 Can you explain the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) in Python?

 Answer: The Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) is a mutex in CPython (the standard Python
interpreter) that prevents multiple native threads from executing Python bytecodes
simultaneously in a single process. This means that even on multi-core systems, Python
threads can't fully utilize multiple cores for CPU-bound tasks due to the GIL. However, the
GIL doesn't impact performance significantly for I/O-bound tasks.

 How does memory management work in Python?

 Answer: Python uses a private heap space to manage memory. The built-in garbage
collector deallocates objects that are no longer referenced, freeing up memory. Developers
can also use the gc module to interact with the garbage collector, though manual memory
management is typically not required.

 What's the difference between a shallow copy and a deep copy?

 Answer: A shallow copy creates a new object that is a copy of the original object, but it only
copies the references to the nested objects. A deep copy creates a new object and
recursively copies all nested objects as well, creating a completely independent copy.

 4. How do you handle exceptions in Python?

 Answer: Exceptions are handled using try, except, and optionally finally blocks. The try
block contains the code that might raise an exception, while the except block catches and
handles the exception. The finally block is executed regardless of whether an exception
occurred or not.

 5. Explain the concept of decorators in Python.

 Answer: Decorators are a powerful tool in Python used to modify or enhance the behavior
of functions or methods without changing their source code. They are implemented as
functions that take another function as an argument and return a new function that usually
extends or modifies the behavior of the original function.

 6. How does inheritance work in Python?

 Answer: Inheritance is a way to create a new class that shares attributes and methods of an
existing class. The new class is called the derived or subclass, while the existing class is the
base or superclass. The derived class can override or extend methods from the base class.

 7. What's the difference between a list and a tuple?

 Answer: Lists are mutable, ordered collections of elements, while tuples are immutable
ordered collections. Tuples are defined using parentheses () and lists are defined using
square brackets [].

 8. How do you handle file I/O in Python?

 Answer: File I/O is done using built-in functions like open(), read(), write(), and close(). The
with statement is recommended as it automatically handles the closing of the file after
usage.

 9. What is the purpose of the if __name__ == "__main__": block?

 Answer: This block is used to determine if the script is being run as the main program or if
it's being imported as a module into another script. Code inside this block will only execute
if the script is the main entry point.

 10. Can you explain virtual environments in Python?

 Answer: Virtual environments allow you to create isolated environments with their own
installed packages. This is useful for avoiding conflicts between different project
dependencies. The venv module is commonly used to create virtual environments.

 What are metaclasses in Python and how would you use them?

 Answer: Metaclasses are classes that define the behavior of other classes, also known as
class factories. They control the creation and behavior of classes. You can define a metaclass
by creating a class that inherits from type. You might use metaclasses to implement custom
class creation logic, enforce coding standards, or add specific behavior to all instances of a
class.

 Explain the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) in detail and its impact on multi-threaded Python
programs.

 Answer: The GIL is a mutex that allows only one thread to execute in the interpreter at a
time, effectively serializing the execution of Python code. It's specific to the CPython
interpreter and impacts multi-threaded programs, preventing them from fully utilizing
multiple CPU cores for CPU-bound tasks. It's less of an issue for I/O-bound tasks or programs
that use multiple processes.

 Can you differentiate between a generator function and a coroutine in Python?

 Answer: Both generator functions and coroutines produce values lazily, but coroutines can
also consume values. Generators are used with the yield keyword and follow a pull model,
while coroutines use async and await keywords and allow bidirectional communication,
making them more suitable for asynchronous programming.

 Describe the process of method resolution order (MRO) in multiple inheritance in Python.

 Answer: MRO determines the order in which base classes are searched for a method or
attribute. Python uses the C3 linearization algorithm to calculate the MRO. It starts from the
derived class, then follows the base classes in a depth-first, left-to-right order, ensuring each
class appears only once. This ensures that the method or attribute is found in a consistent
order.

 How can you optimize the performance of a Python application?

 Answer: Several approaches can be taken: using efficient algorithms and data structures,
minimizing memory usage, using appropriate libraries (e.g., NumPy for numerical
computations), profiling to identify bottlenecks, utilizing parallelism and concurrency, and
considering JIT compilation using tools like PyPy for certain use cases.

 Explain the Global Namespace, Enclosing Namespace, and Local Namespace in the context
of variable scope in Python.

 Answer: The Global Namespace contains variables defined at the top level of a module. The
Enclosing Namespace is used for nested functions and contains variables from the enclosing
function's scope. The Local Namespace is specific to the current function or block and
contains local variables and function parameters.

 How does Python's garbage collection work, and when might you need to manually
manage memory?

 Answer: Python uses automatic garbage collection to free memory occupied by objects that
are no longer referenced. Manual memory management is rare due to the automatic
garbage collector, but it might be necessary in scenarios involving circular references or
when interfacing with external libraries written in languages with manual memory
management.

 Discuss the differences between using multiprocessing and threading for concurrent
programming in Python.

 Answer: multiprocessing creates separate processes with separate memory space, ideal for
CPU-bound tasks, while threading uses multiple threads within the same process and is
better suited for I/O-bound tasks due to the GIL. Processes have their own memory space,
threads share memory.

 Can you explain the purpose of the Python __slots__ attribute?

 Answer: The __slots__ attribute in a class allows you to explicitly define the attributes that
an instance can have. This can lead to memory savings and performance improvements
since Python doesn't need to create a dynamic dictionary for attribute storage.

 Describe how you would optimize a Python web application for speed and responsiveness.
- Answer: Optimizations might include caching, using a content delivery network (CDN),
employing asynchronous programming (e.g., using asyncio), minimizing database queries,
optimizing database queries, using a load balancer, and employing code profiling and
optimization tools.