What does the sorted() function return if called without any arguments?

The sorted() function, when called without any arguments, does not necessarily return a sorted version of a list. Instead, it requires at least one iterable, such as a list or a string, as an argument to operate correctly. If the function is called with no parameters, it will raise a TypeError, indicating that it expects at least one argument. Therefore, calling sorted() without any arguments does not return anything useful, leading to an error.

To summarize, for the sorted() function to work, you must provide a collection of items to sort, making it crucial to always supply an appropriate argument when using this function.