EXERCISE 12: Check answers and track correct responses
if(elif, andelse) statements (revisited)- Comparison operators (revisited)
- Accumulator pattern
- Case conversion for strings
Task: Check if the user’s answer is correct and keep track of how many they got right using if statements and your previous code calculating scores and statistics.
Create two accumulator variables:
num_cards_completed: keeps track of the number of cards you have completednum_cards_correct: keeps track of the number of cards you have answered correctly
With each input from the user you need to increment num_cards_completed and check the answer they give against the correct answer. If the answer is correct, you need to increment num_cards_correct. You should also ensure that num_cards_completed and num_cards_correct are reset each time a user starts a new session.
Bonus Task: Make the app more forgiving to the user so that their answer is deemed correct even when the case doesn’t match the dictionary key, e.g. “Mammal” and “mammal” are treated equivalently. One way to do this is to convert all answers to the case that the dictionary value is in.
Run and check: Run your code in the terminal to make sure it works with the command
python flashcards_app.py
- Try answering some correctly and some incorrectly
- Check that your final score matches how many you got right
Read through and add comments: Add any comments in your code that will help you understand it when you come back to it later.
Save your progress: Commit with message “EXERCISE 12: Check answers and track correct responses” and save your work to Github with the standard Git workflow.
(Re)read the guides:
if(elif, andelse) statements (revisited)- Comparison operators (revisited)
- Accumulator pattern
- Case conversion for strings
Example solution
flashcards_app.py
# Created by: Alex Ubuntu
# Date: 01.01.2026
# Purpose: A personal flashcard trainer to help with learning
# Flashcards list
flashcards = {
"Largest mammal on Earth": "Blue whale",
"Tallest type of tree": "Coast redwood",
"Process by which plants make food": "Photosynthesis",
"Fastest land animal": "Cheetah",
"Largest ocean on Earth": "Pacific Ocean"
}
### INITIAL INTERACTION WITH USER
# Welcome message
print("Welcome to your personal flashcard trainer!")
# Absolute maximum number of cards so that the user can't ask for too many
ABSOLUTE_MAX_CARDS = 100
DEFAULT_MAX_CARDS = 20
# Fetch from user and save to variable
name = input("What is your name? ")
max_cards = DEFAULT_MAX_CARDS # Set a default value for max_cards
# Confirm name
print(f"\nMy name is {name}")
# Card and score variables
num_cards_completed = 0
num_cards_correct = 0
score = 0
### APP MENU LOOP
while True:
print("\nSelect an option by entering a number")
print("1: Set the number of cards you wish to practice")
print("2: Start flashcards")
print("3: Show the current score")
print("4: Exit")
choice = input("\nChoose an option: ")
if choice == "1":
while True:
# More stringent validation for input for maximum number of cards
# Fetch input from user but don't attempt to convert the input string
# to int until certain it will work
entered_max_cards = input("\nHow many cards would you like to practice each session? ")
# Check if input string represents an integer
if entered_max_cards.isdigit():
# Convert to integer data type
entered_max_cards = int(entered_max_cards)
# Check if value is within the value range
# (between 1 and the absolute maximum number of cards)
if entered_max_cards > 0 and entered_max_cards < ABSOLUTE_MAX_CARDS:
# Set the max_cards variable with the user's preference
max_cards = entered_max_cards
# Confirm number maximum number of cards per session
print(f"\nI want to practice at most {max_cards} cards per session")
break
else:
## Let the user know what the range should be (Bonus task).
print(f"\nPlease enter a valid number bewteen 1 and {ABSOLUTE_MAX_CARDS}.")
else:
print(f"\nPlease enter a whole number number over 0.")
elif choice == "2":
# Reset the number of cards completed for each session
num_cards_completed = 0
num_cards_correct = 0
# Iterate through flashcards list of tuples
# Each tuple element of the list contains a question, answer pair
for q, a in flashcards_list:
# Ask user question and save response into variable
user_answer = input(f"\nQuestion: {q}\n")
# Increment the count of cards completed
num_cards_completed += 1
# Display user's answer and correct answer
print(f"Your answer: {user_answer}, Correct answer: {a}")
# Response deemed to be correct even if given in different case
if user_answer.lower() == a.lower():
# Increment count of cards answered correctly
num_cards_correct += 1
print("Correct")
else:
print("Incorrect")
elif choice == "3":
# Handle case where no cards have been completed yet.
if num_cards_completed <=0:
print("You need to practice before you can get a score.")
continue
score = (num_cards_correct/num_cards_completed) * 100
# Display score information
print(f"\nYou have answered {num_cards_correct} out of {num_cards_completed} correctly. Your score so far is {score}%.")
# Display feedback message based on score
if score > 90 and score <= 100:
print("Excellent work!")
elif score > 70 and score <= 90:
print("Good job!")
elif score > 50 and score <= 70:
print("Keep practicing!")
elif score > 0 and score <= 50:
print("Need more study time!")
else:
print("Score lies outside range")
elif choice == "4":
print(f"We hope you enjoyed your practice session today, {name}.")
# Display score information
print(f"You have answered {num_cards_correct} out of {num_cards_completed} correctly. Your score for this session {score}%.")
print("Look forward to seeing you again soon!")
break
else:
# Clarify instruction to get valid input
print("\nInvalid value entered. Please make sure you enter just a single digit (no other words): 1, 2, 3 or 4, to select an option.")
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