Answer: Python Puzzler #2455

The answer is C. The program prints:

melon

This answer was checked by running the program for real.

Why?

Python counts list positions from 0, so position 0 is the first item.

Trace table

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

positionnegative positionitem
0-4melon
1-3mango
2-2pear
3-1apple

The code again

basket = ["melon", "mango", "pear", "apple"]
print(basket[0])

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