Python Interview

Questions & Answers

Compilation -:
Creating a comprehensive list of over 100 Python questions and answers covering a variety
of topics is quite a task, but I'll provide a structured list divided by key topics such as basic
syntax, data structures, functions, OOP, modules, file handling, exceptions, and advanced
concepts. Here's a start to such a list:

1. Basic Syntax
Q1: What is Python? A1: Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language known
for its readability and versatility. It supports multiple programming paradigms, including
procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming.

Q2: How do you write a comment in Python? A2: Single-line comments start with a # .
Multi-line comments can be written using triple quotes ( ''' comment ''' or """ comment
""" ).

Q3: How do you print a message in Python? A3: Use the print() function. For example:

python

print("Hello, World!")

Q4: How do you get input from the user in Python? A4: Use the input() function. For
example:

python

name = input("Enter your name: ")

2. Data Types and Variables

Q5: What are the basic data types in Python? A5: The basic data types include integers
( int ), floating-point numbers ( float ), strings ( str ), and booleans ( bool ).

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Q6: How do you declare a variable in Python? A6: Simply assign a value to a variable name.
For example:

python

x = 5
name = "Alice"

Q7: How do you check the type of a variable? A7: Use the type() function. For example:

python

print(type(x)) # Output: <class 'int'>

3. Data Structures
Q8: What are lists in Python? A8: Lists are ordered, mutable collections of items. They are
defined using square brackets. For example:

python

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Q9: How do you add an item to a list? A9: Use the append() method. For example:

python

my_list.append(6)

Q10: How do you remove an item from a list? A10: Use the remove() method or the pop()
method. For example:

python

my_list.remove(3)
# or
my_list.pop(2) # Removes the item at index 2

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Q11: What are tuples in Python? A11: Tuples are ordered, immutable collections of items.
They are defined using parentheses. For example:

python

my_tuple = (1, 2, 3)

Q12: What are dictionaries in Python? A12: Dictionaries are unordered collections of key-
value pairs. They are defined using curly braces. For example:

python

my_dict = {"name": "Alice", "age": 25}

Q13: How do you access a value in a dictionary? A13: Use the key inside square brackets.
For example:

python

print(my_dict["name"]) # Output: Alice

4. Control Flow
Q14: How do you write an if-else statement in Python? A14: Use the if , elif , and else
keywords. For example:

python

x = 10
if x > 0:
print("Positive")
elif x == 0:
print("Zero")
else:
print("Negative")

Q15: How do you write a for loop in Python? A15: Use the for keyword followed by an
iterable. For example:

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 python

for i in range(5):
print(i)

Q16: How do you write a while loop in Python? A16: Use the while keyword followed by a
condition. For example:

python

count = 0
while count < 5:
print(count)
count += 1

5. Functions
Q17: How do you define a function in Python? A17: Use the def keyword followed by the
function name and parentheses. For example:

python

def greet(name):
return f"Hello, {name}!"

Q18: How do you call a function in Python? A18: Use the function name followed by
parentheses. For example:

python

print(greet("Alice"))

Q19: What are default arguments in a function? A19: Default arguments are specified by
assigning a value in the function definition. For example:

python

def greet(name, msg="Hello"):

return f"{msg}, {name}!"

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Q20: What are *args and kwargs? A20: *args allows a function to accept any number of
positional arguments, and **kwargs allows a function to accept any number of keyword
arguments. For example:

python

def func(*args, **kwargs):

print(args)
print(kwargs)

func(1, 2, 3, a=4, b=5)

6. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

Q21: What is a class in Python? A21: A class is a blueprint for creating objects. It defines a
set of attributes and methods. For example:

python

class Dog:
def __init__(self, name):
self.name = name

def bark(self):
return f"{self.name} says woof!"

Q22: How do you create an object of a class? A22: Use the class name followed by
parentheses. For example:

python

my_dog = Dog("Buddy")
print(my_dog.bark())

Q23: What is inheritance in Python? A23: Inheritance allows a class to inherit attributes and
methods from another class. For example:

python

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 class Animal:
def __init__(self, name):
self.name = name

class Dog(Animal):
def bark(self):
return f"{self.name} says woof!"

