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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

Contents

LICENSE 4

CHAPTER 2: FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON 5

Introduction to Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Types of Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Text Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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Binary Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Opening and Closing a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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Opening a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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File Access Modes with Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
File Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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Closing a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Opening a File Using with Clause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
File Access Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
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File Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Closing a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Opening a File Using with Clause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
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Writing to a Text File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Syntax: write() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
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Example: write() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Syntax: writelines() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Example: writelines() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
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Reading from a Text File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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Syntax: read(n) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Example: read(n) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
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Syntax: read() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Example: read() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
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Syntax: readline(n) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
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Example: readline(n) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
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Syntax: readlines() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Example: readlines() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Complete Example from Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
File Offset Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Syntax: tell() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Syntax: seek(offset, reference_point) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

Creating and Traversing a Text File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Creating File and Writing Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Displaying File Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Combined Read/Write Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Pickle Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Pickling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Unpickling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Import Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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Syntax for dump() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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Syntax for load() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Example for dump() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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Example for load() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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Complete Program Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (MCQ) 15

FILL IN THE BLANKS H 34

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2 MARKS QUESTIONS 36
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3 MARKS QUESTIONS 39

5 MARKS QUESTIONS 42
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CHAPTER END EXERCISES 49

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L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

LICENSE

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“Karnataka Second PUC Computer Science Study Material / Student Notes” by L R Mohammed Matheen

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is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

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Figure 1: Licence
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Interna-
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This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Interna-

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L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

CHAPTER 2: FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON

Introduction to Files

• In Python, data stored in variables is temporary and disappears after the program ends.
• To store data permanently, we use files, which are saved on secondary storage (e.g., hard disks).
• Files allow us to store inputs, outputs, and objects for later use.
• A Python file (source code) is saved with a .py extension.

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Types of Files

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Files can be classified into two major types:

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Text Files

• H
Human-readable and stored using characters like letters, digits, symbols.
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• Examples: .txt, .py, .csv, etc.
• Stored using encoding formats like ASCII, Unicode.
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• Each character is represented by its byte equivalent.

• End of Line (EOL) character (\n) is used to separate lines.
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Example:

The ASCII value of 'A' is 65 → Binary: 1000001

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Binary Files
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A

• Not human-readable (appear as symbols or garbage in text editors).

• Store data such as images, audio, video, compressed or executable files.
H

• Readable only with appropriate programs.

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M

Opening and Closing a File

Opening a File

• Files are opened using the open() function which returns a file object.

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

Syntax:

file_object = open("filename", "mode")

File Access Modes with Examples

Read Mode - r

• Opens file for reading only.

R
• File must exist.

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• File pointer at the beginning.

f = open("myfile.txt", "r")

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Binary Read Mode - rb

• Opens file in binary mode for reading.

f = open("myfile.txt", "rb") H
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Read and Write Mode - r+
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• Opens file for reading and writing.

• File must exist.
ED

f = open("myfile.txt", "r+")
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Write Mode - w
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• Opens file for writing only.

A

• Overwrites file if it exists or creates a new one.

H

f = open("myfile.txt", "w")
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Write Binary and Read Mode - wb+

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• Opens file in binary mode for writing and reading.

• Overwrites or creates a new file.

f = open("myfile.txt", "wb+")

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

Append Mode - a

• Opens file for appending data.

• Creates file if it doesn’t exist.
• File pointer at the end.

f = open("myfile.txt", "a")

Append and Read Mode - a+

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• Opens file for both appending and reading.

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f = open("myfile.txt", "a+")

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Example from textbook:

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myObject = open("myfile.txt", "a+")

File Attributes H
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file.closed # True if file is closed
file.mode # Access mode of file
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file.name # Name of the file

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Closing a File
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• Always close files after use to free system resources. Syntax:

file_object.close()
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A

Opening a File Using with Clause

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• Preferred method for file operations as it auto-closes the file. Syntax:

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with open("myfile.txt", "r+") as myObject:

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content = myObject.read()

Opening a File Syntax:

file_object = open("filename", "mode")

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

File Access Modes

Mode Description File Pointer Position

r Read only Beginning

rb Read binary Beginning
r+ Read and write Beginning

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w Write only (overwrites if exists) Beginning

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wb+ Write and read binary (overwrites) Beginning
a Append (creates file if it doesn’t exist) End

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a+ Append and read End

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Example:
H
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myObject = open("myfile.txt", "a+")
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File Attributes

file.closed # True if file is closed

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file.mode # Access mode of file

file.name # Name of the file
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Closing a File
M

Syntax:
A

file_object.close()
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Opening a File Using with Clause

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Syntax:

with open("myfile.txt", "r+") as myObject:

content = myObject.read()

• Automatically closes the file when the block is exited.

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

Writing to a Text File

Syntax: write()

file_object.write(string)

• Writes a single string to the file.

• Returns the number of characters written.

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Example: write()

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• Writes a single string to the file.

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myobject = open("myfile.txt", 'w')

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myobject.write("Hey I have started using files in Python\n")
myobject.close()

Writing numbers:
H
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marks = 58
myobject.write(str(marks))
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Syntax: writelines()
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file_object.writelines(list_of_strings)
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• Writes multiple strings to the file.

• Takes an iterable like a list or tuple.
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Example: writelines()
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H

• Writes a sequence (like a list or tuple) of strings.

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lines = ["Hello everyone\n", "Writing multiline strings\n", "This is the third line"]
myobject.writelines(lines)
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L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

Reading from a Text File

Syntax: read(n)

file_object.read(n)

• Reads n bytes from the file.

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Example: read(n)

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• Reads n bytes from the file.

myobject = open("myfile.txt", 'r')

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print(myobject.read(10))

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myobject.close()

Syntax: read()
H
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file_object.read()

• Reads the entire content of the file.

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Example: read()
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• Reads the entire file content.

myobject = open("myfile.txt", 'r')

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print(myobject.read())
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myobject.close()
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Syntax: readline(n)
H

file_object.readline(n)
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• Reads one line or up to n bytes until newline character.

