Nice — here’s a medium-length, exam-friendly explanation for each item (definitions,
syntax when relevant, examples, and key points). I kept each answer detailed enough for a 5–
8M answer but not overly long.
1. Differentiate between Scripting language and
Programming language
Definition & purpose
Scripting language: Usually interpreted and designed to automate
tasks, glue components, or write short programs quickly. Common
for web scripting, automation, and prototypes. Example: Python,
JavaScript, Bash.
Programming language: Often compiled (though not always) and
used for building larger, standalone applications with performance
or low-level control concerns. Example: C, C++.
Key differences
Execution: Scripting — interpreted (line-by-line). Programming —
usually compiled to machine code or bytecode first.
Use case: Scripting — automation, small utilities, embedding.
Programming — system/software development.
Performance: Scripting languages are typically slower but faster to
write; compiled languages are faster at runtime.
Development cycle: Scripting allows rapid edit-run-debug;
compiled languages require a separate compile step.
Example
Python script:
print("Quick task automation")
C program:
#include<stdio.h>
int main(){ printf("Compiled program\n"); return 0; }
2. Operators in Python (8M)
Definition
Operators are symbols or keywords that perform operations on operands (values or
variables).
Types, brief description & examples
1. Arithmetic operators — math operations: + - * / % // **
2. 5 + 2 # 7
3. 5 ** 2 # 25 (power)
4. 7 // 2 # 3 (floor division)
5. Assignment operators — assign or modify values: =, +=, -=,
*=, /=, //=, **=
6. x = 5
7. x += 2 # x = 7
8. Comparison (Relational) operators — compare values: ==, !=,
>, <, >=, <=
9. 3 < 5 # True
10. Logical operators — combine boolean expressions: and, or,
not
11. True and False # False
12. not True # False
13. Bitwise operators — operate on binary bits: & | ^ ~ << >>
14. 5 & 3 # 1 (0101 & 0011 = 0001)
15. Membership operators — test membership in sequences:
in, not in
16. 'a' in 'apple' # True
17. Identity operators — compare object identity: is, is not
18. a = [1,2]; b = a; a is b # True
19. a is not [1,2] # True (different object)
20. Unary operators — single-operand operators (e.g., unary -,
unary +, not, ~).
Operator precedence & associativity
Operators have a defined precedence (e.g., ** higher than *//, which are higher than +/-).
Use parentheses () to ensure desired evaluation order.
3. Concept of Data types and its examples (5M)
Definition
A data type specifies the kind of value a variable can hold and the operations permitted on it.
Built-in Python data types (common ones)
Numeric: int (e.g., 10), float (e.g., 3.14), complex (e.g., 2+3j)
Text: str (e.g., "hello")
Boolean: bool (True or False)
Sequence types: list (mutable, e.g., [1,2]), tuple (immutable,
e.g., (1,2)), range
Mapping type: dict (key → value, e.g., {'a':1})
Set types: set, frozenset (unordered collections of unique items)
Binary: bytes, bytearray, memoryview
Example
age = 21 # int
price = 19.99 # float
name = "Priya" # str
flags = [True, False] # list of bool
record = {'id':1, 'name':'Asha'} # dict
4. Define function and give an example
Definition
A function is a named block of reusable code that performs a specific task and can accept
parameters and optionally return a value.
Syntax
def function_name(parameters):
"""optional docstring"""
statements
return value # optional
Example
def add(a, b):
"""Return sum of a and b"""
return a + b
result = add(4, 5) # 9
Additional notes
Functions allow modularity, code reuse, and clarity.
Types: built-in functions (e.g., len()), user-defined functions,
anonymous (lambda) functions.
Support for default parameters, keyword arguments, variable-length
arguments (*args, **kwargs), recursion.
5. Variables, Identifiers
Variable (definition)
A variable is a name that refers to a value stored in memory.
Identifier (definition)
An identifier is the name used to identify variables, functions, classes, etc.
Rules for identifiers
Must start with a letter (A–Z, a–z) or underscore _.
Remaining characters can be letters, digits, or underscores.
Case-sensitive (age ≠ Age).
Cannot be a Python keyword (e.g., for, if, class).
Example
student_name = "Ravi"
_age = 18
PI = 3.14159
Best practices
Use meaningful names (total_score rather than ts), follow snake_case
for variables and functions.
6. Type conversions and what are its types
Definition
Type conversion is the process of converting a value from one data type to another.
Types
1. Implicit conversion (automatic) — Python automatically converts
one type to another during an operation when safe:
2. x = 5 # int
3. y = 2.0 # float
4. z = x + y # 7.0 (int implicitly converted to float)
5. Explicit conversion (type casting) — programmer converts types
using built-in functions:
o int(), float(), str(), bool(), list(), tuple(), dict(), etc.
6. a = int(3.9) # 3
7. b = str(123) # "123"
8. c = float("2.5") # 2.5
Caveats
Converting incompatible types (e.g., int("abc")) raises ValueError.
Converting floats to ints truncates toward zero, not rounding.
7. String handling
Definition
Operations and methods to manipulate text (str objects).
