Basic Python Questions

Q1: What is Python?

○ Python is a high-level, interpreted, general-purpose programming

language known for its readability and versatility.

Q2: What are Python's key features?

○ Key features include simple syntax, dynamic typing, interpreted

execution, extensive standard library, and support for multiple
programming paradigms.

Q3: What is PEP 8?

○ PEP 8 is the Python Enhancement Proposal which provides guidelines

and best practices for writing clean and readable Python code.

Q4:What are lists and tuples?

○ Lists are mutable, ordered collections of items, while tuples are

immutable, ordered collections of items.

Q5: How do you declare a variable in Python?

○ Variables are declared by simply assigning a value to a name, for

example, x = 10.

Q6: What are Python's data types?

 ○ Common data types include int, float, str, list, tuple, dict, set, and bool.

Q7: What is a dictionary in Python?

○ A dictionary is a collection of key-value pairs, where keys are unique

and used to store and retrieve values.

Q8: What are list comprehensions?

○ List comprehensions provide a concise way to create lists by iterating

over sequences and optionally including conditionals, for example,
[x**2 for x in range(10)].

Q9:What is the difference between == and is?

○ == checks for value equality, while is checks for object identity.

Q10:What are functions in Python?

○ Functions are reusable blocks of code defined using the def keyword
and called by their name with arguments.

Q11:How do you handle exceptions in Python?

○ Using try, except, finally blocks to catch and handle exceptions.

Q12:What are lambda functions?

○ Lambda functions are anonymous, short functions defined with the

lambda keyword, for example, lambda x: x + 1.
Q13: **What are *args and kwargs?

○ *args is used to pass a variable number of positional arguments, and

**kwargs is used to pass a variable number of keyword arguments to
a function.

Q14: What is the difference between append() and extend() in lists?

○ append() adds a single element to the end of a list, while extend()

adds all elements from an iterable to the end of the list.

Q15: What are Python's built-in data structures?

○ Lists, tuples, sets, and dictionaries.

Q16: How do you read and write files in Python?

○ Using the open() function with modes like 'r', 'w', 'a', and 'b' for
binary files.

Q17: What is a module in Python?

○ A module is a file containing Python code that can be imported and

used in other Python scripts.

Q18: What is a package in Python?

○ A package is a collection of modules organized in directories, often

with an __init__.py file.
Q19: How do you import modules in Python?

○ Using the import statement, for example, import math or from

math import sqrt.

Q20: What is the Python Standard Library?

○ A collection of modules and packages included with Python, providing

a wide range of functionality.

Q21: What is a class in Python?

○ A class is a blueprint for creating objects, defined using the class

keyword.

Q22: What is inheritance in Python?

○ Inheritance allows a class to inherit attributes and methods from

another class, promoting code reuse.

Q23:What is polymorphism in Python?

○ Polymorphism allows methods to behave differently based on the

object calling them, often achieved through method overriding.

Q24: What is encapsulation in Python?

○ Encapsulation restricts access to an object's internal state, typically

using private variables and methods.
Q25: What is a decorator in Python?

○ A decorator is a function that modifies the behavior of another

function, typically using the @decorator_name syntax.

Q26: What are generators in Python?

○ Generators are iterators defined using a function with yield

statements, allowing iteration over large datasets efficiently.

Q27: What is a context manager in Python?

○ A context manager allows the setup and cleanup of resources using

the with statement, often used for file operations.

Q28: What is the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL)?

○ The GIL is a mutex that protects access to Python objects, ensuring

that only one thread executes Python bytecode at a time.

Q29: What is a virtual environment in Python?

○ A virtual environment is an isolated Python environment that allows

dependencies to be managed separately for different projects.

Q30: What is pip?

○ pip is the package installer for Python, used to install and manage
Python packages.
Intermediate Python Questions
Q1: What are list slicing and indexing?

○ Slicing allows you to access a portion of a list using

list[start:stop:step], while indexing retrieves individual
elements using list[index].

Q2: What are generators and iterators?

○ Generators are a type of iterator defined with yield and produce

items lazily. Iterators implement the iterator protocol with __iter__()
and __next__() methods.

Q3: What is the difference between deep copy and shallow copy?

○ Shallow copy creates a new object but inserts references into it to the
objects found in the original. Deep copy creates a new object and
recursively copies all objects found in the original.