M

Example: readline(n)

• Reads one line or n bytes until newline.

myobject = open("myfile.txt", 'r')

print(myobject.readline(10))
myobject.close()

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

Syntax: readlines()

file_object.readlines()

• Reads all lines and returns them as a list.

Example: readlines()

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• Reads all lines and returns a list.

myobject = open("myfile.txt", 'r')

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print(myobject.readlines())

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myobject.close()

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Splitting into words:

for line in lines:

words = line.split()
print(words) H
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Using splitlines():
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for line in lines:

print(line.splitlines())
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Complete Example from Text

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fobject = open("testfile.txt", "w")

sentence = input("Enter the contents to be written in the file: ")
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fobject.write(sentence)
fobject.close()
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print("Now reading the contents of the file: ")

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fobject = open("testfile.txt", "r")

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for str in fobject:

print(str)
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fobject.close()

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

File Offset Methods

Syntax: tell()

file_object.tell()

• Returns current position of file pointer.

• Returns current file pointer position.

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file_object.tell()

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Syntax: seek(offset, reference_point)

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file_object.seek(offset, reference_point)

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• Moves pointer to specified position from reference point (0 = start, 1 = current, 2 = end).

• Moves pointer to specified position.

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file_object.seek(5, 0) # Move to 5th byte from start

Program Example:
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fileobject = open("testfile.txt", "r+")

str = fileobject.read()
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print(str)
print("Initially, position:", fileobject.tell())
fileobject.seek(0)
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print("Now at beginning:", fileobject.tell())

fileobject.seek(10)
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print("Pointer at:", fileobject.tell())

print(fileobject.read())
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fileobject.close()
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Creating and Traversing a Text File

Creating File and Writing Data

fileobject = open("practice.txt", "w+")

while True:
data = input("Enter data to save in the text file: ")

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

fileobject.write(data)
ans = input("Do you wish to enter more data?(y/n): ")
if ans == 'n': break
fileobject.close()

Displaying File Contents

fileobject = open("practice.txt", "r")

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str = fileobject.readline()
while str:

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print(str)
str = fileobject.readline()

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fileobject.close()

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Combined Read/Write Program

fileobject = open("report.txt", "w+")

H
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while True:
line = input("Enter a sentence ")
fileobject.write(line + "\n")
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choice = input("Do you wish to enter more data? (y/n): ")

if choice.lower() == 'n': break
ED

print("File position:", fileobject.tell())

fileobject.seek(0)
print("Reading contents:")
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print(fileobject.read())
fileobject.close()
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H

Pickle Module
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Pickling
M

• Process of converting Python objects to a byte stream (serialization).

• Can store complex objects like lists, dictionaries.

Unpickling

• Restores the byte stream back into original object (deserialization).

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

Import Statement

import pickle

Syntax for dump()

pickle.dump(object, file_object)

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Syntax for load()

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variable = pickle.load(file_object)

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Example for dump()

listvalues = [1, "Geetika", 'F', 26]

fileobject = open("mybinary.dat", "wb")
pickle.dump(listvalues, fileobject) H
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fileobject.close()
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Example for load()

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fileobject = open("mybinary.dat", "rb")

objectvar = pickle.load(fileobject)
fileobject.close()
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print(objectvar)
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Complete Program Example

A

import pickle
H

bfile = open("empfile.dat", "ab")

recno = 1
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while True:
M

eno = int(input("Employee number: "))

ename = input("Name: ")
ebasic = int(input("Basic Salary: "))
allow = int(input("Allowances: "))
totsal = ebasic + allow
edata = [eno, ename, ebasic, allow, totsal]
pickle.dump(edata, bfile)
if input("More records? (y/n): ").lower() == 'n': break

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

print("File size:", bfile.tell())

bfile.close()

print("Reading employee records")

try:
with open("empfile.dat", "rb") as bfile:
while True:
edata = pickle.load(bfile)
print(edata)

R
except EOFError:
pass

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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (MCQ)

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1. Introduction to Files

1. What is the primary purpose of storing data in files?

H
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a) To execute programs faster
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b) To permanently store data for later access

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c) To reduce memory usage

d) To improve program readability

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Answer: b) To permanently store data for later access

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2. Where are files stored in a computer system?

A

a) Primary memory (RAM)

H

b) Secondary storage media

O

c) CPU registers
M

d) Cache memory
Answer: b) Secondary storage media

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

2. Types of Files
3. Which of the following is a text file extension?

a) .txt

b) .jpg

c) .exe

R
d) .mp3

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Answer: a) .txt

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4. What is the main difference between text and binary files?

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a) Text files are smaller in size

b) Binary files contain human-readable characters

H
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c) Text files consist of ASCII/Unicode characters
M

d) Binary files cannot be opened in Python

Answer: c) Text files consist of ASCII/Unicode characters
ED

5. What happens if a binary file is opened in a text editor?

a) It displays the correct content

M

b) It shows garbage values

M
A

c) It automatically converts to text

H

d) It asks for a password

O

Answer: b) It shows garbage values

M

6. Which of the following is an example of a binary file?

a) A .csv file

b) A .py file

c) A .docx file

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

d) A .txt file
Answer: c) A .docx file

7. What is the default EOL character in Python?

a) \r

b) \n

R
c) \t

L
d) \0

N
Answer: b) \n

EE
8. Which encoding scheme is commonly used for text files?

a) ASCII

H
AT
b) JPEG

c) MPEG
M

d) ZIP
ED

Answer: a) ASCII
M
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3. Opening and Closing Files

A

9. Which function is used to open a file in Python?

H

a) file_open()
O

b) open()
M

c) load()

d) read()
Answer: b) open()

10. What is the default mode for opening a file?

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

a) Read mode (‘r’)

b) Write mode (‘w’)

c) Append mode (‘a’)

d) Binary mode (‘b’)

Answer: a) Read mode (‘r’)

R
11. Which mode is used to open a file for both reading and writing?

