What is the expected output of the following code? `` 1 x = 0 2 y = 1 3 x = x ^ y 4 y = x ^ y 5 y = x ^ y 6 print(x, y) ``

Question

1 x = 0
2 y = 1
3 x = x ^ y
4 y = x ^ y
5 y = x ^ y
6 print(x, y)

Options

• A0 1
• B1 0
• CThe code is erroneous.
• D0 0
• E1 1

• A
  3% (1)
• B
  3% (1)
• C
  5% (2)
• D
  13% (5)
• E
  77% (30)

Explanation

Option E is correct because this code looks like the classic XOR swap algorithm but has a subtle bug on line 5: it reassigns y a second time instead of assigning x. Tracing through: x = 0^1 = 1, then y = 1^1 = 0, then y = 1^0 = 1 - so both end up as 1.

Why the distractors fail:

• A (0 1) - the original values, as if no XOR operations ran at all
• B (1 0) - what a correct XOR swap would produce (line 5 would need to be x = x ^ y)
• C (erroneous) - XOR (^) is valid Python syntax for integers; the code runs fine
• D (0 0) - no XOR combination of these values produces two zeros here

Memory tip: The XOR swap pattern is x=x^y, y=x^y, x=x^y - notice the last line must reassign x, not y. When you see the pattern broken (two y= assignments in a row), the swap is incomplete and y "bounces back" to its original value.

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