Python Programming
Mid-Semester Examination Study Material
Unit 1: Fundamentals
1. Python Basics
Python is a high-level, interpreted, general-purpose programming language created
by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. It is designed with an emphasis on
code readability.
Key Features
• Interpreted: Code is executed line-by-line, which facilitates easy debugging.
• Interactive: You can interact with the interpreter directly to write your
programs.
• Object-Oriented: Supports the OOP paradigm, encapsulating code within
objects.
• Dynamic Typing: No need to declare the type of a variable when you create
one.
2. Variables, Keywords & Identifiers
Variables: Reserved memory locations to store values.
Example: x = 10
Keywords: Reserved words that have a special meaning to the compiler/interpreter.
You cannot use them as constant or variable names. Examples: False , class ,
finally , is , return , None , continue , for , lambda , try .
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Identifiers: The name given to entities like class, functions, variables.
Rules: Can be a combination of letters (a-z, A-Z), digits (0-9), or an underscore (_). It
cannot start with a digit.
3. Data Types
Category Type Example Description
int, float, 5, 3.14,
Numbers Holds numeric values.
complex 2+3j
Immutable sequence of
Sequence String "Hello"
characters.
Ordered, mutable collection of
Sequence List [1, 2, 'a']
items.
Sequence Tuple (1, 2, 'a') Ordered, immutable collection.
{"key": Unordered collection of key-value
Mapping Dictionary
"val"} pairs.
Unordered collection of unique
Set Set {1, 2, 3}
items.
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Unit 2: Control Flow & Functions
1. Control Flow
Conditional Statements
Decision making is required when we want to execute a code only if a certain
condition is satisfied.
if condition:
# block of code
elif condition:
# block of code
else:
# block of code
Looping Statements
• For Loop: Used for iterating over a sequence (list, tuple, string) or other iterable
objects.
• While Loop: Used to iterate over a block of code as long as the test expression
(condition) is true.
2. Functions in Python
A function is a block of organized, reusable code that is used to perform a single,
related action.
Function Arguments
1. Required arguments: Passed in correct positional order.
2. Keyword arguments: Caller identifies arguments by parameter name.
3. Default arguments: Assumes a default value if a value is not provided.
4. Variable-length (*args): Process a function for more arguments than you
specified while defining it.
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Lambda Functions
These are small anonymous functions defined with the lambda keyword. They can
take any number of arguments but can only have one expression.
# Syntax: lambda arguments : expression
multiply = lambda a, b : a * b
print(multiply(5, 6)) # Output: 30
Exam Tip: Practice the difference between append() and extend() in lists,
and understand why Tuples are faster than Lists (Immutability).
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