Python Programming - 3 Hour Practice Exam
Total Time: 180 Minutes | Total Marks: 100
Instructions
Write complete, runnable Python programs for each question
Use proper variable names and indentation
All input/output should use input() and print()
Handle edge cases where mentioned
Time management: Allocate roughly 30 minutes per section
Do NOT use external libraries unless explicitly mentioned
Section A: Basics & I/O (20 marks)
Q1. Temperature Conversion (5 marks)
Write a program that reads a temperature in Celsius from the user and converts it to both Fahrenheit and
Kelvin.
Formula:
Fahrenheit = (C × 9/5) + 32
Kelvin = C + 273.15
Input: 25
Output:
Temperature in Celsius: 25
Temperature in Fahrenheit: 77
Temperature in Kelvin: 298.15
Constraints:
Accept decimal values
Display Fahrenheit as an integer (round down)
Display Kelvin with 2 decimal places
Q2. Simple Calculator with Division Check (8 marks)
Write a program that takes two numbers and an operator (+, -, *, /) from the user and performs the operation.
Input:
20
/
5
Output:
20 / 5 = 4
Special Requirements:
Check for division by zero and print "Error: Division by zero" if detected
For division, display the result as an integer (whole number only)
For other operations, display exact results
Use if-elif-else statements, not a dictionary
Q3. Input Validation Loop (7 marks)
Write a program that repeatedly asks the user to enter a number between 1 and 100. Keep asking until they
enter a valid number, then print "Valid number entered: X" and exit.
Sample Run:
Enter a number between 1 and 100: 150
Invalid! Try again.
Enter a number between 1 and 100: 50
Valid number entered: 50
Number of invalid attempts: 1
Constraints:
Use a while loop
Count how many invalid attempts were made and print it at the end
Handle non-integer inputs gracefully
Section B: Lists & Basic Loops (25 marks)
Q4. List Sum and Average (6 marks)
Write a program that:
1. Takes the size of a list from the user (max 100)
2. Takes that many integers as input
3. Calculates and prints the sum and average
Input:
Enter list size: 5
Enter 5 numbers: 10 20 30 40 50
Output:
Sum: 150
Average: 30.0
Constraints:
Use a single loop for both input and calculation (efficiency counts)
Handle case where size is 0 (print "List is empty")
Average should be a float
Q5. Find Largest and Smallest (6 marks)
Write a program that finds the largest and smallest elements in a list, along with their positions (indices).
Input:
Enter list size: 6
Enter elements: 45 12 78 12 99 34
Output:
Largest element: 99 at index 4
Smallest element: 12 at index 1
Constraints:
If there are multiple occurrences, print the first index
Size will be at least 1
Do NOT use built-in max() or min() with index
Q6. Reverse List (6 marks)
Write a program that reverses a list and prints both original and reversed versions.
Input:
Enter list size: 5
Enter elements: 1 2 3 4 5
Output:
Original list: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Reversed list: [5, 4, 3, 2, 1]
Constraints:
Create a new reversed list (don't modify in-place)
Do NOT use the .reverse() method
Use slicing or manual loops
Q7. Count and Replace (7 marks)
Write a program that:
1. Takes a list of integers
2. Asks the user for a number to search for
3. Counts occurrences and replaces all with 0
4. Prints the modified list and count
Input:
Enter list size: 7
Enter elements: 5 3 5 7 5 2 5
Enter number to replace: 5
Output:
Occurrences of 5: 4
Modified list: [0, 3, 0, 7, 0, 2, 0]
Constraints:
Handle case where number is not found
Modify the original list
Use a loop, not .replace() or list comprehension (yet)
Section C: Strings & String Manipulation (25 marks)
Q8. String Length & Reverse (6 marks)
Write a program that:
1. Reads a string from the user
2. Prints its length
3. Prints the string in reverse without using slicing
Input: Hello
Output:
String: Hello
Length: 5
Reversed: olleH
Constraints:
Do NOT use slicing [::-1]
Use manual loops and character access
Handle spaces if present
Q9. Vowel Counter (6 marks)
Write a program that:
1. Reads a string
2. Counts vowels (both uppercase and lowercase)
3. Counts consonants
4. Counts digits
5. Counts other characters
Input: Hello123World!
