Theory Questions
These questions are designed to test your understanding of the skeleton code. Many of these are similar
to the kinds of question you can expect to see in Section C of the Paper 1 exam. However,
sub-questions that are more than 2 marks are rarely seen in this section – these more involved
questions are here to challenge your understanding of the code.
These questions refer to the Preliminary Material and the Skeleton Program,
but do not require any additional programming
TOTAL MARKS: 57
1. This question is about the Main() subroutine.
(a) Explain why the Choice variable is converted to lower case in the Main() subroutine. [1]
(b) Explain the purpose of the TrainingGame variable in the program. [1]
2. This question is about the PlayGame() subroutine. It repeatedly calls DisplayState().
Explain the purpose of this repeated call and how it contributes to the gameplay. [2]
3. This question is about the RemoveNumbersUsed() function.
(a) Identify what UserInputInRPN represents within this function. [1]
(b) Explain the logic used to remove numbers from the NumbersAllowed list. [2]
4. This question is about the function CheckIfUserInputEvaluationIsATarget() and how it works
to modify the player's score.
(a) What condition needs to be met to increase the player's score? [1]
(b) Why is the target set to -1 after it has been evaluated successfully? [2]
5. This question is about the function CheckValidNumber(). The function uses a regular expression.
(a) Explain the purpose of using the regular expression in this function and how this regular
expression works to validate user input. [2]
(b) What could happen if the regular expression pattern was changed to ^[0-9]$ by removing
the + character? [1]
6. This question is about the EvaluateRPN() function. It evaluates expressions in Reverse Polish
Notation (RPN).
(a) Briefly describe how Reverse Polish Notation works and how it is evaluated using a stack. [2]
(b) What would happen if an invalid operation (e.g. division by zero) is attempted in this function? [1]
AQA 2025: Target Clear (Python) Page 1 of 3 © ZigZag Education, 2024
7. Examine the function FillNumbers(). It works differently in training and random game modes.
Explain how the list NumbersAllowed is populated in training mode versus random mode. [2]
8. This question is about the function ConvertToRPN(). Operators are stored in a stack while
operands are processed immediately.
(a) Explain why a stack is used to manage operators in this function. [2]
(b) How does the function handle operators of equal precedence? [2]
9. This question is about the function CreateTargets().
(a) What is the role of the GetTarget() function within CreateTargets()? [1]
(b) Explain how the Targets list is initialised differently at the start of the game. [2]
10. This question is about the PlayGame() subroutine.
(a) Below is a hierarchy chart for PlayGame(). Name the six user-defined subroutines labelled
A to F. [6]
(b) Describe the purpose/functionality of each of the six labelled subroutines from part (a).
As part of your description, you can assume that the player enters a valid expression that
uses only available numbers and will correctly hit one of the targets. [6]
11. This question refers to the use of exception handling in programming.
(a) Why might it be useful to use exception handling in a program like this, especially for
user input? [1]
(b) Provide an example of where exception handling could be implemented in this program
to improve robustness. [1]
12. The question is about the PlayGame() subroutine. The subroutine contains a loop that continues
until the GameOver variable is true.
(a) Explain the criteria for setting the GameOver condition to be True. [1]
(b) Why is it important to have a condition like GameOver to end a loop? [1]
13. Imagine you want to add a feature to permanently store the highest score achieved in the game.
Explain where you would store this information and how you would retrieve it when needed. [2]
AQA 2025: Target Clear (Python) Page 2 of 3 © ZigZag Education, 2024
14. State an identifier for / name of:
(a) A user-defined function that returns a list [1]
(b) A Boolean variable within the Main() subroutine [1]
(c) A string variable within the function GetNumberFromUserInput() [1]
(d) A list method that is used within the function UpdateTargets() [1]
(e) An integer variable within the function Main() [1]
15. This question is about the CheckIfUserInputValid() function. Inside it there is a regular expression.
"^([0-9]+[\\+\\-\\*\\/])+[0-9]+$"
How does the regular expression make use of the + meta-character? [2]
16. Explain why a regular expression could not be adapted to check the validity of a mathematical
expression with (indefinitely nested) brackets but BNF syntax could be used. [1]
17. This question is about the ConvertToRPN() function. Explain how the function makes use of
the Precedence dictionary. [3]
18. Explain how this program demonstrates the concepts of abstraction and decomposition through
the use of functions. [2]
19. This question is about the UpdateTargets() function. The function implements a shunting of the
targets down by one position each time it is called. What is the time complexity for this operation? [1]
END OF QUESTIONS
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