Q24: What is polymorphism in Python? A24: Polymorphism allows different classes to be

treated as instances of the same class through a common interface. For example:

python

class Cat:
def speak(self):
return "Meow"

class Dog:
def speak(self):
return "Woof"

def make_sound(animal):
print(animal.speak())

make_sound(Cat())
make_sound(Dog())

7. Modules and Packages

Q25: How do you import a module in Python? A25: Use the import statement. For
example:

python

import math
print(math.sqrt(16))

Q26: How do you install a package in Python? A26: Use the pip command. For example:

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 sh

pip install numpy

Q27: How do you import specific functions from a module? A27: Use the from keyword.
For example:

python

from math import sqrt, pi

print(sqrt(16))
print(pi)

8. File Handling
Q28: How do you open a file in Python? A28: Use the open() function. For example:

python

file = open("example.txt", "r")

Q29: How do you read from a file? A29: Use the read() method. For example:

python

content = file.read()
print(content)
file.close()

Q30: How do you write to a file? A30: Use the write() method. For example:

python

file = open("example.txt", "w")

file.write("Hello, World!")
file.close()

Q31: How do you handle file exceptions? A31: Use a try-except block. For example:

python

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 try:
file = open("example.txt", "r")
except FileNotFoundError:
print("File not found")

9. Exception Handling
Q32: How do you handle exceptions in Python? A32: Use the try-except block. For
example:

python

try:
x = 1 / 0
except ZeroDivisionError:
print("Cannot divide by zero")

Q33: How do you catch multiple exceptions? A33: Use multiple except blocks. For
example:

python

try:
x = int("abc")
except ValueError:
print("ValueError")
except TypeError:
print("TypeError")

Q34: How do you use the finally block? A34: The finally block executes regardless of
whether an exception occurs. For example:

python

try:
x = 1 / 0
except ZeroDivisionError:
print("Cannot divide by zero")

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 finally:
print("This will always execute")

10. Advanced Concepts

Q35: What are decorators in Python? A35: Decorators are functions that modify the
behavior of other functions. For example:

python

def decorator_func(func):
def wrapper():
print("Something is happening before the function is called.")
func()
print("Something is happening after the function is called.")
return wrapper

@decorator_func
def say_hello():
print("Hello!")

say_hello()

Q36: What are generators in Python? A36: Generators are functions that return an iterable
set of items, one at a time, in a special way using the yield keyword. For example:

python

def my_generator():
yield 1
yield 2
yield 3

gen = my_generator()
print(next(gen))
print(next(gen))
print(next(gen))

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Q37: What is a lambda function in Python? A37: Lambda functions are small anonymous
functions defined with the lambda keyword. For example:

python

add = lambda x, y: x + y
print(add(2, 3))

Q38: What is list comprehension? A38: List comprehension provides a concise way to create
lists. For example:

python

squares = [x**2 for x in range(10)]

print(squares)

Q39: What is a context manager in Python? A39: Context managers are used to manage
resources, such as file streams. They are implemented using the with statement. For
example:

python

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:

content = file.read()
print(content)

11. Testing
Q40: What is unit testing in Python? A40: Unit testing is a method where individual units or
components of the software are tested. Python's unittest module is commonly used for
this. For example:

python

import unittest

def add(x, y):

return x + y

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 class TestMath(unittest.TestCase):
def test_add(self):
self.assertEqual(add(2, 3), 5)

if __name__ == "__main__":
unittest.main()

12. Regular Expressions

Q41: What are regular expressions in Python? A41: Regular expressions are patterns used
to match character combinations in strings. Python provides the re module for working
with regular expressions. For example:

python

import re

pattern = r"\d+"
text = "There are 123 numbers in this text."
matches = re.findall(pattern, text)
print(matches)

This is a subset of the questions you might encounter when learning Python. To reach a total
of 100 questions and answers, you would continue to delve deeper into each topic and
introduce additional topics such as working with external libraries, advanced data structures,
concurrency, and more.

Would you like to continue with more questions, or focus on any particular section in more
detail?

more

Sure! Let's continue with more questions across various topics, aiming for a total of 100.

1. Basic Syntax (Continued)

Q42: What is the difference between print() and return in Python? A42: print()
outputs data to the console, while return exits a function and optionally passes back an

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expression to the caller.

