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Python Code Snippet Returns Incorrect DNA Syntax

β€œuser_input = input('Please describe the DNA: ') return DNA”
Incorrect syntax
Confidence: High Checked on April 29, 2026

Summary

The code places a `return` statement at the top level, which is not inside any function, causing a SyntaxError in Python. Additionally, `DNA` is not defined, so the statement would fail even if placed inside a function. To fix it, wrap the code in a function and return a defined variable.

Recheck this fact Runs a fresh check with up-to-date sources

Sources 60 searched

learn.microsoft.com
open.oregonstate.education
ita.uni-heidelberg.de
  • Problem Set 1

    Write a Python function dna_to_mrna that takes a DNA sequence and returns the corresponding mRNA sequence.

cs.du.edu
  • Functions that return a value - Introduction to Programming

    ... def function_name(optional parameters) -> return type: # Indented code block # Optional return statement # (Leave off the return statement if the function returns `None`) Example: Here's a function that takes a float parameter named temp_f that represents a temperature in Fahrenheit (think ...

geeksforgeeks.org
  • DNA to Protein in Python 3 | GeeksforGeeks

    inputfile ="DNA_sequence_original.txt" ... seq.replace("\r", "") Next, we will build a function called translate() which will convert the altered DNA sequence into its Protein equivalent and return it....

  • Python input() Function - GeeksforGeeks

    Return Value: Always returns the entered data as a string. Refer Python Data Types article to understand more. Let's look at some examples to understand it more.

  • SyntaxError: 'return' outside function in Python

    If this statement is mistakenly placed outside a function, Python will throw this error. ... In this example, code attempts to iterate through a list of strings named "l" and use a return statement within a for loop, but it will result in a ...

docs.python.org
  • Built-in Functions β€” Python 3.14.4 documentation

    Two objects with non-overlapping lifetimes may have the same id() value. CPython implementation detail: This is the address of the object in memory. Raises an auditing event builtins.id with argument id. ... If the prompt argument is present, it is written to standard output without a trailing newline. The function then reads a line from input, converts it to a string (stripping a trailing newline), and returns that. When EOF is read, EOFError is raised. Example:

py4u.org

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