L
a) ‘r’

N
b) ‘w+’

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c) ‘a’

H
AT
d) ‘b’
Answer: b) ‘w+’
M

12. What happens if a file opened in ‘w’ mode already exists?

a) The file is opened in read mode

ED

b) The existing content is overwritten

M

c) The file is deleted

M

d) An error occurs
A

Answer: b) The existing content is overwritten

H

13. Which attribute returns the access mode of a file?

O

a) file.name
M

b) file.mode

c) file.closed

d) file.size
Answer: b) file.mode

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

14. How is a file closed in Python?

a) file.close()

b) close(file)

c) file.exit()

R
d) exit(file)
Answer: a) file.close()

L
15. What is the advantage of using the with clause to open a file?

N
a) It allows faster file operations

EE
b) It automatically closes the file

c) It encrypts the file H

AT
d) It compresses the file
M

Answer: b) It automatically closes the file

ED

4. Writing to a Text File

M

16. Which method is used to write a single string to a file?

M

a) writeline()
A

b) write()
H
O

c) append()
M

d) insert()
Answer: b) write()

17. What does the write() method return?

a) The number of characters written

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

b) The file object

c) The content of the file

d) None
Answer: a) The number of characters written

18. How can numeric data be written to a text file?

R
a) Directly using write()

L
b) By converting it to a string first

N
c) Using the dump() method

EE
d) It cannot be written
Answer: b) By converting it to a string first
H
AT
19. Which method is used to write multiple strings to a file?

a) writelines()
M

b) write()
ED

c) appendlines()
M

d) insertlines()
M

Answer: a) writelines()

20. What is the purpose of the flush() method?

A
H

a) To close the file

O

b) To clear the buffer and write contents to the file

M

c) To read the file

d) To delete the file

Answer: b) To clear the buffer and write contents to the file

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5. Reading from a Text File

21. Which method reads a specified number of bytes from a file?

a) read()

b) readline()

c) readlines()

R
d) seek()

L
Answer: a) read()

N
22. What happens if no argument is passed to the read() method?

EE
a) It reads one line

b) It reads the entire file

H
AT
c) It returns an error
M

d) It reads 10 bytes
Answer: b) It reads the entire file
ED

23. Which method reads one complete line from a file?

a) read()
M

b) readline()
M
A

c) readlines()
H

d) load()
O

Answer: b) readline()
M

24. What does the readlines() method return?

a) A single string

b) A list of strings

c) A tuple of strings

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

d) A dictionary of strings
Answer: b) A list of strings

25. How can you read a file line by line using a loop?

a) Using readline() in a while loop

b) Using read() in a for loop

R
c) Using seek() in a loop

L
d) Using dump() in a loop

N
Answer: a) Using readline() in a while loop

EE
26. What does the split() function do when reading a file?

a) Splits the file into multiple files

H
AT
b) Splits each line into a list of words

c) Joins multiple lines

M

d) Closes the file

ED

Answer: b) Splits each line into a list of words

M
M

6. Setting Offsets in a File

A

27. Which method returns the current position of the file object?
H

a) seek()
O

b) tell()
M

c) pos()

d) offset()
Answer: b) tell()

28. What is the purpose of the seek() method?

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

a) To close the file

b) To move the file object to a specific position

c) To read the file

d) To write to the file

Answer: b) To move the file object to a specific position

R
29. What is the default reference point for the seek() method?

L
a) Beginning of the file (0)

N
b) Current position (1)

EE
c) End of the file (2)

H
AT
d) Middle of the file
Answer: a) Beginning of the file (0)
M

30. How do you move the file object to the 10th byte from the beginning?

a) seek(10, 0)
ED

b) seek(0, 10)
M

c) seek(10, 1)
M

d) seek(10, 2)
A

Answer: a) seek(10, 0)
H
O
M

7. Creating and Traversing a Text File

31. What happens if a file opened in ‘a’ mode does not exist?

a) An error occurs

b) A new file is created

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

c) The file is deleted

d) The file is opened in read mode

Answer: b) A new file is created

32. Which mode is used to open a file for both reading and writing without overwriting existing content?

a) ‘r+’

R
b) ‘w+’

L
c) ‘a+’

N
d) ‘b+’

EE
Answer: c) ‘a+’

33. How can you iterate over all lines in a file?

H
AT
a) Using a for loop on the file object

b) Using a while loop with readline()

M

c) Both a and b
ED

d) Using seek()
Answer: c) Both a and b
M

34. What is the output of fileobject.tell() after writing data to a file?

M

a) The number of lines written

A
H

b) The current byte position of the file object

O

c) The file size

M

d) The number of characters written

Answer: b) The current byte position of the file object

8. The Pickle Module

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35. What is the purpose of the pickle module?

a) To read text files

b) To serialize and deserialize Python objects

c) To write binary files

R
d) To compress files
Answer: b) To serialize and deserialize Python objects

L
36. Which method is used to write Python objects to a binary file?

N
a) write()

EE
b) dump()

c) load() H
AT
d) pickle()
M

Answer: b) dump()

37. Which method is used to read Python objects from a binary file?
ED

a) read()
M

b) load()
M

c) get()
A

d) unpickle()
H

Answer: b) load()
O

38. What mode is used to open a binary file for writing?

M

a) ‘w’

b) ‘wb’

c) ‘wr’

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

d) ‘w+’
Answer: b) ‘wb’

39. What happens if a binary file is corrupted?

a) It can be easily fixed

b) It becomes unreadable

R
c) It automatically repairs itself

L
d) It converts to a text file

N
Answer: b) It becomes unreadable

EE
40. Which exception is raised when the end of a binary file is reached during unpickling?

a) FileNotFoundError

H
AT
b) EOFError

c) IOError
M

d) ValueError
ED

Answer: b) EOFError
M
M

Miscellaneous
A

41. What is serialization?

H

a) Converting Python objects to byte streams

O

b) Reading text files

M

c) Writing binary files

d) Closing files
Answer: a) Converting Python objects to byte streams

42. What is deserialization?

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

a) Converting byte streams to Python objects

b) Writing text files

c) Reading binary files

d) Opening files
Answer: a) Converting byte streams to Python objects

R
43. Which module is required for pickling and unpickling?