Q43: How do you write a multi-line string in Python? A43: Use triple quotes, either ''' or
""" . For example:

python

multi_line_string = """This is a
multi-line string."""

Q44: What is PEP 8? A44: PEP 8 is the Python Enhancement Proposal that provides
guidelines and best practices on how to write Python code.

2. Data Types and Variables (Continued)

Q45: What is the difference between = and == in Python? A45: = is the assignment
operator, while == is the equality operator used to compare two values.

Q46: How do you convert a string to an integer in Python? A46: Use the int() function.
For example:

python

num = int("123")

Q47: How do you convert an integer to a string in Python? A47: Use the str() function.
For example:

python

num_str = str(123)

3. Data Structures (Continued)

Q48: How do you create a set in Python? A48: Use curly braces or the set() function. For
example:

python

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 my_set = {1, 2, 3}
# or
my_set = set([1, 2, 3])

Q49: What is the difference between a list and a tuple in Python? A49: A list is mutable,
meaning it can be changed, while a tuple is immutable, meaning it cannot be changed once
created.

Q50: How do you perform a union of sets in Python? A50: Use the union() method or the
| operator. For example:

python

set1 = {1, 2, 3}
set2 = {3, 4, 5}
union_set = set1.union(set2)
# or
union_set = set1 | set2

Q51: How do you perform an intersection of sets in Python? A51: Use the intersection()
method or the & operator. For example:

python

intersection_set = set1.intersection(set2)
# or
intersection_set = set1 & set2

Q52: How do you create a dictionary comprehension in Python? A52: Use curly braces with
a key-value expression. For example:

python

squares = {x: x**2 for x in range(5)}

print(squares) # Output: {0: 0, 1: 1, 2: 4, 3: 9, 4: 16}

4. Control Flow (Continued)

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Q53: What is the purpose of the break statement in Python? A53: The break statement
exits the nearest enclosing loop immediately.

Q54: What is the purpose of the continue statement in Python? A54: The continue
statement skips the current iteration and moves to the next iteration of the loop.

Q55: How do you use a for loop with an else clause? A55: The else clause in a for
loop executes after the loop completes normally (without encountering a break statement).
For example:

python

for i in range(5):
print(i)
else:
print("Loop completed")

5. Functions (Continued)
Q56: How do you define a recursive function in Python? A56: A recursive function is a
function that calls itself. For example:

python

def factorial(n):
if n == 1:
return 1
else:
return n * factorial(n-1)

Q57: How do you use the map() function in Python? A57: The map() function applies a
given function to all items in an input list. For example:

python

def square(x):
return x * x

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4]

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 squared_numbers = list(map(square, numbers))
print(squared_numbers) # Output: [1, 4, 9, 16]

Q58: How do you use the filter() function in Python? A58: The filter() function
constructs a list from elements of an iterable for which a function returns true. For example:

python

def is_even(x):
return x % 2 == 0

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
even_numbers = list(filter(is_even, numbers))
print(even_numbers) # Output: [2, 4, 6]

6. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) (Continued)

Q59: What is encapsulation in Python? A59: Encapsulation is the bundling of data and
methods that operate on the data within one unit, such as a class. It restricts direct access to
some of the object's components.

Q60: What is an abstract class in Python? A60: An abstract class is a class that cannot be
instantiated and typically includes one or more abstract methods that must be implemented
by subclasses. Use the abc module to define abstract classes. For example:

python

from abc import ABC, abstractmethod

class Animal(ABC):
@abstractmethod
def make_sound(self):
pass

class Dog(Animal):
def make_sound(self):
return "Woof"

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Q61: What is method overloading in Python? A61: Python does not support method
overloading directly. Instead, you can achieve similar functionality by using default
arguments or by checking types within a method.

Q62: What is method overriding in Python? A62: Method overriding occurs when a subclass
provides a specific implementation of a method that is already defined in its superclass.

