Python Interview Questions and Answers

📆 Basic: Laying the Foundation

1. What is Python, and its key features?

Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language known for its simplicity and readability. It
supports multiple programming paradigms, including object-oriented, functional, and procedural. Python's
syntax is clean and allows developers to write fewer lines of code compared to other languages like Java or
C++.

Key features:

• Interpreted and dynamically typed

• Easy to learn and read
• Extensive standard library
• Cross-platform compatibility
• Automatic memory management
• Support for third-party libraries

2. What are Python's built-in data types?

Python has several built-in data types:

• Numeric types: int , float , complex

• Sequence types: str , list , tuple , range
• Set types: set , frozenset
• Mapping type: dict
• Boolean type: bool
• Binary types: bytes , bytearray , memoryview
• None type: NoneType

3. How do you declare and use variables?

Variables in Python are declared by assigning a value using the = operator. Python does not require
specifying the data type explicitly.

x = 10
name = "Alice"
price = 10.5

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Variables can be reassigned to different types.

4. Explain the difference between a list, tuple, and set.

• List: Mutable, ordered, and allows duplicate elements. Defined with square brackets [] .
• Tuple: Immutable, ordered, and allows duplicates. Defined with parentheses () .
• Set: Mutable, unordered, and does not allow duplicates. Defined with curly braces {} .

5. How do you iterate over a list in Python?

You can iterate using a for loop:

my_list = [1, 2, 3]
for item in my_list:
print(item)

6. What are Python’s conditional statements, and how are they used?

Conditional statements allow execution of code based on certain conditions.

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

7. How does Python handle memory management?

Python uses a private heap space and manages memory through:

• Reference counting
• Garbage collection for cyclic references
• Built-in memory allocators and deallocators

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8. Explain the use of the len() function.

The len() function returns the number of items in an object such as a string, list, tuple, or dictionary.

len("hello") # 5
len([1, 2, 3]) # 3

9. What is the difference between is and == in Python?

• == : Compares values (equality).

• is : Compares identities (whether two objects point to the same memory location).

a = [1, 2]
b = [1, 2]
a == b # True
a is b # False

10. How do you handle exceptions in Python?

Use try , except , finally blocks:

try:
result = 10 / 0
except ZeroDivisionError:
print("Cannot divide by zero")
finally:
print("Execution complete")

11. What are Python functions, and how do you define them?

Functions are blocks of reusable code. Defined using the def keyword:

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

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12. What is the difference between *args and **kwargs ?

• *args : Allows variable number of positional arguments.

• **kwargs : Allows variable number of keyword arguments.

def func(*args, **kwargs):

print(args)
print(kwargs)

13. How is Python's for loop different from other programming languages?

Python's for loop iterates directly over items in a sequence (e.g., list, string), not index-based unless using
range() or enumerate() .

14. Explain the purpose of the range() function.

Generates a sequence of numbers, commonly used in loops.

for i in range(3):
print(i) # 0 1 2

15. How do you import and use modules?

Use the import statement:

import math
print(math.sqrt(16)) # 4.0

16. What are Python decorators, and how do they work?

Decorators are functions that modify the behavior of other functions.

def decorator(func):
def wrapper():
print("Before")
func()
print("After")

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 return wrapper

@decorator
def say_hello():
print("Hello")

17. How do you reverse a string in Python?

Use slicing:

s = "hello"
print(s[::-1]) # "olleh"

18. How do you check if an element exists in a list?

Use the in keyword:

if 5 in [1, 2, 5]:
print("Found")

19. What is a lambda function? Provide an example.

A lambda is an anonymous function:

square = lambda x: x * x
print(square(5)) # 25

🔢 Intermediate: Keep Practicing

1. Explain the difference between shallow copy and deep copy in Python.

A shallow copy creates a new object, but does not create copies of nested objects; they still reference the
original. A deep copy creates a new object and recursively copies all nested objects.

import copy
original = [[1, 2], [3, 4]]

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 shallow = copy.copy(original)
deep = copy.deepcopy(original)

2. What are Python comprehensions, and how are they used?

Comprehensions provide a concise way to create collections. They are more readable and efficient than
traditional loops.

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

even_set = {x for x in range(10) if x % 2 == 0}

3. How does Python's garbage collection work?

Python uses automatic garbage collection based on reference counting and a cyclic garbage collector that
removes cycles of objects referencing each other.

4. Explain Python's Global Interpreter Lock (GIL).

The GIL is a mutex that protects access to Python objects, preventing multiple native threads from
executing Python bytecodes simultaneously. This simplifies memory management but can be a bottleneck
in CPU-bound multi-threaded programs.

5. What is the difference between mutable and immutable objects?

• Mutable: Can be changed after creation (e.g., list, dict, set).

• Immutable: Cannot be changed after creation (e.g., int, str, tuple).

6. How do you use the zip() function?

Combines multiple iterables element-wise.

names = ["Alice", "Bob"]

ages = [25, 30]
combined = list(zip(names, ages))

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7. Explain the difference between @staticmethod and @classmethod.

• @staticmethod : Doesn't access class or instance, acts like a regular function.

• @classmethod : Takes cls as the first argument, can access/modify class state.

8. How do you merge two dictionaries?

d1 = {'a': 1}
d2 = {'b': 2}
merged = {**d1, **d2}

Or use:

d1.update(d2)

9. What is the difference between sort() and sorted()?

• sort() : Sorts the list in-place, returns None .

• sorted() : Returns a new sorted list.

10. How do you handle file operations?

Use open() in combination with context managers ( with ).

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

data = file.read()

11. What are Python's iterators and generators?

• Iterator: Object implementing __iter__() and __next__() .

• Generator: Function using yield to return values lazily.

def gen():
yield 1
yield 2

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12. How do you use the with statement?

Manages resources automatically, ensuring proper acquisition and release.

with open("file.txt") as f:
data = f.read()

13. What is Python's itertools module, and when would you use it?

itertools provides tools for efficient looping (e.g., combinations , permutations , cycle ,
chain ). Useful for handling large datasets and performance-critical tasks.

14. Explain the difference between positional and keyword arguments.

• Positional: Based on argument order.

• Keyword: Specified using parameter names.

def func(a, b): ...

func(1, 2) # positional
func(a=1, b=2) # keyword

15. How do you perform matrix operations in Python?

Use NumPy:

import numpy as np
A = np.array([[1, 2], [3, 4]])
B = np.array([[5, 6], [7, 8]])
result = A + B

16. What are Python's metaclasses, and how are they used?

Metaclasses are classes of classes, defining how classes behave. You can use them to control class creation.

class Meta(type):
def __new__(cls, name, bases, dct):
return super().__new__(cls, name, bases, dct)

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17. How do you perform unit testing?

Use the unittest module:

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

18. Explain how Python's os module is used.

Used for interacting with the operating system:

• File and directory handling

• Environment variables
• Process management

import os
print(os.getcwd())

19. What are argsort() and argmax() functions?

From NumPy:

• argsort() : Returns indices that would sort an array.

• argmax() : Returns the index of the maximum value.

20. How do you optimize code performance?

• Use built-in functions and libraries

• Profile with cProfile , timeit
• Avoid unnecessary computations
• Use generators
• Use NumPy for numerical tasks

[Advanced section to be continued next. Would you like to proceed with it now?]