L
a) io

N
b) pickle

EE
c) os

H
AT
d) sys
Answer: b) pickle
M

44. What is the output of file.closed if the file is open?

a) True
ED

b) False
M

c) 1
M

d) 0
A

Answer: b) False
H

45. Which method is used to forcefully write buffer contents to a file?

O

a) close()
M

b) flush()

c) write()

d) dump()
Answer: b) flush()

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46. What is the purpose of the splitlines() method?

a) To split a file into multiple files

b) To split a string into a list of lines

c) To join lines in a file

R
d) To close a file
Answer: b) To split a string into a list of lines

L
47. Which of the following is not a file attribute?

N
a) file.name

EE
b) file.mode

c) file.size H
AT
d) file.closed
M

Answer: c) file.size

48. What is the correct way to open a file for reading and writing in binary mode?
ED

a) open(“file.dat”, “r+b”)
M

b) open(“file.dat”, “rwb”)
M

c) open(“file.dat”, “br+”)
A

d) open(“file.dat”, “b+r”)
H

Answer: a) open(“file.dat”, “r+b”)

O

49. What is the correct syntax for the with clause?

M

a) with open(“file.txt”, “r”) as f:

b) with open(“file.txt”, “r”) -> f:

c) with open(“file.txt”, “r”) in f:

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

d) with open(“file.txt”, “r”) f:

Answer: a) with open(“file.txt”, “r”) as f:

50. What is the purpose of the io module in Python?

a) To handle file operations

b) To perform mathematical calculations

R
c) To create graphical interfaces

L
d) To connect to databases

N
Answer: a) To handle file operations

EE
51. Assertion (A): A text file can be opened and read using a text editor.
Reason (R): Text files store data in the form of ASCII or Unicode characters.

Options:
H
AT
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(C) A is true, but R is false
M

(D) A is false, but R is true

Answer: A
ED
M

52. Assertion (A): Binary files can be edited easily using Notepad or any text editor.
M

Reason (R): Binary files store information using human-readable characters.

A

Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
H

(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
O

(C) A is true, but R is false

(D) A is false, but R is true
M

Answer: D

53. Assertion (A): The open() function returns a file object.

Reason (R): This file object is used to perform read or write operations.

Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

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(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(C) A is true, but R is false
(D) A is false, but R is true

Answer: A

54. Assertion (A): Files should be closed using the close() method after operations.
Reason (R): Closing a file ensures that all data is flushed and memory is freed.

R
Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

L
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(C) A is true, but R is false

N
(D) A is false, but R is true

EE
Answer: A

H
55. Assertion (A): The write() method automatically adds a newline character at the end of the
string.
AT
Reason (R): It is designed to make each write call write a new line.

Options:
M

(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
ED

(C) A is true, but R is false

(D) A is false, but R is true
M

Answer: D
M
A

56. Assertion (A): The writelines() method requires a list or tuple of strings.
H

Reason (R): It adds newline characters between each string automatically.

O

Options:
M

(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(C) A is true, but R is false
(D) A is false, but R is true

Answer: C

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

57. Assertion (A): Opening a file in 'w' mode erases its existing contents.
Reason (R): In this mode, the file pointer is placed at the end of the file.

Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(C) A is true, but R is false
(D) A is false, but R is true

R
Answer: C

L
N
58. Assertion (A): The read() method reads the complete file when no parameter is passed.

EE
Reason (R): It returns a list of strings when the file is completely read.

Options:

H
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
AT
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(C) A is true, but R is false
M

(D) A is false, but R is true

Answer: C
ED

59. Assertion (A): The readline() method reads the file until a newline character is found.
Reason (R): It always reads the complete file in one go.
M

Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
M

(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
A

(C) A is true, but R is false

(D) A is false, but R is true
H

Answer: C
O
M

60. Assertion (A): The readlines() method returns a list containing each line as an element.
Reason (R): This method is useful when we want to iterate through lines as list elements.

Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A

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(C) A is true, but R is false

(D) A is false, but R is true

Answer: A

61. Assertion (A): The tell() function returns the current byte position of the file object.
Reason (R): It is helpful when tracking file offset during file operations.

Options:

R
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A

L
(C) A is true, but R is false
(D) A is false, but R is true

N
Answer: A

EE
H
62. Assertion (A): The seek() method is used to randomly access a file.
AT
Reason (R): It always moves the file pointer to the beginning of the file.
M

Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
ED

(C) A is true, but R is false

(D) A is false, but R is true
M

Answer: C
M

63. Assertion (A): The with statement is preferred in Python for file handling.
Reason (R): It automatically closes the file when execution goes out of scope.
A

Options:
H

(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

O

(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
M

(C) A is true, but R is false

(D) A is false, but R is true

Answer: A

64. Assertion (A): Pickling converts a Python object into a byte stream.
Reason (R): It is useful for storing Python objects in binary files.

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Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(C) A is true, but R is false
(D) A is false, but R is true

Answer: A

65. Assertion (A): The dump() method writes binary data to a file.

R
Reason (R): The file must be opened in 'rb' mode to use dump().

L
Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

N
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A

EE
(C) A is true, but R is false
(D) A is false, but R is true

Answer: C
H
AT
(dump() requires 'wb', not 'rb')

66. Assertion (A): The load() method is used for unpickling data from a binary file.
M

Reason (R): It recreates the original Python object from the byte stream.

Options:
ED

(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
M

(C) A is true, but R is false

(D) A is false, but R is true
M

Answer: A
A

67. Assertion (A): All Python objects can be pickled.

H

Reason (R): The pickle module can serialize even open file objects and sockets.
O

Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
M

(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(C) A is true, but R is false
(D) A is false, but R is true

Answer: D
(Not all objects can be pickled – open files, sockets, etc., cannot be.)

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68. Assertion (A): A file opened using mode 'a+' allows both appending and reading.
Reason (R): The file pointer is initially placed at the beginning of the file.

Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(C) A is true, but R is false
(D) A is false, but R is true

R
Answer: C
(In 'a+', pointer is at the end, not beginning.)

L
N
EE
69. Assertion (A): If a file opened using 'w' mode does not exist, it will be created.
Reason (R): The 'w' mode only works on already existing files.

Options:
H
AT
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
M

(C) A is true, but R is false

(D) A is false, but R is true
ED

Answer: C

70. Assertion (A): pickle.load() raises EOFError when end of file is reached.
M

Reason (R): This helps to read binary files using a while loop and try-except block.
M

Options:
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
A

(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(C) A is true, but R is false
H

(D) A is false, but R is true

O

Answer: A
M

FILL IN THE BLANKS

1. A file is a named location on ________ storage media where data is permanently stored. Answer:
secondary

2. The two main types of files are ________ files and binary files. Answer: text

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3. Text files store data using ________ or Unicode encoding schemes. Answer: ASCII

4. The default End of Line (EOL) character in Python is ________. Answer: \n

5. Binary files store data in ________ format that is not human-readable. Answer: byte

6. The ________ function is used to open a file in Python. Answer: open()

7. The default file opening mode is ________. Answer: ‘r’ (read mode)

8. To open a file for both reading and writing, we use ________ mode. Answer: ‘r+’

R
9. The ________ method returns the current position of the file pointer. Answer: tell()

L
10. To move the file pointer to a specific position, we use the ________ method. Answer: seek()

N
11. The ________ clause automatically closes the file when the block ends. Answer: with

EE
12. The ________ method writes a single string to a file. Answer: write()

13. The ________ method writes multiple strings from an iterable to a file. Answer: writelines()

H
14. To read a specified number of bytes from a file, we use the ________ method. Answer: read()
AT
15. The ________ method reads one complete line from a file. Answer: readline()

16. The ________ method reads all lines and returns them as a list. Answer: readlines()
M

17. The ________ module is used for serializing and deserializing Python objects. Answer: pickle
ED

18. The ________ method converts Python objects to byte streams for storage. Answer: dump()

19. The ________ method loads Python objects from binary files. Answer: load()
M

20. Files opened in ________ mode will overwrite existing content. Answer: ‘w’
M

21. The ________ mode allows appending data to the end of an existing file. Answer: ‘a’

22. The ________ attribute returns True if a file is closed. Answer: closed
A

23. The ________ attribute returns the name of the file. Answer: name
H

24. The ________ method forces writing of buffered data to the file. Answer: flush()
O

25. To handle non-text data like images, we open files in ________ mode. Answer: binary (‘b’)
M

26. The ________ exception occurs when trying to read past EOF in pickle. Answer: EOFError

27. The ________ method splits strings at whitespace by default. Answer: split()

28. The ________ method splits strings at line boundaries. Answer: splitlines()

29. In file operations, ________ refers to converting objects to byte streams. Answer: serialization

30. The ________ function converts numbers to strings before file writing. Answer: str()

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2 MARKS QUESTIONS

1. Differentiate between text files and binary files.

Answer:

• Text files store data as human-readable characters (ASCII/Unicode) with extensions like .txt,
.py.

R
• Binary files store data as bytes (0s/1s) for non-text data like images/audio with extensions
like .dat, .jpg.

L
2. What is the purpose of file modes? Give syntax to open a file in read-write mode.

N
Answer:

EE
File modes determine operations allowed on a file.
Syntax: file_object = open("filename.txt", "r+")

H
3. Explain the difference between write() and writelines() methods with examples.
Answer:
AT
• write(): Writes a single string (file.write("Hello"))
M

• writelines(): Writes a list of strings (file.writelines(["Line1\n", "Line2"]))

ED

4. What happens when a file is opened in ‘w’ mode versus ‘a’ mode?
Answer:
M

• ‘w’ mode overwrites existing content.

M

• ‘a’ mode appends to existing content.

A

5. Give the syntax and purpose of seek() and tell() methods.

Answer:
H

• tell(): Returns current position (pos = file.tell())

O
M

• seek(offset, reference_point): Moves pointer (e.g., file.seek(5, 0) moves to

5th byte from start).

6. Differentiate between read(), readline(), and readlines() methods.

Answer:

• read(): Reads entire file or specified bytes.

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• readline(): Reads one line.

• readlines(): Returns all lines as a list.

7. Why is closing files important? Show two ways to close a file.

Answer:
Prevents memory leaks and ensures data is saved.
Methods:

R
1. Explicit: file.close()

L
2. Implicit: Using with open() as file:

N
8. What is pickling? Give syntax to dump a Python list into a binary file.

EE
Answer:
Pickling converts Python objects to byte streams.
Syntax:
H
AT
import pickle
pickle.dump([1, 2, 3], open("data.dat", "wb"))
M

9. Explain the purpose of the split() method in file handling with an example.
Answer:
ED

Splits strings into lists.

Example:
M

line = "Hello World"

words = line.split() # Returns ['Hello', 'World']
M

10. How does the ‘with’ statement improve file handling?

A

Answer:
Automatically closes files after block execution, even if errors occur.
H

11. Differentiate between ‘r+’ and ‘w+’ file modes.

O

Answer:
M

• ‘r+’: Opens for read/write (file must exist).

• ‘w+’: Opens for read/write (creates/overwrites file).

12. What is serialization? Name the Python module used for it.
Answer:
Process of converting objects to byte streams. Module: pickle.

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13. Give syntax to load data from a binary file using pickle.
Answer:

data = pickle.load(open("file.dat", "rb"))

14. What happens if you open a non-existent file in ‘r’ mode versus ‘w’ mode?
Answer:

• ‘r’ mode raises FileNotFoundError.

R
• ‘w’ mode creates a new file.

L
15. Explain the role of file offsets with an example of seek().

N
Answer:

EE
File offsets indicate byte positions.
Example: file.seek(10) moves pointer to 10th byte.

