Python: CH05 QUIZ

Stranger Things Meets Loops and Lists

A Disturbance in Hawkins…

Your program will become their only line of communication as they fight to escape.

Something strange is happening again in Hawkins. The kids — Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Will, and Mike — are trapped deep inside the Upside Down.

The Mind Flayer has sealed the portal, and the only way to escape is to solve a series of mysterious code puzzles that it generated using dark, reality-bending logic. These puzzles act like digital locks.

And the kids need you — their programmer — to break those locks using your skills with:

- while loops
- lists
- logic & comparison
- user feedback loops

The Upside Down Guessing Game - Basic Mode

The Mind Flayer’s Numerical Gate

The first puzzle is deceptively simple: A random number between 1 and 50 is generated, and the user must guess this number using hints that tell them whether their guess is Too high, Too low, or Correct

Requirements:

Generate a random integer (1–50).
Use a while loop to keep asking until the user guesses correctly.
Give higher/lower hints after each guess.
Store each guess in a list so you can report them later.
Once solved → the kids move to the next puzzle.

The Multi-Character Passcode

The Mind Flayer Gets Smarter… Now the lock becomes two characters long

- - Each character is a letter from a–e (lowercase)
    - - Example: "bd", or "ac", or "ee", etc

The twist?

- - The user must guess each character one at a time.
  - They can't move to character #2 until they correctly guess character #1.

Requirements:

Generate a 2-character code, using letters a through e.
For each character, loop until the user guesses the correct letter.
Give hints:
- - “Your guess is higher alphabetically”
  - “Your guess is lower alphabetically”
Store all guesses in a list.
Once both characters are guessed → the lock opens.

🧠 PROGRAMMING OBJECTIVE 3: Guess Tracking & End Report

You must:
- - Keep track of every single guess made across the entire game
  - Track the total number of guesses
  - Print a final report that includes:
    - - Guess count
      - The sequence of guesses (nicely formatted)

Sample Program Output:

⚡ ADVANCED TASKS: Entering the Upside Down Again

Ready? Take a deep breath, grab your walkie-talkie, and venture deeper into the code. The darkness is watching.

You’ve cracked the first two locks, but something shifts in the air around the kids. The vines tighten. The ground trembles. A chilling screech echoes through the dark. The Mind Flayer has realized what you’re doing… And it’s not happy.

To slow you down, it begins twisting the puzzle system even further — warping numbers, scrambling letters, and bending logic itself. The rules start to change. The difficulty spikes. The Upside Down becomes more dangerous the deeper you go.

But this is where true coders shine.

These Advanced Tasks are difficult, but completing at least one will make your program stronger, smarter, and more battle-ready for the horrors of the Upside Down. Choose wisely. Each upgrade offers a new challenge — and each one brings the kids one step closer to escaping the Mind Flayer’s grasp

⭐ TASK 1 — Difficulty Menu System

The Upside Down shifts, and new portals appear — each harder than the last. The kids need you to build a difficulty menu that changes the number range based on the level they choose.

- - - Easy: Number is 1-10
    - Medium: 1-15
    - Hard: 1-25
    - Insane: 1-50

⭐ TASK 2a — Guess Limits / Regenerating Numbers

The Mind Flayer grows impatient. In this version, you must limit how many guesses the player gets — or even let the number randomly change after too many attempts. The world becomes unstable, and your code must handle the chaos.

- Limit the number of guesses a user gets
- If you want to be horrible, and I mean truly horrible, don't limit the guesses...
  - - after every 10 guesses or so, regenerate the number they have to guess.
    - This is seriously diabolical. Just so you know... Give hints to be nice...

⭐ TASK 2b — Regenerating Numbers

- If you want to be horrible, and I mean truly horrible, don't limit the guesses...
  - - after every 10 guesses or so, regenerate the number they have to guess.
    - This is seriously diabolical. Just so you know... Give hints to be nice...

Ultra Bonus Section: Eleven Ventures back to the Lab

⭐ Hot or Cold Feedback

The air of the Upside Down shifts with every guess. Instead of saying “higher” or “lower,” your program must compare the player’s newest guess to their previous one and tell them whether they are getting closer (hotter) or farther (colder) from the secret number. You must store guesses, calculate distance, and update feedback each time.

This is the Stranger Things version of hot or cold...

⭐ Reverse Guessing Game (+50%) HARD!!!

The rules flip. Now the computer must guess the user’s secret number.

The user tells the program “higher,” “lower,” or “correct.”
Your program must adjust its guesses intelligently — narrowing the range each time until it finds the right answer.
Essentially, you are coding the program to think like a search algorithm.

The "You Are Like Papa" Challenge

🚪 NEW GATE — The Corrupted Signal Lock

The Mind Flayer scrambles the signal...

This gate requires a 4-part code:

1 digit (0–9)
3 uppercase letters (A–E, or A–Z if you want harder)

You'll be prompted to enter the entire code at once...
Enter a Number followed by a 3 letter sequence
You'll then be told:

If the number is correct of if you need to guess higher or lower
If the letter block is correct or if it is alphabetically higher or alphabetically lower
BUT:
- - If any letter is correct and in the correct position, the program must tell you:

- - - - One letter is correct
        Two letters are correct
        All letters correct

Additionally, you can add an EASY MODE, which COLORS the correct number/letters (like wordle). This makes the program a lot easier!!!

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