The IIT Madras BS Tools in Data Science (Tools in Data Science (TDS)) End Term paper sat on 13 Apr 2025, in the January 2025 term, set QDD3: 35 questions for 40 marks in 180 minutes. Every question is below with its answer. Take it as a timed mock test to be marked, or read it through first.
You have a spreadsheet with values containing leading zeros (e.g., "001234"). What's the most effective way to preserve these zeros during Text-to-Columns?
Save as CSV before applying Text-to-Columns
Format cells as Text before using Text-to-Columns
Change the delimiter to semicolons
Manually change the affected cells back to numbers
Correct answer
Format cells as Text before using Text-to-Columns
What is the correct order of execution in a Python try-except-finally block if no exception occurs?
try → finally
try → except → finally
try only
finally → try
Correct answer
try → finally
A data scientist needs to count non-null values in each column of a DataFrame. Which pandas method should they use?
Correct answer
What Git command would you use to discard changes in your working directory and revert to the last committed state?
Correct answer
To debug a memory leak in a JavaScript application, which Chrome DevTools panel is most useful?
Network
Application
Memory
Console
Correct answer
Memory
A data scientist is analyzing the relationship between advertising spend and sales. Which statistical test would be most appropriate to determine if there's a linear relationship?
Chi-square test
Pearson correlation coefficient
ANOVA
Kolmogorov-Smirnov test
Correct answer
Pearson correlation coefficient
Which OpenRefine feature allows you to track and reapply the same cleaning operations to similar datasets?
Clustering history
Extraction of operations as JSON
Project templates
Snapshot management
Correct answer
Extraction of operations as JSON
A web developer wants to analyze the load time and resources of a webpage. Which Chrome DevTools feature provides comprehensive network request information?
Console tab
Network tab
Elements tab
Sources tab
Correct answer
Network tab
Which of the following is NOT typically a built-in feature of modern IDEs?
Git integration
Code completion
Automated code review and security scanning
Terminal access
Correct answer
Automated code review and security scanning
In Kumu, what feature allows you to highlight specific parts of your visualization based on element properties?
Decorators
Focus filters
Clustering algorithms
Color palettes
Correct answer
Focus filters
Which HTTP method is considered safe because it doesn't modify server state?
DELETE
PUT
GET
POST
Correct answer
GET
If a researcher needs to perform advanced spatial analysis and calculate the distance between geometric objects, which library is most appropriate?
Geopandas
Shapely
Matplotlib
Pillow
Correct answers
Geopandas
Shapely
Scenario 1:
Aisha is a medical student researching the latest advancements in cancer treatments for her thesis. She decides to use an LLM to help organize her research and generate draft sections. Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Aisha prompts the LLM: "Provide a detailed analysis of immunotherapy developments for cancer treatment." What aspect of the system prompt most significantly impacts how the LLM formulates its response?
The character limit set by the system prompt
The knowledge domain and expertise level that the system prompt instructs the LLM to adopt
The formatting requirements specified in the system prompt
The language model version identified in the system prompt
Correct answer
The knowledge domain and expertise level that the system prompt instructs the LLM to adopt
Scenario 1:
Aisha is a medical student researching the latest advancements in cancer treatments for her thesis. She decides to use an LLM to help organize her research and generate draft sections. Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
When Aisha uses the LLM for her medical research, which of the following statements are TRUE regarding LLM capabilities and limitations?
LLMs can directly access and cite the most recent peer-reviewed medical studies published after their training cutoff
LLMs may generate plausible-sounding but incorrect medical information if not properly prompted
LLMs have real-time access to patient data to provide personalized medical advice
The quality of LLM responses is unaffected by how specific or vague the user's prompt is
LLMs can evaluate the statistical validity of medical research methodologies when properly prompted
Correct answers
LLMs may generate plausible-sounding but incorrect medical information if not properly prompted
LLMs can evaluate the statistical validity of medical research methodologies when properly prompted
Scenario 1:
Aisha is a medical student researching the latest advancements in cancer treatments for her thesis. She decides to use an LLM to help organize her research and generate draft sections. Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Aisha needs to gather information about a specific cancer treatment approach. Which of these prompts would likely generate the most accurate and useful response?
