Question

The following python code is used to avoid which error?

def safe_float(obj):
try:
return float(obj)
except:
pass

safe_float('abcde')

a) SyntaxError
b) ValueError
c) TypeError
d) IndexError

Answer 1

The provided Python code is designed to handle a ValueError that occurs when trying to convert a non-numeric string to a floating point with the float() function. The correct option is B.

Step-by-step explanation:

The code provided is used to avoid a ValueError when attempting to convert a non-numeric value to a floating-point number using the float() function. In Python, a ValueError is raised when a function's argument is of an appropriate type but has an unpermissible value. In this case, if you try to convert a string that does not represent a number (like 'abcde') to a float, a ValueError will occur.

The try block contains the code that may raise an exception, while the except block is used to handle the exception. If a ValueError arises within the try block from calling float(obj), the except block catches the error, and the function would simply pass, returning None. This ensures that your program can continue to execute and handle invalid input gracefully.

Common scenarios where a ValueError might be caught include user input validation or processing data where some elements might not be convertible to a float. The use of a try-except block here is a standard error handling strategy in Python to improve the robustness of the code.