GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies Practice Test

In Python, what type of structure is `cast_list` if it is defined with curly braces?

1. Dictionary

2. Tuple

3. Array

4. List

The correct answer is: Dictionary

When `cast_list` is defined using curly braces in Python, it is a dictionary. In Python, curly braces `{}` are used to create dictionaries, which are unordered collections of key-value pairs. Each key must be unique, and it is associated with a value that can be of any data type. Dictionaries are versatile and allow for fast lookups, additions, and deletions of items based on keys. The structure is particularly useful for situations where you want to associate certain values with specific identifiers. In contrast, a tuple is created using parentheses `()`, a list is defined with square brackets `[]`, and an array is typically created using the array module or libraries such as NumPy, which do not use curly braces at all. This distinction in the syntax and key characteristics of these different data structures helps clarify why defining `cast_list` with curly braces results in a dictionary.