Answer: Python Puzzler #782

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
0-5pear
1-4melon
2-3plum
3-2apple
4-1mango

The code again

basket = ["pear", "melon", "plum", "apple", "mango"]
print(basket[4])

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