This is useful for probabilities: if random.random() < 0.3: triggers about 30% of the time. Multiply by a range to get floats in other intervals: random.random() * 10 gives a float from 0 to 10.

Concept Tested: random.random()

6. What does random.choice(["rock", "paper", "scissors"]) do?

  1. Returns all three items as a list
  2. Returns None after printing a random choice
  3. Picks and returns one random item from the list
  4. Shuffles the list in place and returns it
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. random.choice(sequence) picks one random item from the sequence and returns it. Each item has an equal probability of being chosen. This is perfect for simulating coin flips, random color choices, random directions in a game, and similar tasks.

Concept Tested: random.choice()

7. What does random.shuffle(cards) do?

  1. Returns a new shuffled copy of cards, leaving the original unchanged
  2. Shuffles the cards list in place and returns None
  3. Removes random items from cards until it is empty
  4. Sorts cards randomly (the same as sort() but with random order)
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. random.shuffle(lst) shuffles the list in place, rearranging its items randomly, and returns None. This means the original list is changed directly — a new list is NOT created. So shuffled = random.shuffle(cards) would make shuffled equal None, not a shuffled list.

Concept Tested: random.shuffle()

8. What is the purpose of random.seed(42)?

  1. Makes the random module 42 times faster
  2. Limits random numbers to values less than 42
  3. Sets a starting point so the random sequence is the same every time you run the program with that seed
  4. Generates exactly 42 random numbers and then stops
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. random.seed(n) sets the starting point for the random number generator. With the same seed, you always get the same sequence of "random" numbers. This is very useful for testing and debugging — you can reproduce the same random results every run. Without a seed, Python uses the current time as a seed, giving different results each run.

Concept Tested: random.seed()

9. Which from...import line allows you to call randint() without the random. prefix?

  1. import randint from random
  2. import random.randint
  3. from random import randint
  4. from randint import random
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. The correct syntax for importing a specific function is from module import function. After from random import randint, you can call randint(1, 6) directly without the random. prefix. Options A and D have the words in the wrong order, and option B would still require you to call random.randint().

Concept Tested: from...import Syntax

10. What does random.sample(range(1, 50), 6) return?

  1. 6 random numbers from 1 to 50, with duplicates possible
  2. The numbers 1 through 6 in random order
  3. A list of 6 unique random numbers chosen from 1 to 49
  4. The number 6 repeated 50 times
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. random.sample(population, k) returns a list of k unique items chosen from the population without replacement (no duplicates). sample(range(1, 50), 6) picks 6 unique numbers from 1 to 49 — like picking lottery numbers. Note that range(1, 50) goes from 1 to 49, not to 50.

Concept Tested: random.sample()