Question 9: List Deletion And Loop

This is a simple question on deleting a list element in Python.

What will be the output of the following code:

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

for i in numbers:
    if i % 2 == 0:
        # A. Delete the current element from the list
        del numbers[i]
    # B. Increment the current element by 1
    else:
        numbers[i] += 1

print(numbers)

Select an option:🤔🧐















D: is the correct answer.

The code will result in a List index out of range error.

Here’s why:

  1. Modifying the list while iterating:
    • The code attempts to modify the numbers list while iterating over it. This can lead to unexpected behavior, especially when deleting elements.
  2. Deleting elements shifts indices:
    • When you delete an element using del numbers[i], the remaining elements to the right of the deleted element are shifted left, and their indices change.
    • However, the loop variable i continues to increment as if those elements were still in their original positions.
  3. Accessing shifted indices:
    • This mismatch causes the error.
    • When the loop reaches an index that was previously occupied by a deleted element, it tries to access an element that no longer exists, resulting in the List index out of range error.

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