7. Modules and Packages (Continued)

Q63: How do you create a module in Python? A63: A module is simply a Python file
containing functions and variables. For example, create a file mymodule.py :

python

# mymodule.py
def greet(name):
return f"Hello, {name}!"

Q64: How do you use the dir() function in Python? A64: The dir() function returns a list
of valid attributes for an object. For example:

python

import math
print(dir(math))

Q65: How do you reload a module in Python? A65: Use the importlib.reload() function
from the importlib module. For example:

python

import mymodule
import importlib
importlib.reload(mymodule)

8. File Handling (Continued)

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Q66: How do you read a file line by line in Python? A66: Use a for loop to iterate over the
file object. For example:

python

with open("example.txt", "r") as file:

for line in file:
print(line.strip())

Q67: How do you write multiple lines to a file in Python? A67: Use the writelines()
method. For example:

python

lines = ["First line\n", "Second line\n", "Third line\n"]

with open("example.txt", "w") as file:
file.writelines(lines)

Q68: How do you append data to a file in Python? A68: Open the file in append mode using
"a" . For example:

python

with open("example.txt", "a") as file:

file.write("Additional line\n")

9. Exception Handling (Continued)

Q69: How do you raise an exception in Python? A69: Use the raise keyword. For example:

python

def divide(x, y):

if y == 0:
raise ValueError("Cannot divide by zero")
return x / y

Q70: How do you define a custom exception in Python? A70: Create a new class that
inherits from the built-in Exception class. For example:

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 python

class CustomError(Exception):
pass

try:
raise CustomError("This is a custom error")
except CustomError as e:
print(e)

10. Advanced Concepts (Continued)

Q71: What is a closure in Python? A71: A closure is a function object that has access to
variables in its lexical scope, even after the outer function has finished executing. For
example:

python

def outer_func(msg):
def inner_func():
print(msg)
return inner_func

closure = outer_func("Hello")
closure() # Output: Hello

Q72: What are metaclasses in Python? A72: Metaclasses are classes of classes that define
how a class behaves. A class is an instance of a metaclass. Use the type function to create
metaclasses.

Q73: How do you use the itertools module in Python? A73: The itertools module
provides various functions that work on iterators to produce complex iterators. For example:

python

import itertools

perms = list(itertools.permutations([1, 2, 3]))

print(perms)

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11. Testing (Continued)
Q74: What is the assert statement in Python? A74: The assert statement is used during
debugging to check for conditions that should always be true. For example:

python

def add(x, y):

assert isinstance(x, int) and isinstance(y, int), "Inputs must be integers"
return x + y

Q75: How do you use the pytest framework in Python? A75: pytest is a testing
framework that makes it easy to write small tests. Install it using pip install pytest and
write test functions prefixed with test_ . For example:

python

def add(x, y):

return x + y

def test_add():
assert add(2, 3) == 5
assert add(-1, 1) == 0

Run the tests using the pytest command.

12. Regular Expressions (Continued)

Q76: How do you use the re.search() function in Python? A76: The re.search() function
searches for a pattern within a string and returns a match object if found. For example:

python

import re

pattern = r"\d+"
text = "The number is 123"
match = re.search(pattern, text)

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 if match:
print(match.group())

Q77: How do you use the re.sub() function in Python? A77: The re.sub() function
replaces occurrences of a pattern with a replacement string. For example:

python

import re

pattern = r"\d+"
text = "The number is 123"
new_text = re.sub(pattern, "456", text)
print(new_text) # Output: The number is 456

13. Advanced Topics

Q78: What are decorators with arguments in Python? A78: Decorators with arguments
allow you to pass arguments to the decorator. For example:

python

def repeat(n):
def decorator(func):
def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
for _ in range(n):
func(*args, **kwargs)
return wrapper
return decorator

@repeat(3)
def say_hello():
print("Hello!")

say_hello()

Q79: What are coroutines in Python? A79: Coroutines are a more generalized form of
subroutines, used for cooperative multitasking. Use the async and await keywords. For
example:

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 python

import asyncio

async def greet():

print("Hello")
await asyncio.sleep(1)
print("World")

asyncio.run(greet())

Q80: What is the yield from statement in Python? A80: The yield from statement is
used to delegate part of a generator's operations to another generator. For example:

python

def generator1():
yield from range(5)

def generator2():
yield from generator1()
yield 5

for value in generator2():

print(value)

