Python Interview Questions · interview question

Which practice avoids a common mistake with Reference Counting and Garbage Collection?

Multiple choiceMediumpython-interview-2026interviewpythonpitfall

Ignore the Reference Counting and Garbage Collection issue and rely on team discipline instead of clearer APIs or invariants.Do not assume the garbage collector will fix every lifetime issue, especially when external resources or long-lived references are involved.Silence the Reference Counting and Garbage Collection problem by using broad catches, hidden globals, or extra shared mutable state.Prefer the version of Reference Counting and Garbage Collection that makes behavior less predictable as long as the code still runs.

Answer and explanation

Correct answer

B. Do not assume the garbage collector will fix every lifetime issue, especially when external resources or long-lived references are involved.

Why

Do not assume the garbage collector will fix every lifetime issue, especially when external resources or long-lived references are involved. This is a common failure mode in real Python code and a frequent interview follow-up.

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Which practice avoids a common mistake with Reference Counting and Garbage Collection?

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