Python: When should a Python developer choose Mutable Default Arguments deliberately?

Difficulty:

Medium

Questions:

1

Time Limit:

2 minutes

Passing Score:

100%

Question

When should a Python developer choose Mutable Default Arguments deliberately?

  1. Choose Mutable Default Arguments mainly when you want to postpone validation and fix issues manually later.
  2. Choose Mutable Default Arguments whenever you want the code to look more advanced, even if the design gets less clear.
  3. Choose Mutable Default Arguments only to avoid modeling the real data shape or domain contract explicitly.
  4. Choose a sentinel such as None when the function needs a fresh list or dict for each invocation.

Hint

Think about the production scenario where the choice genuinely improves the code.

Answer and rationale

Correct answer: D. Choose a sentinel such as None when the function needs a fresh list or dict for each invocation.

Choose a sentinel such as None when the function needs a fresh list or dict for each invocation. Interviewers often ask this to see whether you can connect the concept to real design decisions.

Track: Python