Answer: Python Puzzler #2741

The answer is C. The program prints:

plum

This answer was checked by running the program for real.

Why?

A negative position counts from the end: -1 is the last item, -2 the one before it. So -1 means item number 1 from the end.

Trace table

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

positionnegative positionitem
0-5melon
1-4banana
2-3apple
3-2carrot
4-1plum

The code again

basket = ["melon", "banana", "apple", "carrot", "plum"]
print(basket[-1])

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