H
16. How does append mode (‘a’) differ from write mode (‘w’) in file handling?
Answer:
AT
• ‘a’ preserves existing content and adds new data at the end.
M

• ‘w’ deletes existing content.

ED

17. What is the significance of the flush() method?

Answer:
Forces immediate writing of buffered data to the file.
M

18. Give an example to demonstrate reading a file line by line.

M

Answer:
A

with open("file.txt", "r") as f:

for line in f:
H

print(line)
O

19. What are the attributes of a file object? Mention any two.
M

Answer:

• file.name: Returns filename.

• file.mode: Returns access mode.

20. Differentiate between dump() and load() methods of the pickle module.
Answer:

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

• dump(): Writes objects to binary files.

• load(): Reads objects from binary files.

3 MARKS QUESTIONS

1. Explain the file handling process in Python with proper steps. Answer:

R
• Open file using open() function with filename and mode

L
• Perform operations (read/write) using appropriate methods
• Close file using close() method to free resources

N
• Alternatively use with statement for automatic closing

EE
2. Differentiate between text and binary files with three points each. Answer: Text Files:

• Store human-readable characters

• Use ASCII/Unicode encoding H
AT
• Extensions: .txt, .py, .csv

Binary Files:
M

• Store data as bytes (0s/1s)

ED

• Non-human readable format

• Extensions: .dat, .jpg, .mp3
M

3. Explain any three file opening modes with examples. Answer:

• 'r': Read mode (default) - open("file.txt", "r")

M

• 'w': Write mode (overwrites) - open("file.txt", "w")

A

• 'a': Append mode - open("file.txt", "a")

H

4. Write a Python program to create a file and write three lines of text to it.
O

with open("sample.txt", "w") as f:

f.write("First line\n")
M

f.write("Second line\n")
f.write("Third line\n")

5. Explain the working of seek() and tell() methods with examples. Answer:

• tell(): Returns current position

pos = file.tell() # Returns byte position

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

• seek(): Moves file pointer

file.seek(5) # Moves to 5th byte
file.seek(0, 2) # Moves to end of file

6. Differentiate between read(), readline() and readlines() methods. Answer:

• read(): Reads entire content or specified bytes

• readline(): Reads single line

R
• readlines(): Returns list of all lines

7. Explain the pickle module with its two main methods and syntax. Answer:

L
• Used for object serialization

N
• dump(): Writes object to file

EE
pickle.dump(obj, file)

• load(): Reads object from file

H
AT
obj = pickle.load(file)

8. Write a program to read a file and display lines starting with ‘A’.
M

with open("data.txt", "r") as f:

for line in f:
ED

if line.startswith('A'):
print(line)
M

9. Explain three advantages of using ‘with’ statement for file handling. Answer:

• Automatically closes file

M

• Handles exceptions properly

A

• Cleaner and more readable code

H

10. Differentiate between write() and writelines() methods with examples. Answer:
O

• write(): Accepts single string

M

file.write("Hello")

• writelines(): Accepts sequence of strings

file.writelines(["Line1", "Line2"])

11. Explain the concept of serialization and deserialization in Python. Answer:

• Serialization: Converting object to byte stream (pickling)

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

• Deserialization: Converting byte stream back to object (unpickling)

• Done using pickle module

12. Write a program to copy contents from one file to another.

with open("source.txt", "r") as src, open("dest.txt", "w") as dest:

dest.write(src.read())

13. Explain the file object attributes with examples. Answer:

R
• file.name: Returns filename

L
print(file.name)

• file.mode: Returns access mode

N
print(file.mode)

EE
• file.closed: Returns True if closed
print(file.closed)
H
AT
14. What are the different reference points in seek() method? Explain. Answer:

• 0: Beginning of file (default)

M

• 1: Current position
• 2: End of file Example: file.seek(5, 0) moves to 5th byte from start
ED

15. Write a program to count number of lines in a file.

count = 0
M

with open("data.txt", "r") as f:

for line in f:
M

count += 1
print("Total lines:", count)
A

16. Explain the importance of closing files after operations. Answer:

H

• Frees system resources

O

• Ensures all data is written

M

• Prevents data corruption

• Releases file locks

17. Differentiate between ‘r+’, ‘w+’ and ‘a+’ file modes. Answer:

• 'r+': Read/write (file must exist)

• 'w+': Read/write (creates/overwrites)
• 'a+': Read/append (creates if doesn’t exist)

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

18. Write a program to display the size of a file.

import os
size = os.path.getsize("data.txt")
print("File size:", size, "bytes")

19. Explain the working of split() and splitlines() methods with examples. Answer:

• split(): Splits at whitespace

R
words = "Hello World".split() # ['Hello', 'World']

L
• splitlines(): Splits at line breaks
lines = "Line1\nLine2".splitlines() # ['Line1', 'Line2']

N
20. Write a program to create a binary file and store a dictionary in it.

EE
import pickle
data = {"name": "John", "age": 25}
with open("data.dat", "wb") as f:
H
AT
pickle.dump(data, f)
M

5 MARKS QUESTIONS
ED

1. Explain the complete file handling process in Python with proper syntax and examples for
each step. Answer:
M

• Opening: file = open("example.txt", "r") or with open("example.txt", "w")

as file:
M

• Writing: file.write("Content") or file.writelines(["Line1\n", "Line2\n"])

• Reading: content = file.read() or lines = file.readlines()
A

• Positioning: pos = file.tell() and file.seek(offset)

H

• Closing: file.close() (automatic in with statement) Example:

O

with open("demo.txt", "w+") as f:

f.write("Sample text\n")
M

f.seek(0)
print(f.read())

2. Compare and contrast text files and binary files with respect to: storage format, readability,
extensions, and use cases. Answer:

• Storage Format: Text uses ASCII/Unicode; Binary uses raw bytes

• Readability: Text is human-readable; Binary requires special programs

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

• Extensions: Text (.txt, .py); Binary (.dat, .jpg)

• Use Cases: Text for configuration/data; Binary for media/executables
• Example:
# Text file operation
with open("text.txt", "w") as f:
f.write("Hello")

