The variable word = "elephant" has eight letters…

Plan. Write the positions under the letters: e 0, l 1, e 2, p 3, h 4, a 5, n 6, t 7. The negative positions count from the end: t is -1, n is -2, a is -3, and so on up to e at -8.

1. word[2] is e, the third letter.
2. word[-3] is a.
3. word[len(word) - 1] is word[7], which is t. It is the same as word[-1].
4. word[-8] is the first letter, e. For a word of 8 letters, -8 is the same as 0.
5. word[1:4] is lep, with positions 1, 2 and 3, so its length is 3.