What is the output of the statement print(dictionary_name.get("key")) if the key does not exist?

When using the get method on a dictionary in Python, if the specified key does not exist, the method will return None by default. This behavior is a key feature of the get method, which allows for safer retrieval of values from a dictionary without raising an error if the key is absent.

In contrast, if you were to use square brackets (e.g., dictionary_name["key"]) to access the value associated with a key that doesn’t exist, it would raise a KeyError. The get method is designed to provide a smoother way to handle situations where a key might not be present, making it particularly useful in scenarios where you want to avoid exceptions while still being able to check for a key’s existence.

Thus, when there is no matching key for the retrieval attempt, returning None allows the code to continue running without interruption, which is a preferred handling method in many situations.