Question

What will the following code display? names = ['Jim', 'Jill', 'John', 'Jasmine'] if 'Jasmine' not in names: print('Cannot find Jasmine.') else: print("Jasmine's family:") print(names)

Short answer

Answer: The output will be "Jasmine's family: ['Jim', 'Jill', 'John', 'Jasmine']"

Step-by-step solution

Analyze the list of names and the if-else condition

The code initializes a list named 'names' containing four names: Jim, Jill, John, and Jasmine. Then, it checks whether the name 'Jasmine' is present or not using the if-else condition. If 'Jasmine' is not present, the consol will show a message 'Cannot find Jasmine.'. Otherwise, it will continue to the next block of code.

Determine the output according to the condition

As Jasmine is indeed in the list, the code block in the if statement will be skipped and the code block in the else statement will be executed. This will result in printing the following output: Jasmine's family: ['Jim', 'Jill', 'John', 'Jasmine']

Key concepts

conditional statements

In Python programming, conditional statements are a fundamental tool used to execute different pieces of code based on certain conditions. These are essential for making decisions within your code. The most common form of a conditional statement is the `if` statement. It checks a condition and executes a block of code if the condition is True. Conditional statements often come with `else` and `elif` clauses to provide additional decision pathways.

• If Statement: The basic form where code is only executed if the condition is True.
• Else Clause: This is used to execute a block of code if the condition in the `if` statement is False.
• Elif Clause: Short for 'else if', this allows checking multiple conditions.

In the context of the exercise, the `if` statement checks whether 'Jasmine' is not in the list. Depending on this evaluation, it either prints that Jasmine is missing or it continues to the `else` part to acknowledge her presence in the list.

list operations

Lists in Python are ordered, mutable collections that can store a variety of data types. They are one of Python's built-in data structures and are very versatile for many operations. Some key operations you might perform on lists include:

• Accessing Elements: Retrieve elements using their index, starting from 0 for the first element.
• Looping: You can iterate over lists using loops to process every item.
• Adding Elements: Methods such as `append()` allow you to add elements to the end of the list.
• Checking Membership: Use the `in` keyword to test if an element is present, as seen in the exercise.

In the exercise, the operation `if 'Jasmine' not in names` is used to check whether `'Jasmine'` is part of the list. This demonstrates the membership test operation.

if-else structure

The `if-else` structure in Python provides a way to conditionally execute code blocks. The `if` part checks a condition, while the `else` part provides an alternative pathway if the condition is not met. This structure is incredibly useful for branching logic and can handle different possible outcomes based on input or other conditions. Here's how it works:

• If Block: Executes a segment of code if the condition is True.
• Else Block: Executes if the `if` condition is False, providing another code path.

In our specific example:

• If 'Jasmine' is not found in the list, it prints 'Cannot find Jasmine.'
• Since 'Jasmine' is present, it executes the `else` block, printing Jasmine's family along with the list of names.

This simple structure ensures your code can handle multiple scenarios, improving flexibility and robustness.