Output:
Vowels: 3
Consonants: 7
Digits: 3
Others: 1
Constraints:
Vowels = a, e, i, o, u (both cases)
Consonants = alphabetic but not vowels
Use .isdigit() , .isalpha() methods
Q10. String Comparison & Palindrome (7 marks)
Write a program that:
1. Takes a string from the user
2. Checks if it's a palindrome (ignoring spaces and case)
3. Prints "Palindrome" or "Not a palindrome"
Input: A man a plan a canal Panama
Output:
Is palindrome (ignoring spaces and case): Yes
Input: Hello
Output:
Is palindrome (ignoring spaces and case): No
Constraints:
Ignore spaces in comparison
Ignore uppercase/lowercase differences
Use loops, not slicing for reversal
Q11. Character Frequency (6 marks)
Write a program that takes a string and finds the most frequently occurring character (excluding spaces).
Input: programming is fun
Output:
Most frequent character: 'r' (appears 2 times)
Constraints:
Ignore spaces
Case-sensitive (treat 'A' and 'a' as different)
If there's a tie, print the first one found
Do NOT use .count() method
Section D: Functions & Logic (20 marks)
Q12. Prime Number Checker (5 marks)
Write a function that checks if a number is prime. Use it in a program that:
1. Takes a number from the user
2. Calls the function
3. Prints whether it's prime or not
Input: 17
Output: 17 is a prime number
Input: 20
Output: 20 is not a prime number
Constraints:
Function should be: def is_prime(n):
Handle edge cases (n ≤ 1, n = 2)
Optimize: check divisibility only up to √n
Q13. GCD using Recursion (6 marks)
Write a recursive function to find the GCD (Greatest Common Divisor) of two numbers using Euclid's algorithm.
Input:
48
18
Output: GCD of 48 and 18 is 6
Constraints:
Function: def gcd(a, b):
Use recursion (base case: when b = 0, return a)
Euclid's formula: gcd(a, b) = gcd(b, a % b)
Do NOT use [Link]()
Q14. Power Function (4 marks)
Write a function that calculates x raised to the power of n (x^n). Handle negative exponents.
Input:
Base: 2
Exponent: -3
Output: 2^-3 = 0.125
Constraints:
Function: def power(x, n):
For negative exponents, use 1 / (x^|n|)
Display with 3 decimal places
Do NOT use ** operator (implement manually with loops)
Q15. Fibonacci Series (5 marks)
Write a program that prints the first n Fibonacci numbers using a function.
Input: 10
Output:
First 10 Fibonacci numbers:
0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34
Constraints:
Function: def fibonacci(n):
Return a list of first n Fibonacci numbers
Handle n = 0 and n = 1 edge cases
Use iterative approach (not recursion—too slow)
Section E: Mixed Problems (10 marks)
Q16. Matrix Transpose (5 marks)
Write a program that takes a 3×3 matrix and prints its transpose.
Input:
Enter 3x3 matrix:
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
Output:
Transposed matrix:
1 4 7
2 5 8
3 6 9
Constraints:
Use lists of lists (2D lists)
Print matrices in proper row-column format
Do NOT use NumPy
Q17. Bubble Sort (5 marks)
Write a program that sorts a list in ascending order using bubble sort.
Input:
List size: 6
Enter elements: 64 34 25 12 22 11
Output:
Sorted list: [11, 12, 22, 25, 34, 64]
Number of swaps performed: 15
Constraints:
Implement bubble sort manually (nested loops)
Count the total number of swaps
Do NOT use .sort() or sorted()
Answer Format
For each question, write your complete Python code. Example:
# Your code here
name = input("Enter your name: ")
print(f"Hello, {name}!")
Evaluation Criteria
Correctness: Does the program produce correct output?
Efficiency: Is the algorithm reasonably efficient?
Code Quality: Proper indentation, variable naming, comments
Edge Case Handling: Does it handle special/boundary cases?
Completeness: Is the entire solution provided?
Good luck! Remember: write clean code, test with different inputs, and manage your time wisely.
You've got this!