# Binary file operation

R
with open("binary.dat", "wb") as f:
f.write(b'\x48\x65\x6c\x6c\x6f')

L
3. Explain in detail the various file opening modes with their file pointer positions and suitable

N
use cases. Answer:

EE
Mode Pointer Position Use Case

‘r’ Beginning Read existing files

H
AT
‘w’ Beginning Create/overwrite files
‘a’ End Append to existing files
M

‘r+’ Beginning Read/write existing files

‘w+’ Beginning Create/overwrite with read capability
ED

‘a+’ End Append with read capability

‘b’ - Binary mode suffix (e.g., ‘rb’, ‘wb’)
M
M

4. Demonstrate the complete process of pickling and unpickling with proper error handling.
Answer:
A

import pickle
H
O

# Pickling (Serialization)
try:
M

data = {"name": "Alice", "age": 25}

with open("data.dat", "wb") as f:
pickle.dump(data, f)
except pickle.PicklingError:
print("Error in pickling data")

# Unpickling (Deserialization)
try:

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

with open("data.dat", "rb") as f:

loaded = pickle.load(f)
print(loaded)
except (pickle.UnpicklingError, EOFError):
print("Error in unpickling data")

5. Explain the file object attributes and methods with suitable examples for each. Answer:

• Attributes:

R
– name: print(file.name) # Shows filename
– mode: print(file.mode) # Shows access mode

L
– closed: print(file.closed) # True/False

N
• Methods:

EE
– read(): content = file.read(10) # First 10 bytes
– seek(): file.seek(5) # Move to 5th byte
– tell(): pos = file.tell() # Current position
– flush(): file.flush() # Force write to disk
H
AT
6. Develop a complete Python program to maintain student records in a file with the following
operations: add, view, and search records. Answer:
M

def add_student():
with open("students.txt", "a") as f:
ED

name = input("Enter name: ")

roll = input("Enter roll no: ")
f.write(f"{roll},{name}\n")
M

def view_students():
M

with open("students.txt", "r") as f:

print("\nStudent Records:")
A

for line in f:
H

roll, name = line.strip().split(',')

print(f"Roll: {roll}, Name: {name}")
O
M

def search_student():
roll = input("Enter roll no to search: ")
with open("students.txt", "r") as f:
for line in f:
if line.startswith(roll):
print("Record found:", line)
return
print("Record not found")

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

7. Compare the sequential and random access methods in file handling with appropriate exam-
ples. Answer:

• Sequential Access:
– Reads/writes in order
– Methods: read(), readline(), write()
– Example:
with open("seq.txt", "r") as f:

R
while True:
line = f.readline()

L
if not line: break
print(line)

N
• Random Access:

EE
– Direct access using positions
– Methods: seek(), tell()
– Example:
H
AT
with open("random.txt", "rb+") as f:
f.seek(10)
f.write(b"NEWDATA")
M

print("Current position:", f.tell())

8. Explain the concept of serialization with its advantages and demonstrate using the pickle
ED

module. Answer:

• Concept: Converting objects to byte stream for storage/transmission

M

• Advantages:
M

1. Preserves object state

A

2. Enables complex data storage

3. Supports network transmission
H

• Example:
O

import pickle
M

# Serialization
data = {"a": [1,2,3], "b": ("hello",), "c": {"key": "value"}}
with open("data.pkl", "wb") as f:
pickle.dump(data, f)

# Deserialization
with open("data.pkl", "rb") as f:

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

loaded = pickle.load(f)
print(loaded)

9. Develop a complete file handling program that demonstrates reading, writing, and appending
operations with proper exception handling. Answer:

try:
# Writing
with open("operations.txt", "w") as f:

R
f.write("Initial content\n")

L
# Appending
with open("operations.txt", "a") as f:

N
f.write("Appended content\n")

EE
# Reading
with open("operations.txt", "r") as f:
print("File content:")
print(f.read()) H
AT
except IOError as e:
print(f"File error: {e}")
M

except Exception as e:
print(f"Error: {e}")
ED

10. Explain the various techniques for reading file content in Python with examples of when each
would be appropriate. Answer:
M

• read(): When you need the entire content as single string

M

with open("data.txt", "r") as f:

content = f.read() # For small files
A

• readline(): When processing large files line by line

H

with open("large.txt", "r") as f:

O

while True:
line = f.readline()
M

if not line: break

process(line)

• readlines(): When you need all lines as a list

with open("config.txt", "r") as f:
lines = f.readlines() # For line-based operations

• Iteration: Memory efficient for large files

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

with open("huge.txt", "r") as f:

for line in f: # No memory overload
process(line)

11. Create a comprehensive program that demonstrates all file object methods (read, write,
seek, tell, flush) with proper documentation.
Answer:

R
# Demonstrate all key file methods
with open("demo_methods.txt", "w+") as f: # Open in write/read mode

L
# WRITE
f.write("Line 1\nLine 2\nLine 3\n")

N
print(f"Initial write - Position: {f.tell()}") # Should show 18 bytes

EE
# FLUSH
f.flush() # Force write to disk

# SEEK H
AT
f.seek(0) # Rewind to start
print(f"After seek(0) - Position: {f.tell()}") # 0
M

# READ
content = f.read(10) # First 10 chars
ED

print(f"Partial read: {content}")

print(f"After read(10) - Position: {f.tell()}") # 10
M

# READLINE
f.seek(0)
M

print("Full content:")
while True:
A

line = f.readline()
H

if not line: break

print(line.strip())
O

12. Compare and contrast the working of text mode vs binary mode file operations with suitable
M

examples for each.

