What function is used to return the highest value in a list?

The function used to return the highest value in a list is indeed max(). This built-in Python function is specifically designed to take an iterable, such as a list, and return the largest item contained within it. It operates by comparing the elements in the iterable based on their natural ordering (for example, numerical comparisons for integers and floats, or lexicographical ordering for strings).

By utilizing max(), you can easily find the largest number in a list with a simple and intuitive syntax. For example, calling max([1, 3, 2]) will yield 3, which is the highest value.

The other options do not represent valid built-in functions for this purpose. There is no highest(), maximum(), or largest() function in Python’s standard library. Therefore, using max() is the correct approach for retrieving the maximum value from a list or any other comparable iterable.