"Tell me about cancer treatments"
"What is immunotherapy?"
"Summarize the clinical outcomes, mechanism of action, and patient selection criteria for CAR T-cell therapy in treating B-cell lymphomas, citing key studies from 2018-2023 where possible"
"Write a paragraph about new cancer treatments researchers are excited about"
Correct answer
"Summarize the clinical outcomes, mechanism of action, and patient selection criteria for CAR T-cell therapy in treating B-cell lymphomas, citing key studies from 2018-2023 where possible"
Scenario 2:
Hospital Emergency Response to Mass Casualty Incident
Background:
A major traffic accident involving multiple vehicles has occurred on a highway near a metropolitan area, resulting in mass casualties. Nearby hospitals must coordinate emergency response efforts to manage the influx of patients, ensure adequate medical supplies, and maintain operational continuity. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the main hospital will oversee coordination between healthcare facilities, ambulance services, and emergency responders.
Key locations:
● Main Hospital (EOC): Coordinates response efforts.
● Satellite Clinics: Provide overflow care.
● Accident Site: Initial triage and stabilization.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
During the emergency response, multiple teams are updating patient intake records. Which Git command would a team member use to get the latest updates?
git commit
git checkout
git pull
git add
Correct answer
git pull
Scenario 2:
Hospital Emergency Response to Mass Casualty Incident
Background:
A major traffic accident involving multiple vehicles has occurred on a highway near a metropolitan area, resulting in mass casualties. Nearby hospitals must coordinate emergency response efforts to manage the influx of patients, ensure adequate medical supplies, and maintain operational continuity. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the main hospital will oversee coordination between healthcare facilities, ambulance services, and emergency responders.
Key locations:
● Main Hospital (EOC): Coordinates response efforts.
● Satellite Clinics: Provide overflow care.
● Accident Site: Initial triage and stabilization.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
An administrator needs to search through patient records to find all entries related to "Accident Site Triage". Which command would be most useful?
find -name "Accident Site Triage"
grep "Accident Site Triage" patient-records.txt
ls "Accident Site Triage"
cat patient-records.txt
Correct answer
grep "Accident Site Triage" patient-records.txt
Scenario 2:
Hospital Emergency Response to Mass Casualty Incident
Background:
A major traffic accident involving multiple vehicles has occurred on a highway near a metropolitan area, resulting in mass casualties. Nearby hospitals must coordinate emergency response efforts to manage the influx of patients, ensure adequate medical supplies, and maintain operational continuity. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the main hospital will oversee coordination between healthcare facilities, ambulance services, and emergency responders.
Key locations:
● Main Hospital (EOC): Coordinates response efforts.
● Satellite Clinics: Provide overflow care.
● Accident Site: Initial triage and stabilization.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
In a resource-constrained hospital environment, which deployment method would be MOST appropriate for the patient management system?
Running scripts locally on a single emergency responder's laptop
Distributing Python source code to all emergency personnel
Containerized deployment with Docker for consistent execution across multiple devices
Full cloud migration requiring constant internet connectivity
Correct answer
Containerized deployment with Docker for consistent execution across multiple devices
Scenario 2:
Hospital Emergency Response to Mass Casualty Incident
Background:
A major traffic accident involving multiple vehicles has occurred on a highway near a metropolitan area, resulting in mass casualties. Nearby hospitals must coordinate emergency response efforts to manage the influx of patients, ensure adequate medical supplies, and maintain operational continuity. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the main hospital will oversee coordination between healthcare facilities, ambulance services, and emergency responders.
Key locations:
● Main Hospital (EOC): Coordinates response efforts.
● Satellite Clinics: Provide overflow care.
● Accident Site: Initial triage and stabilization.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Which computational tool would be MOST APPROPRIATE for optimizing ambulance routes to transport patients efficiently?