Common operations & methods
Concatenation & repetition: +, *
"Hi " + "there" # "Hi there"
"la" * 3 # "lalala"
Indexing & slicing: s[0], s[1:4]
Length: len(s)
Useful methods: .upper(), .lower(), .strip(), .split(), .join(),
.replace(), .find(), .format() / f-strings
s = " Hello World "
[Link]() # "Hello World"
[Link]() # ["Hello", "World"]
" ".join(["a","b"]) # "a b"
Immutability: Strings are immutable — operations return new
strings; you cannot change characters in place.
Examples
name = "Anita"
print(name[1:4]) # 'nit'
print([Link]("A", "E")) # 'Enita'
print(f"Hello, {name}!") # f-string formatting
8. Array handling
Note: Python’s flexible sequence for general-purpose arrays is the list. For true typed arrays,
use array module or numpy (external).
Using lists
Create: lst = [1,2,3]
Add/modify: append(), insert(), slicing assignment
Remove: pop(), remove()
Iterate, sort: sorted(), [Link]()
Example
arr = [10, 20, 30]
[Link](40)
arr[1] = 25
for x in arr:
print(x)
Using array module (stores typed data)
import array
a = [Link]('i', [1,2,3]) # typecode 'i' = signed int
[Link](4)
Using NumPy (recommended for large numeric arrays / performance)
import numpy as np
a = [Link]([1,2,3])
a = a + 5 # vectorized operation
9. File handling
Definition
Reading from and writing to files using built-in file objects.
Modes
'r' — read (default)
'w' — write (truncate/create)
'a' — append
'rb', 'wb' — binary modes
'r+', 'w+' — read/write
Basic syntax
f = open("[Link]", "r")
data = [Link]()
[Link]()
Better (recommended) — with with (context manager)
with open("[Link]", "w") as f:
[Link]("Hello\n")
# file auto-closed here
Examples
Read whole file: content = [Link]()
Read line-by-line: for line in f: or [Link]()
Write text: [Link]("text") or [Link]([...])
Error handling
Use try/except for I/O errors (e.g., FileNotFoundError, IOError).
10. Scopes of Variable
Definition
Scope refers to the region of a program where a variable name is visible/accessible.
Types of scope in Python (LEGB rule)
L — Local: names defined inside a function.
E — Enclosing: names in the local scope of enclosing functions (for
nested functions).
G — Global: module-level names.
B — Built-in: names preassigned in Python (len, int, etc.)
Special keywords
— declare that a variable inside a function refers to the
global
module-level variable.
x = 5
def f():
global x
x = 10
nonlocal — in nested functions, refer to variable in enclosing (non-
global) scope.
def outer():
a = 1
def inner():
nonlocal a
a = 2
Example
x = "global"
def func():
x = "local" # different from global x
print(x)
11. List, String, Dictionaries, Tuple
List
Ordered, mutable, allows duplicates.
Syntax: lst = [1, 2, 'a']
Methods: append, insert, pop, remove, sort, reverse.
String
Immutable sequence of characters.
Syntax: s = "hello"
Methods: .upper(), .split(), .join(), .replace().
Tuple
Ordered, immutable, allows duplicates.
Syntax: t = (1, 2, 3) or single element (1,).
Useful for fixed collections or as dictionary keys (if elements are
hashable).
Dictionary
Unordered mapping of keys → values (in modern Python insertion-
ordered).
Syntax: d = {'name':'Maya', 'age':20}
Operations: access d['name'], add d['city']='Delhi', iterate for k,v
in [Link]():.
Examples
lst = [1,2,3]
tup = (1,2)
s = "abc"
d = {'a':1, 'b':2}
12. Features of Python
Simple & Readable: Clear syntax and indentation.
Interpreted: No separate compile step (bytecode compiled and run
by PVM).
Dynamically typed: Type checked at runtime.
High-level: Manages memory, provides rich built-ins.
Extensive standard library: Batteries included (os, sys, math, json,
etc.).
Portable: Runs on many platforms.
Object-oriented: Supports classes & objects.
Extensible: Can integrate C/C++ for performance-critical parts.
Large ecosystem: Third-party packages (NumPy, Pandas, Django).
13. Jump Statements
Definition
Statements that alter the normal flow of control in loops or functions.
Types & examples
break — exit the nearest loop immediately.
for i in range(5):
if i == 3:
break
continue — skip the rest of current iteration and continue loop.
for i in range(5):
if i % 2 == 0:
continue
print(i) # prints odd numbers
pass — do-nothing placeholder (useful when syntax requires a
statement).
def todo(): pass
return — exit a function and optionally return a value.
14. Different types of modules and its examples
Definition
A module is a file containing Python code (definitions, functions, classes) which can be
imported.
Types
1. Built-in modules — part of Python standard library (no install
needed). Examples: math, sys, os, datetime.
2. import math
3. print([Link](16))
4. User-defined modules — files you create, e.g., [Link] and
import mymodule.
5. Third-party (external) modules/packages — installed via pip.
Examples: numpy, pandas, requests.
6. import requests
7. r = [Link]("[Link]
How to create & use
Create [Link] with functions, then import mymodule or `
