Answer: Python Puzzler #1850

The answer is D. The program prints:

49
What the program prints
Checked by running the program for real.

Why?

The loop remembers the biggest number it has seen so far, and replaces it whenever it finds a bigger one. This is how computers find the maximum.

Trace table

A trace table follows the program step by step. Here’s this one:

nn > biggest?biggest
46yes46
49yes49
40no49
31no49
21no49

The code again

numbers = [46, 49, 40, 31, 21]
biggest = 0
for n in numbers:
    if n > biggest:
        biggest = n
print(biggest)

Try it: change one number in the program and predict the new output before you run it.