Top 30 Python Interview Questions and Answers for Beginners (2025)

🔹 1. What is Python?

Answer:
Python is a high-level, interpreted, and general-purpose programming language known for its simple syntax, readability, and wide usage in web development, data science, AI, automation, and more.

🔹 2. What are the key features of Python?

Answer:

• Easy-to-learn syntax
• Interpreted (no need to compile)
• Dynamically typed
• Object-oriented and functional
• Huge standard library
• Cross-platform compatibility

🔹 3. What is the difference between a list and a tuple?

🔹 4. How do you write a comment in Python?

Answer:

# This is a single-line comment

For multi-line comments, use triple quotes (although it's technically a string):

"""
This is
a multi-line comment
"""

🔹 5. What are variables in Python?

Answer:
Variables are containers for storing data. Python uses dynamic typing, so you don’t need to declare the type.

name = "Alice"
age = 25

🔹 6. How do you take user input in Python?

name = input("Enter your name: ")

input() always returns a string, so convert it if needed:

age = int(input("Enter age: "))

🔹 7. What is a function in Python?

Answer:
A function is a block of reusable code.

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

🔹 8. What are Python data types?

Answer:

• int, float, complex
• str
• bool
• list, tuple, set, dict
• NoneType

🔹 9. What is the difference between == and is?

• == checks value equality
• is checks object identity (same memory)

a = [1]
b = [1]
print(a == b)  # True
print(a is b)  # False

🔹 10. What is indentation in Python?

Answer:
Python uses indentation (typically 4 spaces) to define blocks of code. No curly braces {}.

if True:
    print("Yes")  # Must be indented!

🔹 11. What is a dictionary in Python?

person = {"name": "Alice", "age": 30}

A dict is a collection of key-value pairs.

🔹 12. How do you write a loop in Python?

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

while i < 5:
    print(i)
    i += 1

🔹 13. What are Python's logical operators?

• and
• or
• not

if x > 0 and x < 10:
    print("Between 1 and 9")

🔹 14. What is the difference between break, continue, and pass?

• break: Exits the loop
• continue: Skips to next iteration
• pass: Does nothing (placeholder)

🔹 15. What are Python’s built-in data structures?

• List
• Tuple
• Set
• Dictionary

🔹 16. What is a module in Python?

Answer:
A module is a .py file containing Python definitions and code. You import it using:

import math

🔹 17. What is the difference between append() and extend()?

a = [1, 2]
a.append([3, 4])  # [1, 2, [3, 4]]
a.extend([3, 4])  # [1, 2, 3, 4]

🔹 18. What is a lambda function?

Answer:
An anonymous, one-line function.

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

🔹 19. What is a list comprehension?

squares = [x*x for x in range(5)]

Concise way to generate a list.

🔹 20. **What are *args and kwargs?

def func(*args, **kwargs):
    print(args)
    print(kwargs)

• *args = variable positional arguments
• **kwargs = variable keyword arguments

🔹 21. How do you handle exceptions in Python?

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

🔹 22. What is a class in Python?

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

Used for object-oriented programming.

🔹 23. What is inheritance?

Answer:
When a class inherits properties and methods from another class.

class Dog(Animal):
    pass

🔹 24. What is the difference between __init__ and self?

• __init__: Constructor method
• self: Refers to the instance calling the method

🔹 25. What is a Python package?

Answer:
A package is a directory with an __init__.py file, used to group related modules.

🔹 26. How do you install external packages?

pip install requests

🔹 27. What is a virtual environment in Python?

Answer:
An isolated Python environment to manage dependencies for a specific project.

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # or venv\Scripts\activate on Windows

🔹 28. How do you read and write files in Python?

with open('file.txt', 'r') as f:
    content = f.read()

with open('file.txt', 'w') as f:
    f.write("Hello")

🔹 29. What is the __name__ == '__main__' statement?

Used to run code only when the script is executed directly, not when imported.

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

🔹 30. What is PEP8?

Answer:
PEP8 is Python's official style guide for writing readable and consistent code (e.g., indentation, line length, naming conventions).

✅ Final Tips

• Write small programs daily. Practice is key!
• Use Python tutor sites or visualizers to understand flow.
• Learn how to debug with print statements or IDEs.