Q81: How do you handle binary data in Python? A81: Use the struct module to work with
binary data. For example:

python

import struct

data = struct.pack('i', 1024)

print(data)
value = struct.unpack('i', data)
print(value)

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Q82: What is the collections module in Python? A82: The collections module provides
specialized data structures such as namedtuple , deque , Counter , and OrderedDict . For
example:

python

from collections import Counter

counter = Counter(['a', 'b', 'a', 'c', 'a', 'b'])

print(counter) # Output: Counter({'a': 3, 'b': 2, 'c': 1})

Q83: What is the functools module in Python? A83: The functools module provides
higher-order functions that act on or return other functions. For example, use
functools.reduce() :

python

from functools import reduce

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4]
product = reduce(lambda x, y: x * y, numbers)
print(product) # Output: 24

Q84: How do you use the json module in Python? A84: The json module is used to work
with JSON data. For example:

python

import json

data = {"name": "John", "age": 30}

json_data = json.dumps(data)
print(json_data) # Output: {"name": "John", "age": 30}

parsed_data = json.loads(json_data)
print(parsed_data) # Output: {'name': 'John', 'age': 30}

Q85: How do you use the datetime module in Python? A85: The datetime module is used
for manipulating dates and times. For example:

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 python

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

now = datetime.now()
print(now)

one_week_later = now + timedelta(weeks=1)

print(one_week_later)

Q86: What is the pathlib module in Python? A86: The pathlib module provides an
object-oriented interface to working with filesystem paths. For example:

python

from pathlib import Path

path = Path("example.txt")
print(path.exists())
print(path.read_text())

14. Concurrency
Q87: What is the difference between threading and multiprocessing in Python? A87:
threading is used for concurrent execution of code in multiple threads, sharing the same
memory space. multiprocessing is used for concurrent execution of code in separate
processes, each with its own memory space.

Q88: How do you create a thread in Python? A88: Use the threading module. For example:

python

import threading

def print_numbers():
for i in range(5):
print(i)

thread = threading.Thread(target=print_numbers)

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 thread.start()
thread.join()

Q89: How do you create a process in Python? A89: Use the multiprocessing module. For
example:

python

import multiprocessing

def print_numbers():
for i in range(5):
print(i)

process = multiprocessing.Process(target=print_numbers)
process.start()
process.join()

Q90: What is the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) in Python? A90: The GIL is a mutex that
protects access to Python objects, preventing multiple native threads from executing Python
bytecodes at once. This can be a bottleneck in CPU-bound and multi-threaded code.

15. Network Programming

Q91: How do you create a TCP server in Python? A91: Use the socket module. For
example:

python

import socket

server_socket = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)

server_socket.bind(('localhost', 8080))
server_socket.listen()

while True:
client_socket, addr = server_socket.accept()
print(f"Connection from {addr}")

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 client_socket.send(b"Hello, client!")
client_socket.close()

Q92: How do you create a TCP client in Python? A92: Use the socket module. For example:

python

import socket

client_socket = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)

client_socket.connect(('localhost', 8080))
message = client_socket.recv(1024)
print(message.decode())
client_socket.close()

Q93: How do you perform HTTP requests in Python? A93: Use the requests module. For
example:

python

import requests

response = requests.get("https://api.example.com/data")
print(response.json())

Q94: How do you handle URLs in Python? A94: Use the urllib module. For example:

python

import urllib.parse

url = "https://www.example.com/index.html?name=John&age=30"
parsed_url = urllib.parse.urlparse(url)
print(parsed_url)

16. Databases
Q95: How do you connect to a SQLite database in Python? A95: Use the sqlite3 module.
For example:

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 python

import sqlite3

connection = sqlite3.connect('example.db')
cursor = connection.cursor()
cursor.execute('''CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name
TEXT)''')
cursor.execute('''INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES ('John')''')
connection.commit()
connection.close()

Q96: How do you connect to a MySQL database in Python? A96: Use the mysql-connector-
python module. For example:

python

import mysql.connector

connection = mysql.connector.connect(
host="localhost",
user="yourusername",
password="yourpassword",
database="yourdatabase"
)

cursor = connection.cursor()
cursor.execute("SHOW TABLES")
for table in cursor:
print(table)

connection.close()

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