Answer:

Aspect Text Mode Binary Mode

Data Handling Automatic encoding/decoding Raw bytes

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

Aspect Text Mode Binary Mode

Newlines Converts \n to OS format No conversion

Example Write f.write("Hello") f.write(b"Hello")
Example Read text = f.read() data = f.read()
Use Case Config files, logs Images, serialized data

R
13. Explain the detailed working of the seek() method with all possible reference points and

L
practical applications.
Answer:

N
EE
• Reference Points:

1. 0 (default): Beginning of file

H
AT
2. 1: Current position
M

3. 2: End of file
ED

• Applications:

# Jump to beginning
M

f.seek(0)
M

# Move 5 bytes forward from current position

f.seek(5, 1)
A
H

# Go to 10 bytes before end

f.seek(-10, 2)
O

# Practical use: Read last line

M

f.seek(-100, 2) # Move near end

last_line = f.readlines()[-1]

14. Develop a program that demonstrates reading a binary file (like an image) and creating its
copy.
Answer:

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

def copy_binary_file(source, dest):

CHUNK_SIZE = 4096 # 4KB chunks
with open(source, "rb") as src, open(dest, "wb") as dst:
while True:
chunk = src.read(CHUNK_SIZE)
if not chunk: break
dst.write(chunk)

# Usage

R
copy_binary_file("original.jpg", "copy.jpg")

L
CHAPTER END EXERCISES

N
EE
1. Differentiate between:

a) Text file and binary file

Answer:
H
AT
• Text files store data as human-readable characters (ASCII/Unicode) with extensions like .txt, .py.
M

• Binary files store data as bytes (0s/1s) for non-text data like images/audio with extensions like .dat,
ED

.jpg.

b) readline() and readlines()

M

Answer:
M

• readline() reads a single line including newline character.

A

• readlines() returns all lines as a list of strings.

H
O

c) write() and writelines()

Answer:
M

• write() accepts a single string argument.

• writelines() accepts an iterable of strings.

L R MOHAMMED MATHEEN M.C.A., M.A., B.ED., UGC NET.,

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

2. Write the use and syntax for the following methods:

a) open()
Answer:

• Use: To open a file

• Syntax: file_object = open(filename, mode)

R
b) read()

L
Answer:

N
EE
• Use: Reads file content

• Syntax: content = file_object.read([size])

c) seek() H
AT
Answer:
M

• Use: Moves file pointer

ED

• Syntax: file_object.seek(offset[, reference_point])

d) dump()
M

Answer:
M

• Use: Writes Python objects to binary files

A
H

• Syntax: pickle.dump(object, file_object)

O
M

3. Write the file mode that will be used for opening the following files. Also, write the
Python statements to open the following files:

a) A text file “example.txt” in both read and write mode

Answer:

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

• Mode: 'r+'

• Statement: file = open("example.txt", "r+")

b) A binary file “bfile.dat” in write mode

Answer:

• Mode: 'wb'

R
L
• Statement: file = open("bfile.dat", "wb")

N
c) A text file “try.txt” in append and read mode
Answer:

EE
• Mode: 'a+'

H
AT
• Statement: file = open("try.txt", "a+")

d) A binary file “btry.dat” in read only mode

M

Answer:
ED

• Mode: 'rb'
M

• Statement: file = open("btry.dat", "rb")

M
A

4. Why is it advised to close a file after we are done with the read and write operations?
H

What will happen if we do not close it? Will some error message be flashed? Answer:
O

- Prevents memory leaks and data corruption.

- Unclosed files may remain locked, preventing other operations.
M

- No immediate error, but may cause resource issues.

5. What is the difference between the following set of statements (a) and (b):

a)

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

P = open("practice.txt","r")
P.read(10)

b)

with open("practice.txt","r") as P:
x = P.read()

Answer:

R
- (a) Requires manual closing (P.close()).
- (b) Automatically closes file after block.

L
N
EE
6. Write a command(s) to write the following lines to the text file named hello.txt. Assume
that the file is opened in append mode. “Welcome my class”
“It is a fun place”
H
AT
“You will learn and play”
Answer:
M

with open("hello.txt", "a") as f:

f.write("Welcome my class\n")
f.write("It is a fun place\n")
ED

f.write("You will learn and play\n")

M
M

7. Write a Python program to open the file hello.txt used in question no 6 in read mode
to display its contents. What will be the difference if the file was opened in write mode
A

instead of append mode? Answer:

H

# Read mode
O

with open("hello.txt", "r") as f:

print(f.read())
M

# Write mode would overwrite all content

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

8. Write a program to accept string/sentences from the user till the user enters “END”.
Save the data in a text file and then display only those sentences which begin with an
uppercase alphabet. Answer:

with open("output.txt", "w") as f:

while True:
line = input("Enter sentence (END to stop): ")
if line == "END": break
f.write(line + "\n")

R
# Display filtered content

L
with open("output.txt", "r") as f:
for line in f:

N
if line.strip() and line[0].isupper():

EE
print(line.strip())

H
AT
9. Define pickling in Python. Explain serialization and deserialization of Python object.
Answer:
M

- Pickling: Process of converting Python objects to byte streams.

- Serialization: Object → Byte stream (using pickle.dump()).
ED

- Deserialization: Byte stream → Object (using pickle.load()).

M
M

10. Write a program to enter the following records in a binary file: Item No (integer)
Item_Name (string)
A

Qty (integer)
H

Price (float)
O

Display records in format:

Item No:
M

Item Name:
Quantity:
Price per item:
Amount: (Price * Qty)

Answer:

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STUDENT NOTES || CHAPTER 2 FILE HANDLING IN PYTHON April 16, 2025

import pickle

# Writing records
with open("items.dat", "wb") as f:
while True:
item_no = int(input("Enter Item No (0 to stop): "))
if item_no == 0: break
name = input("Item Name: ")
qty = int(input("Quantity: "))

R
price = float(input("Price: "))
pickle.dump([item_no, name, qty, price], f)

L
N
# Reading records
with open("items.dat", "rb") as f:

EE
while True:
try:
item = pickle.load(f)
print(f"\nItem No: {item[0]}")
H
AT
print(f"Item Name: {item[1]}")
print(f"Quantity: {item[2]}")
print(f"Price per item: {item[3]}")
M

print(f"Amount: {item[2] * item[3]}")

except EOFError:
break
ED

For more information Visit:

M

https://matheenhere.blogspot.com
M
A
H
O
M

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