Microsoft Excel for manual distance calculations
Google Maps for route visualization
Python libraries like NetworkX or OR-Tools for route optimization
QGIS for static route mapping
Correct answer
Python libraries like NetworkX or OR-Tools for route optimization
Scenario 2:
Hospital Emergency Response to Mass Casualty Incident
Background:
A major traffic accident involving multiple vehicles has occurred on a highway near a metropolitan area, resulting in mass casualties. Nearby hospitals must coordinate emergency response efforts to manage the influx of patients, ensure adequate medical supplies, and maintain operational continuity. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the main hospital will oversee coordination between healthcare facilities, ambulance services, and emergency responders.
Key locations:
● Main Hospital (EOC): Coordinates response efforts.
● Satellite Clinics: Provide overflow care.
● Accident Site: Initial triage and stabilization.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
What is the primary advantage of using the Haversine formula in ambulance route planning?
Calculating exact road distances
Determining travel time under specific conditions
Computing great-circle distances on a spherical Earth
Measuring elevation changes in mountainous terrain
Correct answer
Computing great-circle distances on a spherical Earth
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
Which of the following is a valid log entry based on the provided format?
Correct answers
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
Which of the following fields are necessary to filter "POST requests made for pages under /images/ from 15:00 to 18:00 on Mondays"?
Time, Request, Method, URL
Time, Method, Status, Size
Time, Method, URL, Referer
Time, Status, URL, Server
Correct answer
Time, Request, Method, URL
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
Correct answer
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
Which method is best for identifying if a log entry’s timestamp corresponds to a Saturday?
Correct answer
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
How would you identify log entries where the time is between 14:00 and 16:59 on Fridays?
Check if 14 <= timestamp.hour < 16
Check if 14 <= timestamp.hour < 17
Check if 14 < timestamp.hour < 17
Check if timestamp.hour in range(14, 18)
Correct answer
Check if 14 <= timestamp.hour < 17
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
How would you extract the HTTP protocol version (e.g., HTTP/1.1) from the Request field "GET /blog/ HTTP/1.1"?
Use request.split('/')[1]
Use request.split(' ')[2]
Use request.split(' ')[1]
Use request.split('/')[2]
Correct answer
Use request.split(' ')[2]
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
Correct answer
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
Correct answer
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
How would you identify if the log entry’s HTTP status code indicates a redirection request? (Assume that status is correctly stored in the variable ‘status’)
status in [301, 302, 303]
200 < status < 400
300 <= status < 400
status in range(299, 400)
Correct answer
300 <= status < 400
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
After filtering the log entries (in a list filtered_entries), which of the following is the best way to count the number of requests with a 404 status code for pages under /error/?
Use len(filtered_entries)
Use len(entries)
Use sum(1 for entry in entries)
None of these
Correct answer
None of these
Scenario 3:
You are provided with a Gzipped Apache log file from a website having the below data in each row.
The fields are separated by spaces and quoted by double quotes ("). Unlike CSV files, quoted fields are escaped via " and not". All data is in the GMT-0500 timezone and the questions were based in this same time zone.
Use the information and answer the given sub-questions.
Note: Assume that you are using Python codes for log analysis
If the count of log entries appears much larger than expected, which of the following could be the reason?
The filter for Monday is incorrect.
The filter for time range is incorrect.
The filter for HTTP method is incorrect.
Any of these could be the reason.
Correct answer
Any of these could be the reason.
Scenario 4:
A professor in computational biology is designing an AI-powered assistant called BioTutor to help students understand bioinformatics concepts and computational techniques for analyzing genomic data. The assistant aims to foster critical thinking, independent learning, and hands-on problem-solving skills.
Guidelines for BioTutor:
● Engage students with exploratory and reflective questions.
● Avoid providing direct answers; instead, guide students to discover solutions themselves. ● Focus on building conceptual understanding and technical skills.
● Encourage students to apply bioinformatics tools and algorithms independently.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
What is the primary purpose of the system prompt in controlling an AI learning assistant's behavior?
