True or False: In Python, sets can contain identical items.

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Consider the claim: 'In Python, sets can contain identical items.'

First, recall what a set is: a collection that stores unique, unordered elements. The core property of a set is that it cannot have duplicates.

When you add an element to a set, Python uses hashing and equality to determine if an equivalent element is already present. If a value equal to an existing member is added, it is not stored again; the set remains with a single instance of that value.

Therefore, the statement is false because a set cannot contain two identical items at the same time. If you attempt to add duplicates (for example, 1 twice), the set will still show only one 1.

A helpful nuance: for some types, you can have distinct objects that are not equal, and both can be in a set if they are not considered equal by Python’s equality and hashing rules. Conversely, for items that are equal (or hash to the same value), only one representative is kept.

Also note a related constraint: elements placed in a set must be hashable. Mutable types like lists cannot be elements of a set at all, which further limits what can be stored but does not alter the uniqueness principle for hashable items.

Combined CS-126 sections - (1257-4967) COMPUTER SCIENCE I (Fall 2025 M16) 002 Module 2 - Midterm Exam | Quiz

True or False: In Python, sets can contain identical items.

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