🐍 Python Interview Questions with Detailed Answers
1. Python Basics
Q1. What are the key features of Python?
Easy to learn and use
Interpreted and high-level language
Dynamically typed
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) supported
Large standard libraries
Platform-independent
Community support
Q2. Difference between Python 2 and Python 3?
print is a statement in Python 2 and a function in Python 3
Integer division behavior differs (5/2 is 2 in Python 2 and 2.5 in Python 3)
Unicode support is better in Python 3
Python 2 is no longer officially supported (end-of-life in 2020)
Q3. How is Python an interpreted language?
Python code is executed line by line by the interpreter at runtime, not compiled beforehand.
Q4. What are Python’s data types?
Numeric: int, float, complex
Sequence: str, list, tuple
Set: set, frozenset
Mapping: dict
Boolean: bool
NoneType
2. Data Types and Structures
Q1. Difference between a list and a tuple?
List: Mutable, defined using [ ]
Tuple: Immutable, defined using ( )
Q2. How is a set different from a dictionary?
Set: Collection of unique elements (no keys)
Dict: Key-value pairs, keys must be unique
Q3. What are mutable and immutable types?
Mutable: Can be changed (e.g., list, dict, set)
Immutable: Cannot be changed (e.g., int, str, tuple)
Q4. Type conversion in Python?
python
int("10") → 10
str(100) → "100"
list("abc") → ['a', 'b', 'c']
3. Loops and Conditionals
Q1. For vs While loop?
for: Iterates over a sequence
while: Loops until a condition is false
Q2. Use of break, continue, and pass?
break: Exit loop early
continue: Skip current iteration
pass: Placeholder (does nothing)
Q3. Fibonacci Series Code
a, b = 0, 1
for _ in range(10):
print(a, end=' ')
a, b = b, a + b
4. Functions
Q1. Arguments vs Keyword Arguments?
Positional: func(1, 2)
Keyword: func(x=1, y=2)
Q2. What is a lambda function?
Anonymous one-line function:
square = lambda x: x * x
**Q3. *args vs kwargs?
*args: Tuple of positional arguments
**kwargs: Dictionary of keyword arguments
Q4. Recursive Factorial Function:
def factorial(n):
if n == 1: return 1
return n * factorial(n - 1)
5. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
Q1. What is a class and object?
Class: Blueprint
Object: Instance of a class
Q2. What is __init__() method?
Constructor called automatically when an object is created.
Q3. Inheritance, Encapsulation, Polymorphism?
Inheritance: Reusing code from parent classes
Encapsulation: Restricting access using private variables
Polymorphism: Same function behaves differently
Q4. Class vs Instance variable?
Class: Shared by all objects
Instance: Unique to each object
6. File Handling
Q1. Reading/Writing Files in Python?
f = open("file.txt", "r")
data = f.read()
f.close()
Q2. File Modes?
'r': Read
'w': Write
'a': Append
Q3. with open() Statement?
Auto-closes file after use:
with open("file.txt", "r") as f:
data = f.read()
7. Exception Handling
Q1. What are exceptions?
Errors during execution, e.g., ZeroDivisionError, IndexError
Q2. try-except-finally Example:
try:
x = 10 / 0
except ZeroDivisionError:
print("Cannot divide by zero")
finally:
print("Done")
Q3. raise vs assert?
raise: Manually throw exception
assert: Check condition (good for debugging)
8. Advanced Concepts
Q1. List Comprehension Example:
squares = [x*x for x in range(5)]
Q2. What is a decorator?
Function that modifies another function’s behavior.
def decorator(func):
def wrapper():
print("Before")
func()
print("After")
return wrapper
Q3. What is a generator?
Function that uses yield instead of return. Generates values one at a time.
Q4. if __name__ == "__main__" usage?
Used to ensure code runs only when file is executed directly, not when imported.
9. Data Analyst with Pandas
Q1. Read a CSV file?
import pandas as pd
df = pd.read_csv("data.csv")
Q2. loc[] vs iloc[]?
loc[]: label-based
iloc[]: integer-based indexing
Q3. apply() vs map()?
map(): Series only
apply(): Series or DataFrame rows/columns
Q4. Handling missing data?
df.dropna()
df.fillna(0)
10. Coding Practice Questions
Q1. Reverse a string:
"hello"[::-1]
Q2. Prime number check:
def is_prime(n):
if n < 2: return False
for i in range(2, int(n**0.5)+1):
if n % i == 0: return False
return True
Q3. Find largest in list:
max([1, 2, 3])
Q4. Count word frequency:
from collections import Counter
Counter("hello world hello".split())
Q5. Find duplicates in a list:
lst = [1, 2, 2, 3]
duplicates = [x for x in lst if lst.count(x) > 1]
Q6. Merge dictionaries:
d1 = {"a": 1}
d2 = {"b": 2}
merged = {**d1, **d2}