To create a fixed set of predetermined responses for every possible student query
To define the core communication strategy, learning approach, and interaction guidelines
To replace the need for human instructor guidance completely
To limit the AI's ability to understand complex scientific concepts
Correct answer
To define the core communication strategy, learning approach, and interaction guidelines
Scenario 4:
A professor in computational biology is designing an AI-powered assistant called BioTutor to help students understand bioinformatics concepts and computational techniques for analyzing genomic data. The assistant aims to foster critical thinking, independent learning, and hands-on problem-solving skills.
Guidelines for BioTutor:
● Engage students with exploratory and reflective questions.
● Avoid providing direct answers; instead, guide students to discover solutions themselves. ● Focus on building conceptual understanding and technical skills.
● Encourage students to apply bioinformatics tools and algorithms independently.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Choose the best system prompt that achieves the instructor's goals.
"You are a bioinformatics assistant. Provide direct answers and complete solutions whenever students ask."
"You are an interactive learning assistant for bioinformatics. Guide students through complex concepts by asking reflective questions. Avoid giving direct solutions. Encourage independent thinking and help students develop problem-solving skills."
"You are a simple computational tool for bioinformatics. Provide exact numerical answers and full code implementations for any genomic analysis question."
"You are a bioinformatics assistant. Help students and tell them to consult research papers or textbooks for all information."
Correct answer
"You are an interactive learning assistant for bioinformatics. Guide students through complex concepts by asking reflective questions. Avoid giving direct solutions. Encourage independent thinking and help students develop problem-solving skills."
Scenario 4:
A professor in computational biology is designing an AI-powered assistant called BioTutor to help students understand bioinformatics concepts and computational techniques for analyzing genomic data. The assistant aims to foster critical thinking, independent learning, and hands-on problem-solving skills.
Guidelines for BioTutor:
● Engage students with exploratory and reflective questions.
● Avoid providing direct answers; instead, guide students to discover solutions themselves. ● Focus on building conceptual understanding and technical skills.
● Encourage students to apply bioinformatics tools and algorithms independently.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
A student asks: "How do I identify open reading frames (ORFs) in a DNA sequence?"
Choose the most pedagogically effective response:
"To identify ORFs, you need to scan the DNA sequence in all six reading frames (three forward and three reverse) and locate start codons (ATG) and stop codons (TAA, TAG, TGA). Here's the Python code to do it: [provides full code]."
"Open reading frames (ORFs) are stretches of DNA that can be translated into proteins. They start with a start codon like ATG and end with a stop codon like TAA, TAG, or TGA."
"Interesting question! What do you already know about codons and their role in protein synthesis? Have you thought about how you might systematically search for start and stop codons in a sequence?"
"I cannot help you with this task. Please refer to your bioinformatics textbook or online tutorials."
Correct answer
"Interesting question! What do you already know about codons and their role in protein synthesis? Have you thought about how you might systematically search for start and stop codons in a sequence?"
Scenario 4:
A professor in computational biology is designing an AI-powered assistant called BioTutor to help students understand bioinformatics concepts and computational techniques for analyzing genomic data. The assistant aims to foster critical thinking, independent learning, and hands-on problem-solving skills.
Guidelines for BioTutor:
● Engage students with exploratory and reflective questions.
● Avoid providing direct answers; instead, guide students to discover solutions themselves. ● Focus on building conceptual understanding and technical skills.
● Encourage students to apply bioinformatics tools and algorithms independently.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Assume that BioTutor uses a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) system to assist students with bioinformatics queries. The system works as follows:
1. Bioinformatics Data Storage: Comprehensive genomic research materials (e.g., papers, notes, tutorials) are split into smaller chunks, which are vectorized using an embedding model. 2. Vector Database: The vectorized chunks are stored in a FAISS or Weaviate vector database. 3. Retriever: When a student asks a question, the system retrieves relevant content from the database based on semantic similarity to the query.
4. LLM Contextualization: The retrieved content is added as context in the assistant's prompt, enabling the LLM to generate a personalized response.
Which of the following correctly describes the process flow of a RAG-based system for BioTutor?
Correct answer
