Answer: Python Puzzler #3911

The answer is A. The program prints:

53

This answer was 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:

n	n > biggest?	biggest
17	yes	17
44	yes	44
53	yes	53
40	no	53
2	no	53

The code again

numbers = [17, 44, 53, 40, 2]
biggest = 0
for n in numbers:
    if n > biggest:
        biggest = n
print(biggest)