Chapter 6 Key Terms

Question 1

Types of Files

Answer 1

Text Files contain data that is encoded as text. Binary files contain data that has not been converted to text.

Question 2

Sequential Access

Answer 2

A method of accessing data in a file where data is written or read from the beginning to the end.

Question 3

Direct Access

Answer 3

A method of accessing data in a file where data can be read or written at any location within the file.

Question 4

Filename

Answer 4

Is used to identify and locate a specific file within a directory or folder.

Question 5

Filename Extensions

Answer 5

Suffixes added to filenames to indicate the file’s format or type.

Question 6

File Object

Answer 6

Object associated with a specific file.

Question 7

open Statement

Answer 7

Statement used in many programming languages to open a file for reading or writing.

Question 8

Syntax for Opening a File

Answer 8

The syntax for opening a file consists of the open statement followed by the filename and mode in which the file should be opened.

Question 9

mode

Answer 9

Specifies the purpose for which a file is opened.

Question 10

‘r’

Answer 10

Read mode (default). Opens the file for reading.

Question 11

‘w’

Answer 11

Write mode. Opens the file for writing.

Question 12

‘a’

Answer 12

Append mode. Opens the file for writing.

Question 13

write Statement

Answer 13

Used to write data to an open file. Allows for modification of content within a file.

Question 14

Syntax for Writing to a File

Answer 14

The syntax for writing to a file involves using the file object’s ‘write’ method.

Question 15

read Statement

Answer 15

Used to read data from an open file. Allows for the retrieval of content from a file and store it in a variable or display it.

Question 16

Syntax for Reading from a File

Answer 16

The syntax for reading from a file involves using the file object’s ‘read’ method.

Question 17

‘\n’

Answer 17

An escape sequence that represents a newline character. Indicates the end of a line.

Question 18

rstrip

Answer 18

String method that removes trailing whitespace

Question 19

close

Answer 19

Used to close an open file.

Question 20

readline()

Answer 20

A method used to read a single line in a file.

Question 21

Field

Answer 21

A single piece of data within a record.

Question 22

Record

Answer 22

A data structure that represents a collection of related data fields, each with its own value.

Question 23

Exception

Answer 23

An event or error condition that disrupts the normal flow of a program

Question 24

try/except/else Statement

Answer 24

Is used for error handling.

Question 25

finally Clause

Answer 25

Code within the “finally” block is executed regardless of whether an exception was raised or not.