Q4: How do you handle multiple exceptions in Python?

○ By specifying multiple exceptions in a tuple within an except block, for

example, except (TypeError, ValueError):.
Q5: What is a lambda function, and when would you use it?

○ A lambda function is an anonymous, short function defined with the

lambda keyword. It is used for creating small, throwaway functions.

Q6: How do you sort a list of dictionaries by a key?

○ Using the sorted() function with a lambda function as the key, for
example, sorted(list_of_dicts, key=lambda x: x['key']).

Q7: What is the purpose of the __init__.py file in a package?

○ __init__.py indicates that the directory it is in is a Python package

and can execute initialization code for the package.

Q8: What is monkey patching in Python?

○ Monkey patching refers to modifying or extending a module or class at

runtime.

Q9: How do you merge two dictionaries in Python?

○ Using the {**dict1, **dict2} syntax or the update() method.

Q10: What are *args and **kwargs used for?

 ○ *args is used to pass a variable number of positional arguments, and
**kwargs is used to pass a variable number of keyword arguments.

Q11: How do you implement a singleton pattern in Python?

○ By ensuring that a class has only one instance and providing a global
point of access to it, typically using the __new__ method or a
decorator.

Q12: What is method overloading and method overriding?

○ Method overloading is not directly supported in Python, but can be

mimicked by default arguments. Method overriding occurs when a
subclass provides a specific implementation for a method already
defined in its superclass.

Q13: What is the difference between staticmethod and classmethod?

○ staticmethod does not receive an implicit first argument and is

called on the class itself. classmethod receives the class as its first
argument.

Q14: What is the difference between __str__ and __repr__?

○ __str__ is used for creating a human-readable string representation

of an object, while __repr__ is used for creating an unambiguous
string representation for debugging.

Q15: What is a metaclass in Python?

 ○ A metaclass is a class of a class that defines how a class behaves. It
allows customization of class creation.

Q16: How do you work with JSON data in Python?

○ Using the json module to parse (json.loads()) and serialize

(json.dumps()) JSON data.

Q17: What is the purpose of the super() function?

○ super() is used to call a method from the parent class in the context
of the current class.

Q18: How do you create a virtual environment in Python?

○ Using the venv module with the command python -m venv myenv.

Q19: What is the difference between @staticmethod and

@classmethod?

○ @staticmethod does not take any additional parameters, while

@classmethod takes a class parameter cls.

Q20: What are docstrings in Python?

 ○ Docstrings are string literals that appear right after the definition of a
function, method, class, or module and are used to document the
object.

Q21: How do you perform unit testing in Python?

○ Using the unittest module to create test cases and run them.

Q22: What is the purpose of the yield keyword?

○ yield is used to define a generator, allowing a function to return an

iterator one value at a time.

Q23: What is a context manager?

○ A context manager allows setup and cleanup actions to be taken

around a block of code using the with statement.

Q24: What are magic methods in Python?

○ Special methods with double underscores at the beginning and end of

their names (e.g., __init__, __str__, __repr__) that allow
customization of class behavior.

Q25: What is a property in Python?

 ○ A property is a special kind of attribute that computes its value when
accessed, typically using the property decorator.

Q26: How do you handle missing data in pandas?

○ Using methods like dropna(), fillna(), and interpolation

techniques.

Q27: How do you perform element-wise operations on arrays in NumPy?

○ Using arithmetic operators directly on NumPy arrays, which perform

element-wise operations.

Q28: What is the difference between loc and iloc in pandas?

○ loc is used for label-based indexing, while iloc is used for position-
based indexing.

Q29:How do you merge DataFrames in pandas?

○ Using the merge() function or the concat() function for

concatenation.

Q30: How do you handle time series data in pandas?

 ○ Using the datetime module along with pandas' to_datetime(),
resample(), and time-based indexing capabilities.

Advanced Python Questions

Q1: What is a coroutine in Python?

○ A coroutine is a function that can pause and resume its execution using
await, enabling asynchronous programming.
Q2: What is the GIL, and how does it affect multithreading in Python?

○ The Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) allows only one thread to execute
Python bytecode at a time, affecting the performance of CPU-bound
multithreaded programs.

Q3: How do you optimize Python code for performance?

