Answer: Python Puzzler #559

The answer is D. The program prints:

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

Why?

Python counts list positions from 0, so position 4 is the fifth item.

Trace table

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

positionnegative positionitem
0-6apple
1-5grape
2-4banana
3-3carrot
4-2mango
5-1plum

The code again

basket = ["apple", "grape", "banana", "carrot", "mango", "plum"]
print(basket[4])

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