Problem No 12
Flatten a single-level list of lists
Medium≈ 16 minute session
Lesson guide
What this Python exercise practices
Flatten a single-level list of lists is a intermediate practice lesson that focuses on lists, iteration, filtering. It is designed to be solved in about 16 minutes with examples, starter code, and test feedback.
Prerequisites
- Python variables
- List values
- Basic indexing
Difficulty and time
- Level
- Intermediate
- Estimated time
- 16 minutes
Practice path
Summary
Flatten only one level of nesting: turn a list of lists (and/or tuples and scalars) into a single list of elements.
Problem statement
Write a function flatten_once(nested) that accepts a list which may contain other lists or tuples as elements and returns a new list with exactly one level of flattening applied. For each element in the input list: - If the element is a list or tuple, extend the output with its elements (one level deep). - Otherwise, append the element as-is. Do not perform deep flattening: if an inner element contains nested lists beyond the first level, leave those nested structures intact as elements.
Task
Implement a function that flattens one level of nesting for a list containing sublists/tuples and other elements.
Examples
Basic flatten
Input
[[1, 2], [3, 4]]
Output
[1, 2, 3, 4]
Explanation
Each inner list is expanded one level into the resulting list.
Input format
A single Python list which may contain lists, tuples, or other objects as elements.
Output format
A list with one level of flattening applied.
Constraints
Only flatten one level. Preserve the order of elements. Result must be a list.
Samples
Sample input 0
[['a'], ['b', 'c'], []]
Sample output 0
['a', 'b', 'c']
Explanation 0
Empty inner lists contribute nothing; other inner lists are expanded.
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