○ Using profiling tools, optimizing algorithms, leveraging built-in

functions, using efficient data structures, and utilizing libraries like
NumPy.

Q4: What is the purpose of the functools module?

○ The functools module provides higher-order functions that act on or

return other functions, such as partial, reduce, and lru_cache.

Q5: How do you use decorators to enforce function arguments types?

○ By creating a decorator that checks the types of the arguments and

raises exceptions if they don't match the expected types.

Q6: How do you implement a context manager without using with?

○ By defining __enter__() and __exit__() methods in a class and

explicitly calling them.

Q7: What is asyncio, and how is it used in Python?

○ asyncio is a library for writing asynchronous programs using

async/await syntax, enabling non-blocking I/O operations.
Q8: What is the purpose of the multiprocessing module?

○ The multiprocessing module allows parallel execution of code by

creating separate processes, bypassing the GIL limitations.

Q9: How do you handle memory leaks in Python?

○ By identifying and eliminating circular references, using weak

references, and using tools like gc and objgraph.

Q10: How do you use the subprocess module?

○ Using the subprocess module to spawn new processes, connect to

their input/output/error pipes, and obtain their return codes.

Q11: What are Python metaclasses, and how do you use them?

○ Metaclasses are the 'classes of classes' that define how classes

behave. They can be used to enforce class constraints, register
classes, or modify class creation.

Q12: How do you handle large data sets efficiently in pandas?

○ By using chunking, optimizing memory usage, and leveraging parallel

processing with Dask.
Q13: What is the purpose of the itertools module?

○ The itertools module provides a set of fast, memory-efficient tools

for working with iterators, including combinatoric generators.

Q14: How do you profile Python code?

○ Using the cProfile module or third-party libraries like

line_profiler to measure the performance of Python code.

Q15: What is a custom exception, and how do you create one?

○ A custom exception is a user-defined exception class that inherits from

the base Exception class. It is created by defining a new class and
optionally adding custom behavior.

Q16: How do you use pytest for testing in Python?

○ Using pytest to create test functions, assert conditions, and run tests
with the pytest command.

Q17: How do you implement memoization in Python?

○ By using the functools.lru_cache decorator or manually

implementing caching logic.
Q18: What is the difference between @staticmethod and
@classmethod decorators?

○ @staticmethod does not take any additional parameters, while

@classmethod takes a class parameter cls.

Q19: How do you implement a thread-safe singleton class in Python?

○ By using a metaclass or a decorator that ensures only one instance of

the class is created, with thread synchronization mechanisms like
locks.

Q20: How do you implement a priority queue in Python?

○ Using the heapq module to create and manage a heap-based priority

queue.

Q21: What are Python's memory management techniques?

○ Python uses reference counting, garbage collection, and memory

pools (via the pymalloc allocator).

Q22: How do you handle Unicode and string encoding in Python?

○ By using the str and bytes types for text and binary data,
respectively, and converting between them with encode() and
decode() methods.
Q23: What is the difference between deepcopy and copy?

○ copy creates a shallow copy, while deepcopy creates a deep copy,

recursively copying all objects.

Q24: How do you implement an Observer pattern in Python?

○ By creating a subject class with methods to attach, detach, and notify

observers, and observer classes with update methods.

Q25: How do you serialize and deserialize data in Python?

○ Using the pickle module for serializing Python objects and the json
module for serializing data to JSON format.

Q26: What is monkey patching, and when should you use it?

○ Monkey patching refers to modifying or extending a module or class at

runtime. It should be used cautiously, typically for debugging or quick
fixes.

Q27: How do you handle missing values in pandas?

○ Using methods like isna(), fillna(), dropna(), and interpolation

techniques to manage missing data.
Q28: What are broadcasting rules in NumPy?

○ Broadcasting rules allow NumPy to perform element-wise operations

on arrays of different shapes by automatically expanding their
dimensions.

Q29: How do you optimize pandas operations for large datasets?

○ By using vectorized operations, avoiding loops, using efficient data

types, and leveraging libraries like Dask for parallel processing.

Q30: What is the difference between map(), apply(), and applymap()

in pandas?

○ map() is used for element-wise transformations on Series, apply()

is used for applying functions along an axis of a DataFrame, and
applymap() is used for element-wise transformations on DataFrame.