Chapter 1

Question 1

high-level language

Answer 1

A programming language like Python that is designed to be easy for humans.

Question 2

low-level language

Answer 2

A programming language that is designed to be easy for a computer to execute; also called ‘machine language’ or ‘assembly language’.

Question 3

portability

Answer 3

A property of a program that can run on more than one kind of computer.

Question 4

interpret

Answer 4

To execute a program in a high-level language by translating it one line at a time.

Question 5

compile

Answer 5

To translate a program written in a high-level language by translating it into a low-level language all at once, in preparation for later execution.

Question 6

source code

Answer 6

A program in a high-level language before being compiled.

Question 7

object code

Answer 7

The output of the compiler after it translates the program.

Question 8

executable

Answer 8

Another name for object code that is ready to be executed.

Question 9

prompt

Answer 9

Characters displayed by the interpreter to indicate that it is ready to take input from the user.

Question 10

script

Answer 10

A program stored in a file (usually one that will be interpreted).

Question 11

interactive mode

Answer 11

A way of using the Python interpreter by typing commands and expressions at the prompt.

Question 12

script mode

Answer 12

A way of using the Python interpreter to read and execute statements in a script.

Question 13

program

Answer 13

A set of instructions that specifies a computation.

Question 14

algorithm

Answer 14

A general process for solving a category of problems.

Question 15

bug

Answer 15

An error in a program.

Question 16

debugging

Answer 16

The process of finding and removing any of the three kinds of programming errors.

Question 17

syntax

Answer 17

The structure of a program.

Question 18

syntax error

Answer 18

An error in a program that makes it impossible to parse (and therefore impossible to interpret).

Question 19

exception

Answer 19

An error that is detected while the program is running.

Question 20

semantics

Answer 20

The meaning of a program.

Question 21

semantic error

Answer 21

An error in a program that makes it do something other than what the programmer intended.

Question 22

natural language

Answer 22

Any one of the languages that people speak that evolved naturally.

Question 23

formal language

Answer 23

Any one of the languages that people have designed for specific purposes, such as representing mathematical ideas or computer programs; all programming languages are formal languages.

Question 24

token

Answer 24

One of the basic elements of the syntactic structure of a program, analogous to a word in a natural language.

Question 25

Parse

Answer 25

To examine a program and analyze the syntactic structure.

Question 26

print statement

Answer 26

An instruction that causes the Python interpreter to display a value on the screen.