When using the pop() method, what does it return if no index is specified?

The pop() method in Python is used to remove an item from a list at a specified index and return that item. If no index is specified, the method defaults to removing and returning the last item from the list. This behavior is particularly useful when you want to retrieve and remove the most recently added element in a stack-like data structure. Lists in Python are zero-indexed, meaning that accessing the last element can effectively be done with the index of -1, which is what pop() does when no index is provided. This method modifies the original list by removing the last element, which is an important aspect to consider when managing data in a list.